EU regulatory guide

CPSR cost and timeline, honestly.

What a Cosmetic Product Safety Report actually costs, what drives the price up, and why the calendar is set by the lab rather than the assessor.

A safety assessor working through cosmetic product test data

Reviewed by Cassandra Maddocks, chemist & biochemist · last reviewed 26 July 2026

How much does a CPSR cost?

At CIG, $450 to $600 per product, signed by a qualified assessor. The exact figure depends on formula complexity and data completeness. Bundled with the Product Information File and notification in the launch pack, the whole first product lands at a fixed $1,500.
Article 10(2) of Regulation 1223/2009 on EUR-Lex with the safety assessor qualification requirement highlighted
Article 10(2) of Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009, the safety assessor qualification requirement, as published on EUR-Lex, consolidation of 1 May 2026 (02009R1223, EN, 040.001). Captured 26 July 2026. View the official text.

The market ranges much wider than that, in both directions. Very cheap reports usually mean an unqualified signature or a template that will not survive an authority's questions; very expensive ones often price the consultancy around the report rather than the report. What the price should always include is a named assessor qualified in pharmacy, toxicology or medicine, the requirement set by Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009. Our current prices are on the pricing page.

What makes a CPSR cost more?

Missing data, unusual ingredients, and wide scope. If stability or challenge testing has not been done, it must be commissioned. Exotic raw materials without supplier documentation need workups. And products for children, intimate use or damaged skin carry a deeper assessment.

Shades and scents on a shared base formula work in your favour: they can often be assessed together as a framework, so a ten-shade range does not cost ten full assessments. We flag the edge cases before they become invoices. That judgement call is part of the CPSR service.

How long does a CPSR take?

With complete, current test data: the assessment is a matter of days to a couple of weeks: compiling, calculating and signing. Without test data: the lab sets the calendar. Stability testing runs three to twelve months by method, and challenge testing adds its own lead time.

This is the single most misunderstood timeline in cosmetics compliance. The report is not the slow part; the testing behind it is. Which inputs matter and why is covered in our CPSR required inputs guide.

Can I speed it up?

Only by starting the testing earlier. There is no compliant shortcut around stability and challenge data. What you can compress is everything else: collect supplier documentation in parallel, settle the formula before testing starts, and have the label ready for review alongside the assessment.

A launch plan that starts compliance the month before shipping will slip; one that starts when the formula settles usually does not. For a first EU product, work backwards from launch: testing first, assessment once data lands, then PIF assembly and the CPNP notification in the final stretch.

Does the CPSR expire?

No fixed expiry, but it must stay true. A reformulation, a new raw material source, new safety data on an ingredient, or adverse-event learnings all require the assessment to be revisited. An outdated CPSR is treated like a missing one in an inspection.

Budget for the assessment as a living document over the product's life, not a launch receipt. Keeping it current alongside the file and notifications is the recurring work of Compliance Care.

Is one CPSR enough for the EU, UK and Switzerland?

Nearly. The EU CPSR is the master document; Great Britain needs it to stand as a UK-recognised assessment, usually via a review pass rather than a rebuild, and Switzerland's self-monitoring file draws on the same assessment. One well-built report carries the load for all three.

That reuse is the strongest argument for doing the EU report properly the first time. The details per market are in our EU, UK and Swiss guides, and the whole launch budget across markets is in our cost guide, and how the report relates to the dossier and the filing is in our CPSR vs PIF vs notification comparison.

Sources

Primary sources cited in this guide. Regulatory status last verified 26 July 2026.

Put this into practice

From estimate to signed report.

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Send us your product list and existing test data, and we will quote the assessment, and tell you honestly what the lab work will add if data is missing.