Referral partners

Partner with CIG.

Refer your clients to a regulatory partner, and give them a clear path into the EU, UK, Switzerland and the US.

If you work with beauty brands but do not handle regulatory compliance yourself, CIG fills that gap. We take on the compliance work your clients need in each market, while you keep doing your own work. Your clients get one route to four markets, and you stay their first point of contact.

Compliance is where a lot of beauty brands stall. A brand can have a finished formula, a filled warehouse and a live storefront, and still be unable to sell legally because it has no Responsible Person in the market, no signed safety report and no notification on file. That gap tends to surface at the worst moment: a marketplace suspends a listing, a shipment is held, or a launch date arrives with no route to market. If your clients keep hitting that wall, a referral arrangement gives you a single place to send them and a fixed price you can quote with confidence.

Why your clients need this

The regulatory wall is real, and it has no small-business door.

Cosmetic compliance applies the same way to a one-person soap maker and to a multinational. There is no turnover threshold and no exemption for small or handmade producers in the EU or UK. A brand that has never heard the words Responsible Person or CPSR is still fully liable the moment it lists a product for sale.

The EU and UK are now two separate regimes

Since 1 January 2021 the UK has run its own cosmetics regulation, separate from the EU. A brand selling into both needs an EU-established Responsible Person for the EU and a UK-established Responsible Person for Great Britain. CPNP (the EU portal) and SCPN (the UK portal operated by the Office for Product Safety and Standards) are separate systems, so a notification in one does nothing for the other. Northern Ireland follows the EU rules under the Windsor Framework, so it is not covered by the Great Britain route either.

Switzerland is not covered by an EU address

An EU Responsible Person does not extend to Switzerland. Swiss rules require a responsible person or agent with an address on Swiss territory, and the obligation cannot be delegated to anyone located abroad. If no one is appointed, the company's chief executive becomes the responsible person by default. Switzerland has no notification portal, so the compliance file must be ready to hand to cantonal inspectors on request.

The US added MoCRA

Under MoCRA, the manufacturer, packer or distributor named on the label is the Responsible Person and must list every marketed product with the FDA. Facilities that must register also need a US Agent based in the United States. Facility registration renews every two years, with each facility's own date set two years from its initial registration.

Marketplaces enforce before the regulator does

Amazon, Etsy and Notino now ask for proof of a Responsible Person before a cosmetic can be listed. Without one, Amazon can suppress a listing so shoppers cannot see it, suspend the account, and lock inventory held in-country. A brand often discovers the requirement only when a listing is pulled and sales stop.

Who we partner with

Built to sit alongside what you already do.

A referral arrangement suits any business that works with beauty brands but does not want to take on regulatory liability itself. The client stays yours. We handle the market-access work, in writing, at a fixed price, and report back to you.

Contract labs and manufacturers

You formulate, fill and finish the product. Your client then needs a signed safety report, a Product Information File and a notification in each market before a single unit can sell. A safety report written for one region does not transfer to another, and a report signed abroad does not satisfy the EU format, so this work has to be done properly and in the right form. Sending it to CIG keeps you out of the Responsible Person role while your client still launches on time.

Logistics and fulfilment

Third-party logistics and fulfilment providers move beauty products across borders for brands that have not yet sorted their compliance. Goods without a valid Responsible Person can be held at customs, and marketplace inventory can be locked in-country until the paperwork exists. A 3PL is not a Responsible Person and should not be treated as one. Referring the client to CIG closes that gap without adding it to your own liability.

Agencies and consultancies

Branding, e-commerce and go-to-market partners often build a brand that is ready to sell everywhere except legally. A store can be live and stock can be in the warehouse while the brand still cannot ship to the EU, the UK, Switzerland or the US. CIG takes the regulatory step off your plate so the launch you designed can actually go out.

Distributors and private-label producers

Distributors and private-label producers carry brands into new territories and frequently end up holding the compliance burden by default. In Switzerland, for example, the importer holds the Product Information File unless another agent is appointed. Referring the compliance role to CIG keeps control of the dossier clear and gives the brand a named Responsible Person that does not change every time the distribution arrangement does.

Contract lab bench with product samples and INCI labels

How the partnership works

You keep the relationship. We handle compliance.

1

Send us a client

Introduce us, or send the brand to our quote form and tell us it came from you. We look at the products and the markets they are entering and come back with a fixed quote.

2

Keep the relationship

You stay your client's primary partner. We do the compliance work, sign it off and report back to you clearly, so nothing about your role changes.

3

One partner, four markets

Your client gets the EU, UK, Switzerland and the US covered in one place, with a single point of contact instead of four separate vendors.

What a referral actually involves

A referral is a light arrangement. You do not carry the regulatory liability, you do not prepare any documents, and you do not become the Responsible Person. You point the brand to us, and we take it from there. From the client’s first message, the work runs like this.

We ask for the ingredient list, the full formula, any existing safety assessment, and label and packaging artwork. We confirm which markets the brand is entering and return a fixed quote, so there is a clear number before any work starts. Once the brand accepts, a qualified safety assessor prepares and signs the safety report, we compile the Product Information File, and we file the notification in each market: CPNP for the EU, SCPN for the UK, and the FDA product listing for the US. For Switzerland we hold the agent role at a Swiss address and keep the file ready for cantonal inspection. Where we act as Responsible Person, that role continues for as long as the product is on the market, and we manage renewals and updates so the brand stays covered.

Throughout, you stay in the loop. We report back to you on progress and let you keep owning the client relationship. If you would rather formalise the arrangement with a referral fee or a revenue share, we can set that up. If you would rather keep it as a simple hand-off, that works too. Either way, get in touch and we will agree the terms before your first referral.

Why partners choose CIG

A standard that protects your reputation too.

When you refer a client, the quality of the work reflects on you. Every dossier we produce carries a full audit trail and is signed by a qualified safety assessor.

The safety report is the hard bottleneck in cosmetic compliance. Under Reg. 1223/2009 the Part B safety assessment can only be signed by an assessor holding a university qualification in pharmacy, toxicology, medicine or a comparable discipline recognised by an EU member state. We hold that qualification in-house, so the report your client receives is signed by someone entitled to sign it. No notification goes out without human confirmation, and the professional-indemnity insurance behind the Responsible Person role sits with us, not with you or your client.

What you can rely on
Fixed, transparent pricing your clients can understand.
Fast turnaround that keeps launches on schedule.
Qualified safety assessors signing every report.
An audit trail on every dossier, so the work holds up under scrutiny.
Professional-indemnity insurance behind the Responsible Person role.
Four markets handled from one relationship, not four vendors.

What your clients get

The compliance work, done in full and priced up front.

A referred brand gets the whole market-access job handled, not a piece of it. Each market has its own legal requirement, and we cover all four. Pricing is fixed and productised, so you can tell a client the number before they commit.

EU

An EU-established Responsible Person, a Product Information File, a signed safety report (CPSR), and CPNP notification under Reg. 1223/2009. The Product Information File is held for ten years after the last batch is placed on the market.

UK

A UK-established Responsible Person and an SCPN notification through the Office for Product Safety and Standards. A UK address that is a real establishment, not a PO box or mail-forwarding address, which the rules do not accept.

Switzerland

An agent with an address on Swiss territory, acting as the contact point for cantonal authorities, with the Product Information File held and kept ready for inspection for ten years.

US (MoCRA)

FDA facility registration and annual product listing, plus a US Agent for foreign facilities. We track the biennial renewal so registration does not lapse when the anniversary date comes around.

Fixed prices you can quote
EU and UK launch pack, per product (CPSR, PIF and notification)$1,500
Safety assessment or CPSR, per product, signed by a qualified assessor$450 to $600
Product Information File, per product$400
CPNP or SCPN notification, per product$150
MoCRA facility registration and product listing, setup$900
Label and claims review, per product$300
Compliance Care, ongoing monitoring and renewalsFrom ~$490/mo

FAQ

Common questions from partners.

No. The Responsible Person role and its liability sit with CIG, backed by professional-indemnity insurance. You introduce the brand and stay their commercial partner. You do not sign the safety report, hold the Product Information File or act as the point of contact for authorities.

A logistics or fulfilment provider is not a Responsible Person and should not be named as one. The Responsible Person is a legally accountable role that holds the Product Information File, verifies the safety report and answers to the authorities, including on recalls. Referring the brand to CIG gives it a proper Responsible Person and keeps that duty off your business.

No. Since 1 January 2021 the UK has its own regime and needs a UK-established Responsible Person, notified through SCPN, which is separate from the EU CPNP. Switzerland needs a responsible person or agent with an address on Swiss territory, and an EU address does not extend to it. Northern Ireland follows the EU rules under the Windsor Framework, so it is not covered by the Great Britain route either.

No. The EU and UK cosmetics rules apply the same way regardless of size, with no turnover threshold and no exemption for handmade or artisan producers. A hobbyist selling a few bars of soap needs a Responsible Person, a safety report and a notification just as a larger brand does. In the US, MoCRA has a small-business exemption for facility registration and product listing below a sales threshold, but adverse-event reporting, labelling and safety substantiation still apply, and the exemption is lost if a product contacts the eye area or otherwise falls into a higher-risk category.

It depends on the market and the format. A safety assessment prepared outside the EU does not transfer into the EU format, so it usually has to be redone by a qualified assessor for the EU and UK. An existing Product Information File compiled in the EU can satisfy Swiss requirements if it meets Swiss cosmetics and labelling rules, and it may be in English or an official Swiss language. We review what the brand already holds and reuse what is valid rather than duplicating it.

Amazon, Etsy and Notino ask for proof of a Responsible Person before a cosmetic can be listed, and a listing without one can be suppressed or suspended and inventory locked in the country. Appointing a valid Responsible Person and completing the notification is what a marketplace is asking for. Once that is in place, the brand can supply the required details in its seller account.

Yes. A new Responsible Person can take over existing CPNP and SCPN records and manage future updates, so the brand keeps its notifications rather than re-registering every product. We review the current dossier, take over the role and handle the transfer so there is no gap in coverage.

We can set up a referral fee or a revenue share, or keep it as a simple hand-off, depending on what suits your business. We agree the terms before your first referral, so the arrangement is clear on both sides.

Get in touch

Let's talk.

If you would like to refer clients or explore a referral arrangement, get in touch and we will set up a conversation.

Ready to sell in more markets?

Tell us your products and the markets you are entering. You will receive a fixed quote and a clear path to compliance.

In practice

Compliance, in the real world.

Contract laboratory bench with sample vials
Formulator and founder reviewing an INCI listA brand shaking hands with its compliance partner