The British Beauty Council has received confirmation that the personal care sector will be included in new e-labelling legislation

Earlier this year, the Government announced that it will be introducing digital labelling to ease trade and ‘cut red tape’.

The British Beauty Council has since been engaging with the Department of Business and Trade on the introduction of the measures for the personal care industry and has recently been told that this will be implemented.

The new law means businesses can utilise digital labelling when importing goods manufactured overseas into the UK. This allows businesses to include a product’s UKCA marking, manufacturer and importer details (where relevant), UK Declaration of Conformity and wider address information digitally.

The Department for Business and Trade is now formulating an impact assessment for the introduction of e-labelling in our sector. It needs feedback from businesses to ensure that the new policy is fit for purpose.

A short survey has launched in order to collect responses, which is now open until 15 March 2023. All of your responses will be treated confidentially and will be vital for reviewing the legislation. 

On top of digital labelling, the Government has also announced these changes:

• ‘UKCA Labelling and Accompanying Document easement’ and the ‘Importer Details easement’ are to be made permanent. The remit of the ‘Importer Details easement’ will also be extended to apply to importers of all products, irrespective of their country of origin. This will provide permanent labelling flexibility by allowing; (1) the UKCA mark to be placed on a sticky label or accompanying document; (2) importers from any country outside the UK to provide their details on an accompanying document, the packaging or an adhesive label.
• The introduction of a new ‘Manufacturer Details easement’ allowing manufacturer details to be placed on a label affixed to the product, on the packaging or on an accompanying document. This will also extend to wider name and address information (such as, marketer details and responsible person details for aerosol and cosmetic regs).

The British Beauty Council believes that the implementation of e-labelling is an important step forward in addressing a longstanding issue within the industry.