Selling Handmade Soap Legally: Ireland, UK and EU Checklist

Please note: this is a practical overview, not legal advice. Rules change, so check the current guidance from the HPRA (Ireland) or the Office for Product Safety and Standards (UK) before you start selling.

Is Your Soap a Cosmetic?

In the EU and UK, soap for washing skin is a cosmetic product, whether it is handmade or not. That means cosmetics law applies from your very first sale, including at craft fairs and on Etsy. Soap sold only for laundry or cleaning is a detergent and falls under different rules. If you make medical claims, such as "treats eczema" or "cures acne", the product is treated as a medicine, so avoid those claims completely.

Ireland, Northern Ireland and the EU

Soap sold in the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland or anywhere in the EU is covered by the EU Cosmetics Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009. In Ireland it is enforced by the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA).

• Responsible Person: every product needs a Responsible Person based in the EU (or in Northern Ireland for NI sales). For most small makers, that is you
• Safety assessment: each recipe needs a Cosmetic Product Safety Report (CPSR), signed off by a qualified safety assessor. Changing the fragrance or an ingredient usually means a new or updated assessment
• Product Information File (PIF): keep the CPSR, product description, manufacturing method and any evidence for claims, for 10 years after the last batch is sold
• CPNP notification: notify every product on the EU Cosmetic Products Notification Portal before you sell it. It is free
• Good Manufacturing Practice: make your soap in clean, organised conditions and keep batch records. ISO 22716 is the recognised standard
• Allergens: the EU has extended its list of fragrance allergens that must be named on labels. New products must comply from 31 July 2026, and all products on sale from 31 July 2028

Great Britain (England, Scotland, Wales)

Great Britain has its own version of the cosmetics rules, enforced by Trading Standards and the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS). The requirements are very similar to the EU, with a few differences.

• You need a UK-based Responsible Person
• Notify your products through the UK Submit Cosmetic Product Notification (SCPN) service instead of the CPNP
• You still need a safety assessment, a Product Information File and good manufacturing practice
• If you are in Ireland and sell to customers in Great Britain, you need a UK Responsible Person as well. The same applies the other way round

What Must Go on the Label

• Name and address of the Responsible Person
• Net weight (weigh on a scale approved for trade use)
• Batch number, so each bar can be traced back to its batch record
• Ingredient list using INCI names, in descending order of weight (for example Sodium Olivate, Sodium Cocoate, Aqua, Parfum)
• Fragrance allergens above the legal threshold, named individually
• A best-before date, or a period-after-opening symbol if the product lasts longer than 30 months
• Any precautions for use, and the country of origin if made outside the EU/UK

Other Things You Should Have

• Product and public liability insurance
• Registration as a business with Revenue (Ireland) or HMRC (UK) once you are trading
• Batch records for every batch: date, recipe, ingredient suppliers and lot numbers, and weights
• A way to handle and record customer complaints or reactions

Selling in the United States

US rules are different. Soap that is made mostly of fats and lye and is sold only as soap is regulated by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. If you make cosmetic claims such as "moisturising", the FDA treats it as a cosmetic under the Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act (MoCRA), which has some exemptions for small businesses.

How LatherForge Helps

Most of this comes down to good records: exact recipes, batch numbers, ingredient lot numbers and correct labels. LatherForge is being built to keep those records for you and generate labels from your recipes. It launches in January 2027.

Register for early access →

Do I need a safety assessment to sell handmade soap in Ireland or the UK?

Yes. Soap sold for washing skin is a cosmetic, so each product needs a Cosmetic Product Safety Report signed off by a qualified safety assessor before it is sold. This applies from the very first sale, including craft fairs, markets and Etsy.

Can I sell soap at a craft fair without registering it?

No. The cosmetics rules apply wherever and however you sell. In Ireland, Northern Ireland and the EU each product must be notified on the CPNP before it goes on sale; in Great Britain it must be notified through the UK SCPN service.

How much does a cosmetic safety assessment cost?

Prices vary by assessor and by how many recipes and fragrance variations you have. Many assessors offer templated assessments for a base soap recipe with several fragrance options, which is usually cheaper than assessing every product separately. Get quotes from more than one assessor before you commit.

Do I need a separate safety assessment for every scent?

Usually, yes, because each fragrance changes the product formula and the allergens it contains. Some assessors can cover a single base recipe with a list of approved fragrance variations in one report, so ask about that option.

Is soap sold for laundry or cleaning treated the same way?

No. Soap sold only for laundry or household cleaning is a detergent, not a cosmetic, and falls under detergent and chemical labelling rules instead. If it is sold for use on skin as well, cosmetics law applies.