How to start a skincare brand in the UK with products made in Korea
The UK cosmetics rules after Brexit, the Responsible Person, the safety report, SCPN, customs and the official costs in pounds, step by step for Korean-made skincare.
To start a skincare brand in the UK, set up a sole trader business or limited company, appoint a UK Responsible Person, get a Cosmetic Product Safety Report from a qualified assessor, label in English, and notify each product on SCPN before sale. Skincare imported from Korea needs a GB EORI number, pays 0% duty and 20% import VAT.
The steps below follow the order you meet them when your products are made in Korea. They describe the rules as of 2026, and the official pages are listed at the end so you can check anything that changes.
The rules that apply in Great Britain
Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) has its own version of the cosmetics law: Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 as amended for GB after Brexit, together with the Cosmetic Products Enforcement Regulations 2013. The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) receives notifications, and the Secretary of State and local trading standards enforce the rules.
The system mirrors the EU one with UK versions of the key roles: a UK Responsible Person instead of an EU one, and the Submit Cosmetic Product Notification service (SCPN) instead of the EU's CPNP. If you also plan to sell in the EU, our article on the CPNP number covers that side.
The ingredient lists now change on their own timetable. For example, GB moved the UV filter 4-MBC to its prohibited list in rules that took effect on 15 July 2026, alongside other 2025 and 2026 restrictions, so check a formula against the GB annexes and not only the EU ones.
Northern Ireland is different. Under the Windsor Framework it follows the EU regulation, so products sold there are notified on the EU's CPNP by a Responsible Person based in Northern Ireland or the EU. A Responsible Person in Great Britain cannot do that job.
Step 1: Set up the business
A sole trader registers with HMRC for Self Assessment once trading income passes £1,000 in a tax year. A private limited company costs £100 to register online with Companies House (£124 by post) and is usually registered within 24 hours. A company separates the brand's debts from your own, which matters once you hold stock and sign supplier contracts.
You must register for VAT when your taxable turnover for the last 12 months goes over £90,000, or when you expect it to within the next 30 days. You can register voluntarily below that, and it matters for an importer: without VAT registration you pay import VAT and cannot reclaim it.
Protect the name before you print it. A UK trade mark costs £205 for one class and £60 for each extra class as of 2026, and lasts 10 years.
Step 2: Appoint a UK Responsible Person and get the safety report
A cosmetic can only be sold in GB if there is a Responsible Person (RP) established in the UK; a PO box or mail forwarding address does not count. The importer is the RP by default and can appoint another UK-established company or person by written mandate, so a UK company that imports its own stock is the RP unless it names someone else.
The RP keeps the product information file (PIF), notifies OPSS before sale, reports serious harmful effects, and must be able to prove the claims made for the product. The PIF is kept in English, at the address given in the notification, for 10 years after the last batch was placed on the market.
The heart of the PIF is the Cosmetic Product Safety Report (CPSR). Part A is the safety information the RP supplies: the ingredients with their concentrations and toxicological properties, the physical and chemical properties, stability and microbiological quality. Part B is the assessment itself, written by a safety assessor with a university qualification in pharmacy, toxicology, medicine or a similar discipline.
At KoreanOEM, stability, challenge (microbiology) and patch tests are planned into the project and we prepare the UK SCPN documents, so your assessor receives the data Part A needs along with the full INCI list.
Step 3: Label for Great Britain
| Label item | What it means in practice |
|---|---|
| Responsible Person | Name and address of the RP |
| Country of origin | Required for imported products, for example "Made in Korea" |
| Nominal content | Weight or volume at the time of packing |
| Durability | A "best used before the end of" date if the product keeps 30 months or less, otherwise the period after opening symbol (for example 12M) |
| Precautions | Warnings required for the ingredients used, and any the assessor adds |
| Batch number | Or another reference that identifies the batch |
| Function | What the product does, unless it is clear from the presentation |
| Ingredients | Headed "Ingredients", common ingredient names in descending order of weight, those under 1% in any order after the rest, nanomaterials marked (nano) |
The content, durability, precautions and function must be in English, and other languages can sit alongside. The ingredient list may appear on the outer box alone, and for packs under 5 g or 5 mL the content and date may not be required. Claims need adequate evidence, so "hydrates" and "brightens the look of" are safe, while "heals" or "treats" are not.
Sunscreen is a cosmetic in GB (in the US it is an over-the-counter drug), but only UV filters listed in Annex 6 may be used and sun protection claims need stronger evidence. Our private label serum page shows a simpler first product if you want to launch without SPF testing.
Step 4: Notify each product on SCPN
Before a product goes on sale in GB, the Responsible Person notifies it through the Submit Cosmetic Product Notification service, using a GOV.UK One Login. The service is free. Have ready the product name and category, the RP's name, where the PIF is kept, a named contact for urgent enquiries, any nanomaterials or CMR substances (carcinogenic, mutagenic or toxic for reproduction), the chemical details and a summary of the ingredients, an image of the label and a photo of the packaging.
Notifying does not replace the safety work, so finish the CPSR, label and PIF first. OPSS warns that selling without notifying can mean a fine and up to 3 months in prison. Products containing nanomaterials must generally be notified six months before sale.
Step 5: Import from Korea
To import into Great Britain you need an EORI number that starts with GB. HMRC assigns it free of charge, usually immediately, or within 5 working days if it runs checks. A customs broker or freight forwarder can then make the import declaration for you.
Skin care preparations are classed under commodity code 3304 99 00 00. As of 2026 the third-country duty on that code is 0%, and the UK and South Korea trade agreement also gives 0%, so on standard skincare the origin declaration does not change the duty. An upgraded UK and Korea agreement was concluded in December 2025 but had not entered into force when we checked in September 2026.
Import VAT is 20%. A VAT-registered importer can account for it on the VAT Return (postponed VAT accounting) instead of paying it at the border, with no approval needed. Air freight from Korea takes about 5 to 10 days, sea freight about 4 to 6 weeks. The full document pack is in our export guide, and the factory's ISO 22716 (GMP) certification is on our certifications page.
What it costs in pounds, and your launch checklist
| Item | Cost as of 2026 |
|---|---|
| Limited company, online | £100 |
| UK trade mark, one class | £205 (plus £60 per extra class) |
| GB EORI number | Free |
| SCPN notification | Free |
| Import duty, 3304 99 00 00 | 0% |
| Import VAT | 20%, reclaimable if VAT registered |
| Safety report and RP service | Set by the provider; get two quotes |
| 500 serums at KoreanOEM (US dollars) | From $1,850 |
The official fees for a limited company and one trade mark class come to £305. The real budget is stock, the safety assessment, packaging and marketing. A serum starts from $3.70 per unit at 500 units with a library formula, a stock container and a one-color label, and our guide to the cost to start a skincare line breaks down the rest.
- Register as a sole trader or form a limited company.
- File your trade mark before printing packaging.
- Decide who is the UK Responsible Person (and an EU or NI one if you sell in Northern Ireland).
- Approve lab samples and the final formula; check it against the GB annexes.
- Pass the test data and INCI list to the safety assessor for the CPSR.
- Approve label proofs with the RP address, "Made in Korea", batch and durability.
- Notify each product on SCPN before sale.
- Get a GB EORI number, register for VAT if you want to reclaim import VAT, and appoint a customs broker.
- Book freight and clear customs.
- Keep the PIF current for 10 years after the last batch.
Ready to price a first run? Send us your brief and name the UK as your market.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a Responsible Person to sell skincare in the UK?
How much does it cost to start a skincare line in the UK?
Is SCPN the same as the EU CPNP?
Do I pay import duty on cosmetics from Korea?
Is sunscreen a cosmetic in the UK?
Sources
- OPSS: Regulation 1223/2009 and the Cosmetic Products Enforcement Regulations 2013, Great Britain
- OPSS: the same guidance for Northern Ireland
- GOV.UK: Making cosmetic products available to consumers in Great Britain
- GOV.UK: Submit a cosmetic product notification
- legislation.gov.uk: Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009, Article 19 (labelling)
- legislation.gov.uk: SI 2026/23, restriction of chemical substances
- UK Trade Tariff: commodity code 3304 99 00 00
- GOV.UK: Summary of the UK-South Korea trade agreement
- HMRC: EORI introduction
- HMRC: Account for import VAT on your VAT Return
- Companies House: Register your company
- IPO: Register a trade mark
- HMRC: Register for VAT
