Turn over any bottle in your bathroom. The small print on the back is there by law, and it says more than most of us stop to read.
In Britain a cosmetic can be made available only if its container and packaging carry certain information in indelible, legible lettering. That includes the name and address of the responsible person, the country of origin for an imported product, the nominal content, a batch number, and a list of ingredients under the word “Ingredients”.
The responsible person is the idea worth knowing. Article 4 of the regulation says a cosmetic product may not be placed on the market unless there is a responsible person established in the United Kingdom. Where a product is imported, the importer holds that role unless they designate someone else in writing and that person accepts. In plain terms, a named party in Britain has put their name to the product and can be asked about it.
The address is not decoration either. If several addresses appear on a pack, the law says the one where the responsible person keeps the product information file must be highlighted.
The same logic explains the batch number, which exists so that a particular bottle can be identified and traced. It also explains the country of origin line. Where a product was made is not only a line marketing likes to print. For imported cosmetics it is a line the law asks for.
None of this tells you whether a product is good. It tells you whether it is accountable, which is a different and more basic question. Before you buy, find the name and the address. A real, specific one is a reasonable first test.
Source: Articles 4 and 19, Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 as it applies in Great Britain, legislation.gov.uk/eur/2009/1223/article/4 and /article/19, read 13 October 2026.
