The CTPA, which describes itself as the authoritative public voice of a responsible and vibrant UK industry, released this latest factsheet at the start of this month.
It notes that the CTPA has been working closesly with the government in order to supply relevant information on the industry and its regulations and trade.
“CTPA, with the support of its EU Exit Strategy Group, has been able to react swiftly to requests from government officials to help explain the complexity and technical aspects of the industry’s supply chain and the processes that companies must adhere to in order to comply with the EU Cosmetics Regulation,” the trade body asserts.
Illustrative industry
The new factsheet details how the CTPA is working for a smooth transition to a new EU deal, in particular, how it is in collaboration with the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) to explain the implications for the industry.
The CTPA explains that the beauty and personal care sector was used as an example by the CBI at the London School of Economics’ lecture on 'Managing the Complexity: what Brexit could mean for British business' on 6 July.
Carolyn Fairbairn, CBI Director-General, and Rain Newton-Smith, CBI Chief Economist, explained that beauty particularly illustrates the need for a trade agreement that is as seamless as possible, due to the fact that "a cosmetic product can cross the channel as many as five times before it is ready to be purchased in a shop."
Three key demands
As it has previously asserted, the CTPA maintains in its latest factsheet that the industry needs to make three key demands of the UK governement regarding what it requires from any Brexit agreement.
These key asks are:
- Guaranteeing sufficient implementation arrangements to enable industry to adapt
- Avoiding tariff barriers and customs disruptions
- Maintaining regulatory cooperation and continuity.
The trade body also states that continuity in the availability of goods for the EU and and the UK is a critical issue for the beauty and personal care industry, and welcomes some assertions made in a new position paper from the government.
It particularly addresses the issue of the location of the Responsible Person, required in cosmetics regulations.
“Where there is a requirement to have a person responsible for compliance with particular product regulations (for example, Responsible Person for cosmetics, or Authorised Representatives for medical devices) based in the EU, that person should be able to continue carrying out that responsibility for products placed on the market prior to exit whether they are based in the EU or in the UK, and there should be no requirement to relocate.”
(“Continuity in the availability of goods for the EU and the UK”)