UK MPs Seek Wider Cosmetics And Online Marketplace Safety Rules

The House of Commons Science and Technology Committee has recommended changes to cosmetics and product-safety regulation in its report published on 4 November 2026. The proposals concern cosmetic products, beauty treatments, professional imports and online marketplaces. They are committee recommendations to government, not enacted requirements.

Broader Product Coverage

MPs recommend updating the General Product Safety Regulations’ definition of a product to cover all products used in a procedure or treatment. They also want the UK Cosmetics Regulation extended to cosmetic products used for non-medical purposes in injectable or inhalable form. Recommendation 36.

The committee links these proposals to gaps it identified between the existing regulatory frameworks and emerging beauty products. It also calls for a mechanism to bring new products within the relevant frameworks and clarity about who would identify them. Paragraphs 35–37.

Marketplace And Professional-Import Duties

The committee recommends safety duties for online marketplaces within 12 months. Its proposed duties include preventing illegal and harmful listings, displaying product safety warnings, removing non-compliant sellers and notifying the Office for Product Safety and Standards about them. Recommendation 88.

A separate recommendation would require products self-imported for professional use on clients to undergo the same safety assessment, labelling and notification requirements as products placed on the market. MPs ask for that amendment within 12 months of the report. Recommendation 169.

Government Response

The report states that the Government has two months to respond. The committee’s requested twelve-month timetables are recommendations for government action, rather than new compliance deadlines already imposed on cosmetics businesses, practitioners or marketplaces.