Brexit: Until the Divorce is Final

In the U.K., Article 50 very recently triggered the actual British "divorce" from the EU. What does this mean for industries like cosmetics? Panelists teamed up during #incos 2017 to find out--especially considering some 64% of UK cosmetics are exported to the EU, while 66% of EU cosmetics are imported to the UK.

In a market trends presentation, Olivia Santoni, Director of Regulatory and International Services for CTPA, explored one of the most frequently asked questions: if the designated Responsible Person (RP), per REACH, is based in the UK, do they "count?" Her response was, if the British REACH (BREACH) legislation continues as planned, no. Companies would need to find someone in the EU. 

Santoni explained a few other options. "Some companies decide to have one office in the UK, and another in the EU. The alternative is to provide the importer the product information file (PIF), which raises concerns over confidentiality."

"We have two years, to figure it out," she said, emphasizing the need to review established contracts, terms and considerations. Not to mention the fact that the process was written in such a way to dissuade from withdrawing from the EU; plus, no one's ever done this before.

It seems the key to reducing the heartbreak of this divorce lies in a transition period and in making well-considered choices.

Emma Meredith, Ph.D., Director of Science at CTPA, added, "We always want to push for science-based decisions that are based on risk principles so as not to compromise on safety." Sounds like a good start.