Registration & Listing of Cosmetic Product Facilities and Products
The Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act of 2022 (MoCRA) is the most significant expansion of FDA’s authority to regulate cosmetics since the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic (FD&C) Act was passed in 1938. This new law will help ensure the safety of cosmetic products many consumers use daily.
MoCRA provided new authorities to FDA including:
Manufacturers and processors must register their facilities with FDA and renew their registration every two years. FDA has the authority to suspend a facility’s registration if the agency determines that a cosmetic product manufactured or processed by the registered facility and distributed in the United States has a reasonable probability of causing serious adverse health consequences or death to humans, and the agency has a reasonable belief that other products manufactured or processed by the facility may be similarly affected because of a failure that cannot be isolated to a product or products, or is sufficiently pervasive to raise concerns about other products manufactured in the facility. If a facility’s registration is suspended, it is a prohibited act to distribute or sell (or otherwise introduce or deliver into commerce) in the United States cosmetic products from the facility.
A responsible person must list each marketed cosmetic product with FDA, including product ingredients, and provide any updates annually.
Responsible person means the manufacturer, packer, or distributor of a cosmetic product whose name appears on the label of such cosmetic product in accordance with section 609(a) of the FD&C Act or section 4(a) of the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act.
MoCRA exempts certain small businesses from facility registration and product listing requirements.
However, such exemptions do not apply to facilities that manufacture or process, or responsible persons for, the following cosmetic products:
- Products that regularly come into contact with mucus membrane of the eye under customary or usual conditions of use.
- Products that are injected.
- Products that are intended for internal use.
- Products that are intended to alter appearance for more than 24 hours under customary or usual conditions of use and removal by the consumer is not part of such conditions of use.
Exemptions also exist for certain products and facilities that are subject to requirements for drugs and devices.
For Industry
Guidance for Industry: Compliance Policy for Cosmetic Product Facility Registration and Cosmetic Product Listing
(November 2023)
FDA issued guidance on its intent to delay enforcement of the requirements for cosmetic product facility registration and cosmetic product listing requirements under the MoCRA for six months to help ensure that industry has sufficient time to submit such facility registration and product listing information.
Draft Guidance for Industry: Registration and Listing of Cosmetic Product Facilities and Products
(August 2023)
FDA draft guidance on cosmetic product facility registrations and product listings, as mandated by the MoCRA.
FEI Search Portal
FDA intends to use the FDA Establishment Identifier (FEI) as the required facility registration number. To facilitate the registration process, the owner or operator of a facility will need to obtain an FEI number before submitting the facility registration. To determine if an entity already has an FEI number, please refer to the FEI Search Portal. If your firm does not have an FEI number assigned by FDA, see How can I request an FEI? at FEI Search Portal.
Structured Product Labeling (SPL) Implementation Guide with Validation Procedures
Cosmetics product facility registrations and product listings are now included within the SPL framework. The Implementation Guide can be used to develop SPL authoring tools. In the future, once FDA begins accepting data, users may transmit SPL-formatted submissions through FDA’s Electronic Submissions Gateway (ESG), or SPL authoring software including Xforms, for cosmetic product facility registrations and product listings, mandated by the Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act of 2022 (MoCRA). FDA also intends to make the Cosmetics Direct electronic submission portal available in the future at https://direct.fda.gov/. Cosmetics Direct will be an FDA provided SPL authoring tool that contains user friendly data entry forms, performs initial validations, creates and saves the SPL submission, and submits the SPL to FDA for internal processing without having to use the ESG. SPL, an established document sanctioned by health level seven (HL7) for the exchange of product and facility-related information, serves as a foundational reference for regulatory guidance documents and product labeling content exchange. It enforces control over crucial product information, resulting in a standard for product labeling. The FDA has adopted SPL to enhance patient/customer safety and product usability within its consumer base. In 2005, the FDA mandated the use of XML compliant with the SPL standard for electronic submissions. This standard defines the content and structure of product labeling required for submission to the FDA. Consistent structure and standard terminology are employed to enhance the accuracy and reliability of product information. For additional information, see Structured Product Labeling Resources. Technical assistance is available for users by contacting the ESG at ESGHelpDesk@fda.hhs.gov.
Comment Request
FDA is seeking comments on its newly developed draft electronic submission portal (Cosmetics Direct) and paper forms (Forms FDA 5066 and 5067).
Cosmetics Direct includes the required registration and listing submission information from the paper forms in a standard electronic format. This will help the respondent organize their registration and listing submission to include the information needed for FDA and will give the respondent access to their previous Cosmetic Direct registrations and listing submissions.
FDA strongly encourages electronic submissions to facilitate efficiency and timeliness of data submission and management for the agency. Respondents that prefer to submit paper registrations and listings will still have the option to do so.
Draft screenshots of the electronic system are available below for review and comments. For more information, see the Federal Register Notice.
Draft Cosmetics Direct Electronic Submissions Portal
Announcements
- 11/14/2023 - FDA Publishes Updated Structured Product Labeling (SPL) Implementation Guide with Validation Procedures for Cosmetic Product Facility Registrations and Product Listings
- 11/8/2023 - FDA Issues Compliance Policy for Cosmetic Product Facility Registration and Cosmetic Product Listing
- 11/1/2023 - FDA Issues Update on Cosmetic Product Facility Registration and Cosmetic Product Listing
- 10/13/2023 - FDA Publishes Structured Product Labeling (SPL) Implementation Guide with Validation Procedures for Cosmetic Product Facility Registrations and Product Listings
- 8/7/2023 - FDA Issues Draft Guidance on Registration and Listing of Cosmetic Product Facilities and Products
- 3/27/2023 - FDA Has Stopped Accepting Submissions to the Voluntary Cosmetic Registration Program (VCRP)