Update January 10, 2020: It's finally here! Join the waitlist at Cult Beauty.
Update January 2, 2020: We plan to make an announcement very soon! Join our Mailing List to stay up to date on the latest JSS news!
Update September 21, 2019: When we first wrote this post we were hoping that we would be in the EU by summer 2019. Unfortunately, although we are much closer to launching in the EU, it is unlikely that we will be there before January. We are still hoping for winter, and we will post any additional updates here!
Original Post:
Q: Are you going to start selling within European Union and the United Kingdom?
A: That’s the plan!
Q: Then why aren’t you here yet??
A: To be able to sell in the EU, we have to ensure that our products are EU-certified; i.e., that they comply with EU Cosmetics Regulation 1223/2009.
This process involves evaluation of our formulas and manufacturing procedures, laboratory testing (not involving animals) of the products themselves, updating our product labelling to comply with EU requirements (which means working with our designer to create the new labelling), and uploading information to an EU portal.
Then, once we have met the requirements, we have to manufacture a new batch of each product with the new labelling to sell in the EU.
Q: That sounds like a lot of stuff.
A: You’re telling us.
Q: Are the products changing at all?
A: The After Show Treatment Cleanser, After Show Treatment Cleanser for Sensitive Skin, and Olio per il Corpo Body Oil are staying the same!
For the other products, we took this as an opportunity to make tweaks and improvements before everything is certified, so that every product is the best it can be. Unfortunately, this means that the overall process is taking longer because we had to finalize those new formulations before submitting them for certification.
The good news is that Etoile with Retinol will be getting an upgrade (and the name is changing to Retinol Treatment Oil), as well as The Matinee Gel Cleanser, Hydrate the Mist, Hydrate Facial Serum, and The Performance Cream. We will be rolling out the new and improved formulas in the US while we also work on the EU certification.
The new Retinol Treatment Oil, the original After Show Treatment Cleanser and the After Show Treatment Cleanser for Sensitive Skin have completed the certification process (yay!) and we have updated this labelling, so you will start to see that updated labelling soon.
Q: How can I tell if the labelling has been updated for the EU?
A: The labels that include “RP” (Responsible Person) information (e.g., “RP: Delphic, HSE”) have been updated.
Q: Will there be any changes in how the ingredients are listed on the labels?
A: Maybe! The EU has different requirements than the US about how ingredients should be listed, so even with the formulas that do not change, the way that they are listed might change.
For example, the original labelling for The After Show Treatment Cleanser lists a “Mangifera Indica (Mango) Citrus Fruit Extract Blend,” but the new EU labelling lists each element of that blend even though the formula itself hasn’t changed.
Q: What about animal testing?
A: Jordan Samuel Skin and the manufacturers we work with do not conduct any animal testing on ingredients or manufactured products.
Additionally, all cosmetics sold in Europe must not be tested on animals—this is a requirement for EU certification.
We have been advised that because all companies must do this, the regulatory authorities disfavor putting this on the label, since it is basically saying that you are following a legal requirement that everyone has to follow. The updated labelling will however note that Jordan Samuel Skin is against animal testing.
Q: OK wait didn’t you say up there that the original After Show Treatment Cleanser and the new Retinol Treatment Oil are now EU-certified? So when will you start selling those in the EU?
A: We still need to get set up over there! We are trying to decide on the best way to make our products available to our customers, and we have a few options that we’re choosing from.
Q: Couldn’t you just tell one of your employees to work on this and make it go faster?
A: Jordan Samuel Skin is a massive company of…two people. While we have many brilliant and invaluable people we work with outside of the company, it’s just the two of us at the JSS helm. We are fortunate to be working with a wonderful consultant on the EU-certification process, but we can only go as fast as the process itself.
Q: Will all Jordan Samuel Skin products eventually be sold in the EU?
A: Probably not, unfortunately. Due to the time and expense of the process that we must go through for certification, we are focusing on bestsellers and favorites. There will likely be products that we launch in the US that we do not immediately submit for EU certification, though we may seek certification for those at a later date.
Q: How does Brexit impact any of this?
A: We have no idea, and it’s not clear that anyone does. We will continue to work with our consultant to make sure that we are doing what we need to do to be able to sell in the UK and the EU as soon as we can.
Q: I have many more questions!
A: The Cosmetic, Toiletry and Perfumery Association (CTPA) has more information about UK and EU cosmetic processes and regulations on its websites www.thefactsabout.co.uk and www.ctpa.org.uk.
