Compliance with cosmetic regulations – both in the US and elsewhere – is a time-consuming process for manufacturers. The rules applied to the commercialization of cosmetic products are not only complex and numerous, but they are constantly evolving. When businesses want to sell their products in many different countries, they need to address safety and traceability along with packaging, labeling, advertising and administrative guidelines on an individual basis. All these guidelines are difficult to keep track of, hence the importance of regulatory software for cosmetics.
What Is Regulatory Software?
Regulatory software for cosmetics is based on the same principles as other types of regulatory software, with several added features. The main objective of these tools is to ensure compliance in a demanding environment and to avoid the risk of human error.
It achieves this by centralizing and consolidating every piece of relevant information, from company policies to regulations in force in each country through a fully automated system. This completely eliminates the risk of non-compliance, even in the case of regulatory changes. The software implements these modifications in real-time and provides a clear view of regulatory performance at every stage of the manufacturing process, usually by offering a series of dynamic functionalities. These can vary based on the specific needs of the industry it was developed for.
Regulatory software can be used for inspection management, risk management, auditing, air compliance and more. For the purposes of the cosmetic industry, however, key features ensure perfect compliance with its demanding standards.
What are the Characteristics of Regulatory Software for Cosmetics?
When applied to cosmetics, regulatory software comes with a range of functionalities. Regulatory software for cosmetics centralizes product information by keeping track of the formulation. In doing so, it confirms the product only contains ingredients used in safe proportions and guarantees the consistency of the formula. Any allergens or traces of impurities are reported automatically for optimal transparency. Thanks to an extensive database of cosmetic ingredients updated in real-time, no mistakes are possible. The software immediately recognizes any error in dosage or the presence of any non-compliant ingredient and suggests corrective measures.
This also means that the software can generate INCIs directly since the ingredient list is already official. Filling out administrative forms – such as the PIF – can be done at the click of a button, and labeling requirements are met regardless of the country of commercialization.
Regulatory software provides an all-in-one solution to collect, analyze, store, and centralize cosmetic data, allowing any member of the team to access the information they need, irrespective of their department. Thanks to this convenient tool, the collaboration between various departments is streamlined all the way up the supply chain, through a platform-type interface.
How to Choose the Right Regulatory Software?
Selecting the right type of regulatory software for cosmetics boils down to how it is most likely to be used, as all the modules available may not be relevant to every manufacturer.
A small business may be very interested in automatic features for labeling and other administrative purposes. Conversely, they might not have much use for an extensive database of ingredients if they only commercialize a small number of tried and true formulas. Similarly, while small teams could find it convenient to centralize all the data they need to access on a regular basis, a full-fledged collaborative platform may not be essential.
Larger companies, on the other hand, typically want to streamline their processes as much as possible. By implementing regulatory software, they can ensure that every employee carries out their tasks efficiently and that every new formula can result in a compliant product hitting the shelves in a timely manner.
