Stocking EU skincare in Switzerland: what the rules require

Do you need to register or notify EU cosmetics in Switzerland?

No. Cosmetics need neither notification nor approval in Switzerland, but they must meet Swiss law, and the cantons enforce it.³ The legal stack is the Food Act (LMG), the Foodstuffs and Utility Articles Ordinance (LGV) and the Cosmetics Ordinance (VKos). There is no portal to fill in before the first sale. Compliance is shown when a cantonal inspector asks, not before.

Substance rules follow the annexes of Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009, with a handful of Swiss deviations listed in Articles 6 and 7 VKos.³ A product that is legal in France is therefore legal in Zurich on ingredients in almost every case. The exceptions are narrow, and one of them is worth a line in your file (see below).

Who is the importer when a Swiss shop buys direct from France?

You are. The VKos defines the importer as any person who places a cosmetic from abroad on the Swiss market, and makes the manufacturer and the importer responsible for compliance.⁴ A pharmacy in Lausanne that orders from a brand in France and clears the parcel through customs is that person.

Three practical consequences follow:

• You may appoint a Swiss-address representative, but you do not have to. The ordinance says the manufacturer or importer "can" name one in writing.⁴ Most small retailers carry the duty themselves.
• Do not relabel or decant for sale. A distributor who sells a product under its own name, or alters it so it may no longer comply, takes on the full manufacturer duties.⁴ Adding a translation sticker is fine; refilling a cream into your own jars is not.
• Check four things on every delivery. Before selling, a distributor must confirm that the ingredient list, the name and address and the batch number are on the pack, that the language rules are met, and that any best-before date has not passed.⁴

Which label details must be in German, French or Italian?

Not all of them. The language rule covers the function (where not obvious), the date marking, storage conditions and warnings.⁴ These must appear in at least one official language, with an exception only where Swiss consumers are still clearly and unambiguously informed.³ The ingredient list goes under the heading "Ingredients" in recognised nomenclature, so an INCI list is valid as printed.

A French brand's packs already speak an official Swiss language for most of Romandie. A German-speaking shop should decide whether a German sticker on the function and warnings is needed for its customers.

What should be in your importer's file before the first sale?

A short folder that answers an inspector in ten minutes. The VKos lets the importer rely on a product information file made abroad, provided it meets the Swiss content and language rules and the importer can show proof of it to the cantonal authority.⁴ The file must be in an official language or English and kept for ten years after the last batch is placed on the market.⁴

Your folder:

1. The supplier's written confirmation that a product information file with a safety report exists for each SKU, and who holds it.
2. Full INCI per product, matching the packs you received.
3. The GMP statement. Swiss law presumes good manufacturing practice when production follows the standards in Annex 7 VKos, which name ISO 22716; certification of the plant is not required.³
4. A furocoumarin confirmation for leave-on products with essential oils. Switzerland limits these substances to below 1 mg/kg in leave-on products that may meet direct sunlight, a wider scope than the EU entry.⁴ Ask for a one-line written confirmation per affected SKU.
5. Delivery notes with batch numbers, for traceability and any recall.

What does it cost to land an order in Switzerland?

Your carrier may add its own clearance fee.²¹

Customs duty: zero. If you are VAT-registered, the import VAT comes back as input tax, so your real landed cost is goods, shipping and the clearance fee.²

Setting the shelf price is your call in francs. The full margin method is in the retail price and margin guide.²

How does Endless Pure ship to Switzerland?

On the same terms as an EU partner, listed on the Endless Pure buyer page. Each order is produced as a fresh batch, with production time depending on the order volume, and shipped with tracking straight from production, so your products start their Swiss shelf life full.

Product information is available to partners. Every formula except the Eye Renewal Patches is ECOCERT COSMOS certified (Natural or Organic). Production runs in ISO 22716 certified GMP facilities in Latvia, France and North America, the very standard Annex 7 VKos names.

One difference from EU buyers: Discovery Kits ship within the EU only, so a Swiss shop tests with a small first order.

For the customs paperwork on any non-EU parcel, see shipping outside the EU. The wider non-EU picture is in French skincare wholesale for international retailers, and the UK equivalent is in importing French skincare into the UK. More by segment: pharmacy, store and all Guides.