E-commerce · Budget: £1,000 to £5,000 · Minimum age: 18+

Selling cosmetics and candles

Selling cosmetics and candles can suit someone who enjoys making products, presenting them well and dealing with customers. Before selling, plan for product safety and labelling requirements, and treat any cost or time estimate as a starting point rather than a guarantee.

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In plain words

Choose candles, cosmetics, or both.
Check the rules before selling.
Test products and label them clearly.
Add up costs before setting prices.
Start small and keep good records.

Who it suits

It may suit creative people who are organised, patient with testing and paperwork, and willing to learn about product safety. It is not an easy way to make quick money: cosmetics and fragranced candles have safety and labelling requirements.

People buy candles and cosmetics for everyday use, gifts and enjoyable scents or skin-care routines. Clear descriptions, appealing presentation and trustworthy safety information can help customers decide whether a product suits them.

Step by step

Choose what to sell and where. Decide whether to make cosmetics, candles or both, and choose the country where you will sell. Check Northern Ireland separately: Great Britain cosmetics guidance does not automatically cover Northern Ireland. CraftCert About 30-60 minutes.
Plan a small, clear product range. Begin with a few products. For each one, write down the ingredients or materials, intended use and proposed claims. Keep claims clear and do not promise effects you cannot substantiate. About 1-2 hours.
Arrange the cosmetic safety assessment. Before selling cosmetics in Great Britain, arrange a Cosmetic Product Safety Report (CPSR) with a qualified safety assessor. The maker cannot assess their own product, and there is no small-batch or hobby-selling exemption. CraftCert About Several days or longer; ask assessors about their process.
Prepare the Great Britain cosmetic paperwork. Before sale, prepare the required product information and label, identify a UK-established Responsible Person, and notify the product through the SCPN service. Check exact label requirements for your product; this is a notification requirement, not a product licence. CraftCert GOV.UK About Several days or longer.
Check Ireland cosmetic requirements before selling there. For cosmetics sold in Ireland, arrange an EU Responsible Person, safety assessment and CPSR, Product Information File, compliant labelling and CPNP notification. The HPRA says manufacture in Ireland or the EEA for sale in the EEA must follow GMP. HPRA About Several days or longer.
Test candles and check their safety labels. For candles sold in Great Britain, assess product risks, record suitable burn tests and check whether CLP hazard labelling is needed for each scented formulation. Give clear safety information and safe-use instructions. Rules differ in Northern Ireland, and there is no Ireland-specific candle labelling guidance. CraftCert Protectivity Liverpool Trading Standards HSENI About Several days or longer for testing.
Calculate costs before choosing prices. Add materials, packaging, postage, platform charges and any professional safety work. Ask assessors for quotes based on your actual formulations; costs vary, and some products may share a base formula. CraftCert About 1-2 hours, plus time waiting for quotes.
Create clear product pages. Use clear photographs, descriptions and practical use or safety information. Choose sales channels and payment options, and consider marketing through social media or email. Shopify About 2-4 hours for a first page.
Keep records and review changes. Keep formulations, supplier details, test results, product batches, sales and customer feedback. Review safety information and update product documents if a formulation changes. Protectivity HPRA About 10-20 minutes per batch or review.

Your first 15 minutes

Choose one cosmetic or candle idea, write down its ingredients or materials and intended use, then contact a qualified cosmetic safety assessor if it is a cosmetic.

The money

Add the cost of ingredients or materials, packaging, postage, platform and payment charges, and professional safety work. Then include a fair amount for your time and allow for unsold stock, returns and tax; check that customers can see the full price and any delivery charges before buying.

Example only: UK week — 10 candles × £12 = £120 sales; materials £35 + packaging £15 + postage £20 = £70 costs; £120 − £70 = £50 before tax and before paying yourself for your time. Ireland week — 10 candles × €14 = €140 sales; materials €40 + packaging €20 + postage €25 = €85 costs; €140 − €85 = €55 before tax and before paying yourself for your time.

The rules

You can sell cosmetics and candles in Great Britain, Northern Ireland and Ireland if you follow the product-safety, labelling, tax and consumer rules for each market. The rules differ across these three places. Cosmetic notification is not a product licence. Check the relevant rules before you sell each product.

UK and Northern Ireland

Cosmetics: GB and NI. In Great Britain, each cosmetic needs a Responsible Person based in the UK, a safety assessment and CPSR, a Product Information File, compliant labels and SCPN notification before you sell it. Keep the PIF at the notified UK address. Keep it for 10 years after the last batch was placed on the market. SCPN is a notification requirement, not a product licence. Northern Ireland follows the EU route. Its Responsible Person must be based in Northern Ireland or the EU, and you must notify the product through CPNP before sale. The Great Britain route does not cover Northern Ireland. GOV.UK GOV.UK
Candle safety and labels. If you make candles in Great Britain, you have product-safety responsibilities. CLP duties generally apply to small home-based suppliers as well as larger suppliers. Check each formulation separately. The guidance says you must notify HSE within one month for certain hazardous substances and mixtures placed on the Great Britain market. This includes mixtures classified as hazardous. It also describes exemptions for mixtures not classified as hazardous and mixtures hazardous only to the environment. If you market a candle as an insect repellent, the guidance says you must register it with HSE. Candle guidance lists label safety messages, including not leaving a burning candle unattended and keeping it away from children, pets and things that can catch fire. The guidance describes the cited standard as something that may help you show due diligence. In Northern Ireland, CLP label requirements depend on the mixture and sensitiser concentrations. There is no general candle-business licence or registration requirement identified here. There are no Ireland-specific candle labelling requirements identified here. If you're unsure, check with HSE, HSENI or the CCPC, as relevant. Liverpool Trading Standards Vale of Glamorgan Trading Standards HSENI
UK tax and Self Assessment. In the UK, the first £1,000 of your trading income each year is covered by the trading allowance. This means your gross income before expenses. You must report income above the allowance to HMRC. If you need to file a tax return, register for Self Assessment by 5 October after the end of the tax year in which you started trading. GOV.UK Tax Help for Hustles GOV.UK
Online sales and rights. For most online sales to consumers, give the required business, product, price and cancellation information before they buy. A 14-day cancellation period generally applies to goods. Exceptions include some personalised goods and certain unsealed goods protected for hygiene reasons. Check which rules apply to your product and sale. GOV.UK Liverpool Trading Standards
Ads and customer data. Clearly label adverts and affiliate posts, for example, with Ad. If you hold customer details for your own accounts and transaction records, the ICO retail-sector guidance says you are likely to be exempt from paying a fee. Use the ICO's self-assessment tool to check whether a fee applies to your other activities. ASA ICO

Ireland

Cosmetic safety and notice. Each cosmetic needs a Responsible Person based in the EU or Northern Ireland, a safety assessment and CPSR, a Product Information File, compliant labels and CPNP notification before sale. The Responsible Person's address must appear on the packaging. Update the PIF when relevant information or the formula changes. A formula change also means you must update the CPNP notification. The HPRA says these rules apply to small start-ups too. If you make cosmetics in Ireland or elsewhere in the EEA for sale in the EEA, you must follow GMP. HPRA HPRA
Candles and product safety. If you sell to consumers in Ireland, you must make sure your products are safe and give consumers the information they need to use them safely. Products placed on the EU market must have a Responsible Person based in the EU. Their details must appear on the product, packaging, parcel or an accompanying document. Keep systems to identify risks and monitor complaints or incidents. If a safety issue arises, take corrective action and notify the CCPC without delay. There are no Ireland-specific candle labelling requirements identified here. There is no general candle-business licence identified here. If you're unsure, check with the CCPC. CCPC CCPC
Tax and Revenue limits. If you work in a PAYE job, register for self-assessment using Form 11 if your taxable non-PAYE income is over €5,000 or your gross non-PAYE income is over €30,000. Below those limits, declare the income on Form 12 through myAccount. Check your situation with Revenue or a tax adviser. Revenue
Online sales and rights. For online sales to consumers, give the required business, product, price and cancellation information. A 14-day cancellation right generally applies to online goods. Exceptions include personalised or made-to-order products and items that cannot be returned for health or hygiene reasons. CCPC CCPC
Ads and business name. Clearly label commercial social-media content. If in doubt, the CCPC advises you to label it. If you trade under a name other than your own, register the business name with the CRO. Online registration costs €20. CCPC CRO

Checked against official sources: 22 October 2026. Not yet reviewed by a qualified tax or legal adviser. General guidance, not legal advice. Check the official link beside each point before you start.

Common mistakes

Selling cosmetics before the required safety assessment, paperwork, label and notification are ready.
Assuming Great Britain rules also apply in Northern Ireland or Ireland.
Changing a formulation without reviewing the relevant safety documents and records.
Setting prices without counting packaging, postage, platform charges and professional safety work.
Making unsupported product claims or leaving required safety information unclear.

AI-made demonstration: this module has a 20-second street-chat video in the interactive guide. The presenter and the people in it are computer-generated, not real people.

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