The PIF (Product Information File) document is a basic and important document that contains all the information about the safety and manufacturing methods of a cosmetic product.
Article 11 of Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 on cosmetic products requires every cosmetic on the market to have an up-to-date PIF document containing the listed information.

Description of the cosmetic product

The product description makes it possible to identify the cosmetic and assign it to a particular dossier.

Cosmetic product safety report

The product safety report (Art. 10 of Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009) shall be drawn up following the cosmetic safety assessment. It consists of two parts: A - concerning basic information on the composition, properties, safety and risks related to the use of the product and B - containing the conclusions of the cosmetic safety assessment.

Information on production methods

The PIF document must contain a description of the manufacturing methods of the cosmetic and a statement of compliance with Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP). According to Article 8 of Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009, a manufacturing process is GMP compliant if it 'complies with the relevant harmonised standards, the references of which have been published in the Official Journal of the European Union'.

Proof of claimed performance

The responsible person (Article 4 of Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009) may include in the PIF document evidence of the claimed effect of the cosmetic product by the manufacturer.

Animal testing data

The PIF document must contain a declaration of non-animal testing. A product is not tested on animals if the manufacturer, its representatives and suppliers have not carried out any animal testing of the cosmetic product or its raw materials.

The data contained in the PIF document must be maintained updated when necessary by the responsible person and kept for a period of 10 years after the last batch of the cosmetic product in question was placed on the market.