Profile
Founded in 2001, MSL is the UK’s leading microbiological testing and regulatory specialist. It serves a customer base spanning five continents that includes raw material suppliers, finished product manufacturers and brand owners.
As the UK’s largest 3rd party Responsible Person and offering ISO 9001 and insurance backed regulatory services, MSL is ideally placed to support your compliance needs. As well as consultancy, MSL has a host of other linked disciplines offered by our in-house UKAS accredited laboratory including microbiological testing, claims substantiation, auditing, and user trials.
MSL offers a seamless, integrated approach, resulting in products and services getting to market quickly, compliantly, and cost effectively, whilst still ensuring the highest standards of testing.
Regulatory Support
EU
MSL fully understands the role of the Responsible Person within Cosmetic Regulation 1223/2009 and can either adopt that position for a brand or manufacturer or alternatively advise clients on the actions necessary if they wish to act as RP for their own products (if possible).
Since UK companies are no longer legal entities within the EU post-Brexit, MSL has a wholly owned subsidiary business in Dublin, Ireland, which can take on this role. Similarly, thanks to its Greater Manchester-based HQ, it will be able to act as the UK Responsible Person for EU businesses wishing to trade within the UK too. MSL is therefore able to offer a dual Responsible Person service, helping companies gain regulatory compliance and seamless entry to both the EU and UK markets without having to deal with multiple service providers.
MSL holds full insurance cover for its Responsible Person services, and its complete EU Cos Reg process is ISO9001 accredited. MSL operates a fully secure data retrieval, storage and management system and regularly work to NDAs/CDAs.
As well as Responsible Person, MSL can provide all other services you may require, ensuring your products are compliant with the European Cosmetic Regulation including:
- Cosmetic Product Safety Reports (CPSRs)
- Artwork/Packaging review
- CPNP Notification
- Formulation Reviews
- PIF Collation and Maintenance
- Cosmetovigilance
- Safety Data Sheets.
UK
MSL also fully understands the UK Cosmetic Regulation, which came into force on the 1st January 2021.
It can support you with the following services, required to stay compliant:
- Responsible Person (MSL can offer a dual Responsible Person service, helping companies gain regulatory compliance and seamless entry to both the EU and UK markets without having to deal with multiple service providers
- Submit Cosmetic Product Notifications (UK SCPN)
- Artwork/Packaging review
- Cosmetic Product Safety Reports (CPSRs)
- Formulation Reviews
- PIF Collation and Maintenance
- Cosmetovigilance
- Safety Data Sheets.
USA
MSL has extensive experience working with US cosmetics and personal care product
manufacturers and brand owners, acting as Responsible Person for a host of US
companies. Many of these organisations utilise its testing, consultancy, and regulatory services as well, safe in the knowledge that they are receiving a creative and cost-effective resource.
MSL also has a US corporation, MSL Regulatory Solutions Inc. which enhances the in-market support it can offer to cosmetic and personal care brands selling their products into US. This also enables the company to act as US Agent for facilities that require registration in the USA under the recently passed US law, ‘The Modernisation of Cosmetic Regulations Act of 2022’ (MoCRA).
Its MoCRA support services include:
- Acting as US agent
- Facility registrations
- Product listing
- FDA and state regulatory compliance checks on formulations
- Ingredient safety support
- Development of Product Information Files (PIFs)
- Artwork checks
- Record keeping and collection of adverse events
- Creation of adverse event Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs
- Accelerated stability studies
- Preservative efficacy (challenge) testing
Canada
MSL has expertise with the Canadian Food and Drugs Act and the Cosmetics Regulations. With this, it can offer:
- Formulation Reviews – Cosmetic Ingredient Hotlist
- Health Canada Notification.
Testing
MSL’s UKAS accredited laboratory (lab reference 4045) provides testing services to customers around the world. MSL is an expert in providing a bespoke service with excellent customer service.
- Microbiological Testing
- Preservative Efficacy (Challenge) testing
- VeganSure - the world’s first Preservative Efficacy and Quality Control Tests, registered with The Vegan Society’s Trademark
- Quality Control Testing (Microbial Limits).
- Stability testing
- Factory Hygiene Audits
- Claim Support Testing
- User Trials.
VeganSure Dehydrated Culture Media
MSL can supply vegan DCM to companies worldwide with in-house laboratories or microbiological testing facilities, enabling them to conduct routine microbiological tests. All VeganSure DCM products are validated against traditional media to ensure high-quality results and compliance with UK and EU Cosmetic Regulations. Additionally, these DCM products, suitable for all cosmetic microbiological testing, are registered with The Vegan Society’s Trademark. Common services that can be utilised by VeganSure DCM include:
- QC Testing
- Environmental Cleanliness Testing
- Preservative Efficacy Testing
- Line Flushing
- Organism Cultivation
Safety Data Sheets and Poison Centre Notifications
MSL’s SDS subscription service enables companies to outsource the responsibility of maintaining these essential documents to its in-house specialist SDS team. The package includes alerts and notifications of upcoming changes, consultancy, an annual review to ensure they remain up to date, and a limited number of revisions, as applicable. In addition, MSL can expertly author new Safety Data Sheets in different languages and complete Poison Centre Notifications.
Additional Services
MSL’s expertise includes disinfectant testing and claim support for the BPR as well as a range of support for other, non-cosmetic product types, plus microbiological validation of cleanrooms and auditing (including to GMP).
Webinars
Microbiological testing in an innovative market
Brexit – prepare your business
In conversation with MSL Solution Providers
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