The Cassis de Dijon principle for consumer products
The Cassis de Dijon principle facilitates the import of consumer products, whereby products legally marketed in the EU or EEA can also be sold in Switzerland. A number of special rules apply to cosmetic products.
The Cassis de Dijon principle
The Cassis de Dijon principle is a cornerstone of the internal EU market. It requires member states to mutually recognise their national regulations in cases where there are no generally binding EU regulations. This means that goods legally marketed in one member state may in principle be sold without further controls in other member states.
Legal framework
Application of the Cassis de Dijon principle in Switzerland is based on:
Federal Act on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBA)
Special rules for cosmetics
The Cassis de Dijon principle applies to imported cosmetics. In other words, they must fully comply with Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 and be marketed legally in an EU or EEA member state.
Under Article 16e paragraph 2 TBA, warning and safety notices – including all instructions relevant to personal safety – on cosmetic products may only be written in the official language or official languages of the place where the products are placed on the market.
Please note: the Swiss cantonal enforcement authorities do not have access to the European Cosmetic Product Notification Portal (CPNP). This is why all documents required under EU law, such as the PIF and notification number, must be presented.
Products are classified in accordance with Swiss law. In Switzerland, hand sanitisers (such as hydro alcoholic hand gels) are regarded as biocidal products and not as cosmetic products. Both require authorisation; the Cassis de Dijon principle does not apply here (Art. 16a para. 2 let. a TBA). The responsible body for this is the Federal Office of Public Health FOPH).