Do I need a French company to sell a perfume?

Not necessarily. You need an EU-established Responsible Person and an importer; a French entity is decided according to volumes.

Who can be the Responsible Person?

A natural or legal person established in the EU, appointed in writing. By default, the importer.

Do the new allergen rules already apply?

They apply in stages, first to products newly placed on the market, then to products already on sale. Check the dates in Regulation (EU) 2023/1545 with a specialist.

Do you need an EORI number?

Yes for the importer: any company established in the EU that imports needs an EORI number, and a non-EU company needs one if it files its own customs declarations in the EU.

FrancePublished 18 October 20265 min read

How to sell a Gulf perfume or beauty brand in France (2026)

To sell a perfume made in the UAE in France, you need an EU-established Responsible Person, a product file with a safety assessment, a CPNP notification before sale and French labelling, then an importer and a first channel in Paris. The new fragrance-allergen labelling rules (Regulation (EU) 2023/1545) apply in stages: check the dates in the official text.

Scena InsightsFrance

The Responsible Person

Every cosmetic placed on the EU market needs a Responsible Person established in the EU. For an imported product, this is the importer by default, unless it designates another person in writing. They answer for the product’s compliance.

Sources: Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 on cosmetic products, EUR-Lex

Product file, safety and CPNP notification

The Responsible Person keeps a product information file, including a safety report signed by a qualified assessor, then notifies the product on the EU CPNP portal before it is placed on the market.

Sources: Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 on cosmetic products, EUR-Lex · European Commission, Cosmetic Products Notification Portal (CPNP)

Fragrance allergens: new rules

Regulation (EU) 2023/1545 extends the list of allergens to declare on the label. It applies in stages, first to products newly placed on the market, then to those already on sale: check the dates in the official text with a specialist.

Sources: Regulation (EU) 2023/1545 on fragrance allergen labelling, EUR-Lex

Import, EORI and VAT

The EU importer needs an EORI number for customs formalities. Import VAT applies at the French rate, and customs duty depends on the product’s tariff classification: check with a customs broker.

Sources: European Commission, EORI number

French labelling

Mandatory information on a product sold in France must appear in French. The brand and fragrance names can stay in their original language.

Sources: Law No. 94-665 of 4 August 1994 on the use of the French language, Légifrance

Retail, press and pop-up in Paris

The usual entry points for a niche house are niche perfumeries, concept stores and department stores, with beauty press and a launch moment in Paris. Pop-up rents vary widely by neighbourhood and season: compare several quotes before booking.

What Scena does

We make the house known and sell it in Paris: positioning, press, retail, meetings and reporting. Scena is not a Responsible Person: that role is entrusted in writing to an EU-established specialist.

Checklist

01Appoint an EU-established Responsible Person
02Product file and safety assessment up to date
03CPNP notification before placing on the market
04Compliant label: 2023/1545 allergens, French mandatory information
05EORI number and importer identified

NoteThis is general orientation, to be checked with a regulatory specialist before placing any product on the market. Updated 18 October 2026.

Launch your Gulf house in France: see how SCENA works. →