How does the UFI creation and PCN notification service work?
After purchasing this service, you will receive access to the secure portal. This portal contains an overview of all steps. You fill in your product details and we will get to work.
Poison Center Notification & UFI
We will provide:
- Your product’s Unique Formula Identifier (UFI)
- A Poison Centre Notification (PCN) report
- Registration of your product with the relevant national Poison Centres via ECHA.
Countries for PCN registration
You can count the number of countries in which you want to register your product. This is the number of countries you need to purchase. You will be able to select the specific countries within the portal. If you plan to expand the sales of your products to new countries at a later date, then you can always order additional PCN country registrations.
The EU has 27 countries and the EEA has 30 (EU+Lichtenstein, Norway and Iceland) In the portal you can select these countries:
| Belgium | (BE) | Spain | (ES) | Hungary | (HU) | Slovakia | (SK) |
| Bulgaria | (BG) | France | (FR) | Malta | (MT) | Finland | (FI) |
| Czechia | (CZ) | Croatia | (HR) | Netherlands | (NL) | Sweden | (SE) |
| Denmark | (DK) | Italy | (IT) | Austria | (AT) | Germany | (DE) |
| Cyprus | (CY) | Poland | (PL) | Iceland | (IS) | Estonia | (EE) |
| Latvia | (LV) | Portugal | (PT) | Liechtenstein | (LI) | Ireland | (IE) |
| Lithuania | (LT) | Romania | (RO) | Norway | (NO) | Greece | (EL) |
| Luxembourg | (LU) | Slovenia | (SI) | Switzerland* | (CH) |
*For Switzerland we can create the PCN dossier, with all the needed information to make a submission in the Swiss portal. Contact us for more information.
CLP Label Information
We offer the option to purchase a CLP compliant product label, containing all mandatory information as required by the EU CLP Regulation. This will be provided as a PDF. This is not a design, but a summery of the required information. This will enable you to integrate the necessary information into your product label design. You can also order the CLP label creation separately. Already have a label? — We can do a CLP label compliance check of your label in accordance with current CLP requirements. We will provide detailed feedback and corrections to ensure your label meets all regulatory standards.
Poison Centre Notification for Other Cleaning, Care, and Maintenance Products (Excluding Biocidal Products)
Other cleaning, care, and maintenance products, excluding biocidal formulations, can span a wide range of applications such as surface polishes, general-purpose cleaners, and specialty agents for maintaining various household or industrial items. If these products are classified as hazardous under EU regulations, they require a Poison Centre Notification (PCN). Submitting a PCN ensures that poison centers have immediate access to detailed information about the product’s chemical composition, hazards, and safety measures, allowing them to respond swiftly and accurately to emergencies involving accidental exposure.
What is a UFI?
A Unique Formula Identifier (UFI) is a 16-character alphanumeric code that directly links a hazardous product to its specific chemical formulation. For cleaning, care, and maintenance products deemed hazardous, the UFI must be featured on the product label, usually near hazard symbols or safety instructions. In the event of an incident, poison centers use this code to identify the product’s composition quickly and provide targeted medical guidance.
What is a PCN?
A Poison Centre Notification (PCN) is a regulatory submission required for hazardous chemical mixtures sold in the EU. By filing a PCN for non-biocidal cleaning and care products, manufacturers and distributors supply poison centers with key details such as the product’s chemical makeup, risk classification, usage instructions, and recommended first-aid measures. This enables medical professionals and emergency responders to manage incidents of accidental exposure effectively.
What is CLP?
The Classification, Labelling, and Packaging (CLP) regulation standardizes how chemicals are classified and labeled across EU member states. Products that meet the hazard threshold under CLP must display hazard symbols, relevant risk/precautionary statements, and the UFI on their labels. This uniform labeling approach ensures users and professionals can identify risks quickly and handle hazardous products properly.
What is the Poison Centre?
The Poison Centre is a network of national institutions dedicated to providing medical advice and emergency support when chemical exposures occur. Registering your non-biocidal cleaning and care product via a PCN guarantees that poison centers can promptly find the product’s essential data—safeguarding both users and responders during exposure events.
Why is This Needed?
Even if products are not biocidal, they may still contain solvents, detergents, or other chemicals posing health or environmental risks if mishandled. A PCN ensures that poison centers can access in-depth safety data, reducing the potential severity of accidental exposure by enabling fast, accurate medical recommendations.
Since When is This by Law Obligatory?
As of January 1, 2021, any hazardous chemical mixture, including these non-biocidal cleaning, care, and maintenance products, must be registered via a PCN under EU CLP regulations. This fosters consistent safety and emergency response standards throughout EU member states.
FAQ
Question: Do all cleaning, care, and maintenance products need a PCN?
Answer: Only products classified as hazardous under CLP regulations require a PCN. Non-hazardous products are exempt from this obligation.
Question: Where should the UFI be placed on the product label?
Answer: The UFI must be located near hazard symbols or safety warnings on the label, ensuring it’s easily accessible to emergency responders.
Question: What data is included in a PCN for these products?
Answer: A PCN submission typically includes the product’s chemical composition, hazard classification, packaging specifics, usage instructions, and first-aid measures.
Question: Are products with minor hazards also required to file a PCN?
Answer: Only products meeting the hazardous criteria under CLP must submit a PCN. If a product is non-hazardous by CLP standards, it doesn’t require registration.
Question: Who is responsible for submitting the PCN?
Answer: The manufacturer, importer, or distributor placing the hazardous product on the EU market generally must handle the PCN submission process.
Question: What are the consequences of not submitting a PCN when it’s required?
Answer: Non-compliance can lead to fines, legal penalties, or product restrictions within the EU until the PCN obligations are fulfilled.
Question: When did the PCN requirement officially become mandatory?
Answer: The requirement to file a PCN for hazardous chemical products came into effect on January 1, 2021, under the EU CLP regulation.
Question: How long does it take to submit the UFI and PCN notification?
It takes us a few days’ work. As soon as you upload the documentation, we will get started right away.
Question: Am I the owner of the PCN notification?
Yes, you are the owner of the PCN notification. You retain full ownership of the data you provided. The PCN notification will be accessible in your ECHA account.
Question: Is this service for one product or more?
The service is for one product.
Question: Why do I have to pay to create a UFI?
The service we offer is not just about providing a UFI. The UFI is a component within a much more extensive process. The core service we provide is the preparation and submission of your Poison Centre Notification (PCN) to national appointed bodies through ECHA portal, which is a mandatory requirement under the EU CLP Regulation for placing hazardous mixtures on the market. Generating a UFI is simplest part. The PCN report, however, is complex. It demands detailed ingredient review—chemical classifications—formatted precisely for Poison Centre submission via ECHA.
Question: My company is not based in the EU, how can I submit a PCN?
We provide a solution for companies which are not based in the EU. You can find more information on the PCN & UFI for non-EU companies page.
Question: Can you provide Safety Data Sheets in full compliance with EU Regulation (REACH & CLP)?
Yes, we can create Safety Data Sheets (SDS)— also known as Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS)— tailored to your product and compliant with the latest EU regulations. Whether you are manufacturing chemical mixtures, importing products into the EU, or distributing under a private label, a compliant SDS is legally required and essential for safe use throughout the supply chain. You will find more on the Safety Data Sheet (MSDS/SDS) Creation Service page.
