Why Compliance Isn’t Optional, Even for Hobby Sellers

There’s a really common belief in the bath and body world that compliance only applies once a business becomes “serious”.

That if you’re only selling occasionally, or just doing a few markets, or making products on the side, the rules somehow don’t fully apply yet.

But when it comes to cosmetics, there isn’t a hobby tier.

Compliance doesn’t begin when money changes hands. It begins the moment a cosmetic product is placed on the market.

That includes selling, gifting, supplying, exchanging, promoting, or distributing a product, whether payment is involved or not. If a product leaves your control and is intended for use by someone else, cosmetic regulations apply.

A lot of people assume size is what triggers compliance. That they’ll “sort it all out later” once things grow. The reality is that UK cosmetic regulations don’t care about scale. They don’t care if you’re VAT registered or not. They don’t care if it’s your side income or your main one. Placement on the market is the line, not growth.

Markets are another area where this gets misunderstood. Selling in person doesn’t reduce your legal obligations. In many cases, it increases scrutiny. Local authorities do visit markets. They ask questions. They can request documentation there and then. If something goes wrong with a product supplied at a market, sold or given away, it is fully traceable back to the person who placed it on the market.

Gifting is where many people unknowingly step into risky territory. If a product is given away as a freebie, included in a paid order, handed out for promotion, or supplied as part of a service, it is still considered placed on the market. The absence of payment doesn’t remove the obligation to comply.

There’s also this comforting idea that handmade products are somehow lower risk. That because they’re small batch, natural, or made with care, the rules should be lighter. From a regulatory perspective, risk isn’t measured by intention. It’s measured by ingredients, concentrations, frequency of use, exposure, and who the product is being used by. A handmade whipped soap used daily carries the same responsibility as a mass-produced one on a supermarket shelf.

Another assumption is that enforcement only happens when a business becomes visible enough to attract attention. In reality, most issues are triggered by complaints, marketplace checks, competitor reports, or routine Trading Standards visits. These don’t come with warnings or grace periods. Products can be removed from use or sale immediately, and investigations often look backwards, not just at what’s currently available.

One of the hardest truths for small makers is that not knowing the rules doesn’t remove responsibility. If a product causes harm, is incorrectly labelled, or lacks proper documentation, responsibility sits with the person who placed it on the market regardless of whether it was sold, gifted, or “just given to a friend”.

This is exactly why cosmetic regulations exist. Not to make things difficult, and not to discourage creativity, but to protect consumers and the people supplying products to them.

Compliance isn’t about knowing everything or doing everything perfectly. It’s about understanding that the rules apply to you, accepting responsibility for what you supply, and putting proper structures in place.

If a product is made purely for your own personal use and never leaves your control, cosmetic regulations don’t apply.

But the moment a product is supplied to someone else for us, compliance does.

Every time.