Cosmetic label languages in the EU: what each country requires
The language of four label particulars — the nominal content, the date of minimum durability or period after opening, the precautions for use and the product's function — is set by each country's own law (Art. 19(5), Reg. (EC) 1223/2009). The ingredient list uses the common ingredient names everywhere (Art. 19(6)), and the responsible person's name and address, and the batch number, are outside Art. 19(5).
What Art. 19(5) leaves to each country
The language of the information mentioned in points (b), (c), (d) and (f) of paragraph 1 and in paragraphs (2), (3) and (4) shall be determined by the law of the Member States in which the product is made available to the end user. — Art. 19(5), Reg. (EC) 1223/2009
Points (b), (c), (d) and (f) of Art. 19(1) are the nominal content, the date of minimum durability or period after opening, the particular precautions for use, and the function of the product where it is not clear from its presentation. Paragraphs 2 to 4 cover the leaflet or tag used when there is no room on the pack, the notice for soap and other small products, and products that are not pre-packaged.
The table
Checked against the national legal texts on 23 September 2026. Each row links the official source we read. Laws change: check the source before you print.
| Country | Language(s) for (b), (c), (d), (f) | National rule | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Austria | German | Kosmetik-Durchführungsverordnung, BGBl. II 330/2013, § 2 | Verified |
| Belgium | The language(s) of the region where it is sold: Dutch, French or German; Brussels French and Dutch. One national label in practice: Dutch, French and German | Law of 24 January 1977, Art. 8 § 1 | Verified |
| Bulgaria | Bulgarian ("also in Bulgarian") | Health Act, Art. 49(2) item 8 | Verified (consolidated text) |
| Croatia | Croatian, Latin script | NN 18/2013, Art. 5(2) | Verified |
| Cyprus | Precautions (d): Greek. (b), (c), (f): Greek or English | Law 57(I)/2017, Art. 13 | Verified |
| Czech Republic | Czech | Act 258/2000 Sb., § 27(1) | Verified |
| Denmark | Danish | BEK nr 803 of 21/06/2013, § 3 | Verified |
| Estonia | Estonian | Consumer Protection Act, § 4(3) and § 5(6) — general consumer law; we found no cosmetics-specific rule | Partial |
| Finland | Finnish and Swedish for national or online sales | Act 492/2013, § 21, with the Language Act § 34 | Verified |
| France | French; other languages may be added | Code de la santé publique, art. R5131-4 III | Verified |
| Germany | German | Kosmetik-Verordnung 2014, § 4 | Verified |
| Greece | Greek | KYA Δ3(α)/91512, ΦΕΚ Β' 25/2018, art. 10(1) | Verified |
| Hungary | Hungarian | Government Decree 246/2013, § 2 | Verified |
| Ireland | English, or English and Irish (not Irish alone) | S.I. No. 440/2013, Reg. 7(4) | Verified (as made) |
| Italy | Italian, at least as visible as any other language | Ministry of Health decree of 27 September 2018, art. 3(1) | Verified (as published) |
| Latvia | Latvian | Cabinet Regulation No. 354 of 2013, point 10 | Verified |
| Lithuania | Lithuanian | Order No. V-634 of 2013, point 4 | Verified |
| Luxembourg | French, German or Luxembourgish — not English | Règlement grand-ducal of 18 July 2013, Art. 3 | Verified |
| Malta | Maltese or English | S.L. 427.58, reg. 5 | Verified |
| Netherlands | Dutch, at least | Warenwetbesluit cosmetische producten 2011, Art. 3(2) | Verified |
| Poland | Polish | Act of 4 October 2018 on cosmetic products, Art. 4(1) | Verified |
| Portugal | Portuguese; a translation goes on an indelible adhesive label | Decreto-Lei 23/2025, Art. 10 | Verified |
| Romania | Romanian; other languages not excluded | HG 147/2015, Art. 5 | Verified (as published) |
| Slovakia | Slovak | Act 355/2007, § 43 | Verified |
| Slovenia | Slovenian | Uredba, Ur. l. RS 61/2013, Art. 6(1) | Verified |
| Spain | Spanish | Real Decreto 85/2018, art. 6.1.a | Verified |
| Sweden | Swedish | Förordning 2013:413, § 4 | Verified |
| Norway (EEA) | Precautions and function: Norwegian. Content and durability: Norwegian or a language similar to it | Kosmetikkforskriften, § 4 | Verified |
| Iceland (EEA) | Icelandic, English or a Nordic language other than Finnish; certain warnings in Icelandic | Reglugerð nr. 577/2013, art. 3 | Verified |
| Liechtenstein (EEA) | German, French or Italian — Swiss rules, applied through the customs treaty | Liechtenstein food-control ordinance, by inference from Swiss law | Partial |
"Partial" means we found the rule in general law or by inference, not in a cosmetics provision of that country's own; treat it as a starting point, not an answer. "As made" or "as published" means we read the original text and did not trace later amendments.
Check my product — free
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What the table means in practice
English alone is enough for some particulars in only a few places: Ireland, Malta, Iceland, and Cyprus for everything except the precautions.
Belgium effectively needs three languages for a single national label, because the rule follows the linguistic region where the product is sold.
Finland needs two — Finnish and Swedish — for national or online sales.
Selling across several countries therefore means either a multilingual label or country-specific labelling. Portugal expressly provides for a translation on an indelible adhesive label.
What else the label has to carry, and whose address goes on it: labelling · the responsible person's address.
Questions people ask
Does the ingredient list have to be translated?
No. It is expressed using the common ingredient names set out in the glossary provided for in Art. 33 (Art. 19(6)), and Art. 19(5) does not cover it.
Can I use a leaflet instead of printing everything on the pack?
Only where it is impossible for practical reasons to label the precautions (d) or the ingredient list (g) as provided; then the information goes on an enclosed or attached leaflet, label, tape, tag or card, referred to on the pack (Art. 19(2)).
Is there an official EU table of these rules?
We could not find one published by the Commission or by the Member States' market surveillance network. This table is built from the national legal texts themselves.
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