Migrating a soap making and cosmetics supplies store from WooCommerce to Shopify (2026)
How to migrate a soap making, cosmetics supplies, or bath and body WooCommerce store to Shopify — UK cosmetics regulation, CPSR safety assessment, ingredient INCI names, finished product compliance, and cosmetics supplies retail Shopify setup.
Soap making and cosmetics supplies retail covers ingredients (oils, butters, lye, fragrance), equipment, and finished handmade products. The regulatory landscape for cosmetics is among the most demanding in consumer retail — any finished product applied to the body requires a safety assessment, specific labelling, and product notification before sale. Migrating to Shopify suits the category, but compliance requirements must be reflected accurately in product data.
Product categories
- Carrier oils and butters: Coconut oil, shea butter, cocoa butter, sweet almond oil. Food and cosmetic grade.
- Lye (sodium hydroxide / potassium hydroxide): For cold process soap making. Caustic — age verification and safety notes required.
- Fragrance and essential oils: Cosmetic grade (different from candle grade). IFRA-compliant.
- Micas and colourants: Skin-safe pigments, ultramarines, iron oxides, FD&C dyes.
- Emulsifiers and preservatives: Emulsifying wax, BTMS, Optiphen, Phenonip, Leucidal.
- Moulds and equipment: Silicone soap moulds, mixing equipment, scales, thermometers.
- Bases: Melt-and-pour soap bases, lotion bases, shampoo bases — ready-to-use formulations.
- Finished products: Handmade soap bars, bath bombs, body butters — sold as consumer products.
UK cosmetics regulation
The UK Cosmetics Regulation (assimilated Regulation (EC) 1223/2009) governs all cosmetic products sold in the UK:
- A cosmetic product is anything applied to the body for hygiene, appearance, or odour — includes soap, lotion, shampoo, lip balm, bath bombs
- CPSR (Cosmetic Product Safety Report): every finished cosmetic product must have a safety assessment conducted by a qualified cosmetic safety assessor before it can be legally sold
- Responsible Person: a UK-based entity must be named as Responsible Person for each product — manufacturer, importer, or nominated RP
- Product Information File (PIF): must be held for every product — includes formula, safety report, manufacturing records, and assessment
- SCPN (Submit Cosmetic Product Notification): products must be notified to the OPSS (Office for Product Safety and Standards) via the SCPN portal before sale — this replaced the EU CPNP notification post-Brexit
INCI ingredient listing
All cosmetic products must display ingredients using INCI (International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients) names:
- Ingredients listed in descending order of concentration (by weight)
- Ingredients at or below 1% may be listed in any order after the main ingredients
- Fragrance and parfum: listed as "Parfum" (fragrance blend) or individual components if allergens are present
- 26 fragrance allergens must be individually listed if present above 0.001% (leave-on) or 0.01% (rinse-off) — UK regulation
- Colourings: listed using CI (Colour Index) numbers — e.g. "CI 77891" for titanium dioxide
product.metafields.cosmetics.inci_list = "Aqua, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Parfum..."
product.metafields.cosmetics.cpsr_complete = "true"
product.metafields.cosmetics.scpn_notified = "true"
product.metafields.cosmetics.ph_level = "5.5"
product.metafields.cosmetics.preservative_system = "Optiphen Plus"
product.metafields.cosmetics.shelf_life_months = "12"
product.metafields.cosmetics.pao_months = "6" // Period After Opening symbolLye safety and age verification
Sodium hydroxide (lye) is a caustic substance with specific handling requirements:
- CLP classification: sodium hydroxide is a corrosive substance — CLP hazard labelling required on product and packaging
- Age verification: sale of corrosive substances to under-18s is restricted under the Offensive Weapons Act 2019 — age verification required at checkout for lye products
- SDS: Safety Data Sheet must be downloadable from product page
- Protective equipment: recommend PPE (gloves, goggles, long sleeves) on product page and in packaging
- Not for consumption: clearly note for soap making use only — not for food use
Ingredient grade specifications
product.metafields.cosmetics.ingredient_grade = "Cosmetic / Food / Technical"
product.metafields.cosmetics.origin = "Plant-derived / Synthetic / Mineral"
product.metafields.cosmetics.vegan = "true"
product.metafields.cosmetics.organic_certified = "false"
product.metafields.cosmetics.ecocert_approved = "false"
product.metafields.cosmetics.concentration_pct = "100" // concentration if not pure
product.metafields.cosmetics.usage_rate_max_pct = "5" // recommended max in formulaPost-migration checklist for soap and cosmetics supply stores
- Finished cosmetics: CPSR complete, SCPN notified, INCI list correct before selling any finished product
- Fragrance allergens: individually listed above threshold concentrations on finished products
- Lye products: CLP labelling, age verification at checkout, SDS downloadable
- Ingredient grade: cosmetic vs food grade noted clearly — prevents misuse
- Melt-and-pour bases: clarify whether CPSR applies to finished products made from bases (it does)
- Preservatives: note recommended usage rate and compatible formulation types
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