What Is Product Information File (PIF)?

The Product Information File (PIF) is a cosmetic product dossier containing information about the cosmetic product itself, raw materials, packaging in which the product is sold, manufacturing process and other important information about the product.

“When a cosmetic product is placed on the market, the responsible person shall keep a product information file for it. The product information file shall be kept for a period of ten years following the date on which the last batch of the cosmetic product was placed on the market.” (EU Regulation 1223/2009, Article 11.1).

The Responsible Person must keep the Product Information File (PIF) accessible in electronic or other format at address indicated on the label to the competent authority of the Member State in which the file is kept.

The PIF should be updated regularly, for example, if raw material supplier is changed or new testing data is available, the PIF should be updated. If the changes to the product are significant from the product of the same name previously placed on the market, an update might not be sufficient and creating a new PIF might be needed.