HCPC Brands EuropeUFI / PCN Notification
Hazardous chemical mixtures — from cleaning products to certain personal care formulations — must be notified to poison centres in every EU Member State where they're sold, and carry a Unique Formula Identifier on the label. HCPC Brands Europe B.V. generates UFIs and manages the notification process across the EU's still-fragmented submission landscape.
What's Included
- UFI generation — a unique code linking your product's label to its notified composition.
- PCN filing — notification prepared in the harmonised PCN format, including trade name, intended use, full composition, physical state, pH, and hazard classification.
- Per-country submission — filed through each relevant Member State's accepted route, whether that's the ECHA portal or a national system.
- Update management — notifications kept current whenever formulation, classification, or labelling changes.
Why This Can't Be Filed Just Once
Notification is required separately in every Member State where a hazardous mixture is placed on the market. Although ECHA operates a centralised submission portal intended to simplify this, adoption remains uneven — only a small number of countries currently accept filings through it, so in practice most notifications still have to go through country-specific national channels. We track which route applies where, so nothing falls through the cracks as you expand into new markets.
Regulatory Framework
Our Process
- 1. Intake — full composition, hazard classification, and target markets for your product.
- 2. UFI generation — a formula-specific identifier is created for your label.
- 3. PCN filing — notification is prepared and submitted through the correct route for each target Member State.
- 4. Ongoing monitoring — we flag when a reformulation or classification change requires an updated filing.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Unique Formula Identifier (UFI), and where does it need to appear?
The UFI is a code required on the label of a hazardous mixture placed on the EU market, linking the product to its Poison Centre Notification filing so that poison centres can identify the exact composition in the event of accidental exposure.
Which products need a Poison Centre Notification?
Notification is required for chemical mixtures classified as hazardous based on their health or physical effects under CLP. In practice this obligation falls mainly on downstream users and importers, though re-branding or re-packaging can also trigger the requirement.
Can Poison Centre Notification be filed once for the whole EU?
Not fully in practice. While ECHA operates a centralised submission portal, only a limited number of member states currently accept filings through it — most notifications still need to be submitted through country-specific national systems, and this must be repeated for every Member State where the product is sold.
What happens if I haven't notified a hazardous product I already sell?
The product is considered non-compliant, and notification should be arranged as soon as possible. There is no grace period tied to how long a product has already been on the market.
Do I need to update my Poison Centre Notification if I change my formulation?
Yes. Any change to product identity, composition, hazard classification, or labelling must be reflected in an updated notification for as long as the product remains on the market.
See also our SDS Management page, which covers the closely related C&L Inventory notification and Safety Data Sheet obligations.
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