Parapharmacy: what it means and how it works in Europe
Parapharmacy refers to health and personal-care products sold outside the pharmacy monopoly and, by extension, to the shops that specialise in them: skincare, food supplements, simple medical devices, oral hygiene and baby care. In France, Spain and Belgium the word is a commercial label with no legal definition, and the boundary is set by what pharmacy law reserves to pharmacies. Italy and Portugal also have a regulated non-pharmacy outlet that may sell non-prescription medicines.
This site documents how parapharmacy works in each major European jurisdiction, summarises the European Union regulations that govern these products, provides reference entries on common active ingredients, and offers guides to thinking about the principal product categories.
It is written for general readers, students, journalists, expatriates, and importers who need an English-language source on a domain that is primarily documented in French, Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese.
This is a reference resource. It does not provide medical advice, product recommendations, or treatment guidance. For health questions specific to your situation, consult a qualified pharmacist or physician.
Common questions
- What is a parapharmacy?
- How is a parapharmacy different from a pharmacy?
- What can a parafarmacia sell in Spain?
- What counts as a parapharmaceutical product?
- What does Directive 2002/46/EC on food supplements say?
- What are EFSA's upper levels for vitamins and minerals?
- What does the CE mark on a medical device mean?
- How do you read an INCI ingredient list?
I — Foundations
What parapharmacy is, by jurisdiction
The concept of parapharmacy is country-specific. These pages set out the legal position and scope in each major European jurisdiction, the distinction from pharmacies, and the history of how this category emerged.
- What is parapharmacy
- Parapharmacy vs. pharmacy
- Parapharmaceutical products: list and examples
- Parapharmacy in France
- Parapharmacy in Italy
- Parapharmacy in Spain
- What a parafarmacia can sell in Spain
- Parapharmacy in Belgium
- Parapharmacy in Portugal
- Parapharmacy across Europe (DE · NL · UK · IE)
- A short history of parapharmacy
II — Regulation
EU and national frameworks
Products sold in parapharmacies fall under several EU regimes — cosmetics, medical devices, food supplements, biocides. These pages summarize the principal regulations, what they require, and which authorities enforce them.
- EU Cosmetic Regulation (1223/2009)
- Medical Device Regulation (2017/745)
- Food Supplements Directive (2002/46/EC)
- EFSA upper levels for vitamins and minerals
- Nutrition & health claims regulation
- CE marking for medical devices
- National authorities (ANSM, AIFA, AEMPS & others)
- Cosmetovigilance & adverse-event reporting
- Serious undesirable effects (SUE) reporting
- Borderline products: medicine, supplement or device?
III — Active Ingredients
Reference entries on common compounds
Entries on compounds frequently found in dermocosmetics and over-the-counter preparations sold in parapharmacies. Each covers properties, typical uses, regulatory status, evidence summary, and known contraindications.
IV — Product Categories
How to think about each category
What the products are for, how they differ, what standards apply, what to look for on the label. Written to support understanding, not purchasing decisions.
V — Terminology
Glossary, translations, label literacy
Technical and legal vocabulary, a multilingual reference for parapharmacy terms across major European languages, and a practical guide to reading INCI ingredient lists.
VI — Sources
Where to verify and read further
Annotated links to primary regulatory documents, national health authorities, professional bodies, and evidence databases — for verifying claims and conducting further research.