Foundations · Belgium

Parapharmacy in Belgium

In Belgium, all medicines — prescription and non-prescription — remain reserved to pharmacies. A Belgian parapharmacie / parafarmacie is therefore confined to cosmetics, food supplements, low-risk medical devices and related health-adjacent goods, supervised by the federal medicines agency, the FAMHP.

Legal definition

Belgian law treats the parapharmacy not as a regulated kind of establishment but as an ordinary retail outlet that does not engage in pharmacy practice. The category exists in commercial parlance — supermarket chains, drugstore networks and standalone shops trade in cosmetics and supplements under the parapharmacy or "drogisterij/droguerie" label — but is not formally defined as such by federal medicines law.

The boundary that matters is therefore the boundary of the pharmacy monopoly, set principally by the law of 25 March 1964 on medicinal products (the Loi sur les médicaments / Wet op de geneesmiddelen) and the Royal Decree of 31 May 1885 on the practice of pharmacy as amended. A retailer that does not engage in the activities reserved to pharmacists by these texts is free to trade in non-reserved goods, including cosmetics, food supplements and medical devices.

The Belgian pharmacy monopoly

Belgium reserves the dispensation of medicinal products for human use to authorised pharmacies. A "medicinal product" is defined in conformity with Directive 2001/83/EC. The reservation covers prescription and non-prescription medicines alike: there is no Italian-style category of non-prescription medicines saleable outside pharmacies. Self-service of medicines is, in addition, prohibited within the pharmacy itself, with the consequence that all medicines must be handed over by or under the supervision of the pharmacist.

This regime aligns Belgium with the French and Spanish models. As in those jurisdictions, the parapharmacy in Belgium is defined entirely by what is left over once medicinal products are removed.

What may be sold

• Cosmetic products under Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009, including dermocosmetics and sun protection.
• Food supplements (compléments alimentaires / voedingssupplementen) within the meaning of Directive 2002/46/EC and Belgian implementing legislation, principally the Royal Decree of 3 March 1992 on the placing on the market of nutrients and foodstuffs to which nutrients have been added, and the Royal Decree of 29 August 1997 on the manufacture and trade of foodstuffs composed of or containing plants or plant preparations.
• Medical devices bearing the CE mark under Regulation (EU) 2017/745, except those reserved to pharmacies by specific Belgian rule.
• Foods for specific groups, including infant formula, subject to the relevant EU and Belgian rules.
• Hygiene products, oral hygiene cosmetics, and traditional natural products that do not meet the definition of a medicinal product.

What may not be sold

• Any medicinal product for human use, including non-prescription medicines.
• Magistral or officinal preparations, which require a pharmacist and an authorised pharmacy.
• Veterinary medicines beyond the limited regime authorised by veterinary law.
• Products presented as treating a disease, which are by that presentation medicinal products and therefore reserved to pharmacies.

Food supplements and notification

The Belgian rules for food supplements are notable in that operators must notify products to the federal public service FPS Health, Food Chain Safety and Environment (SPF Santé publique / FOD Volksgezondheid) before placing them on the market. The notification regime exists because, while the EU food supplements directive harmonises the list of authorised vitamins and minerals, Member States retain national rules on permitted forms, dosages and other ingredients. Belgium has, for example, specific national lists for plants permitted in food supplements. Operators wishing to sell food supplements through a parapharmacy or any other channel must comply with this notification regime.

Online sales

Online sale of non-prescription medicines in Belgium is permitted only by authorised pharmacies, in conformity with Directive 2011/62/EU. Authorised online pharmacies are listed by the FAMHP and must display the EU common logo for legal online pharmacies. A parapharmacy cannot obtain such an authorisation, because it is not a pharmacy. Online sale of cosmetics, supplements and medical devices is permitted without a medicines-specific authorisation but remains subject to the relevant EU product rules and to Belgian consumer-protection law.

Authorities

The Federal Agency for Medicines and Health Products (FAMHP, AFMPS in French, FAGG in Dutch) supervises medicinal products, medical devices and certain related products. The FPS Health supervises food supplements and food law generally. The Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain (AFSCA / FAVV) is the food-safety enforcement body. Order of Pharmacists (Ordre des Pharmaciens / Orde der Apothekers) regulates the profession of pharmacist.

Last reviewed: May 2026.