Sources

Regulatory sources

An annotated list of the principal regulatory websites and databases for parapharmacy products in the European Union and selected Member States. Use these for verifying citations and consulting consolidated legal texts.

EU-level

• European Commission, DG SANTE — policy lead for medicinal products, medical devices, cosmetics and food law. Use the topic pages for overview of each regime.
• EUR-Lex — the official EU law portal. Consolidated texts of regulations and directives, with all amendments incorporated. Always check the date of the consolidated text against the most recent amending acts.
• CosIng — Commission database of substances and ingredients in cosmetics. Searchable by INCI name, CAS or function.
• EUDAMED — European database for medical devices under the MDR. Roll-out is phased; module availability is documented on the page.
• European Medicines Agency (EMA) — central authority for the scientific assessment of medicinal products. EPARs (European Public Assessment Reports) for centrally authorised medicines are accessible from the EMA site.
• European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) — scientific opinions on food safety, food additives, and the EU's nutrition and health claims regime.
• Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) — opinions on cosmetic ingredients; the scientific basis for Annexes II–VI updates to Regulation 1223/2009.
• EU Register of nutrition and health claims — searchable register of authorised, rejected and on-hold claims under Regulation 1924/2006.
• NANDO database — designated notified bodies under EU "new approach" instruments, including the MDR.

France

• ANSM — Agence nationale de sécurité du médicament et des produits de santé. Medicines, devices, cosmetovigilance.
• Légifrance — official portal for French law. Consolidated texts of the Code de la santé publique and other codes.
• DGCCRF — Direction générale de la concurrence, de la consommation et de la répression des fraudes. Consumer protection, food supplements notifications, cosmetics market surveillance.
• ANSES — Agence nationale de sécurité sanitaire de l'alimentation, de l'environnement et du travail. Food, environmental and occupational safety; advisory role on food supplements.

Italy

• AIFA — Agenzia Italiana del Farmaco. Medicines.
• Ministero della Salute — Devices, cosmetics, food supplements, register of farmacie and parafarmacie.
• Normattiva — consolidated texts of Italian law, including the Bersani decree and food-supplement legislation.

Spain

• AEMPS — Agencia Española de Medicamentos y Productos Sanitarios. Medicines, devices, cosmetics.
• AESAN — Agencia Española de Seguridad Alimentaria y Nutrición. Food and food supplements.
• BOE — Boletín Oficial del Estado, with consolidated Spanish laws.

Portugal

• INFARMED — National Authority of Medicines and Health Products. Includes the register of locais de venda de medicamentos não sujeitos a receita médica.
• Diário da República — Portuguese official journal, with consolidated legislation.

Belgium

• FAMHP / AFMPS / FAGG — Federal Agency for Medicines and Health Products. Medicines and devices.
• FPS Health, Food Chain Safety and Environment — food supplements and food law.
• Belgian official journal (Moniteur belge / Belgisch Staatsblad) — consolidated Belgian legislation.

Germany and the United Kingdom

• BfArM (Germany) — medicines, devices.
• BVL (Germany) — consumer protection and food safety; cosmetics and supplements (joint with Länder).
• MHRA (UK) — medicines and devices in the UK.
• Food Standards Agency (UK) — food supplements and food law.

Last reviewed: May 2026.