Cosmetics are not treated as cold-chain products, yet in heat cream separates, lipstick softens, a perfume cap leaks and the customer returns the product as faulty. A separated cream is not counted as restored by stirring: the product's stability evidence belongs to the formula that has not separated.
What the rule says. EU Cosmetics Regulation 1223/2009 ties the subject in two places. The safety file covers the product's stability under reasonably foreseeable storage conditions (Annex I, Part A, point 2). The distributor must ensure that, while a product is under its responsibility, storage or transport conditions do not jeopardise compliance (Article 6(4)). A separated lot is therefore set aside and sent to quality review.
| Product | Finding to look for in heat |
|---|---|
| Cream, lotion | Water release, grainy texture, phase appearance |
| Lipstick, balm | Loss of shape, breakage |
| Fragrance | Cap, leakage, changed scent |
| Outer pack | Deformation, leakage |
Photograph the findings; an appearance change calls for quality review and does not on its own decide safety or usability.
Where the heat comes from. A closed vehicle heats up fast: in a measurement on a passenger car, the interior on a sunny day rose about 22 °C above ambient and 80 percent of the rise came in the first 30 minutes (Pediatrics, 2005). Keep warehouse and vehicle readings as separate records and match the wait before dispatch to the warehouse readings, because the product sat on the shelf before it ever reached the van.
Measure the threshold on your own product: a study that held samples at 4, 25 and 45 °C for 30 days separated a stable cream formula from an unstable one by light scattering and microscopy (PLOS One, 2026). Once the threshold is known, insulated packaging goes to sensitive formulas in hot months rather than to every parcel.
Match return reasons to product, lot, season and delivery record; a rise in one product group in summer prompts a review and does not on its own point to the warehouse or the courier.