UK SIC 2007 · 20420
Manufacture of perfumes and toilet preparations
Manufacture of perfumes and toilet preparations is UK SIC code 20420, part of division 20 (Manufacture of chemicals and chemical products) in the SIC 2007 classification. As of the July 2026 Companies House register, 2,748 active UK companies list 20420 among their SIC codes, and 2,332 list it as their first code.
As of the July 2026 Companies House register, 2,748 active UK companies list 20420 among their SIC codes (2,332 as their first code).
Companies House data refreshed daily. Page reviewed July 2026.
Division 20: Manufacture of chemicals and chemical products
Division 20 spans industrial chemistry, but the liveliest corner of the UK register is 20420, manufacture of perfumes and toilet preparations. This code hosts the indie beauty boom: skincare, candle and cosmetics brands, soap makers and fragrance houses, many of them recent start-ups formulating in small batches. Elsewhere in the division sit makers of paints, cleaning products, adhesives and industrial chemicals, generally older and larger companies. The gap between a kitchen-table skincare label and a coatings plant makes this an unusually varied division.
Insurance brokers prospect here because product liability cover is non-negotiable for anything applied to skin, and new cosmetics brands need it before their first sale. Regulatory consultants offering safety assessments and cosmetics compliance target the same incorporations, as do contract manufacturers and packaging suppliers. A new company with no website is typically pre-launch, the ideal moment for all of these services. For the industrial end of the division, growth signals and filing activity matter more, pointing to procurement cycles for equipment, compliance and specialist recruitment.
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Where SIC 20420 clusters in the UK
About SIC 20420
How many UK companies use SIC code 20420?
2,748 active UK companies include 20420 (Manufacture of perfumes and toilet preparations) among their up-to-four registered SIC codes, of which 2,332 list it first. Figures are from the July 2026 Companies House register snapshot, counting active companies only.
Which SIC code should a small cosmetics or candle business choose?
If you make the products yourself, 20420, manufacture of perfumes and toilet preparations, is the closest fit for cosmetics, soaps and toiletries; candle makers often use it too or pick a code from division 32. If you only sell products made by others, a retail code suits better. The choice is self-declared and carries no regulatory weight: cosmetics compliance obligations apply based on what you actually do.
Does registering under a chemicals SIC code bring extra reporting requirements?
Not from Companies House, which treats every SIC code identically for filing purposes. Obligations such as REACH registration, cosmetics product notifications or COSHH compliance arise from your actual activities and products, never from the code on the register. Keeping the code accurate is still worthwhile, because banks, insurers and potential trade customers use it to understand your business before dealing with you.
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