Division 20 of the UK SIC 2007 list. It holds 1 code, listed in full below with the number of active UK companies filed under each.
Division 20 covers industrial chemistry. The busiest corner of it on the UK register is 20420, manufacture of perfumes and toilet preparations. That code holds the indie beauty boom: skincare, candle and cosmetics brands, soap makers and fragrance houses. Many are recent start-ups blending in small batches. The rest of the division is older and heavier. It holds makers of paints, cleaning products, adhesives and industrial chemicals. A kitchen-table skincare label and a coatings plant share one division, which makes it an odd mix.
Insurance brokers sell here for one reason. Product liability cover is essential for anything you put on skin. A new cosmetics brand needs it before its first sale. Regulatory consultants doing safety assessments and cosmetics compliance chase the same new companies. So do contract manufacturers and packaging suppliers. A young company with a weak website is usually mid-launch, which is when all of those services get bought. At the industrial end, growth and filing activity tell you more. They point to buying rounds for equipment, compliance and specialist staff.
If you make the products yourself, 20420 is the closest fit. It is manufacture of perfumes and toilet preparations, and it covers cosmetics, soaps and toiletries. Candle makers often use it too, or choose a code from division 32. If you only sell goods made by others, a retail code suits you better. The choice is self-declared and carries no regulatory weight. Cosmetics rules apply based on what you actually do.
Not from Companies House. It treats every SIC code the same for filing purposes. Duties like REACH registration, cosmetics product notifications and COSHH compliance come from your real activities and products. They never come from the code on the register. Keep the code accurate anyway. Banks, insurers and trade customers use it to understand your business before they deal with you.
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