Export document
REACH
REACH is the European chemicals regulation, and an essential oil imported into the Union is a substance under it. The registration obligation falls on the EU importer. A producer outside the Union can lift it only by appointing an only representative established in the EU.
The essentials.
- Who the obligation falls on
- The importer established in the European Union, for each substance they bring in above the registration threshold.1
- The only representative
- A non-EU manufacturer may appoint a representative established in the Union to carry the registration, which moves the duty off their importers.1
- What it covers
- Substances as such, in mixtures and in articles. Essential oils and oleoresins sit squarely inside it.1
What it does not cover.
It is not a cosmetic notification
REACH addresses the chemical. A finished cosmetic sold to consumers needs a separate notification with a Responsible Person behind it. Importing an ingredient and importing a product are different regimes.
A safety data sheet is not registration
The sheet describes hazards and handling. Registration is a dossier lodged with the chemicals agency. Suppliers who send the first when asked about the second have answered a different question.
Questions buyers ask.
Does my Indonesian distiller register?
Not directly. They can appoint an only representative in the EU, which is worth asking about early, because it changes whether the registration burden lands on you or is already carried.
What if I import small quantities?
Registration applies above a tonnage threshold per importer per year, so a small trial may sit below it while a programme does not. Work out where you will be at full volume rather than at sample stage.
Where this comes up.
Indonesian patchouli oil
Patchouli alcohol content, crude against redistilled, how Aceh, Sumatran and Sulawesi oils differ, and the documents a buyer needs.
Indonesian clove leaf oil
The difference between leaf, bud and stem oils, why eugenol content is the contract term, and the documents an Indonesian shipment needs.
Indonesian nutmeg oil
Why the growing region changes the composition, why safrole content is a regulatory question, and what a nutmeg oil contract should name.
Indonesian citronella oil
Java type citronella is named after where it comes from and has its own ISO standard. What that covers, and what a contract should name.
Sources
- 1REACH registration and the only representative. European Chemicals Agency. Checked 3 August 2026.
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