How to notify your candle on the ECHA portal (PCN and UFI)

If the SDS of your candle, wax melt or diffuser shows a health hazard or a physical hazard, the product must be notified to poison centres before it is sold, and the label gets a UFI code. This guide shows how to make that notification (PCN) on the ECHA portal, step by step, using a FRESH LINEN candle as the example.

1. Do I need to notify?

Look at section 2.1 of the SDS at the percentage you use (see the guide How to read our technical documents):

The notification is made by whoever makes the candle and places it on the market, that is, your company. Each different formula (fragrance + percentage + wax) is a separate notification.

2. What you need to hand

• Your company’s VAT number.
• The fragrance SDS at the percentage you use: section 2 (classification and label), section 9 (physical state, colour) and section 11 (toxicological information).
• The fragrance UFI: on the product page, in the “Technical documentation” tab, and in section 1 of the SDS (“UFI neat fragrance”).
• The wax SDS (or diffuser base SDS): name and CAS number.
• Your finished product details: trade name, pack type and size, countries where you will sell.

3. Step by step

Step 1: Create your ECHA account (once only)
Create an ECHA account and link it to your company (the “legal entity”), with the name and VAT number exactly as registered. You can create it directly on the ECHA Submission portal. All official information is on the ECHA poison centres website.

Step 2: Generate your candle’s UFI
In ECHA’s UFI generator, enter your company VAT number and a formulation number of your choice (for example 101 for the Fresh Linen candle at 10%). The generator returns a 16-character code. Keep it with the formula record.

• The same formula in different jar sizes uses the same UFI.
• If you change fragrance, percentage or wax, it is another formula: generate a new UFI.

Step 3: Fill in the notification
On the ECHA Submission portal, choose to create a poison centre notification (PCN). For a simple product like a candle, you can fill everything in online, with no software to install. Example for a FRESH LINEN candle at 10%:

Using our fragrance UFI in the composition is what makes this simple: you don’t need to know or write out the full fragrance formula, because poison centres already have it through the supplier’s notification.

Step 4: Validate and submit
Use the portal’s check to find missing fields and fix them. Then submit. Follow the submission status and, once accepted, keep the reference number, the UFI and the date with the formula record. Submitting on the ECHA portal is free; some EU countries charge a national fee, so check the ECHA list of national appointed bodies for each country you add.

Step 5: Put the UFI on the label
Print your candle’s UFI next to the CLP elements, always preceded by “UFI:”. Example:

The fragrance UFI (V1A1-80M8-900C-8E3J) is used to fill in the composition of the notification. What goes on the label is your candle’s UFI, generated in step 2. See the full label in the guide How to make and apply your candle label.

4. When to update

• Changed the fragrance, percentage or wax: new UFI and new notification.
• Changed only the trade name or added a jar size: update the existing notification.
• The fragrance SDS classification changed: review the notification and the label.

5. Tips to keep it simple

• If you’d rather not notify, choose fragrances from the collection NO UFI: up to 10% in a non-hazardous base.
• Use few base formulas: each different combination of fragrance, percentage and wax is a notification.
• ECHA has official step-by-step videos on the EUchemicals YouTube channel (search for “poison centre notification”).

This guide is general, simplified information. The ECHA portal may change its screen layout and field names. Responsibility for the notification and the finished product label lies with whoever places it on the market. If in doubt, contact us or a regulatory consultant.