What a Responsible Person Does for Your Brand in Israel

By Dana Zilberstein, Co-Founder and CEO, Fine Rituals

When I speak with founders about Israel, the conversation usually reaches the same question within ten minutes: what is a Responsible Person, and why do we need one?

It's a fair question. In Europe and the UK, most brands already work with a Responsible Person, but the role often feels like a box someone ticks on a portal. In Israel it is much more than that. It is the legal anchor that decides whether your products can be sold at all, who stands behind them once they are on a shelf, and which doors open to you.

This is the full picture, the one I'd want if I were in your seat.

What is a Responsible Person?

In Israel, no cosmetic product can be sold without a local Responsible Person (RP) registered with the Ministry of Health. The RP is the company the Ministry holds accountable for your products in the Israeli market.

When Fine Rituals holds that role for a brand, we are fully responsible for its products in Israel, on its behalf: the commercial side, the claims made on the products, and the insurance that covers them. If a consumer files a claim or raises a concern, we are the ones who report it to the Ministry of Health and see it through to the end.

For the brand, that means full cover in Israel, without opening a local company or putting anyone on the ground.

Why it matters more than it looks

It is the legal right to sell. Without a registered RP, a cosmetic product has no place in the Israeli market. There is no grace period and no workaround that holds up.

It is your protection. A good RP is insured and delegated for any third-party claim or concern from the moment the goods leave your warehouse. If a customer has a reaction, a retailer raises a complaint or the Ministry asks a question, it comes to the RP, not to you.

It is what retailers check first. Israel's department stores, premium pharmacies, clinics and spas look for a registered, insured brand before they list it. It is often the first question a buyer asks.

It shapes how your brand arrives. The RP reviews every claim and every label before a product reaches a customer. Done well, your brand lands in Israel exactly as it is meant to be seen.

What the Responsible Person actually does

The work behind the role, in short:

• Legal representative. The RP is your brand's representative before the Israeli Ministry of Health for every product it notifies.
• Compliance review. Your product information file and safety assessment are reviewed, every INCI ingredient is checked against Israel's restricted and prohibited lists, IFRA compliance is checked for fragrances, and every label is reviewed for Israeli requirements.
• Notification. The RP prepares the Ministry notification, lodges it and keeps it current.
• Liaison. Every question or correction from the Ministry is handled until approval. After that, the file is maintained for its full five-year term, including formula and packaging updates.
• Claims and safety. Consumer complaints, adverse reactions and Ministry enquiries go to the RP, who reports, responds and closes them.
• Insurance. Product liability cover for the Israeli market sits with the RP.

The good news for European and UK brands

Since January 2025, Israel has run a fast track for products already compliant in the EU or UK. The Ministry relies on the work your brand has already done there, so nothing is reformulated or retested. The route is shorter and faster, and we go straight to notification.

What Fine Rituals adds as your Responsible Person

Because we hold the role ourselves, two more things become possible that are not possible otherwise:

1. We collect the goods from your warehouse, fully insured and covered, and we handle and pay for all transport, logistics, customs and declarations.
2. We handle your Hebrew translation and labelling here in Israel, so nothing changes on your production line.

Registration, compliance, labelling, logistics and placement then sit under one roof, with one team accountable for all of it.

A word on shortcuts

Some importers bring products in without registration, often by clearing them through customs under a different category. The goods do get through. But no registration means no Responsible Person, and no Responsible Person means no insurance, and no high-end retailer in Israel lists an uninsured brand.

The shortcut gets the goods through customs, but it closes the doors that matter most. We work only with fully registered, fully insured products, because we are here for the long run, and so is every brand we represent.

What to ask before you choose a Responsible Person

If you are comparing options, and you should, ask each one the same questions:

• Do you hold product liability insurance that covers our products in Israel?
• Do you review INCI, claims and labels against Israeli requirements, not just upload a file?
• Who answers the Ministry, and who handles a consumer complaint?
• Who handles Hebrew labelling, and where is it done?

If every answer is clear, you are in good hands.

Questions brands ask me most

Do we need a Responsible Person if we already have one in the EU or UK?
Yes. Your EU or UK RP covers those markets. Israel requires its own local RP registered with the Ministry of Health. The good news is that your EU or UK file does most of the heavy lifting under the fast track.

Do we need to open a company in Israel?
No. The Responsible Person acts on your behalf, so you are fully covered without a local entity.

What happens if a customer has a reaction?
It comes to the RP. We report it to the Ministry, respond and see it through to the end, under our insurance.

Do our labels have to change at the factory?
Not when Fine Rituals is your RP. We translate and apply the Hebrew labels in Israel.

Talk to us

If you are weighing Israel and want to go through what this means for your range, I'm always happy to talk. Write to me at dana@fine-rituals.com.

Dana Zilberstein is the Co-Founder and CEO of Fine Rituals, Israel's brand-first distributor for international luxury beauty and wellness brands. She heads the company's regulatory team.