GPSR, CE marking and UKCA are three different things that often get lumped together. The simplest way to keep them straight: GPSR is a safety law that applies broadly; CE and UKCA are conformity marks for specific, regulated product categories.
At a glance
| GPSR | CE marking | UKCA | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | General product-safety regulation | Conformity mark for regulated categories | UK conformity mark for Great Britain |
| Where it applies | EU + Northern Ireland | EU (+ EEA) | Great Britain |
| Which products | Almost all non-food consumer products | Only products under a specific CE directive | Only products under the matching GB rules |
| A physical mark? | No mark — information requirements | Yes, the CE logo | Yes, the UKCA logo |
| Key duties | Manufacturer + responsible person, warnings, traceability, recall monitoring | Meet the directive, technical file, declaration of conformity | GB equivalent of CE |
When do they overlap?
They're additive, not alternatives. A toy sold into the EU needs CE marking (under the Toy Safety Directive) and must meet GPSR's general requirements — manufacturer details, an EU Responsible Person if made outside the EU, warnings and traceability. A plain homeware item with no specific directive needs GPSR only: no CE mark, but still the full safety-information set.
What about Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
GPSR applies in the EU and in Northern Ireland (under the Windsor Framework). Great Britain sits outside GPSR — it keeps the General Product Safety Regulations 2005 and uses UKCA (alongside continued CE recognition in many categories). If you sell into the EU or Northern Ireland, GPSR is what you have to meet.
Handling the GPSR side on Shopify
Whatever marking your products need, the GPSR information layer — manufacturer, EU Responsible Person, warnings, traceability, shown on every product page in the buyer's language — is what Conformica automates for Shopify stores. See GPSR for Shopify.