Export cosmetics to China: rules, labels and duty

Rules to check before you export cosmetics to China (6), each with its official source. Must clear before you sell: Main rule for cosmetics.

Official sources checked between 2026-10-09 and 2026-10-24

Duty and FTAs: Korea–China FTA or RCEP rate needs a certificate of origin (from Korea Customs or KCCI). ftatax.mofcom.gov.cn, checked 2026-10-09

This is not legal or tax advice. Rules and rates change, so confirm with the official source and a local authority, your importer or an expert before you sell.

• Main rule for cosmetics: NMPA registration (special use) or notification (general); cross-border e-commerce (e.g. Tmall Global) is a lighter first route. gov.cn, checked 2026-10-09
• China 15% consumption tax on high-end cosmetics: China charges 15% consumption tax at import on perfume, make-up and skincare whose customs value is RMB 10 or more per ml or g, or RMB 15 or more per sheet or piece. Customs charges it on (customs value + duty) ÷ 0.85, so it adds about 17.6% to the duty-paid value, and import VAT is then charged on the total; below those lines there is none. A 50 ml cream is caught from a customs value of RMB 500 and a sheet mask from RMB 15 a sheet, so check where each product sits and build the tax into your China prices. Done with your importer · liaoning.chinatax.gov.cn, checked 2026-10-24
• China: evidence behind every cosmetic claim: China requires a scientific basis for every efficacy claim on a cosmetic, with a summary uploaded to NMPA when the product is registered or filed (Cosmetic Efficacy Claim Evaluation Standard). Whitening, sunscreen and anti-hair-loss claims need human efficacy tests at an NMPA-registered testing institution, and acne care (祛痘), nourishing (滋养) and repair (修护) claims need human efficacy tests too; soothing, anti-wrinkle, firming, oil-control, exfoliating and anti-dandruff claims need a human, consumer or laboratory test. Korean claims such as 'cica repair' or 'trouble care' therefore need Chinese tests before filing: budget them, or drop the claim from the Chinese label and listings. Done with your importer · nmpa.gov.cn, checked 2026-10-24
• China’s new cosmetics import inspection rules: China’s new customs rules for imported cosmetics (GACC Decree 284) apply from 1 Dec 2026: customs checks each shipment electronically against its NMPA registration or filing, inspects at the declared destination instead of the port, checks labels, and destroys or returns goods that fail. Keep the product name, formula and label identical to the NMPA record on every document. Applies from 2026-12-01 · Done with your importer · mofcom.gov.cn, checked 2026-10-13
• China ban on ingredients of human origin: China's catalogue of banned cosmetic raw materials lists cells, tissues or products of human origin (人的细胞、组织或人源产品), and no cosmetic with a banned raw material in its formula may be made or imported. Human stem cell culture media, exosomes from human cells and human placenta extracts are therefore out; exosomes and stem cell extracts from plants or microbes are not caught, so check the source on the raw-material specification before filing. Your company does it · nmpa.gov.cn, checked 2026-10-24
• China special cosmetics registration: Sunscreens, whitening or spot-fading products, hair dyes, perms and anti-hair-loss products are special cosmetics in China: each needs NMPA registration before import, not just filing, through a responsible person in China with the formula, label, safety assessment and GMP evidence. Sunscreen, whitening and anti-hair-loss claims need human efficacy tests at NMPA-listed labs; registration lasts 5 years. Done with your importer · gov.cn, checked 2026-10-13
• China Advertising Law: banned superlatives and medical words: China’s Advertising Law covers commercial ads in any medium, online ads and paid creator posts included. It bans ‘national-level’, ‘highest-level’, ‘best’ and similar terms (国家级, 最高级, 最佳), bans treatment claims, medical terms and drug-like wording in ads for anything other than medicines and medical devices, requires data, survey results and quotations to be accurate with the source shown, and lets endorsers recommend only products they have used (none under 10). Advertisers using the banned terms face fines of RMB 200,000 to 1,000,000. Write Chinese copy and KOL briefs without absolute claims such as 最佳, 最好 or 第一 and without medical words such as 治疗 or 消炎. Done with your importer · scjgj.sh.gov.cn, checked 2026-11-04
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• Same product, other countries: United States
• Same product, other countries: EU
• Same product, other countries: Japan
• Same product, other countries: Vietnam
• Same product, other countries: Thailand
• Same product, other countries: Malaysia
• Same product, other countries: Singapore
• Same product, other countries: Philippines
• Same product, other countries: Australia
• Same product, other countries: Canada
• Same product, other countries: Brazil
• Sources: gov.cn, checked 2026-10-09
• Sources: liaoning.chinatax.gov.cn, checked 2026-10-24
• Sources: nmpa.gov.cn, checked 2026-10-24
• Sources: mofcom.gov.cn, checked 2026-10-13
• Sources: nmpa.gov.cn, checked 2026-10-24
• Sources: ftatax.mofcom.gov.cn, checked 2026-10-09

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