China Cosmetics Import Compliance: Focus on Customs Inspection and Quarantine

According to statistics from Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce, growth in China’s cosmetics sector is an excellent surrogate marker to demonstrate overall growth in consumerism. The rising fortunes of China’s cosmetic sector encapsulates key drivers of growth and changing consumer preferences which are shaping China’s economy. The retail sales of cosmetics in the Shanghai market in 2018 increased by 15% over the previous year. Shanghai Customs reported that Japanese beauty and skincare cosmetics imported though Shanghai port were valued at 6.29 billion RMB in 2018. Japanese cosmetics are trending in China with the largest increase of imports from any geographical location attributed to Japanese cosmetics, which increased by 98.4% from the year before. The huge growth of imported Japanese beauty and skincare products shows not only Chinese consumers’ increasing desire for “Beauty” but also an increased desired for products considered safe and high quality.  ^[1]