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Q2 2020 Imported Cosmetics Filing and Registration Data in China

1. Non-special Use Cosmetics

Total Number of Filings

As the pandemics’ impact on Chinese society diminishes, so does the recovery of the beauty industry's upstream and downstream continue. According to the filing data published on China National Medical Products Administration’s (NMPA) Online Information Query System [1], 5969 imported non-special use cosmetics were filed in the second quarter of 2020, a quarterly increase of 38.8%.

1 filing data.pngSource: NMPA New Online Information Query System

Popular Product Category

In the second quarter of 2020, facial skin care products, lipstick/lip balm, facial makeup, facial mask, body wash/care products were the top 5 categories among the filed products.

2 filing data.pngSource: NMPA New Online Information Query System

Body wash and care products, male products, hair products, and facial skincare products all grew by more than 100% compared with the same period in 2019, while the growth of facial makeup and lipstick/lip balm remained sluggish. It showed that the impact of the pandemic on consumers’ lives and habits is long-term, causing body and hair care products to replace makeup as consumers’ new favorites.

3 filing data.pngSource: NMPA New Online Information Query System

Place of Origin

With regard to the place of origin, South Korea accounted for the overwhelming majority of filings, followed by France, Japan, and the United States. Their total proportion dropped from 82.1% in 2019 to 73.6% in 2020, indicating more niche brands from countries such as Austria, Morocco, and Greece have begun to enter the Chinese market. The number of filed products in Germany, Australia, Spain, Switzerland, and Italy also increased rapidly.

4 filing data.pngSource: NMPA New Online Information Query System

Technical Review

Provinces/Municipalities with the largest number of filings were Shanghai, Guangdong, and Zhejiang with Shanghai accounting for 52.6% of the total amount.

5 filing data.pngSource: NMPA New Online Information Query System

As of July 2, 2020, 228 filed products have passed the technical review, and the average one-time pass rate reached 60.5%. The reasons for the failure of the technical review included:

  • doubts about the authenticity of the product's ingredients and formulas;

  • incomplete translation of the outer packaging;

  • non-compliant claims;

  • non-standard testing methods;

Some points worthy of notice during non-special use cosmetics filing are listed as follows:


Requirements/Review Opinion

Technical support

Certification is required

Patent technology

Certification is required


Ingredients with patent should indicate the patent type, patent number, and corresponding ingredients or content. Patents in a foreign language must provide translation and authorization certificate.

  • Approved Chinese patent must label:

a. Type of patent, b. Patent number, c. Patent corresponding ingredient or process

  • Pending Chinese patent must label:

a. Type of patent, b. Patent application number, c. Patent corresponding ingredient or process, d. Statement in Chinese "专利申请,未获授权" (“patent-pending, not authorized);

  • Foreign patent must label:

a. Type of patent, b. Patent number, c. Patent corresponding ingredient or process, d. Which country the patent is from, e. Provide certification documents (patent document, authorization certificate, etc.)

Imported ingredients

Customs declaration and certificate of origin (C/O) are required

1. English fonts are larger than Chinese fonts on the packaging

2. Trademark in a foreign language (no certificate)

3. The claims imply whitening efficacy

Failure of the technical review

Source: Zhejiang Cosmetics [2]

2. Special Use Cosmetics

In Q2 of 2020, in the case of special use cosmetics, 306 imported cosmetics were registered which is a decline of 55.3% compared with the same period of last year. Sunscreens and freckle-removing/whitening products were still the biggest categories, but respectively decreased by 61% and 58.7%.

The decrease was probably due to the pandemic prevention and control policies in the country/region of origin of imported cosmetics, making it difficult to submit the original documents required for registration, such as certificate of free sales (CFS), certificate of Cosmetics Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP). In response to this issue, China NMPA announced that the corresponding copies of these certificates were acceptable [3]. The responsible agent shall provide written explanations at the same time, and commit to supplementing the originals after the pandemic.

6 registration data.pngSource: NMPA New Online Information Query System

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