China GACC Issues New Rules on Cosmetics Import and Export Inspection, Effective December 2026

On May 6, 2026, the General Administration of Customs of China (GACC) released Order No. 284, promulgating the Administrative Measures on Inspection and Quarantine of Import and Export Cosmetics of the People's Republic of China (the Measures). The Measures will enter into force on December 1, 2026, replacing the current Administrative Measures on Inspection and Quarantine of Import and Export Cosmetics (2018).

The current framework has been in force since February 1, 2012, and underwent three rounds of revision in 2018. Against the backdrop of a changing cosmetics market, the original provisions have faced increasing challenges in fully addressing emerging regulatory needs amid ongoing developments in the sector. The new Measures released by GACC reflects a targeted response to these developments, aligning customs supervision with the current cosmetics regulatory framework while supporting more efficient and standardized inspection and quarantine governance.

Key regulatory highlights of the new Measures are summarized below:

1. Scope of Application

The Measures applies to imported and exported cosmetics subject to inspection, quarantine, and supervision by Customs in accordance with the law, including those listed in the catalogue of import and export commodities subject to inspection and quarantine by Customs, as well as those required to be inspected and quarantined under international treaties, laws, or administrative regulations. The Measures also updates the definition of "cosmetics" by aligning it with the Cosmetics Supervision and Administration Regulation (CSAR), thereby enhancing consistency between Customs supervision and the existing cosmetics regulatory framework.

With regard to specific product categories, the Measures specifies that soaps are, in principle, excluded from their scope, except for those claiming special cosmetic efficacies. Meanwhile, toothpaste is subject to the Measures on a referential basis, so as to ensure consistency in regulatory requirements for relevant daily consumer goods at the import and export stage.

By contrast with the 2018 version, which directly brought cosmetic semi-finished products within the scope of supervision, the new Measures adopts a referential management approach for such products, and explicitly exempt them from registration or notification verification, as well as labelling verification, at the import stage. This adjustment reflects a differentiated regulatory approach by Customs toward semi-finished and finished cosmetics, and further reinforces classification-based supervision and a risk-oriented regulatory framework.