Hygiene Certificate no Longer Required for Imported Cosmetics

The requirement for importers to provide a “Hygiene Certificate”, commonly known as a “CIQ Certificate”, has been abolished by AQSIQ according to a public notice issued at the end of July.

The measure has been implemented with a view to easing regulatory pressures on importers after data revealed that a high proportion of compliance problems were associated with this document. Increased demand for imported cosmetics in recent years prompted Chinese regulators to review this prohibitively stringent regulatory requirement and after careful deliberation a decision was made to repeal the regulatory provisions requiring the document. To ensure there is no drop in safety of cosmetics and the stringency of inspection, a greater emphasis will be placed on the issuance and inspection of the “Certificate of Inspection and Quarantine of Imported Goods”—issued after the imported cosmetics have passed inspection and quarantine or having failed inspection and quarantine, as “being effectively remedied with proper measures”.

An approved “Certificate of Inspection and Quarantine of Imported Goods” carries a line which indicates: the goods have passed inspection and quarantine and are approved for import--the exact location of which is shown in the following template:

From 28 July, stakeholders need only be concerned with the contents of the quarantine certificate when purchasing imported cosmetics. The quarantine certificate details product name, report number/volume for inspection, country or region of origin, date of manufacture, etc.

Last month German retail giant Metro China found itself embroiled in a scandal involving the use of fake hygiene certificates. The incident involved the use of 2000 fake hygiene certificates submitted by the company’s suppliers. The scandal was unearthed in a random inspection by Shanghai CIQ—one of AQSIQ’s local branches.The incident revealed the alleged use of falsified documentation in over 70 other premises across the country.