Inspection Rules on China Cosmetics Import/Export

General Administration of Inspection, Quarantine and Supervision (AQSIQ) officially released the Measures for the Adminitration of Imported and exported cosmetics Inspection and Quarantine Supervision (AQSIQ Order No. 143-2011), which will be put into force from the 1st of February 2012.

Cosmetics (finished or semi-finished products) contained in the Catalogue of Entry-Exit Commodities Inspected and Quarantined by the Competent Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Authority and required by other international treaties, related laws and regulations fall in the range of inspection & quarantine. 

Under the new measures, the consignee of the imported cosmetics is required to carry out the duty of record keeping, including keeping a record of the flow of imported cosmetics, retaining documents for not less than 2 years and supplying the record keeping number at the request of AQSIQ.

The exporter is required to establish a quality management system, production record archive and inspection record system, set up a system to manage purchasing, check and acceptance and use of cosmetic raw materials and request for a conformity certificate for his product ingredients from his upstream suppliers.

It is worth noting that under  AQSIQ Order 143, China Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine (CIQ) will no longer issue CIQ labels for imported cosmetics that have passed CIQ's inspection.   

But Applicants still need to applying for inspection for the following cosmetics by submitting corresponding information:

• cosmetics imported for the first time;
• duty-free imported cosmetics;
• departure duty-free cosmetics;
• departure duty-free cosmetics that are imported for the first time;
• cosmetics exported for the first time;
• non-trade cosmetics.