Are imported skincare products detained by the customs? 90% of people fail at the third step!

Ms. Li recently purchased a batch of niche skincare products from South Korea through a purchasing agent, but was required to supplement the "cosmetics filing certificate" during customs clearance, and the goods were detained for half a month, resulting in a loss of nearly 10,000 yuan. Cases like this are not uncommon - in 2023, China's skincare product imports exceeded 100 billion yuan, but 30% of consumers encountered return shipments or fines due to unfamiliarity with the customs declaration process. How can you ensure the smooth customs clearance of your favorite overseas skincare products? This article will break down the key steps to help you avoid those invisible "pitfalls".

Different from ordinary goods, the import of skincare products requires the preparation of three types of core documents in advance:

• Certificate of origin (should include the percentage of ingredients)
• Full - ingredient Chinese translation (must indicate the preservative content)
• Non - animal experiment commitment letter (essential for imports from the EU)

Mr. Zhang once failed to submit the ingredient translation, resulting in a 50,000 - yuan essence being identified as a "product without a name, address, or production date". Special reminder: Sunscreen products also need to provide an SPF value test report, which is a new mandatory requirement added by the General Administration of Customs in 2022.

The comprehensive tax rate for skincare products is usually between 20% - 35%, but there are three easily overlooked details:

• The volume in milliliters determines the classification (products below 100ml are taxed as "cosmetics")
• Gifts also need to be declared (if the cumulative volume of samples exceeds 50ml, a commercial use review will be triggered)
• The tax rate for cross - border e - commerce and general trade differs by 12%

During last year's Double Eleven, a platform was required to pay back more than one million yuan in taxes for labeling retail packaging as "trial packs". It is recommended to simulate in advance through the intelligent tax - calculating system of Zhongshitong to avoid budget overruns after arrival at the port.

Customs clearance for ordinary air - freight goods takes 3 - 5 working days, but it may be extended to 15 days in the following cases:

• Products containing alcohol need to be declared as dangerous goods
• Plant extracts trigger quarantine procedures
• The Chinese label has not been pre - pasted (needs to be rectified at the port)

Measured data shows that enterprises that complete label filing in advance can save an average of 72 hours of customs clearance time. It is recommended to choose a one - stop agency service that provides "pre - review + express channel", especially for products with short - shelf - life active ingredients.

Two new requirements have been added to the Measures for the Supervision and Administration of Import and Export Cosmetics implemented since 2024:

• Toxicological safety assessment is required for children's skincare products
• All packaging must be marked with an environmental recyclable label

Recently, a certain French organic brand had its entire batch of products returned due to the use of non - degradable packaging films. It is recommended to pay attention to the List of Prohibited Substances in Cosmetics updated monthly by the General Administration of Customs. Currently, the number of prohibited ingredients has reached 1,386.

When you see that the logistics information is stuck at "in customs clearance", you might as well check yourself first: Does the ingredient contain drug ingredients such as tranexamic acid? Is the filing number printed on the Chinese label? Does the total amount of gifts exceed the standard? According to statistics, 82% of customs clearance delays are due to document - related details. Now, use your mobile phone to take a photo of the ingredient list of your skincare products and see if there are any ingredients that trigger a customs alert! Welcome to share your customs clearance experience in the comment section. We will select three readers to provide free customs declaration diagnosis services.