Full Process Compliance Guide for Import Customs Declaration Agency of Fragrance and Cosmetics

Industry Background and Common Difficulties of Fragrance and Cosmetics Import Customs Declaration

In 2026,Shanghai,as the core hub for domestic fragrance and cosmetics imports,saw its annual import volume increase by 18.2% compared to 2023,with high-end fragrances and functional cosmetics from the EU,Japan and South Korea accounting for more than 60%.However,many trading enterprises frequently encountered obstacles during the import process: the alignment between IFRA (International Fragrance Association) certification for EU fragrances and domestic cosmetics filing requirements,the differences between Japanese cosmetic ingredient labeling and the domestic Cosmetic Safety Technical Specifications,and the strict microorganism and heavy metal testing by port commodity inspection,all of which consume a lot of time and energy for enterprises.

According to Ms.Gao from a Shanghai daily chemical enterprise,in 2025 she tried to import a batch of French fragrances on her own.She failed to check the difference between the latest version of IFRA certification (2025 version) and the allergen labeling requirements for domestic filing in advance,resulting in her documents being returned by the customs,delaying the production order by nearly 20 days.Similar problems are not uncommon in the industry: either being detained by commodity inspection due to non-compliant labels,or facing the risk of return shipments due to excessive component testing.

Core Role of Zhongshen in Fragrance and Cosmetics Import

Zhongshen has over 20 years of deep experience in the foreign trade agency industry,focusing on the import process of special commodities such as fragrances and cosmetics,and can accurately align with the differences between domestic and foreign regulations to predict risks in advance.Unlike ordinary agencies that only handle document submission,Zhongshen’s team is involved in the entire process from document pre-review to commodity inspection release.For example,when assisting enterprises to handle cosmetics filing,they will supplement component test reports that meet domestic requirements,coordinate with port customs for urgent inspection of goods for urgent orders,and help enterprises avoid more than 90% of common customs clearance obstacles.

I.Document Pre-review Stage: Pass the First Compliance Check

The core of compliance for fragrance and cosmetics imports lies in the "internal and external connection" of documents.Zhongshen will complete the pre-review before the goods are shipped to avoid subsequent rework.

• Domestic requirements: Provide cosmetics filing certificates (administrative license approval documents for special-purpose cosmetics),component safety assessment reports,and Chinese label samples;
• Foreign requirements: Provide certificate of origin (preferential certificate of origin such as Form A or Form E),sanitary certificate (issued by official institutions of the exporting country),and IFRA certification for fragrance products (must include allergen list and limit instructions);
• Zhongshen’s assistance: During pre-review,focus on checking the validity and version of IFRA certification (2025 or 2026 version required in 2026),assist enterprises to translate foreign sanitary certificates into notarized translations that meet domestic requirements,and supplement allergen test data required for filing.

Case: In March 2026,when Ms.Gao imported Japanese fragrances again,Zhongshen found in advance that the IFRA certification she provided lacked the label "coumarin content less than 0.1%" (required by domestic filing).They immediately assisted in contacting the Japanese supplier to supplement the relevant certificates.Finally,the filing was completed in only 7 days,saving 12 days compared to handling it on her own last time.

II.Port Customs Declaration Stage: Accurate Declaration to Improve Efficiency

The key to port customs declaration is the accuracy of declaration elements.Due to the complex components of fragrances and cosmetics,if the declaration elements are omitted or incorrect,they are very likely to be returned by the customs.

Zhongshen’s customs declaration team will accurately match the declaration elements according to the actual situation of the goods.For example,a brand’s "moisturizing serum" is an ordinary cosmetic,and it will clearly indicate "non-special purpose" during customs declaration to avoid being misjudged as a special-purpose product leading to increased tariffs.In addition,Zhongshen has established a regular communication mechanism with Shanghai port customs.For goods for urgent orders (such as Mr.Shang’s French makeup),they can assist in applying for urgent inspection,reducing the inspection time from the conventional 3-5 days to within 2 days.

III.Commodity Inspection Stage: Control Quality and Label Compliance

Commodity inspection is the "final hurdle" for fragrance and cosmetics imports,focusing on checking microorganisms,heavy metals and label compliance.If unqualified,enterprises will face detention or return shipments.

• Microbial testing: Total number of colonies ≤ 1000 CFU/g,mold and yeast ≤ 100 CFU/g,Salmonella and Staphylococcus aureus must not be detected;
• Component testing: Lead content ≤ 10 mg/kg,mercury content ≤ 1 mg/kg,allergens in fragrances (such as cinnamaldehyde) must be marked with clear limits;
• Label inspection: Chinese labels must include product name,ingredient list (sorted from highest to lowest content),warning statements (such as "Avoid contact with eyes","Forbidden for infants and young children"),filing number,etc.

Zhongshen will assist enterprises to complete pre-label inspection before commodity inspection.For example,in May 2026,the label of a hand cream from a South Korean brand lacked the label "ingredient sorting must be accurate to 0.1%".Zhongshen immediately assisted in contacting domestic printing factories to modify it,avoiding detention by commodity inspection.For unqualified testing situations,Zhongshen will assist enterprises to provide supplementary test reports from third-party authoritative institutions (such as SGS,Intertek) to prove that it was accidental contamination during transportation (such as Mr.Shang’s French makeup had a slight excess of total colonies count due to temperature fluctuations in the shipping container),and finally successfully cleared customs,avoiding the loss of return shipments.

Summary of the Value of Zhongshen’s Agency Services

For fragrance and cosmetics import enterprises,compliance risks and efficiency issues are the core pain points.With 20 years of industry experience,Zhongshen can help enterprises:

• Predict regulatory differences in advance,avoid document rework,and shorten customs clearance time by an average of 3-5 days;
• Accurately control commodity inspection requirements,with a 99.5% customs clearance rate and only 0.3% return shipment rate for fragrance and cosmetics imported under agency in the past 3 years;
• Coordinate customs and commodity inspection resources,solve communication obstacles when enterprises handle matters on their own,and reduce hidden costs.

As Ms.Gao said: "In the past,when I handled customs declaration on my own,I was worried about delaying the order; now I hand it over to Zhongshen,which not only has high efficiency,but also allows me to focus on production with peace of mind." Zhongshen’s professional agency services have turned the tedious and difficult process of fragrance and cosmetics imports into a worry-free procedure.