Why Is Your Imported Daily Chemicals Always Stuck in Customs Clearance? Professional Agency Services Provide Full-Process Solutions

Why Is Your Imported Daily Chemicals Always Stuck in Customs Clearance?Professional Agency Services Provide Full-Process Solutions

In the first quarter of 2026,the import declaration volume of daily chemical products at Shanghai Port increased by 17% year-on-year,while the return rate also rose to 8.3% simultaneously.From new skincare products from Japan and South Korea to organic personal care products from Europe,from essential oils from Southeast Asia to functional cosmetics from North America,daily chemical products from different origins are entering the Chinese market through various trade channels.The problem is that many enterprises find that after the goods arrive at the port,they face not only tariff costs,but also a series of technical barriers such as ingredient audit,label rectification,microbial testing,etc.A batch of organic shampoo imported from France was detained at the port for 47 days and finally had to be returned because the content of methylisothiazolinone exceeded the 0.01% limit specified in China’s Safety and Technical Standards for Cosmetics.

This kind of loss is completely avoidable.Zhongshen has been deeply engaged in the field of daily chemical import for more than 20 years,and has handled cases covering more than 50 countries and regions.Our core role is not to intervene in coordination after the goods are detained,but to launch compliance review before the purchase contract is signed,convert regulatory requirements into implementable technical parameters,and embed them into the entire supply chain process.

Document Pre-review: Solve Problems Before Shipment

The first threshold for daily chemical import is the compliance judgment of formula ingredients.The 2026 edition of the Catalogue of Used Cosmetic Raw Materials has been expanded to 8,972 types,and the list of prohibited and restricted substances has also been dynamically adjusted.The formula sheets provided by many foreign brand owners may have risk points under the framework of Chinese regulations.

Zhongshen’s practice is to establish an ingredient pre-review mechanism.Mr.Ren,a client,planned to import a batch of repair creams featuring centella asiatica extract from South Korea.After getting the formula,we found that it used "isobutylparaben" as a preservative.According to the latest regulations implemented in 2026,this substance has been included in the restricted list for leave-on products,and the maximum allowable concentration has been reduced from 0.4% to 0.14%.We immediately requested the South Korean party to provide the exact content data of this ingredient and suggested adjusting the formula.This action avoided the risk of the goods being judged unqualified due to excessive ingredient content after arriving at the port.

The documents that need to be focused on and verified in the document pre-review stage include:

• Ingredient proportion list (INCI names must correspond accurately with CAS numbers)
• Certificate of Origin (involving preferential tax rates under free trade agreements)
• Free Sale Certificate (must be officially certified by the exporting country)
• Safety Assessment Report (for products containing new raw materials)
• Label draft (Chinese and foreign language comparison,conforming to GB 5296.3 standard)

Especially for label review,the regulatory authorities’ examination of "efficacy claims" has become stricter in 2026.Terms such as "anti-wrinkle","whitening","anti-hair loss" must be supported by sufficient human efficacy test reports.We once encountered a batch of hair conditioner imported from Japan,which had the words "significantly reduce hair loss" printed on the label,but could not provide corresponding efficacy verification reports.Zhongshen required the Japanese party to modify the packaging copy during the pre-review stage,adjusted the expression to "nourish the scalp,strengthen hair strands",and added a note "effect varies from person to person",which met the review requirements of the regulatory authority.

Port Customs Declaration: Accuracy of HS Code Classification and Price Declaration

There are a large number of ambiguous areas in the HS code classification of daily chemical products.A shower gel with both cleansing and skincare functions may be classified under 3401 (skin cleansing products) or 3304 (skincare products),with a tax rate difference of up to 5 percentage points.In 2026,the customs has intensified penalties for classification errors,and enterprises may face a fine of 0.5 to 2 times the underpaid tax.

Zhongshen’s customs declaration team has established an internal classification database,which includes classification decisions for nearly 3,000 daily chemical products.Last October,our client Mr.Qin imported a batch of makeup remover wipes purchased from Germany.The customs initially determined that they should be classified under tariff heading 3304.9900 (other beauty products),applicable to a 10% tariff.Based on the technical feature that the proportion of surfactants in the product ingredients exceeds 60%,we cited the General Administration of Customs Classification Decision No.67 of 2025,and successfully classified them under 3401.1990 (other skin cleansing products),applicable to a 6.5% tariff,saving about 87,000 yuan in tax for a single shipment.

Price declaration is another high-risk point.The customs is very strict in the price appraisal of daily chemical products,especially whether intangible costs such as brand licensing fees and R&D support fees should be included in the dutiable value.For a batch of high-end face creams imported from Italy we represented,the customs questioned that the declared price was low and required to supplement the profit distribution agreement between the brand owner and the importer.Zhongshen prepared a complete value chain analysis report in advance,proving that the price conformed to the fair value of the international market,and finally avoided port detention caused by price questioning.

Commodity Inspection and Release: Microbial Indicators and Label Rectification

In 2026,the sampling rate of microbial indicators for daily chemical products by the port inspection and quarantine department has increased to 30%.Total aerobic bacterial count,total mold and yeast count,thermotolerant coliform bacteria,Staphylococcus aureus,and Pseudomonas aeruginosa are mandatory inspection items.A batch of natural handmade soap imported from Thailand was judged unqualified because the detected total mold and yeast count was 1200 CFU/g,exceeding the standard limit of 1000 CFU/g.

Zhongshen reminded the client,Supervisor Meng,of the risk before he purchased this batch of goods.Natural handmade soap has great difficulty in microbial control due to production process limitations.We recommended adding an irradiation sterilization process before shipment and choosing a qualified third-party laboratory for pre-testing.Supervisor Meng adopted the suggestion,and the goods were finally released smoothly after arriving at the port.

Label rectification is the most common cause of delay in the commodity inspection link.In 2026,the regulatory authority requires that imported daily chemical products must be affixed with Chinese labels on the smallest sales unit,and the label content shall not cover the original foreign language label without authorization.We once handled a batch of tea tree oil imported by Mr.Guan from Australia,the Chinese label reduced the font size of the warning "not for internal use",and was judged unqualified.Zhongshen assisted in redesigning the label layout to ensure the prominence of the warning met the requirements,and completed the rectification in the bonded warehouse,avoiding the loss of return.

There are significant differences in the regulatory requirements for daily chemical products in different countries,which directly affects the import strategy:

Foreign Exchange and Taxation: Optimization of Capital Efficiency

The foreign exchange payment and tax processing involved in daily chemical import also affect the cost.In 2026,the RMB exchange rate fluctuates intensively,and the choice of payment time directly affects the procurement cost.Zhongshen provides forward exchange rate locking services to help customers avoid exchange rate risks.For a batch of imported goods of Mr.Ren worth about 500,000 euros,we locked the exchange rate at 7.85 through a forward contract.The market exchange rate had dropped to 7.72 when the actual payment was made,saving 65,000 yuan in cost alone.

In terms of export tax refund,many enterprises do not know that some daily chemical raw materials are actually eligible for tax refund.The value-added tax paid at the import stage for raw materials such as glycerol and propylene glycol used for producing export cosmetics can be applied for refund after the products are exported.We assisted Mr.Qin in sorting out the corresponding relationship between raw material import and finished product export,and successfully handled a tax refund of 1.27 million yuan for him in 2025,which significantly improved the capital turnover efficiency.

Case Review: From Return Crisis to Smooth Shelving

At the end of 2025,Mr.Ren urgently contacted Zhongshen.A batch of hair dye imported by his company from South Korea was detained by the port customs because it was detected to contain "o-aminophenol",which has been listed as a prohibited component in the 2025 edition of the Safety and Technical Standards for Cosmetics.The total value of the batch of goods exceeded 2 million yuan,facing return or destruction.

After intervention,we found that the production date of this batch of goods was September 2025,and the implementation date of the new regulation was December 1,2025.According to the principle of non-retroactivity of law,the products complied with the regulatory requirements at the time of production.Zhongshen assisted in sorting out evidential materials such as production batch certificates and export declaration forms,and submitted a compliance explanation to the customs.At the same time,we coordinated with the South Korean supplier to provide a safety assessment report for this batch of products,proving that it would not cause harm to human health under use conditions.After three rounds of technical communication,the customs finally agreed to release the goods,and the goods were successfully warehoused after a delay of 22 days.

The lesson of this case is that import enterprises must dynamically track regulatory changes and establish an information sharing mechanism with the agent.Zhongshen pushes regulatory policy updates to customers every month and gives early warnings for high-risk products,which is the real risk avoidance.

The Value of Professional Agency Lies in Pre-management

Daily chemical import is not simply customs declaration and tax payment,but a compliance project running through the supply chain.The value of Zhongshen is reflected in three levels: First,convert regulatory requirements into implementable technical language,so that foreign suppliers can understand and cooperate; Second,set up risk control points at key nodes of the process to solve problems before they occur; Third,reduce the compliance cost of individual enterprises through large-scale operation.

The regulatory environment in 2026 will only become stricter,but compliance does not mean increasing costs,but avoiding unnecessary losses.Choosing a professional agency like Zhongshen is essentially buying a risk insurance for the import business,allowing goods to enter the market on time,safely and compliantly,which is the core demand of enterprises.