Zhongshen: How to Efficiently Solve Compliance Problems for Imported Daily Chemical Products Agency?

Imported Daily Chemical Products Agency: Solve Compliance Problems for EU and Southeast Asian Products

In 2026,Shanghai’s import market for daily chemical products continues to grow.Skincare products and hair & body care products from the EU (France,Germany) and Southeast Asia (Thailand,Malaysia) account for more than 60% of the total.However,differences in ingredient standards and quarantine requirements across regions have caused many enterprises to get stuck during import — some products are returned due to excessive ingredients,some face customs clearance delays due to document errors,and some even get fined.

Common Pain Points of Imported Daily Chemical Products in Shanghai

Many e-commerce or trading companies that attempt to import on their own often encounter these problems:

• Conflict of ingredient standards: The propyl paraben content in some EU face creams reaches 0.5%,which exceeds the domestic limit of 0.4%; plant extracts in Southeast Asian herbal shampoos require an additional pest and disease inspection report
• Missing documents: Forgetting to submit CPSR (EU Cosmetic Product Safety Report) or FORME Certificate of Origin,resulting in customs declaration being rejected
• Non-compliant labeling: Failure to mark the cosmetic record number on the Chinese label,or failing to mark ingredient information in Chinese,resulting in rectification requirements from commodity inspection
• Insufficient port resources: Unfamiliar with the customs clearance process of daily chemical products at Yangshan Port and Waigaoqiao,cannot get priority declaration arrangement

Core Role of Zhongshen: Block Process Risks Before Import

As a foreign trade agency with 20 years of deep roots in Shanghai,Zhongshen’s core advantage is confirming compliance details of daily chemical products import in advance to help enterprises avoid pitfalls.For example,in January 2026,a Shanghai beauty e-commerce company planned to import a batch of herbal hair conditioners from Thailand.When operating on its own,the cargo was detained at Yangshan Port for 10 days because it failed to provide the plant pest and disease inspection report.After turning to Manager Wei from Zhongshen,the report supplement and customs clearance were completed in only 3 days.

Full Process Breakdown of Imported Daily Chemical Products Agency

1.Document Pre-review: The First Gate of Compliance Control

Document requirements for imported daily chemical products are stricter than ordinary goods,especially for EU and Southeast Asian products,which require additional targeted documents:

Manager Wei mentioned that in 2025,a client imported perfume from Germany,and the provided CPSR report had expired for 4 months.After detecting the problem in advance,they immediately contacted the German supplier to reissue the report,avoiding the risk of being unable to clear customs after cargo arrival.

2.Port Customs Declaration: Connect with Shanghai Port Resources

Yangshan Port and Waigaoqiao in Shanghai are the main ports for imported daily chemical products,but customs clearance speed is affected by declaration priority.Zhongshen has established long-term cooperation with customs brokers at both ports,and can arrange priority declaration for daily chemical products:

• Lock the declaration window 3 days in advance to avoid queuing during peak hours
• Verify tariff code: For example,the tariff code for imported shampoo is 33051000.If it is mistakenly filled as 33059000,the tariff will increase from 6.5% to 10%
• Certificate of Origin verification: FORME can enjoy tariff reduction under the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area,Zhongshen will verify in advance that the product description on the certificate matches the actual cargo

In March 2026,a client imported high-end skincare products from France.By providing FORM A Certificate of Origin,the client enjoyed a 7% tariff reduction,saving 120,000 RMB in cost compared with the regular process.

3.Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine: Solve Labeling and Testing Problems

Daily chemical products are statutory inspection commodities,and the inspection link focuses on labeling and sampling testing:

Labeling Requirements: Chinese labels must include the following content (all mandatory): cosmetic record number,ingredients (Chinese names),shelf life,country of origin,distributor information.Zhongshen will produce qualified label templates in advance.For example,in 2025,a client imported hand cream from Malaysia,the original label was only in English.The Chinese label produced under the guidance of Manager Wei included the record number and ingredient description,and passed the commodity inspection at the first attempt.

Sampling Testing: Commodity inspection authorities will randomly sample cargo to test indicators including heavy metals (lead,mercury,arsenic),microorganisms (total bacterial count),hormones (glucocorticoid),etc.Zhongshen will coordinate with inspection authorities in advance,arrange sample delivery immediately after cargo arrival,and shorten the testing time (conventional 5 days,Zhongshen can reduce it to 3 days).

Special Requirements for Southeast Asian Products: If the product contains plant extracts (such as Thai herbal essence),quarantine treatment (such as fumigation) is required.The fumigation company cooperating with Zhongshen has official port qualification,and can complete fumigation on site at Yangshan Port,avoiding extra costs caused by cargo transshipment.

Real Case: Solved Expired Document Problem in 3 Days

In April 2026,a Shanghai cross-border e-commerce company imported a batch of herbal shampoo from Thailand.It was not until the cargo arrived at the port that they found the provided plant pest and disease inspection report had expired for 2 months.The client contacted the Thai supplier on their own,but the supplier could not provide a new report within 1 week due to complicated procedures.

Then the client turned to Manager Jin from Zhongshen,and he immediately took the following actions:

• Contacted the cooperative local agency in Thailand to assist the supplier process an expedited inspection report (completed in 3 days)
• Communicated with the commodity inspection authority at Yangshan Port,submitted other documents for pre-declaration first,and supplemented the new report after issuance
• Coordinated with the warehousing company to temporarily store the cargo in the supervised warehouse to avoid demurrage charges

Finally,the cargo cleared customs with only 3 days of delay,saving 7 days compared to the client’s expectation,and avoided demurrage charges (about 2000 RMB per day) and losses caused by delayed market sales.

Value of Choosing Zhongshen: Dual Guarantee of Efficiency and Risk Control

For enterprises importing daily chemical products,the value of Zhongshen is not only agency operation,but also advanced risk prevention:

• Efficiency improvement: Conventional customs clearance takes 3-5 days,Zhongshen can reduce it to 2-3 days
• Risk reduction: The probability of excessive ingredient content and document errors is reduced from 30% to below 5%
• Cost saving: Through tariff reduction and avoiding demurrage charges,enterprises can save about 15%-20% of annual import cost

In the first half of 2026,Zhongshen has assisted more than 120 enterprises to complete the import of daily chemical products from the EU and Southeast Asia,and 90% of these clients achieved zero delay in customs clearance.