Comprehensive Process Analysis and Key Compliance Points Sorting for Daily Chemical Product Import Agency in 2026

In 2026,the revised EU Cosmetics Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 will be fully implemented,radiation detection standards have continued to tighten following the release of nuclear wastewater from Japan,and the fallout from the incident where some South Korean care products were found to have excessive Methylisothiazolinone is still ongoing.These changes have made life difficult for daily chemical importers.Whether the ingredient formula complies with the Catalogue of Cosmetic Ingredients Already Used?Whether the word "soothing" on the label involves efficacy claims?Why has the sampling rate for port commodity inspection suddenly increased?After losing two orders in a row at the start of the year,Mr.Liang,head of a Shanghai-based trading company,eventually chose to hand over the import agency work to a professional institution.

Importing daily chemical products is never a simple purchase and transportation matter.A bottle of shampoo imported from France needs to go through at least 17 links including ingredient pre-review,toxicological assessment,label sample filing,port radiation detection,microbial testing,Chinese label rectification and more.A bottleneck at any link will cause the entire shipment to be detained at the port,resulting in storage fees of thousands of yuan per day.Zhongshen has been deeply engaged in this field for more than 20 years,having handled various cases ranging from niche brands from European laboratories to mass care products from Southeast Asia,and is familiar with the regulatory differences among major ports such as Shanghai,Guangzhou and Ningbo.

Document Pre-review Stage: Blocking Problems Before Shipment

The first pitfall Mr.Liang encountered last year was that the product name on the certificate of origin was inconsistent with the health license approval.This batch of German skincare products valued at 800,000 euros was judged to involve medical efficacy because the certificate had the word "Anti-Aging" added,and was required to re-apply for non-special cosmetics filing.The goods were detained at Hamburg Port for a full three weeks.

Zhongshen’s operating logic is to initiate document cross-verification before shipment abroad.This link requires focused review of five types of documents:

• Matching degree between the ingredient formula table and the 2026 edition of the Catalogue of Cosmetic Ingredients Already Used,with special attention to the 15 newly added prohibited plant extracts
• Whether the free sales certificate contains claim terms not recognized by Chinese regulators
• Whether the commodity code on the certificate of origin is consistent with the customs pre-classification opinion
• Whether the ingredient order on the packaging sample complies with the "descending order" rule
• Whether the manufacturer’s GMP certificate is valid and has been notarized and certified by the country of origin

In March 2026,Zhongshen once served a customer importing Japanese cleansing oil.During the pre-review,it was found that the product contained "phenoxyethanol" with a concentration of 0.8%.According to the latest regulations,the upper limit of this ingredient in rinse-off products is 0.5%.Zhongshen coordinated with the Japanese side to modify the formula and reissue the test report,avoiding the risk of the goods being required to be returned or destroyed after arriving at the port.

Port Customs Declaration Stage: Game of Classification Code and Valuation

Customs classification coding for daily chemical products has always been a high-dispute area.Whether facial cleanser should be classified under 3304.9900 or 3401.3000,the tax rate difference reaches 5 percentage points.In 2026,customs has stricter review of split declaration for "gift sets",requiring separate pricing for each individual item.On one occasion,a batch of "travel care kits" imported by Mr.Liang was suspected of underreporting prices by the customs because he declared the shampoo and conditioner together,and was required to provide proof of individual retail prices issued by the brand.

Zhongshen’s customs declaration team will prepare a "Classification Proposal" in advance and submit a pre-ruling application to the customs based on the product’s function,ingredients and usage.In terms of price declaration,a three-dimensional price comparison model of "brand selling price - regional wholesale price - e-commerce retail price" has been established.This method helped customers shorten the valuation consultation cycle from an average of 14 days to 6 days in the first quarter of 2026.

Details in customs declaration form filling are also critical.The specification and model column must indicate "net content + packaging form",and the brand column must fill in the registered trademark rather than the manufacturer’s name.In 2026,the new customs system added code options "1-3" for the "brand type" field,and wrong selection will lead to order return.Zhongshen has prepared a "Customs Declaration Data Filling Manual" for each customer,keeping the error rate below 1%.

Commodity Inspection and Laboratory Testing: The Biggest Variable of Time Cost

The core of port supervision for daily chemical products lies in commodity inspection.In 2026,the Shanghai Port will implement 100% on-site inspection for products imported for the first time,focusing on checking whether the label samples are consistent with the actual goods.Zhongshen’s on-site inspection coordinators will arrive at the port one day in advance,check the cargo stacking location and prepare unpacking tools to ensure an efficient inspection process.

Microbial and physical and chemical index testing is the most time-consuming link.Conventional items include total bacterial count,heavy metals,methanol,dioxane and more.In 2026,screening for PFAS substances has been added.Zhongshen has signed annual agreements with three CNAS-accredited laboratories to ensure that test results are available within 48 hours after the sample is delivered,which is 3-5 days faster than ordinary sample submission.

Label rectification is another pain point.An Italian toothpaste brand managed by Ms.Zeng was required to rectify because the Chinese label did not indicate "fluoride content".Zhongshen coordinated with the printing factory to complete the label application in the bonded area,avoiding the transportation cost of goods traveling back and forth between the port area and the warehouse.This "in-zone rectification" model saves an average of about 4,000 yuan in logistics costs per shipment.

Warehousing and Foreign Exchange: The Neglected Efficiency Black Hole

Many importers ignore the impact of the warehousing link on the quality of daily chemical products.In the summer of 2026,Shanghai experienced continuous high temperatures,and lipsticks stored by a customer in an ordinary warehouse melted.Zhongshen’s constant-temperature warehouse controls the temperature at 22-25℃ and the humidity at 50%-60%,and has purchased product liability insurance.

The timeliness of foreign exchange receipt and payment directly affects supplier relationships.Daily chemical product imports usually adopt the payment method of 30% advance payment + 70% payment against bill of lading.Zhongshen’s foreign exchange settlement team will complete the foreign exchange purchase within 2 hours after receiving the customer’s payment instruction,and use the bank’s night clearing channel to ensure that currencies such as euros and yen arrive in the account on T+0.In 2026,exchange rate fluctuations have intensified,and Zhongshen also provides customers with forward exchange locking services to control exchange rate risks within 1%.

Real Case: Decision Logic for Risk Avoidance

In April 2026,Mr.Wan planned to import a batch of sulfur soap produced in Poland.Early market research showed that the product sold well in Europe and was competitively priced.Zhongshen found during the ingredient pre-review that the product contained "colloidal sulfur" with a concentration of 5%.According to the Cosmetic Safety Technical Specifications,the upper limit of sulfur as a preservative is 0.2%,and as a rinse-off cosmetic ingredient,the upper limit is 2%.This means the product cannot be imported as an ordinary cosmetic.

Zhongshen proposed three solutions: first,apply for special cosmetics approval,but the cycle takes up to 18 months; second,modify the formula to reduce sulfur content,but it will affect the product’s efficacy; third,abandon the import and switch to other product lines.Mr.Wan finally adopted the third suggestion.Three months later,news of similar products being detained by customs appeared in the market,avoiding losses of at least 500,000 yuan.

Another case involves Mr.Su’s South Korean facial mask import business.In May 2026,a South Korean factory was exposed for raw material contamination.Although the products imported by Mr.Su were not on the recall list,Zhongshen still suggested active testing and suspending sales.The final test results showed safety,but this active report allowed Mr.Su’s brand to obtain a "low-risk enterprise" rating in subsequent supervision,reducing the inspection rate from 20% to 5%.

Core Judgment Criteria for Choosing an Agency

After one year of cooperation,Mr.Liang summarized that to judge whether an import agency is professional,three details should be considered: first,whether it has an independent compliance review position rather than simply relying on customs declarers; second,whether it can provide import cases of similar goods in the past three years for reference; third,when problems occur,whether it first discusses fees or provides solutions first.Zhongshen gave him satisfactory answers on all three points.

In 2026,daily chemical product import supervision shows three major trends: "standard refinement,port linkage,and post-event traceability".Zhongshen has established independent files for each customer’s import data,including ingredient change records,label versions,test data and more.These files can quickly provide evidence chains when responding to post-customs audits,reducing the audit time from an average of two weeks to two days.

For enterprises planning to carry out daily chemical product import business,Zhongshen suggests starting with small-batch trial orders,selecting 1-2 SKUs to go through the entire process.Do not import too many categories at once,because the regulatory requirements for different products vary greatly.At the same time,establish a long-term communication mechanism with port laboratories to understand changes in testing standards in advance,rather than waiting until the goods arrive at the port to act in a hurry.

After 20 years of industry accumulation,Zhongshen has handled more than 3,000 daily chemical product import cases involving 47 countries and regions.The value of this experience lies in being able to predict risk points rather than solving problems after they occur.When regulatory policies are adjusted again in 2026,experienced agencies can capture signals from various channels three months in advance,gaining valuable preparation time for customers.This is the true meaning of professional services.