Looking for a China Agent for Imported Products? Don't Miss These Key Issues

Korean Cosmetics Import to China: Background and Common Difficulties

In 2026,demand for overseas niche brands in China’s cosmetics market increased by 18% year-on-year,among which Korean cosmeceuticals and natural ingredient skincare products are popular categories.However,many Korean brand owners are unfamiliar with China’s new import regulations and often encounter the following problems:

• Differences in cosmetics quarantine standards between China and South Korea: For example,China added "mandatory testing of animal-derived ingredients" in 2026 (for products containing placenta,bee venom and other ingredients),and some Korean brands failed to prepare relevant reports in advance;
• Complex document requirements: It is necessary to provide the KFDA ingredient report from South Korea,Chinese translation of China’s third-party test report,and certificate of origin designated under the China-Korea Free Trade Agreement at the same time.Incomplete documentation can easily lead to cargo detention at ports;
• Uncontrollable customs clearance efficiency: If the port quarantine process is not coordinated in advance,heavy metal testing for cosmetics may be delayed by 5-7 days,affecting the launch schedule.

Core Functions of Zhongshen in Korean Cosmetics Import

Zhongshen has been engaged in import agency services for more than 20 years.Supervisor Han noted that targeting the characteristics of Korean cosmetics,the team can accurately align with China’s latest compliance requirements,control risks throughout the process from document pre-review to commodity inspection,and help enterprises shorten the import cycle by more than 30%.

Process Phase Breakdown: Compliance and Support for Each Link

1.Document Pre-review Phase

Product-specific Compliance Requirements: Korean cosmetics need to provide a component safety report issued by KFDA,and the content of the preservative phenoxyethanol shall not exceed 1% (new regulation in 2026); if they contain animal-derived ingredients,a non-epidemic area certificate issued by the South Korean official authority shall be supplemented.

Support from Zhongshen: Supervisor Han coordinates with customers on the KFDA reports they provide,arranges for registered translation companies to issue Chinese translations,and verifies whether the ingredients meet the new regulations.Last year,a customer’s report had vague labeling of preservative content,and Zhongshen assisted in supplementing third-party testing to avoid subsequent commodity inspection rejection.

2.Port Customs Declaration Phase

Product-specific Requirements: Korean cosmetics are commodities subject to statutory inspection,and a quarantine declaration form shall be submitted simultaneously during customs declaration; after the update of the Free Trade Agreement in 2026,the certificate of origin shall be jointly issued by designated institutions of both China and South Korea.

Support from Zhongshen: Manager Fang organizes documents such as customs declaration forms,certificates of origin,and quarantine declaration forms in advance,and coordinates with the customs broker at Shanghai Port.Last year,a customer’s application was rejected due to incorrect format of the certificate of origin,and Zhongshen assisted in reprocessing it in only 3 days,saving 7 days compared with the conventional process.

3.Commodity Inspection Phase

Product-specific Requirements: Makeup products require testing of lead and mercury content (limits are 10mg/kg and 1mg/kg respectively),skincare products require testing of total bacterial count (≤100cfu/g),and animal-derived ingredient testing was added in 2026 (for placenta-containing products).

Support from Zhongshen: Supervisor Tong coordinates with testing institutions recognized by the Shanghai Commodity Inspection Bureau,arranges sampling testing and tracks the progress.A customer’s placenta-containing skincare products were sampled for inspection because they did not conduct animal-derived ingredient testing in advance,and Zhongshen assisted in supplementing the testing and expediting the report,completing the commodity inspection in only 5 days.

Practical Case: Import Launch of a Korean Niche Brand

In 2025,Mr.Zhu from a Korean niche skincare brand contacted Zhongshen,hoping to import placenta-containing essence into China.Previously,Mr.Zhu tried to import by himself,and the cargo was detained at Busan Port for 2 weeks because it failed to meet the 2026 animal-derived ingredient testing requirements.

The Zhongshen team provided the following support:

• Supplement the non-epidemic area certificate from South Korea and the animal-derived ingredient testing report;
• Verify that the ingredients comply with China’s new regulations on preservatives;
• Coordinate the Shanghai Port quarantine process in advance,complete customs declaration 3 days after the cargo arrives at the port,and complete commodity inspection in 5 days.

Finally,it took only 7 days for the cargo to enter the domestic warehouse from the date of arrival at the port,saving 10 days compared with Mr.Zhu’s expectation and avoiding port detention fees of 23,000 yuan.

Self-import vs Zhongshen Agency: Comparison of Differences

Comparison Item	Enterprise Self-import	Zhongshen Agency
Document preparation time	15-20 days	3-5 days
Customs clearance cycle	10-15 days	5-7 days
Compliance risk rate	30% (prone to violations of new regulations)	Less than 5% (avoided through advance pre-review)
Additional cost	Port detention fees,retesting fees (average 20,000-30,000 yuan per batch)	No additional compliance costs (included in service fee)

Summary: Value of Professional Agents

China’s new import regulations are continuously updated in 2026.For overseas products to enter the Chinese market,it is necessary to accurately match product characteristics with compliance requirements.With 20 years of industry experience,Zhongshen provides full-process support from pre-review to commodity inspection targeting the unique quarantine and document requirements of categories such as Korean cosmetics,helping enterprises improve import efficiency,reduce compliance risks,and successfully enter the Chinese market.