China’s Shanghai trials new registration system for imported cosmetics

Shanghai is trialling a new registration system for imported cosmetics in the Pudong New Area.

Companies must now submit approval and identification numbers before imported cosmetics can be released to the market. These materials can be submitted online.

If the product is approved, the registration document is said to be issued within five working days following the submission.

According to market supervision officials, the new system reduces the time needed to make imported goods available in local markets from three months to five days.

Since the system was implemented, the Pudong New Area Market Supervision and Management Bureau has received more than 200 cosmetics product registrations.

The new system enables customers to purchase international cosmetics more quickly after they are released overseas, which provides benefits for some season-specific products.

The system is part of Shanghai's ongoing market supervision and management system reform, which aims to merge the industrial and commercial administrative bureau with optimised businesses and licence application procedures for enhanced efficiency.

Over a period of six months, Shanghai plans to establish a data supervision and management information platform that will feature a combination of complaint and tip-off platform, punishment, information systems and a case-handling platform.