Home / Guides / Can aerosol or spray cosmetics be exported to China?
Guide
Can aerosol or spray cosmetics be exported to China?
Yes. Aerosol and spray cosmetics can be exported to China. The classification rules distinguish sprays without propellant from aerosols that contain propellant. That distinction affects coding, packaging and transport information, but the NMPA path still follows the cosmetic function: an ordinary hairspray is filed, a sunscreen spray is registered, and a disinfectant spray is not a cosmetic.
How to judge the path
Name the propellant in the formula if one is present and assess flammability and inhalation or spray exposure in the safety assessment.
See sunscreen sprays, dry shampoo or styling spray and setting sprays with SPF.
Typical documents, tests and labels
If the product is an ordinary cosmetic, Testing and ordinary cosmetics filing may proceed in parallel. The ordinary filing cycle is about 10–20 days in total, depending on completeness and supplementary requests. That timing applies only to ordinary cosmetics filing, never to special cosmetics registration and not as a guaranteed import timeline. If it is a sunscreen spray, For sunscreen registration, toxicology testing is about 35 working days, SPF and PA evaluations are about 30 working days each, and review is about 10–12 months after testing is finished. Actual time depends on completeness and supplementary requests. Do not use the about 10–20 day ordinary-filing cycle. Jinshang Testing organizes the compliance work. Testing is coordinated with partner laboratories, and those laboratories issue the reports they perform. After a record is issued, check it on the official NMPA filing query https://hzpba.nmpa.gov.cn/gccx/ and the NMPA data-search page https://datasearch.nmpa.gov.cn/datasearch/home-index.html#category=hzp.
Cautions
Do not assume a refill pouch and a pressurized can with the same brand name are one product when the formulas differ.
Questions we are often asked
Is a continuous-spray bottle an aerosol?
Not if it has no propellant. Bag-on-valve or mechanical continuous sprays should be described accurately rather than copied from a propellant aerosol template.
Do dangerous-goods shipping rules replace NMPA filing?
No. Transport classification and cosmetics filing or registration answer different questions.
Next step
Discuss your China market path
Tell us whether you plan to import finished goods or manufacture in mainland China, and what the product claims. We will outline the likely filing or registration path. Testing, where needed, is arranged with partner laboratories.
Contact us