Can I export anti-acne products to China, and what claims are allowed?

Yes, many anti-acne products can be exported to China as ordinary cosmetics. The classification rules describe an ordinary anti-acne efficacy as helping to reduce or slow pimples, including blackheads or whiteheads, and helping skin recover after pimples. The same rules state that products which regulate hormones, kill or inhibit bacteria, or reduce inflammation are not cosmetics. For general-trade import of a finished product, complete the required filing or registration before import, appoint a Domestic Responsible Person, and apply a Chinese label that meets the Cosmetics Labeling Rules. Customs and inspection-quarantine formalities are a separate process. Cross-border e-commerce retail import is a different channel with list, platform and personal-use limits; it is not a blanket “no filing” rule and not a path to unrestricted domestic resale.

Published 11 November 2026 · Updated 11 November 2026

How to judge the path

Allowed cosmetic wording stays close to reducing the appearance or occurrence of pimples. “Treats acne vulgaris,” “kills acne bacteria,” “anti-inflammatory medicine” or antibiotic stories leave the category.

Spot patches may be cosmetics or may be closer to medical devices depending on their structure and claims. See acne patches.

Typical documents, tests and labels

If the product remains 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. Prepare an efficacy basis that matches the anti-acne claim type you will publish. 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

Salicylic acid and other listed ingredients must meet the restricted-ingredient conditions in the Safety and Technical Standards for Cosmetics, including any concentration, product-type and labelling conditions.

Questions we are often asked

Can I keep benzoyl peroxide in a cosmetic acne cream?

Use only ingredients that are allowed for cosmetics under the current technical standards and inventory. Do not assume that every overseas acne active is available as a cosmetic ingredient in China.

Does “acne marks” mean whitening registration?

The whitening classification includes improving pigmented marks left after pimples. If the claim is about pigmented acne marks as whitening or spot-removal, assess special registration.