What is required to export nail polish or gel polish to China?

Nail polish and many gel polishes can be exported to China as ordinary cosmetics used to colour or temporarily modify nails. Complete ordinary filing before general-trade import, appoint a Domestic Responsible Person and apply a Chinese label. Colorants and restricted solvents or monomers must meet the Safety and Technical Standards for Cosmetics. A product that claims to treat fungal nails or another disease is not a cosmetic.

Published 11 November 2026 · Updated 11 November 2026

How to judge the path

Gel polish that is a cosmetic colour coating is still a cosmetic even if a lamp is used in the routine, but the lamp itself is not a cosmetic. Classify the bottle you will sell, not the salon device next to it.

Nail-strengthening treatments should be read against their claims. See cuticle oil and nail-strengthening treatments.

Typical documents, tests and labels

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. 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 every soak-off gel chemistry used overseas is an allowed cosmetic formula in China. Check each ingredient, including photoinitiators, against the current inventory and restrictions.

Questions we are often asked

Do I file the base coat, colour and top coat separately?

Yes, when each bottle can be used on its own as a separate product. A kit of formulas that must be used together and are presented as one unsplittable product may be classified as one product.

Is builder gel a cosmetic?

If it is applied to nails to beautify or modify their appearance and otherwise meets the cosmetic definition, it may be a cosmetic. Products closer to medical or device use should not be forced into cosmetic filing.