What is required to export hand cream to China?

An ordinary hand cream is exported to China by completing ordinary cosmetics filing before general-trade import, appointing a Domestic Responsible Person and applying a Chinese label. Moisturizing, soothing or anti-wrinkle claims can remain ordinary. A hand cream with SPF must be registered as a sunscreen special cosmetic. A cream used to treat cracked, broken or diseased skin as a medicine or dressing may leave the cosmetic category.

Published 11 November 2026 · Updated 11 November 2026

How to judge the path

Code the action site as hands where that is the labelled use. A “hand and body” cream should be assessed for every labelled site.

Whitening hand creams follow whitening registration, not ordinary hand-care filing.

Typical documents, tests and labels

If the cream remains ordinary, 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

Workplace “protects against chemicals like a glove” claims can become misleading or non-cosmetic depending on how far they go. Keep the intended use honest.

Questions we are often asked

Does glycerin hand cream need efficacy testing?

Moisturizing claims need a scientific basis suited to the claim. The method depends on the Efficacy Claim Evaluation Standard and later rules on accepted methods.

Can a sanitizing hand cream stay a cosmetic?

A cream whose purpose is to disinfect hands is not following a cosmetic deodorant or cleaning story. See antibacterial and disinfectant claims.