What a Domestic Responsible Person is responsible for

The Domestic Responsible Person acts in the name of the overseas registrant or filer to handle cosmetics registration or filing in China, assists with adverse-reaction monitoring and recalls, cooperates with drug-administration supervision, and assumes corresponding quality and safety responsibility under the agreement with the overseas company. The overseas registrant or filer remains the primary quality and safety responsible party. The role is not limited to receiving documents.

Published 11 November 2026 · Updated 11 November 2026

How the duties are described in the rules

Article 8 of the Measures for the Administration of Cosmetics Registration and Filing lists the core duties: handling registration or filing; assisting with adverse-reaction monitoring of cosmetics and with safety monitoring and reporting of new ingredients; assisting with recalls; taking corresponding quality and safety responsibility for products placed on the China market according to the agreement; and cooperating with inspections. The Cosmetics Supervision and Administration Regulation likewise requires the overseas registrant or filer to appoint an enterprise legal person in China to handle registration or filing and to assist with monitoring and recalls.

What this means day to day

The responsible person maintains true and accurate information on the official platform, updates changes, supplements port information when shipments will enter through another province, and remains reachable by the regulator. If the authority cannot contact the registrant, filer or responsible person through the registered information, that party may be listed as a priority supervision target.

Cautions

Service companies that only prepare dossiers do not replace these duties. Manufacturers must produce according to the technical requirements on file, but they also do not replace the responsible person. After a change of responsible person, the new company should understand that its commitment can cover products already on the market.

Questions we are often asked

Does the responsible person take all legal risk away from the brand?

No. Quality and safety responsibility remains with the registrant or filer. The responsible person performs corresponding duties in China and may bear corresponding liability as provided by law and by the agreement.

Must the responsible person store samples or handle consumer complaints?

The legal text focuses on filing or registration, monitoring, recalls, agreed quality and safety responsibility, and cooperation with supervision. Practical arrangements for samples and complaints should support those duties and any contract between the parties.