Can mascara, eyeliner and eyeshadow be exported to China?

Yes. Mascara, eyeliner and eyeshadow can usually be exported to China as ordinary cosmetics used to temporarily colour or modify the eye area. 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. 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. They are not a lawful stand-in for dyeing eyelashes or eyebrows with hair-dye products. A product that claims to grow lashes is not a cosmetic.

Published 11 November 2026 · Updated 11 November 2026

How to judge the path

Code the eye area in the classification and assess leave-on eye exposure, including colorants and preservatives allowed for that site.

Waterproof or long-wear mascara can remain ordinary if those claims stay cosmetic. See waterproof mascara and long-wear makeup.

Typical documents, tests and labels

Prepare an ordinary filing dossier and shade information. 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

False eyelashes as solid decorative objects are outside the cosmetic beauty-modification note in the classification rules. Cosmetics used with them, such as adhesive marketed as a cosmetic, should be classified on their own facts.

Questions we are often asked

Is glitter eyeliner treated differently?

It remains an ordinary eye-area cosmetic if it only modifies appearance and its colorants or glitter substances are allowed. Insoluble particles still belong in the safety assessment.

Can I export a lash-dye mascara as ordinary makeup?

If it is used to dye lashes rather than temporarily colour them as makeup, do not assume ordinary mascara filing applies. Hair-dye standards also restrict dyeing eyelashes and eyebrows.

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.