Importing cosmetic products from from China to UK

[AvK]

Hi Everyone,
I am looking to start my own company to create a cosmetic footcare product. I have identified a manufacturer who are allowing me to use a formulation that is currently used in the UK under different brands. My plan is to create my own brand which will be manufactured and packed and then imported into the UK.

I am looking for advise to clarify the steps that i need to consider,
-What tests would i need to do on the product
- Do i need to hire a Qualified person, responsible person
- Does my package design need to be signed off - does it have to have certain information on it
- Do i need to register the cosmetic product on the Gov site
- Who is responsible if there are any adverse reactions to the any consumers
- If the product is substandard when arriving into the UK - will this be the Contact manufactures responsibility.
- Does the factory need to personally audited
- is there a company that can help with all these elements.

I appreciate any help and thank you in advance.

 

[CHUKTC]

Importing cosmetics requires a certain amount of time and diligence. However provided you follow all the steps it is relatively straightforward. In answer to your questions:
What tests would i need to do on the product - It depends on the individual product - ultimately you need a cosmetic safety report. The person writing the report will advise the tests they require - often this is all done by the same company - we can help you with this if you require.
- Do i need to hire a Qualified person, responsible person yes to compile the cosmetic safety report and to perform the tests
- Does my package design need to be signed off - does it have to have certain information on it Yes its part of the cosmetic safety report
- Do i need to register the cosmetic product on the Gov site yes but its free! You also need to register as the importer/ person placing the cosmetic on the market.
- Who is responsible if there are any adverse reactions to the any consumers The importer/responsible person in UK who registered the product will be the first port of call - but others may be held responsible too depending on the problem. You may wish to consider insurance against this eventuality.
- If the product is substandard when arriving into the UK - will this be the Contact manufactures responsibility. This largely depends on your contract with your supplier. You should aim to have a contract where the supplier is responsible for delivering the product to a satisfactory standard and clauses to deal with remediation should this not occur. However in terms of harm to consumers it is the person registered with the UK Cosmetics agency and the retailer.
- Does the factory need to personally audited. No you don't and at the moment unless you are a Chinese citizen it is virtually impossible tis get a visa to go to China. Many audits in China (such as ISO) are fake and not worth the paper they are written on
- is there a company that can help with all these elements. Yes there are many companies who can assist you with this - (including ourselves).

 

[MOIC]

The Responsible Person - is the person importing the product, including full name (or Company name) and address, which must be on the label and packaging.

Packaging - This should state the weight/volume as well as country of manufacture.

Product Certificate required - CPSR (Cosmetic Product Safety Report). MSDS (Material Data Safety Sheet) depending one ingredients of the product.

Other certificates required - This will depend on the product. I suggest sending samples to SGS UK and they will advise what other tests/certificates you'll need.

MHRA (Medical & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency - You may have to register with the UK gov. See the following link:
https://assets.publishing.service.g...le/872742/GN8_FINAL_10_03_2020__combined_.pdf

I strongly advise getting Product Liability insurance.

 

[Larry Fong]

For conducting factory audit, you can hire a Hong Kong based inspection company to do it for you.