How to export eye make-up from the UK to China
Ordinary eye make-up under HS 330420 needs NMPA filing through a mainland responsible person before general-trade import. Listed products can also use cross-border retail channels under personal-use rules. Cambridge China Bridge’s own staff in China find and check Chinese importers and distributors for UK brands.
Choose the route for your eye make-up
Eye make-up preparations fall under HS6 330420 and Chinese tariff line 33042000. Imported ordinary cosmetics sold through general trade must be filed with NMPA through a mainland responsible person before import. Cross-border retail offers another route for eligible products. Confirm the product’s claims and proposed route with the responsible person or the importer’s customs broker. For accompanying tools, see our guide to exporting make-up brushes to China.
HMRC recorded £612k of UK goods exports to mainland China under HS 330420 in 2025 (2024: £546k, +12.2%). Exports to Hong Kong under the same codes were £694k. January to July 2026: £69k against £236k in the same months of 2025 (-70.8%).
Prepare filing and Chinese label work
Imported ordinary make-up is filed, rather than registered. Check claims before choosing that route: sun protection and claims of a new efficacy fall within special cosmetics. The overseas filer must designate a mainland legal-person company to handle filing, assist adverse-reaction monitoring and carry out recalls. Plan for months, not weeks; the Chinese authority decides the filing outcome.
Give the responsible person the original label and proposed Chinese artwork together. Imported cosmetics can use a directly printed Chinese label or an added sticker, whose content must match the original label. The importer must check filing or registration and compliance with mandatory national standards and technical specifications; a failed check means the goods must not be imported.
Price around the Chinese border taxes
Chinese tariff line 33042000 has an MFN duty rate of 5%. The standard import VAT rate is 13%, calculated on customs value plus customs duty plus any applicable consumption tax. The importer’s customs broker or adviser confirms whether consumption tax applies to this product. These border taxes add to landed cost and shape the price a Chinese importer can offer your brand.
Organise the UK export declaration
Classify the make-up and confirm the UK commodity code before shipment; the listed UK export line is 33042000. Exports from England, Scotland or Wales require a GB EORI and an online export declaration. Prepare the value, weight, packaging, destination, transport details, and invoice and packing list references for the declarant. Give the carrier the invoice and any required export licences or certificates.
Use cross-border retail within its limits
Chinese code 33042000 is on the cross-border e-commerce retail import list. Its remark excludes goods in the seventh prohibited-import catalogue. It also excludes goods in the wild animal and plant species import/export catalogue when the specified non-listed-species certificate from China’s endangered-species import/export management office cannot be provided. Check ingredients against these exclusions before choosing the route.
Eligible retail imports through bonded 1210 or direct 9610 channels are supervised as personal-use articles, without first-import licence, registration or filing requirements. Exceptions cover goods from areas where imports are expressly suspended because of epidemics and goods subject to emergency handling for major quality or safety risks.
The overseas business retains primary responsibility for quality and safety and must appoint a mainland-registered company for customs registration, truthful declaration and shared civil liability. Before ordering, consumers must accept a risk notice covering origin-country standards, possible differences from Chinese standards and possible absence of Chinese labels, with Chinese electronic labels viewable online. These purchases are for personal use and cannot be resold.
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Find and check your Chinese trading partner
Check a prospective importer’s plan for filing, Chinese labels and the importer’s compliance review before agreeing a shipment. If an importer has already approached your brand, our staff in China check that company before stock is sent or anything is signed.
Through our export-to-China service, we prepare registration and label work with licensed partners in China. The importer of record and, where required, the responsible person or cross-border e-commerce agent remain regulated roles with licensed partners in China; the brand’s own filings stay the brand’s. We check with licensed partners.
Frequently asked questions
Does ordinary eye make-up need registration in China?
For general-trade imports, ordinary eye make-up needs filing with NMPA before import, through a mainland responsible person. Sun-protection or new-efficacy claims require a check against special-cosmetics classification.
What Chinese duty applies to UK eye make-up?
Chinese tariff line 33042000 has a 5% MFN duty rate. Standard import VAT is 13%. Your importer’s customs broker or adviser confirms whether consumption tax applies to the product.
Can cross-border eye make-up purchases be resold in China?
No. Eligible cross-border retail purchases under 33042000 are for personal use and cannot be resold. The list’s prohibited-goods and wildlife-related exclusions also need checking.
Can you check a Chinese importer that has contacted us?
Yes. Cambridge China Bridge’s staff in China check a Chinese importer that has approached your eye make-up brand before stock is sent or anything is signed.