How to export Hair perms from the UK to China

Confirm the import route and product classification

Hair perms and straightening products need a product-specific route assessment. Perm products require special-cosmetics registration before ordinary import. Confirm classification before using HS 330590 or Chinese tariff line 33059000: the supplied tariff description excludes permanent waving or straightening preparations. The importer’s customs broker should resolve this against the actual product before you quote a landed price.

HMRC recorded £1.9m of UK goods exports to mainland China under HS 330590 in 2025 (2024: £3.0m, -35.9%). Exports to Hong Kong under the same codes were £1.1m. January to July 2026: £562k against £1.5m in the same months of 2025 (-61.5%). This code covers more than this product, including other hair preparations; these are not perm-only export figures.

Prepare the manufacturer's registration and Chinese label

For ordinary imports, perm products need registration with NMPA, not ordinary-cosmetics filing. Plan for months, not weeks; the Chinese authority decides the application. The overseas registrant must designate a mainland legal-person company to handle registration, assist with adverse-reaction monitoring and carry out recalls. Confirm who will be the registrant with the Chinese authority or licensed partners. Preparation and an importer’s interest do not constitute approval.

Prepare Chinese label artwork alongside the application. Imported cosmetics can use a directly printed Chinese label or an added sticker; a sticker’s content must match the original label. Before importing the perms, the importer must check registration and compliance with the cosmetics regulation and mandatory national standards and technical specifications, and must refuse import if that check fails.

Price against the confirmed Chinese tariff line

Chinese line 33059000 has an MFN duty rate of 3%; use that rate only if classification confirms this line for your product. The standard import VAT rate is 13%, charged on customs value plus duty plus any applicable consumption tax. The importer’s customs broker or adviser confirms whether consumption tax applies to these perms. Border taxes increase landed cost and affect the price an importer can offer.

Arrange the UK export declaration

For exports from England, Scotland or Wales, obtain a GB EORI and establish the correct commodity code for the perms. Arrange the online export declaration with value, weight, packaging, destination, transport and invoice and packing-list references. Give the carrier the invoice and any required export licences or certificates. Coordinate the declaration description with the importer’s confirmed classification before dispatch.

Assess cross-border retail separately

The cross-border e-commerce retail import list includes 33059000, other hair preparations. Confirm that the actual perms fall within that entry before planning this route. Listed goods entering through bonded 1210 or direct 9610 retail channels are supervised as personal-use articles, without first-import licence, registration or filing requirements, subject to epidemic-area suspensions and emergency risk handling.

This route serves personal purchases: consumers must accept the risk notice before ordering and may not resell the goods. The notice explains possible differences from Chinese standards and the availability of a Chinese electronic label where no Chinese label is attached. The overseas business retains primary quality and safety responsibility and must appoint a mainland-registered company for customs registration, truthful declarations and shared civil liability.

Find and check a Chinese importer before committing stock

For this category, our help is limited to preparation, finding and checking Chinese importers, and coordinating licensed partners. Our own staff in China find and check importers and distributors for UK brands. If an importer has already approached you, our staff check that company before stock is sent or anything is signed.

We prepare registration and label work with licensed partners in China. The importer of record, responsible person and any cross-border e-commerce agent remain with licensed partners in China; the manufacturer’s own application remains its own. Use our export-to-China service to arrange this preparation and importer checking.