How to export toothpaste from the UK to China

Choose the route before offering stock

Toothpaste and oral care span HS 330610, 330690 and 960321. Toothpaste is managed by reference to ordinary cosmetics rules: confirm any general-trade filing requirements and the responsible parties with the Chinese authority or licensed partners, or consider eligible cross-border retail imports. Treat filing and approval work as taking months, not weeks; the Chinese authority decides the outcome. Confirm the route separately for other preparations and brushes before including them in the same offer. For hair-care products, see our guide to exporting anti-hair-loss products to China. For hair colour products, see our guide to exporting hair dye to China.

HMRC recorded £1.5m of UK goods exports to mainland China under HS 330610, 330690, 960321 in 2025 (2024: £1.7m, -13.7%). Exports to Hong Kong under the same codes were £1.1m. January to July 2026: £631k against £1.0m in the same months of 2025 (-37.4%).

The largest UK export line to mainland China was 33061000, dentifrices including those used by dental practitioners, at £938k in 2025. This is UK exports under HS 330610, rather than a measure of sales for your particular toothpaste.

Price against the Chinese tariff line

The listed Chinese tariff lines give the MFN rates below. Toothpaste falls within 330610, other oral preparations within 330690 and toothbrushes within 960321. Duty and import VAT add to landed cost and shape the price your importer can offer. Import VAT is generally 13%, calculated on customs value plus duty plus any consumption tax. The importer’s customs broker or adviser confirms whether consumption tax applies to this product.

Prepare the toothpaste’s Chinese label

For imported cosmetics, a Chinese label may be printed directly or added as a sticker; a sticker’s content must match the original label. As toothpaste follows ordinary cosmetics rules, prepare the original packaging and proposed Chinese artwork together for review. Confirm with the Chinese authority or licensed partners who should review the label work before committing to production packaging.

Prepare the UK export handover

Classify each product before export: UK lines include 33061000 for dentifrices, 33069000 for other oral preparations and 96032100 for toothbrushes. Exports from England, Scotland and Wales need a GB EORI and an online export declaration. Give the declarant the commodity code, value, weight, packaging, destination, transport and invoice and packing-list references. The carrier needs the invoice and any applicable export licences or certificates.

Use cross-border retail for personal-use sales

The retail import list includes toothpaste at 33061010, other dentifrices at 33061090, mouthwash at 33069010, other oral cleaners at 33069090 and brushes at 96032100. The toothpaste entry excludes goods listed in the wild animal and plant species commodity catalogue when the specified certificate confirming a species is outside that catalogue cannot be provided. Check that remark against the proposed product.

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. The overseas business retains primary quality and safety responsibility and must appoint a mainland-registered company for customs registration, truthful declaration and shared civil liability.

Consumers must accept a risk notice before ordering: origin-country standards may differ from Chinese standards, Chinese labels may be electronic, and goods are for personal use and cannot be resold. The limits are RMB 5,000 per transaction and RMB 26,000 annually per person. This route therefore needs a consumer retail plan.

Find and check a Chinese trading partner

Our own staff in China find and check Chinese importers and distributors for UK brands. If an importer has already approached your brand, our staff in China check that company before stock is sent or anything is signed. Use our export service to arrange that work.

We prepare registration and label work with licensed partners in China. The importer of record, mainland responsible person and cross-border e-commerce agent roles stay with licensed partners in China, as applicable; the brand’s own filings stay the brand’s. We check with licensed partners.