Sourcing jojoba oil from China

Jojoba oil: 0% UK duty

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 30 September 2026, heading 1515 covers fixed vegetable or microbial fats and oils and their fractions, whether refined or not, but not chemically modified. Jojoba oil has a named line, 1515 90 11 00, carrying 0% duty for goods from China. The supplied record lists no anti-dumping or countervailing duty and no suspension for this line.

The UK Trade Tariff attaches organic-product import control and waste import and export controls to this line. For jojoba oil sold as a cosmetic ingredient with organic claims, confirm the applicable organic import requirement with your customs broker rather than assuming food guidance applies. If the oil is waste requiring notification, shipments to England can start only after consent from the Environment Agency and the other competent authorities involved.

The table shows different jojoba specifications sharing the same commodity code. Confirm composition, processing and presentation using finding your commodity code. For other oils within this heading, see the food-grade rice bran oil guide.

Specify the jojoba grade and intended use

State whether you need unrefined, refined or deodorised oil, or a fraction. Specify botanical identity, seed origin, extraction and refining processes, colour, odour, wax-ester profile, acid value, moisture and impurities. Agree laboratory methods and acceptance criteria with the supplier before approving a sample. Ask the Chinese supplier to identify the actual processing plant and disclose any added oils, fragrance or antioxidants.

Decide whether the purchase is a bulk formulation ingredient or a product supplied to consumers as a cosmetic. Consumer cosmetics need a Responsible Person. Their safety assessment should take the form of a cosmetic product safety report signed by a qualified safety assessor. A supplier's batch analysis is useful purchasing evidence, but plan the finished-product assessment separately.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order: 1 tonne of refined jojoba oil under 1515 90 11 00, invoiced at £18,000 free on board, with £1,500 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £19,500. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £19,500, so it is £3,900. With no duty, the only import tax is the VAT, which a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim. The import duty and VAT guide explains each step. This assumes the goods are standard-rated for VAT. Most food for human consumption is zero-rated, and animal feed can be too, in which case no import VAT is due, so check the rate for your product in HMRC's VAT Notice 701/14.

Inspection checklist

Identity: compare a sealed batch sample and laboratory wax-ester profile with the agreed specification; investigate unexplained differences before accepting the lot.

Grade: compare colour and odour with the approved sample, and check that refining or deodorising matches the purchase specification.

Condition: check moisture, impurities and acid value against agreed limits; inspect for sediment, off-odours and contamination.

Packing and traceability: check drum cleanliness, closures, leakage, net contents and batch references against the analysis certificate and delivery documents. Use the quality inspection guide to agree the inspection scope.

What goes wrong

Watch for blended oil described as pure jojoba, an unapproved change from unrefined to deodorised oil, and analysis certificates that do not identify the delivered batch. Colour alone cannot establish identity. Retain an approved sample and compare each delivery with the agreed laboratory profile.

Leaks, damaged closures and dirty drums can make an otherwise acceptable batch unusable. Agree packing and sampling arrangements before dispatch. For retail cosmetic plans, arrange the Responsible Person and safety assessment alongside formulation and packaging approval.

Cambridge China Bridge sources these products for UK businesses, checking the factory and the documents before shipment. See factory verification. For repeat volumes, see container programmes.