How do you consolidate beauty and skincare bought in China and ship it to Taiwan?
Can beauty and skincare bought in China be shipped to Taiwan?
Yes. For cosmetics and skincare bought on Taobao, Tmall, JD.com, Pinduoduo and similar platforms, enter the 好運器 Shenzhen consolidation warehouse as the recipient address, consolidate the parcels once they have all arrived, and ship them to Taiwan by air freight, sea express or sea LCL cargo; 好運器 only serves mainland China→Taiwan and does not buy on your behalf. In Chapter 33 of the tariff schedule, the first-column rate for perfume, makeup and skincare is mostly 0% (the advance-ruling case for sheet masks falls under 3307.90.90.90-7 at 5%), and business tax of 5% is added when the dutiable value (CIF) exceeds NT$2,000; the import regulation column of these codes has no MW0, so no import permit is needed (other codes must be handled according to the rules), and sunscreen has no dedicated code; perfume has the dedicated code 3303.00.00.00-8, but the advance-ruling cases contain no perfume or sunscreen cases, and classification is determined by Customs. The bottle-count limit for personal use of specific-purpose cosmetics (formerly medicated cosmetics, such as sunscreen and hair dye; old rule: 12 bottles per type, 36 bottles in total) was abolished on 2024-07-01, and no currently valid bottle limit can be found after the abolition; the Ministry of Health and Welfare press release (about purchases on overseas trips) reminds that items for personal use must not be supplied, sold, publicly displayed, offered for trial or passed on for other uses; cosmetics in glass ampoule containers may in principle not be imported, and for personal use you must first apply to TFDA for special import approval. The fines, product registration and border inspection rules of the Cosmetic Hygiene and Safety Act all apply to business operators, and this page does not state that ordinary online shoppers will necessarily be penalized under them buying for their own use. Ask customer service first about how liquids, perfume and fragile items can be carried, since glass and other fragile items are not accepted; HowBridge currently compensates loss or damage up to three times the shipping fee, and optional declared-value protection (3% of the declared value, max NT$150; up to NT$5,000 once available) is coming soon. (The above compensation does not apply to precious metals and jewelry: they must first be insured by an insurance company, and HowBridge bears no liability for their loss or damage in transit; see the Terms of Service.) Rates follow the Customs tariff in force at the time of declaration.
No. 好運器 only provides mainland China→Taiwan consolidation and does not buy on your behalf, so please place and pay for orders yourself on the store, and it also does not provide shipping from Japan, Korea, the United States or Europe to Taiwan; this page does not cover merchants outside China or price differences. 好運器 warehouses are only the Shenzhen consolidation warehouse and the Taoyuan Dayuan operations warehouse.
How are beauty and skincare products classified in the tariff schedule?
Chapter 33 of the tariff schedule covers perfume, makeup, skincare, hair care and oral hygiene products. In the Customs Administration tariff open data, the most relevant codes are as follows (goods descriptions excerpted):
| 11-digit code | Official goods description (excerpt) | First-column duty | Import regulation |
|---|---|---|---|
3303.00.00.00-8 | Perfumes and toilet waters | 0% | Blank |
3304.30.10.00-9 | Nail polish | 0% | Blank |
3304.99.90.91-0 | Other beauty or make-up preparations and skin-care preparations (excluding medicaments) | 0% | Blank |
3305.10.00.91-4 | Shampoos and hair rinses | 0% | Blank |
3307.20.00.00-0 | Personal deodorants | 5% | Blank |
3307.90.90.10-4 | Depilatories | 5% | 503 |
3307.90.90.90-7 | Other perfumery, cosmetic or toilet preparations not elsewhere specified, whether or not perfumed or having disinfectant properties (sheet masks in the advance-ruling cases are classified here) | 5% | Blank |
3306.90.00.00-6 | Other oral or dental hygiene preparations, including denture fixative pastes and powders | 0% | MP1 |
What about sunscreen, face masks and perfume?
The tariff schedule has no dedicated code for sunscreen, and the advance-ruling cases contain no sunscreen or perfume cases; face masks have two kinds of classification in the advance-ruling cases: a set containing a mask base and essence (2013) and an acne-clearing gel with mask sheets (2016) fall under 3304.99.90.90-1 (an old code; the current schedule shows 3304.99.90.91-0), while sheet masks and eye masks coated on nonwoven fabric (2014 and 2016, 19 cases in total) fall under 3307.90.90.90-7, with a first-column rate of 5%. “Medicated cosmetics” in the cases is an old-system term, and each case is an individual case. Classification is determined by Customs according to the goods, and this page draws no conclusion.
How are cosmetics classified now?
A TFDA press release from April 2024 (2024/4), explains that from 2024-07-01 cosmetics are no longer divided into categories. TFDA also announced a revised table of cosmetics scope and types, effective 2026-07-01, and sunscreen, face masks, perfume and nail polish are all listed in the scope table.
Limits of the tariff data
The open data file carries no publication date, so the actual rate and import regulation follow the Customs tariff in force at the time of declaration. This page did not obtain an official definition of code 503 in the import regulation column and does not interpret it word for word.
How much tax do beauty products pay? Does the NT$2,000 tax exemption apply?
First the formulas published by the Customs Administration: duty = dutiable value × rate; business tax = (dutiable value + duty + commodity tax, etc.) × 5%; trade promotion service fee = dutiable value × 0.04%, not collected if NT$100 or less. The dutiable value is the CIF price of the imported goods, so freight up to the Taiwan port of entry is counted too. For most codes in the table above the first-column rate is 0%, and the levying-rules column is blank for the whole chapter; the Customs tax-and-fee page states that items not subject to commodity tax under the Commodity Tax Act are exempt from commodity tax.
Formula example (not a quote)
Assume Customs sets the dutiable value at NT$5,000 and duty at 0% (an example only, not the rate of any product) and there is no commodity tax: duty NT$0; business tax (5,000 + 0) × 5% = NT$250; trade promotion service fee 5,000 × 0.04% = NT$2, not collected because it is NT$100 or less. The example excludes customs clearance, delivery and warehouse fees.
The NT$2,000 exemption and more than 6 times
Customs Administration “Express Cargo” page: when the dutiable value of the same batch is NT$2,000 or less, duty and the business tax and commodity tax collected by Customs are waived, but this does not apply where the frequency is judged to be excessive; where the same taxpayer has used the exemption release more than 6 times within a half year, it no longer applies. The 好運器 shipping fee page states that when the dutiable value exceeds NT$2,000 tax is charged in full, and above NT$50,000 a general declaration is required.
Consolidating boxes saves freight; it is not splitting orders to evade tax
The site's shipping fee page states that splitting a shipment into batches to get around the tax-exempt threshold is illegal, while consolidating boxes to save freight is legal; declare item names, quantities and prices honestly, and pay tax where tax is due.
Do beauty products from China need an import permit?
Most codes in the tariff schedule carry no restriction code. The Customs Administration explains that if the import regulation column “lists neither MW0 nor MP1, the mainland Chinese goods are permitted for import and exempt from an import permit”; if another code is shown, other rules must be followed at declaration. The Chapter 33 cosmetics-related 11-digit codes have no MW0; only 3306.90.00.00-6 other oral or dental hygiene preparations carries MP1, and its special provisions could not be found on this page, so it makes no judgment on whether this item can be shipped.
“No MW0” only means no import permit is needed. Cosmetics must still follow the rules of the Food and Drug Administration, Ministry of Health and Welfare, the rule that glass ampoule containers may in principle not be imported (personal use may apply for special import approval), and the labeling and prohibited-ingredient rules; counterfeit goods are not express cargo, and it must not be written as “exempt from a permit so customs clearance is legal”.
After the personal-use limit was abolished, what should you watch when buying for yourself?
The quantity limit for personal use without applying for inspection and registration of specific-purpose cosmetics (formerly medicated cosmetics, such as sunscreen, hair dye, perming and antiperspirant/deodorant; old rule: 12 bottles per type, 36 bottles in total) was abolished on 2024-07-01 (TFDA notice No. 1131603792); ordinary cosmetics were never subject to this limit. After the abolition, this page found no currently valid personal-use bottle limit on the pages of TFDA or the Ministry of Health and Welfare; the old page of the Kaohsiung Customs Office has not been synchronized and still states the old limit, so the TFDA notice prevails. But that does not mean you can ignore everything:
Items for personal use must not be resold or passed on for other uses
The Ministry of Health and Welfare press release (about cosmetics bought on overseas trips) quotes a TFDA reminder: personal-use cosmetics bought abroad must not be supplied, sold, publicly displayed, offered for consumers to try, or passed on for other uses; for cosmetics in glass ampoule containers bought for personal use, an application to TFDA is needed before they can be imported. This is a reminder in a press release, not a statute, and the statutes do not say whether it extends to online shopping on Chinese e-commerce platforms. The Taipei Customs Office page also explains: cosmetics in glass ampoule containers may in principle not be imported, and for personal use one may file an import consent application form with TFDA to apply for special import approval.
The subject of the fine is the “cosmetics business operator”
Article 23 of the Cosmetic Hygiene and Safety Act imposes a fine of not less than ten thousand and not more than one million New Taiwan dollars for violating registration, labeling and other rules; its subject is the “cosmetics business operator”, defined in Article 3 as a person engaged in manufacturing, importing or selling cosmetics as a business. The press release links this to a reminder for personal users, but the statute does not say whether it applies to ordinary online shoppers buying for their own use, and this page does not state that ordinary online shoppers will necessarily be fined; buying to resell is not personal use.
Border inspection and product registration are rules for business operators
The person obliged to declare for inspection under the Regulations Governing Border Inspection of Imported Cosmetics is the importing cosmetics business operator; the application for inspection 15 days before import under Article 3 presupposes an announced category, and the full text contains no wording about “personal use”; this page found no such announced category and no provision applicable to personal-use online purchases, so it cannot be written as “personal use is always exempt from inspection”, nor can it be used as a compliance basis for proxy purchasing. Product registration is likewise a rule in Article 4 for manufacturing or importing business operators of announced categories and a certain scale, and TFDA's 2024 notice requires operators to complete registration.
Relation to Taobao and other platforms
For goods bought on Taobao, Tmall, JD.com, Pinduoduo and Xianyu, the platforms' official rules were not checked on this page and are not written; China's cosmetics registration and filing system and Taiwan's product registration are two independent systems, and this page found no statement that “China filing can replace Taiwan registration”, so it cannot be written that way.
What to check for labeling, prohibited ingredients and microplastics?
Article 7 of the Cosmetic Hygiene and Safety Act requires the outer packaging or container of cosmetics to clearly show the product name, purpose, directions for use, full ingredients, the name, address and telephone number of the manufacturer or importer, and the country of origin of imported products, and so on, in Chinese or internationally used symbols (full ingredients may be in English); Article 6 provides that cosmetics must not contain mercury, lead or ingredients announced as prohibited. The consequences of violating these rules fall on cosmetics business operators:
What if what I bought in China has no Chinese label?
Whether personal-use online purchases must carry Chinese labeling, this page found no primary rule. The risk reminder in the Ministry of Health and Welfare press release is: if cosmetics bought abroad have no Chinese labeling and cause harm such as irritation, allergy or swelling after use, you must claim compensation from overseas yourself.
Prohibited ingredients
Prohibited ingredients follow TFDA's latest List of Prohibited Ingredients in Cosmetics, and this page does not list ingredients. In research, some skin-whitening soaps and creams on West African and Canadian markets had mercury or steroids above the limits and labeling that did not match measurements, but those are not products of China or Taiwan and cannot be extrapolated to Chinese beauty products.
Microplastics notice
The Ministry of Environment's 2017 notice restricts shampoo, facial cleansing and makeup-removing products, bath cosmetics, soap, scrubs and toothpaste containing microplastics, to be observed by manufacturing, importing and selling operators (except those manufactured or imported before ROC year 105, month 8, day 23). Article 21 of the Waste Disposal Act cited by the notice is “deleted” in the current law, and the current penalty article could not be found on this page, so no penalty is written; whether ordinary online shoppers buying for their own use are covered was not found.
What happens if counterfeit beauty products are shipped to Taiwan?
Start with the definition in the Customs Administration “Express Cargo” page: express cargo must be not controlled goods, prohibited goods, or goods infringing intellectual property rights, and so on. The 好運器 terms of service also list counterfeit and infringing goods as prohibited items. Legal liability depends on the actor and the act:
| Law | Provision (subject and elements) | Article |
|---|---|---|
| Trademark Act: Customs notification | When Customs finds that imported goods are clearly liable to infringe a trademark right, it notifies the trademark owner and the importer/exporter and sets a deadline for the importer/exporter to provide documents proving no infringement; where the trademark owner has submitted evidence of infringement and the importer/exporter has not provided proof, Customs may withhold release | Article 75 |
| Trademark Act: criminal liability (currently effective text) | Anyone who sells goods bearing a counterfeit trademark “knowing” that another person made them, or possesses, displays, exports or imports them “with intent to sell”, is punishable by imprisonment of up to one year or detention, with a fine of up to fifty thousand New Taiwan dollars imposed alternatively or in addition, and the same applies when done through electronic media or the internet (Articles 95 to 97 as amended in ROC year 111 have not yet taken effect); the statute makes no separate provision for purely personal use, and this page draws no conclusion | Article 97 |
How to tell genuine from fake?
This page found no primary source on official criteria for telling genuine from counterfeit goods, or on whether a specific brand has a registered trademark in Taiwan, so no identification method is written. Buy from official flagship stores or authorized sellers, and keep the product page and payment receipt.
How to pack liquids, perfume and glass bottles? How is breakage compensated?
Beauty products are mostly liquids and glass containers, so check the compensation and shipping rules first:
On-site compensation rules
好運器 Terms of Service Article 7.1 (declared-value protection): for now, loss or damage is compensated up to three times that parcel’s shipping fee; optional declared-value protection (3% of the declared value, max NT$150; once available, compensation at the declared value up to NT$5,000) is coming soon; fragile items such as glass and ceramics are not accepted for shipping, and items shipped without disclosure are not eligible for compensation (fragile items, liquids, powders, batteries and battery-powered items, dangerous goods and prohibited items are not compensated with or without declared-value protection), and the amount for damage is assessed case by case; complaints must be filed within 7 days after signing for receipt (Articles 6.3 and 8.2 of the terms). (The above compensation does not apply to precious metals and jewelry: they must first be insured by an insurance company, and HowBridge bears no liability for their loss or damage in transit; see the Terms of Service.) Glass bottles are fragile items and are not accepted by HowBridge; items shipped without disclosure are not eligible for compensation.
Liquids, pastes and perfume
Article 4.2 of the Terms of Service lists liquids and pastes (cosmetics, skincare products, etc.) as goods that must be declared in advance and approved before shipping, and they must be properly packed. The site also reminds that perfume contains alcohol and air freight restrictions are stricter; the site's pages are inconsistent on whether liquids and cosmetics can go by air freight, and the site has no shipping rules for aerosol cans (sprays) and nail polish, so please notify customer service first to confirm how they can be carried.
Consolidation, storage and reinforcement
Consolidated packing is free, and the Shenzhen warehouse stores goods free for 366 days; glass, ceramics and other fragile items are not accepted. HowBridge does not offer unboxing inspection; Shenzhen warehouse work orders cover only photos (NT$20 for the first kg, +NT$10 per extra kg), item counts (NT$5 per item) and labelling (NT$10 per label); see the shipping fee page, and when receiving please photograph everything completely as evidence.
Expiry and storage
After receiving, first check the manufacturing date, expiry date and seal. In research, 33 interviews (UK and China) explored why consumers keep using cosmetics after expiry; in the UK, in-use makeup and beauty sponges were found to contain Enterobacteriaceae and fungi. These are background on usage habits and hygiene, not shipping rules.
How is beauty shipping priced? What differs between air freight, sea express and sea LCL cargo?
Rates follow the 好運器 shipping fee page, and the formulas are listed here; the fee for sea LCL cargo varies by product, so ask customer service for a quote:
| Method | Rate and formula | Transit time |
|---|---|---|
| Air freight | NT$100/kg, actual weight only, no volume weight; NT$120 surcharge if actual weight is under 10 kg | 3–5 business days |
| Sea express | NT$50/unit; volume weight = length × width × height (cm) ÷ 10000, the higher of actual weight and volume weight applies; NT$100 surcharge if under 10 kg | 5–10 business days |
| Sea LCL cargo (fee varies by product, ask customer service for a quote) | From NT$25 per kg, or from NT$150 per volume unit, minimum NT$3,500 per shipment (Taiwan's “cai”); volume = length × width × height (cm) ÷ 28316 | 7–14 business days |
In-house measurements of 774 sea express parcels (billed August–September 2026 (2026/8–9), from shipment in China to receipt in Taiwan): median 6 days, 90th percentile 9 days (last checked 2026-10-10); air freight is not in this sample. For a single item over 10 cai or 40 kg, Taiwan-side home delivery charges an extra oversize fee, so confirm with customer service before ordering. The Taiwan-leg oversize surcharge applies only to sea express and air freight parcels; quotes for sea LCL cargo already include it.
How do I ship beauty products bought in China to Taiwan?
The following 5 steps apply to beauty and skincare bought on Chinese e-commerce sites and sent to the 好運器 Shenzhen warehouse.
1Choose a store and confirm the product
Place the order yourself on Taobao, Tmall, JD.com or Pinduoduo; prefer official flagship stores or authorized sellers, and confirm the container material (glass ampoule containers may in principle not be imported; for personal use you must first apply to TFDA for special import approval).
2Enter the Shenzhen consolidation warehouse as the address
Fill in the 好運器 Shenzhen consolidation warehouse address and your member number as the recipient details; 好運器 does not buy on your behalf or pay for goods.
3Ask customer service first about liquids and perfume
For perfume, sprays, nail polish and large amounts of liquid, ask customer service about how they can be carried and packed before ordering.
4Parcels arrive: wait until everything arrives before consolidating
Parcels that arrive in batches stay in the warehouse, stored free for 366 days, and consolidated packing is free; once everything has arrived, create a consolidation order, check the weight and dimensions measured by the warehouse, and then decide whether to consolidate and ship; check expiry dates and seals on receipt.
5Declare truthfully and complete the entrustment
Declare item names, quantities and amounts truthfully; buy for personal use and do not resell. According to the site, personal express cargo using online real-name entrustment must first complete pre-confirmed entrustment (advance customs-broker authorization) in EZ WAY, but the Customs Administration has clarified that the regulations do not require the public to use the EZ WAY App, see the EZ WAY tutorial.
What research on cosmetics safety and shelf life is worth consulting?
The studies below only give background on cosmetics safety, hygiene and usage behavior, none of them concern shipping to Taiwan, customs declaration or tariff codes, and none can prove whether a particular product is safe:
- Use after expiry: the study by Wang et al. (2025) was motivated by consumers often using cosmetics after expiry, and summarized risk factors from 33 interviews (UK and China); it is qualitative research, so proportions cannot be inferred.
- Hygiene in use: Bashir and Lambert (2019) surveyed in-use lipsticks, lip glosses, eyeliners, mascaras and beauty sponges in the UK and found Enterobacteriaceae and fungi in every category; 93% of beauty sponges had never been cleaned.
- Adverse reactions: Wang et al. (2022) analyzed 23,245 cosmetics adverse reactions reported in Chongqing from 2017 to 2021, with contact dermatitis the most common; passive reports from a single city cannot be used to compute incidence.
- Ingredients: Gbetoh and Amyot (2016) tested skin-lightening soaps and creams on West African and Canadian markets, and some products exceeded limits for mercury, hydroquinone or clobetasol; Kicińska and Kowalczyk (2025) measured 5 metals in 23 cosmetics from online marketplaces and concluded they pose no risk, but did not test mercury, lead, cadmium or arsenic.
- Taiwan and cross-border: this page found no verifiable sources for dedicated studies on Taiwan's cosmetics regulations or adverse reactions, measurements of beauty products sold in China, or direct literature on the quality of counterfeits bought online.
What are common terms in beauty consolidation?
- Cosmetics
- Defined in Article 3 of the Cosmetic Hygiene and Safety Act: preparations applied to the external parts of the human body, teeth or oral mucosa to moisturize hair and skin, stimulate the sense of smell, improve body odor, modify appearance or clean the body, excluding those regarded as drugs under other laws.
- Cosmetics business operator
- A person engaged in manufacturing, importing or selling cosmetics as a business; the subjects of fines, registration and border inspection obligations are operators, not ordinary personal users.
- Cosmetic product notification (registration)
- The registration and product information file that manufacturing or importing operators of announced categories and a certain scale complete before supplying or selling.
- Glass ampoule
- For cosmetics in glass ampoule containers, the Taipei Customs Office page explains that in principle they may not be imported, and for personal use one may file an import consent application form with TFDA to apply for special import approval.
- Dutiable value (CIF)
- The basis for calculating tax: the CIF price of the imported goods, including freight and insurance up to the Taiwan port of entry.
- Sea LCL cargo
- Consolidated cargo shipped in sea containers; the fee varies by product, so ask customer service for a quote; from NT$25 per kg, or from NT$150 per volume unit, with volume ÷ 28316.
- Pre-confirmed entrustment (advance customs-broker authorization)
- Before the goods reach Taiwan, the consignee checks the items and declared amount through the EZ WAY App and taps “Declaration matches” to complete the pre-confirmation; according to the site, this applies to those using online real-name entrustment.
What are the sources and the scope of verification?
The sources below were consulted on 2026-09-30; document dates and consultation dates are labeled separately, and no date is invented where an update date is not stated.
Official primary government sources
- Customs Administration: customs import tariff open data | Document date: not stated (downloaded on the consultation date 2026-09-30); in Chapter 33, the first-column rate is 0% for 3303 to 3306 and 5% for 3307 (including 3307.90.90.90-7 other cosmetic or toilet preparations not elsewhere specified), and the levying-rules column is blank for the whole chapter; only 3306.90.00.00-6 other oral or dental hygiene preparations has import regulation MP1, and no other cosmetics-related code has MW0 or MP1; sunscreen has no dedicated code, perfume has the dedicated code 3303.00.00.00-8 but the advance-ruling cases contain no perfume or sunscreen cases. The actual rate follows the Customs tariff in force at the time of declaration.
- Government Open Data Platform: customs tariff advance-ruling cases | Document date: the latest cases in the dataset are from about 2018; in Chapter 33 the cases include 0 perfume cases and no sunscreen; face masks have two classifications: sets and gels with mask sheets fall under 3304.99.90.90-1 (old code), and sheet masks and eye masks coated on nonwoven fabric (2014 and 2016, 19 cases) fall under 3307.90.90.90-7 (5%); all are individual cases, and “medicated cosmetics” in the cases is an old-system term.
- Customs Administration: express cargo | Document date: 2026-07-08; express cargo must not be controlled goods, prohibited goods, goods infringing intellectual property rights, etc., and each piece (bag) must weigh 70 kg or less gross; when the dutiable value of the same batch is NT$2,000 or less, duty, business tax and commodity tax are waived, and where the same taxpayer has used the exemption release more than 6 times within a half year it no longer applies.
- Customs Administration: what taxes and fees are payable on imported goods? | Document date: 2026-07-13; duty = dutiable value × rate; business tax = (dutiable value + duty + commodity tax, etc.) × 5%; trade promotion service fee is dutiable value × 0.04%, not collected if NT$100 or less; dutiable value is the CIF price of imported goods; items not subject to commodity tax under the Commodity Tax Act are exempt from commodity tax.
- Customs Administration: which mainland Chinese goods are permitted for import? | Document date: 2026-07-09; where the import regulation column of the tariff lists neither MW0 nor MP1, the mainland Chinese goods are permitted for import and exempt from an import permit; if another code is shown, other rules must be followed at declaration.
- TFDA: abolishing the “quantity limit for importing specific-purpose cosmetics for personal use without applying for inspection and registration” | Document date: 2024-07-01 (No. 1131603792); TFDA announced the abolition of the limit (which applies to specific-purpose cosmetics), effective immediately; the notice text does not state a bottle count, and the old rule of 12 bottles per type and 36 bottles in total appears on the old page of the Kaohsiung Customs Office of the Customs Administration; after the abolition, this page found no currently valid personal-use cosmetics bottle limit on TFDA or Ministry of Health and Welfare pages.
- Ministry of Health and Welfare: press release on non-categorized cosmetics management | Document date: filed 2024-07-03; the press release title is that cosmetics bought while traveling abroad may only be for personal use, and its content is aimed at travelers entering the country: TFDA reminds that personal-use cosmetics bought abroad must not be supplied, sold, publicly displayed, offered for consumers to try or passed on for other uses, and violators are punished under Article 23 of the Cosmetic Hygiene and Safety Act; for cosmetics bought abroad without Chinese labeling, harm after use must be claimed from overseas by the buyer; for cosmetics in glass ampoule containers, personal use requires an application to TFDA before import.
- Customs Administration, Taipei Customs Office: cosmetics | Document date: 2025-06-19; imported cosmetics packed in glass ampoule containers may in principle not be imported; for travelers carrying, or shipments from abroad (postal parcel, express), such cosmetics, one may file a cosmetics goods import consent application form with TFDA to apply for special import approval.
- TFDA: press release on non-categorized cosmetics management | Document date: 2024-04-10; in the past, besides ordinary cosmetics, cosmetics management also had specific-purpose cosmetics; from 2024-07-01 cosmetics are no longer divided into categories.
- Laws & Regulations Database of Taiwan: Cosmetic Hygiene and Safety Act | Document date: amended ROC year 107, month 5, day 2; Article 3: a cosmetics business operator means a person engaged in manufacturing, importing or selling cosmetics as a business; Article 4: manufacturing or importing operators of announced categories and a certain scale must complete product registration; Article 6: cosmetics must not contain mercury, lead or announced prohibited ingredients; Article 7: labeling must use Chinese or internationally used symbols, including the importer's name, address and telephone and the country of origin of imported products; Article 23: a cosmetics business operator violating registration, labeling and other rules is fined not less than ten thousand and not more than one million New Taiwan dollars; the amendment date shown on the database page is inconsistent with dates inside some articles, and this page follows the articles.
- Laws & Regulations Database of Taiwan: Regulations Governing Border Inspection of Imported Cosmetics | Document date: promulgated ROC year 108, month 6, day 27 (in force from month 7, day 1); the person obliged to declare for inspection means the importing cosmetics business operator; the application for inspection fifteen days before import under Article 3 presupposes cosmetics announced under Article 14, paragraph 1 of the Cosmetic Hygiene and Safety Act; Article 5: the inspection items do not include labeling and other matters; the full text contains no wording about “personal use”; this page found no such announced category and no provision applicable to personal-use online purchases.
- TFDA: announcement of the cosmetics categories that must complete product registration | Document date: 2024-06-26 (No. 1131604395, effective 2024-07-01); categories of cosmetics whose manufacturing or importing operators must complete product registration: cosmetics other than solid handmade soap produced at cosmetics manufacturing premises exempt from factory registration; the obligated party is the operator.
- TFDA: revised table of the scope and types of cosmetics | Document date: 2024-11-12 (No. 1131608175, effective 2026-07-01); the scope table in the revised rules lists tanning lotion and sunscreen, face masks, perfume, nail polish and so on within the scope of cosmetics.
- TFDA: labeling rules for cosmetics outer packaging, containers, labels or package inserts | Document date: 2019-05-30 (No. 1081603869, effective 2021-07-01); the outer packaging or container must be clearly labeled under Article 7, including the Chinese product name; full ingredient names (INCI) are shown in Chinese or English.
- Ministry of Environment: restricting the manufacture, import and sale of cosmetics and personal cleansing products containing microplastics | Document date: 2017-08-03 (No. 1060059207); the notice restricts shampoo, facial cleansing and makeup-removing products, bath cosmetics, soap, scrubs and toothpaste containing microplastics, to be observed by manufacturing, importing and selling operators; Article 21 of the Waste Disposal Act cited by the notice is “deleted” in the current law, the current penalty article could not be found, and this page writes no penalty.
- Laws & Regulations Database of Taiwan: Trademark Act | Document date: amended ROC year 112, month 5, day 24 (some of Articles 95 to 97 await an effective date set by the Executive Yuan); Article 75: when Customs finds that imported goods are clearly liable to infringe a trademark right, it must notify the trademark owner and the importer/exporter and set a deadline for the importer/exporter to provide documents proving no infringement; Article 97 (currently effective text): anyone who sells goods bearing a counterfeit trademark knowing that another person made them, or possesses, displays, exports or imports them with intent to sell, is punishable by imprisonment of up to one year or detention, with a fine of up to fifty thousand New Taiwan dollars imposed alternatively or in addition, and the same applies when done through electronic media or the internet; Articles 95 to 97 as amended in ROC year 111 have not yet taken effect; the statute makes no separate provision for purely personal use, and this page draws no conclusion.
Research literature
Why ignore expiry dates on cosmetics? A qualitative study of perceived risk and its implications for cosmetics producers and regulators
The study was motivated by consumers often using cosmetics after expiry; 33 semi-structured interviews (UK and China, including users and cosmetics company employees) identified risk factors, with physical and performance risks encouraging compliance with expiry dates and financial and social risks possibly causing people to ignore them; it is qualitative research, so proportions cannot be inferred, and it is unrelated to shipping to Taiwan.
Microbiological study of used cosmetic products: highlighting possible impact on consumer health
It surveyed in-use lipsticks, lip glosses, eyeliners, mascaras and beauty sponges in the UK and found Enterobacteriaceae and fungi in all product categories, with detection rates in beauty sponges of 26.58% and 56.96% for Enterobacteriaceae and fungi respectively; the subjects are in-use makeup and tools, and the abstract gives no sample size or testing method details.
Adverse reactions to cosmetics reported to the Chongqing adverse drug reaction monitoring centre system in China
It analyzed 23,245 cosmetics adverse reactions reported in Chongqing from 2017 to 2021, with contact dermatitis accounting for 84.3%, and among special-purpose cosmetics (a Chinese category) whitening (54.0%) and sunscreen (28.0%) reported most often; it is passive reporting data from a single city, so incidence cannot be computed, and online purchase channels are not distinguished.
Mercury, hydroquinone and clobetasol propionate in skin lightening products in West Africa and Canada
Among 93 skin-lightening soaps and 98 skin-lightening creams bought on West African and Canadian markets, some products exceeded limits for mercury, hydroquinone or clobetasol, and labeled concentrations often did not match measurements; the samples are not products of China or Taiwan and cannot be extrapolated to Chinese beauty products.
Health risks from heavy metals in cosmetic products available in the online consumer market
It measured Cr, Fe, Ni, Mn and Zn in 23 cosmetics bought on the online market and concluded that these 5 metals pose no health risk; only 5 metals were tested and mercury, lead, cadmium and arsenic were not, so it cannot be used to say online-bought cosmetics are safe or toxic.
The tariff file carries no publication date, sunscreen has no dedicated code, perfume and sunscreen have no advance-ruling cases, and face masks have two classifications in the advance-ruling cases, each an individual case; the official literal definition of 503 in the import regulation column and the special provisions of MP1 for 3306.90.00.00-6 could not be found; the bottle limit for personal-use cosmetics after the abolition, whether personal-use online purchases require Chinese labeling or product registration, and whether the border inspection regulations apply to personal-use online purchases, have no primary rule found; the statement that “items for personal use must not be resold” comes from the Ministry of Health and Welfare press release rather than a statute, and the subject of the fine in Article 23 is the operator; the content of TFDA's 2024 press release is as relayed by the press release, and the full text of individual notices was not downloaded one by one; the statute cited by the microplastics notice has been deleted from the current law, and the current penalty could not be found; the air-freight restrictions (IATA) for perfume, aerosol cans and nail polish, the site's inconsistent statements on whether liquids and cosmetics can go by air freight, and the site's rules for aerosol cans and nail polish, were not found; the rules of Chinese e-commerce platforms and the detailed rules of China's cosmetics filing were not checked; the criteria for counterfeits and brand trademark registrations in Taiwan were not found; the paper abstracts come from database records and the publishers' pages could not be opened, and dedicated studies on Taiwan's cosmetics and Taiwanese theses were not found.
What are common questions about shipping Chinese beauty and skincare to Taiwan?
Can beauty and skincare bought in China be shipped to Taiwan?
What is the duty on cosmetics?
Is there a bottle limit for personal-use cosmetics?
Is it OK if the cosmetics I bought have no Chinese labeling?
Do I need an import permit?
Will personal-use cosmetics be fined ten thousand to one million (New Taiwan dollars)?
What happens if I buy counterfeit beauty products and ship them to Taiwan?
Can perfume, sprays and nail polish be consolidated?
If a glass cosmetics bottle breaks, how does 好運器 compensate?
How is shipping calculated?
Further reading
Ship beauty and skincare bought in China back to Taiwan
好運器 has only the Shenzhen warehouse and the Taoyuan warehouse and provides mainland China→Taiwan consolidation; before ordering, confirm the container material, whether it contains alcohol or is a spray, and whether the seller is official or authorized.
See China-to-Taiwan shipping service