How to Import Cosmetics into Singapore: HSA and Customs
To import cosmetics into Singapore and sell them, you clear two gates. One is a cosmetic product notification to the Health Sciences Authority (HSA), made by an ACRA-registered Singapore company before the product is supplied. The other is a Customs import permit, filed in TradeNet by the importer or its declaring agent before each shipment lands.
Neither one replaces the other.
Updated 30 October 2026. This guide is for brand owners and distributors importing skincare, make-up or fragrance for resale. Declaration Nexus is a Singapore customs broker and TradeNet declaring agent: we prepare and file customs permits. Every rule below comes from HSA, Singapore Customs or IRAS pages, linked where it is used.
Most importers start at the customs end, as one trader did:
"How do I apply for Customs Permit?" (trader question on AskGov, February 2025)
For cosmetics, that is only half the answer. The other half sits with HSA, and the permit never asks about it.
Key takeaways
Each cosmetic product must be notified to HSA before it is supplied, including every shade and scent, and products another company has already notified (HSA).
Only an ACRA-registered local entity can notify, so an overseas brand needs a Singapore company.
Every shipment needs a TradeNet import permit before the goods arrive, filed by the importer or a declaring agent under the importer's UEN (Singapore Customs).
Cosmetics carry no customs duty. The importer pays GST at 9%.
Permits no longer carry HSA product codes for cosmetics, so a cleared shipment tells you nothing about whether you may sell it.
Which gate stops what?
HSA's notification controls the sale; the Customs permit controls the import. Each has its own agency, system and cycle.
Gate 1: HSA cosmetic product notification | Gate 2: Customs import permit | |
Who runs it | Health Sciences Authority | Singapore Customs |
Who submits it | The ACRA-registered company that places the product on the Singapore market | The importer, or a declaring agent on its behalf |
Where | PRISM, HSA's online system | TradeNet |
When | Before the product is supplied | Before the goods are imported |
How often | Once per product and per variant, with re-notification after one year | Every shipment |
Official charges | HSA fee of $13 or $28 per product, depending on product type | GST at 9% on the goods |
What it does not do | It does not clear goods at the border | It does not give you the right to sell |
That last row matters most. Singapore Customs explains that cosmetics and health supplements need no HSA licence or approval before import, and for that reason TradeNet import permits for these goods no longer carry HSA product codes (Singapore Customs, HSA requirements).
In other words, the two gates never meet on one form. Customs can approve your permit and release your goods while the notification is still missing, because HSA checks at the point of sale, not at the port.
Our advice: finish the notification before you buy stock for resale, not after the cartons reach your store. A cleared permit does not mean you may sell.
Do cosmetics need an import licence in Singapore?
No, not from HSA. HSA's guidelines state that neither manufacturers nor importers of cosmetic products need a licence (HSA guidelines, April 2019). Singapore Customs' current page agrees: no HSA licensing or approval is needed before import.
No licence does not mean no paperwork. A business importing cosmetics for sale still needs:
the HSA notification, before the product is supplied;
a UEN and an activated Customs Account, before any permit can be filed;
a Customs import permit for each shipment, with GST paid on it.
A licence and a permit are different documents. Our guide to licence or permit: the three checks shows which one your goods need.
Gate 1: the HSA notification, and who has to submit it
An HSA cosmetic product notification is HSA's record of each cosmetic product on the Singapore market. In most cases it must be submitted before you sell, so that HSA can follow up if a safety concern arises (HSA). Products supplied here must also comply with the Health Products Act and its regulations for cosmetic products, which follow the ASEAN Cosmetic Directive.
Who must submit the HSA cosmetic product notification?
The company that puts the product on sale here. HSA's guidelines describe this as the company that makes the product available for sale in Singapore. It can be an importer, manufacturer, distributor or retailer, but it must be registered with ACRA. Before using PRISM, that company registers with ACRA, then sets up a Corppass account and a CRIS account (HSA).
So an overseas supplier without a Singapore company cannot notify. The notification sits with your own Singapore company, or with a local distributor or regulatory consultant acting as person responsible; filing a customs permit does not make anyone that person. If you are unsure who should hold it, ask Declaration Nexus on WhatsApp.
What the notification covers, and what it costs
Two cases are easy to miss. A product another Singapore company has notified still needs your own notification, even from the same manufacturer. And every variant, such as each lipstick shade or shampoo scent, needs its own (HSA). Re-notification is required after one year.
HSA charges $13 for a single product or for each of the first three variants. Eye and lip products, oral and dental care, and diamine-based hair dyes cost $28. Each variant from the fourth onwards costs $8 (HSA fees). A ten-shade lipstick line means ten notifications, not one.
On timing, HSA is clear: "You may start selling your cosmetic product upon receipt of the acknowledgement of notification." HSA adds that the acknowledgement is not an endorsement, because it does not assess or approve cosmetics for supply. Sellers must also keep supply records for two years.
One exception: HSA's guidelines do not cover cosmetics brought in only for re-export. Stock you sell locally is a different case.
Is your product a cosmetic at all?
Check this before either gate, because the answer changes both. HSA's classification page excludes several product types, among them beauty supplements and collagen drinks meant to be swallowed, and creams or ointments sold to treat eczema, acne or psoriasis (HSA classification).
That matters at the border. If a health product needs an HSA licence or approval, its permit must declare the relevant HSA product codes and the licence or approval details (Singapore Customs). More broadly, controlled goods need the relevant Competent Authority's authorisation before import. A cream sold as an acne treatment is a different file from a moisturiser.
If your range mixes skincare with ingestibles or treatment creams, sort each line before booking. Our guide to check which authority controls your product covers the wider check.
Want a quote for your declarations? Ask a Declaration Nexus declaring agent on WhatsApp. or call +65 6589 8122 · email enquiry@declarationnexus.com |
Gate 2: the Customs import permit for each shipment
Singapore Customs requires a Customs Import Permit, submitted through TradeNet, for any goods brought into Singapore, and you must have it before the goods arrive (Singapore Customs).
Who is the importer?
If your overseas supplier invoices a Singapore company as consignee, that Singapore company is the importer. For most brand distributors that is you, so the permit goes in your name under your UEN. Our guide on who files the import permit, and in whose name covers the edge cases.
UEN and Customs Account first
Once you have a UEN, activate your Customs Account; no import permit can be filed until you do (Singapore Customs). Activation is free. Customs decides within four working hours where no supporting documents are needed, or within three working days of receiving a complete set (Singapore Customs).
Filing yourself or through a declaring agent
A declaring agent (DA) can file customs permits for you. Once your Customs Account is approved, the agent may use your UEN, and with your authorisation it can pay each permit's GST straight from your Inter-Bank GIRO (IBG) account (Singapore Customs). The trade-offs are set out in filing your own permits or using a declaring agent.
GST, duty and the permit type
Cosmetics are not dutiable. Singapore Customs charges duty only on intoxicating liquors, tobacco, motor vehicles and petroleum products; everything else attracts GST alone. GST applies to all imported goods at the prevailing rate, which IRAS gives as 9% (IRAS). It is charged on the customs value of the goods, explained in how customs value (CIF) is worked out.
For stock you will sell locally, the usual permit is the GST (In-Payment) permit, which Customs lists as the one used to pay GST on imports meant for local consumption (Singapore Customs). Our guide to the In-Payment permit in Singapore covers it step by step. The HS code on that permit must also match the goods; see getting the HS code right on the permit.
A note on small parcels: Singapore Customs limits its GST relief and permit waiver to shipments that come by air, are neither controlled nor dutiable, and total S$400 or less in CIF value (Singapore Customs). Sea and land shipments, and anything above that value, need a permit.
What the label must show before you ship
Labels are easier to fix at the factory than in Singapore. HSA requires label details in English, and the label must show who is placing the product on the Singapore market, with that company's or person's name and address (HSA). For an imported product, that usually means an English label or sticker with your Singapore company's details, agreed with the supplier before production.
Importing health supplements too?
Many beauty importers also bring in supplements. HSA does not license or approve health supplements for import, manufacture or sale (HSA), but dealers, importers included, must still make sure their products are safe. Notifying HSA about a supplement is voluntary.
HSA does not class food or drink products, such as biscuits, coffee or juice, as health supplements, and collagen drinks are not cosmetics either. Check which agency covers each product before you file. Each shipment still needs a Customs permit, which no longer carries HSA product codes for supplements either.
Order of work for a first shipment from Korea, Japan or France
France is by far Singapore's largest source of perfumery, cosmetic and toilet preparations (HS 33). Singapore imported USD 4.67 billion of these goods in 2025 (UN Comtrade). Of that, France supplied USD 1.95 billion (41.8%), ahead of the USA (8.7%), Japan (8.5%) and Korea (6.9%). Whether you import cosmetics from Korea to Singapore or from Japan or France, the steps are the same:
Confirm each product is a cosmetic. Set aside anything ingestible or sold as a treatment, and check its own rules.
Set up the Singapore entity. Register with ACRA, then Corppass and CRIS for HSA, and activate the Customs Account for the UEN.
Agree who is the person responsible: your company, or a local distributor or consultant.
Submit the HSA notifications for every product and variant through PRISM, and keep the acknowledgements.
Fix the labels with the supplier: English details plus the Singapore company's name and address.
Collect the shipment documents: commercial invoice with your company as consignee, packing list and HS codes.
File the import permit in TradeNet before the goods arrive, yourself or through a declaring agent, with GST paid via IBG.
Start selling once the goods are cleared and the acknowledgement is in hand, and keep supply records for two years.
Steps 1 to 5 clear Gate 1 and set up the Customs Account; steps 6 and 7 are Gate 2. Working in this order means your stock never sits cleared but unsellable.
Send us the shipment documents
For Gate 2, send us the supplier's commercial invoice, the packing list and your product list, with HS codes if you have them, on WhatsApp (+65 8786 3987). Tell us the products, source country and whether the HSA notification is done, and we reply with the permit that applies and what we need to file it.
Our import and export permit service page sets out how we prepare and file the customs permit.
Need a declaring agent in Singapore?
Speak to a Declaration Nexus declaring agent about your next permit or clearance. Call: +65 6589 8122 WhatsApp: +65 8786 3987 Email: enquiry@declarationnexus.com Office: 60 Paya Lebar Road, Unit 07-54 Paya Lebar Square, Singapore 409051 |
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Frequently asked questions
Can my Korean supplier submit the HSA notification?
Not from overseas. HSA requires a local, ACRA-registered company with Corppass and CRIS accounts, submitting through PRISM. Without a Singapore company, your supplier cannot notify; your company or another local party acting as person responsible must do it.
Will Customs stop my shipment if the notification is not done?
The permit does not check for it. Cosmetics are no longer declared with HSA product codes on TradeNet permits, so a permit can be approved with no reference to the notification. HSA's rule applies at sale: you may start selling only once you have the acknowledgement of notification.
Does each shade or scent need its own notification?
Yes. HSA wants a separate notification for every variant, such as each lipstick shade or shampoo scent. Each variant from the fourth onwards costs $8, and re-notification is due after one year.
Is there import duty on cosmetics in Singapore?
No. Singapore Customs charges duty only on intoxicating liquors, tobacco, motor vehicles and petroleum products. Cosmetics attract GST only, at 9%, collected through the import permit. A declaring agent filing the permit can pay that GST through your IBG once you authorise it.
Can a declaring agent do the HSA notification?
They are separate jobs under separate agencies. A declaring agent files customs permits in TradeNet for the importer. The HSA notification is made in PRISM by the ACRA-registered person responsible for the product. To check who can handle which part for your range, ask Declaration Nexus on WhatsApp with your product list.
Written by the Declaration Nexus team, a Singapore customs broker and declaring agent. Rules and figures come from HSA, Singapore Customs, IRAS and UN Comtrade pages, each linked where it is used, checked 21 October 2026. HSA decides cosmetic product notification and classification questions; check its pages against your own products. This is general information: no one can promise a permit approval, clearance or outcome, and this page does not.
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PUBLISHED BY Declaration Nexus Team Declaring agent and customs broker at Paya Lebar Square, Singapore |
Have a customs question? WhatsApp the Declaration Nexus team at +65 8786 3987. |
