You think it’s safe to get the certificate of origin and inspection report from Indian suppliers?Last month,a purchasing manager of a natural hair dye raw material company had his entire batch of henna powder seized at Guangzhou Airport—the problem was.“Vague Descriptions” in Ingredient Declaration90% of experienced importers overlook the "natural ingredients" label on henna powder,which is precisely the focus of customs inspections.

The three "counterintuitive" risks of importing henna powder: Just having a certificate doesn’t guarantee approval

Henna Powder as a product of "The imported raw materials used in the "Raw Materials Catalog" (2021 Edition) follow the following import logic in China:The customs only recognize "certificates that comply with Chinese regulations".However,the standards of non-exporting countries may differ.For example,the BIS test reports commonly used in India only meet local requirements,while China requires compliance with the "Technical Specifications for Cosmetic Safety" (2015 Edition).GB 36996-2018Standard - The core difference between the two lies in the limit of "lawsone": India allows a maximum of 1.0%,while China stipulates that the content of lawsone in hair dye raw materials should be ≤0.7%.

Indian Henna Powder5-Step Practical SOP: From Documentation to Clearance

Step 1: Confirm the supplier’s qualifications and core documents

Output:

Request the following from the Indian supplier:All are indispensableThe file:

• AnIndiancompany’sbusinesslicense(whichrequirescertificationbytheIndianMinistryofCommerceandIndustry);
• ThehennapowderBreedIdentificationReport(ProofofLawsoniainermisL.plant);
• Athird-partytestingreportthatcomplieswithChina’sGB36996-2018standard(mustbecertifiedbyCNASorCMA);
• Origincertificate(FORMBorCO,subjecttocertificationbytheIndianEmbassyinChina);
• MSDSreport(Chineseversion,clearlymarkedforuseas"cosmeticrawmaterials").

Step 2: Ingredient declaration and filing for recordation

Output:

LoginNational Medical Products Administration Cosmetic Ingredients Registration Information PlatformPlease accurately fill in the following information:

• Basicinformationoftherawmaterial:Chinesename(HennaPowder),INCIname(LawsoniaInermisLeafPowder),CASnumber(83-72-7);
• SafetyInformation:Lawsonecontent(accurateto0.1%,e.g.0.5%),heavymetalcontent(lead≤10mg/kg,arsenic≤2mg/kg);
• Useinformation:Itisspecificallyusedfor"cosmetichairdyesandcolorants"(itisprohibitedtowrite"universalplantpowder").
• Attachmentupload:Testingreport,MSDS,andsupplierqualifications(mustbestampedwiththecompany’sofficialseal).

Step 3: Preparations before transportation and customs declaration

Output:

Choose the transportation method based on the volume of goods.Suitable for urgent orders ≤500kg,Suitable for large shipments ≥1 ton),and prepare declaration data in advance:

• CustomsDeclarationForm(Fillvia“SingleWindow”,linktorecordnumber);
• Billoflading(B/L;forairfreight,itiscalledAirWaybill,whichmustindicatethepurposeof"cosmeticrawmaterials");
• Businessinvoice(indicatingthevalue,quantity,andunitpriceofthegoods,withtheexchangeratesetatthecentralbank’sinterbankrateonthedayofcustomsdeclaration);
• Packinglist(detailedindicationoftheweightandvolumeofeachbox,withanerrorrateof≤5%);
• Copiesofalldocuments(whichmustbestampedwiththeofficialsealoftheimportingcompanyandretainedbythecustomsauthority).

Step 4: Customs Clearance and Inspection and Quarantine

Output:

The three key nodes of the customs clearance process require close monitoring:

• DocumentReview:Thecustomscheckstheconsistencyofthedeclaredinformationwiththerecordedinformation(withafocusonverifyingthecontentofLawsone);
• Samplecollection:Ifthedeclarationdoesnotmatchtherecord,thecustomswillcollect3-5samplesandsendthemtoathird-partylaboratoryfortesting(whichtakes7-10days);
• Release:Aftertheinspectionispassed,pickupthe"InspectionandQuarantineCertificateforImportedGoods",anduseittopickupthegoodsfromthewarehouse(whichmustbecompletedwithin14days,otherwise,alatedeclarationfeewillbeimposed).

Step 5: Subsequent compliance management

Output:

After customs clearance,two tasks need to be completedForceful action:

• Keepalldocuments(inspectionreports,customsdeclarations,inspectioncertificates,MSDS)foratleast3years(todealwithsubsequentcustomsverification);
• Everybatchofgoodsisre-tested(theLawsonecontentinhennapowdermayvaryduetoharvestseasonandstoragehumidity,soit’snecessarytoensurethateverybatchmeetstheGBstandards).

The "hidden costs" of importing henna powder: Don’t lose an entire batch of goods just to save on testing fees

I’ve interacted with many purchasing managers who,in order to save 2,000-3,000 yuan in inspection fees,use "internal reports" from Indian suppliers to replace third-party inspections in China—which may seem like a cost-saving measure,but in reality,it carries huge risks.If customs requires re-inspection,the resulting storage fees (500-1000 yuan per day) and demurrage charges (300-500 yuan per day) can be three times more expensive than the inspection fees.More importantly,Shelf - life markingThis is an easily overlooked "pitfall": Indian suppliers often label the "shelf life as 24 months",but China’s "Cosmetics Label Management Measures" require separate labeling of the "unopened shelf life" and the "shelf life after opening" (such as "24 months unopened,6 months after opening").If this requirement is not met,the products need to be relabeled,which will increase the customs clearance time by 1-2 days and affect the downstream production plans.

3 things you can do today: Avoid falling into the trap of importing henna powder

• Checktheinspectionreportsofexistingsuppliers:Dotheyhavethe"GB36996-2018"and"CNAS/CMA"logos?Ifnot,immediatelyrequestthattheyresubmitthereportsforreview;
• Logintothefilingplatformtochecktheimportedbatches:Doestheingredientdeclarationcontainvaguetermssuchas"naturalhennaleaves"?Ifso,modifyitimmediately;
• Contactthefreightforwardertoconfirmthecustomsdeclarationlist:Doesitincludethepre-applicationforthe"InspectionandQuarantineCertificateforImportedGoods"?Preparinginadvancecanshortenthecustomsclearancetimeby3-5days.