Cosmetics in Japan

What Are Cosmetics?

Cosmetics in Japan are products used on the human body to clean, beautify, increase attractiveness, alter appearance, or keep the skin or hair in good condition, with mild action on the human body.

Typical examples include skin care products, makeup products, hair care products, body care products, fragrance products, soaps, facial cleansers, sunscreen products, nail products and toothpaste-type products.

For import practice, a product sold overseas as an ordinary beauty or personal care product may still require careful classification in Japan. The importer must check whether the product is a cosmetic, quasi-drug, pharmaceutical or another regulated product under Japanese law.

Why This Matters in Import Practice

Cosmetics are regulated under the Act on Securing Quality, Efficacy and Safety of Products Including Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices, commonly called the PMD Act.

A product that can be sold as a cosmetic in another country does not automatically become acceptable for sale in Japan. Ingredients, product classification, labelling, advertising claims, importer status and domestic handling all need to be checked.

For importers, overseas suppliers and origin-side forwarders, the key point is to separate physical import from domestic sale compliance. A product may be physically importable, but still problematic for sale, labelling or advertising in Japan.

Typical Products

Products that may fall within the scope of cosmetics include daily beauty, hygiene and personal care products.

• Lotions, emulsions, creams and serums
• Foundations, lipsticks and eye makeup products
• Shampoos, conditioners and hair treatments
• Soaps, facial cleansers and body washes
• Perfumes and eau de cologne products
• Sunscreen products and nail products
• Toothpaste-type products

The final classification depends not only on the product type, but also on ingredients, intended use, labelling, claims, advertising and sales route in Japan.

Cosmetics and Quasi-Drugs

Cosmetics are mainly intended for cleaning, beautifying, improving attractiveness, altering appearance, or keeping the skin or hair in good condition.

Quasi-drugs are regulated separately. They may include products with certain mild pharmacological effects, such as products positioned for preventing bad breath or body odor, preventing heat rash or sores, preventing hair loss, promoting hair growth, removing hair, or providing certain medicated skin-care effects.

For example, an ordinary shampoo may be treated as a cosmetic, but a “medicated shampoo” claiming anti-dandruff or anti-itch effects may need to be checked as a quasi-drug. Products containing active ingredients are generally more likely to raise quasi-drug classification issues.

Sunscreen products also require careful review. Some UV protection products may be handled as cosmetics, while products with specific active ingredients, medicated positioning, whitening-related claims or other quasi-drug-style effects may need to be checked as quasi-drugs.

Toothpaste-type products also require careful classification. An ordinary toothpaste-type product may be handled as a cosmetic, while products making medicinal claims such as prevention of cavities, gum disease, bad breath or other oral health effects may need to be checked as quasi-drugs.

Whitening claims are another common issue. In Japan, expressions relating to whitening, brightening or prevention of spots may be restricted depending on the wording, ingredients and product category. Importers should not translate overseas “whitening” or “spot removal” claims directly into Japanese without checking whether the product remains within the cosmetic scope or requires quasi-drug treatment.

Importers should not decide the classification only from the overseas product category. The Japanese classification should be checked based on ingredients, claims, intended use and applicable standards.

Cosmetics and Pharmaceuticals

Cosmetics cannot normally claim to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent diseases.

Expressions such as “cures atopic dermatitis,” “removes inflammation,” “grows hair,” “eliminates spots,” or “treats acne” may exceed the cosmetic category and create pharmaceutical-like claim issues.

If the product is presented as having a strong effect on the structure or function of the body, or as treating or preventing disease, it may no longer be treated as an ordinary cosmetic.

Import and Sale Requirements

When cosmetics are imported for business sale in Japan, the importer should confirm the required PMD Act procedures before sale.

Depending on the business structure and domestic handling, cosmetics manufacturing and marketing licence requirements, cosmetics manufacturing licence requirements, product notification, import notification, foreign manufacturer-related procedures and other regulatory checks may become relevant.

The manufacturing and marketing licence covers responsibility for placing the product on the Japanese market. The manufacturing licence relates to physical manufacturing, storage, labelling, packaging or other manufacturing-related operations performed in Japan.

In import practice, the manufacturing and marketing licence side is especially important because it concerns the Japanese-side operator responsible for product release, quality control, safety management and post-market response.

The exact requirements depend on the importer’s role, whether storage, labelling, packaging or inspection is performed in Japan, and how the product is placed on the Japanese market.

Foreign cosmetic brands should usually work with a Japanese-side responsible operator, such as a marketing authorization holder or licensed importer, to confirm the regulatory route, product notification and post-market responsibility.

Ingredients and Standards for Cosmetics

Cosmetic products sold in Japan must comply with the Standards for Cosmetics and other applicable Japanese requirements.

The Standards for Cosmetics set rules on cosmetic ingredients, including prohibited ingredients, restricted ingredients and ingredients that may be used only under certain conditions.

In practice, special attention is often required for preservatives, UV absorbers, coal tar dyes, other colorants, active ingredients, plant extracts, animal-derived materials and ingredients with pharmacological effects.

Ingredients that are permitted overseas may be restricted, prohibited or subject to different conditions in Japan. Importers should check the full ingredient list, concentration, function of each ingredient, manufacturing information and Japanese ingredient naming before sale planning.

Labelling and Advertising

For cosmetics, labelling and advertising are as important as product classification.

Importers and sellers should check product labels, Japanese package descriptions, inserts, e-commerce pages, brochures, videos, social media posts, influencer content and customer testimonials.

Cosmetic claims must remain within the permitted cosmetic scope. Disease treatment, disease prevention, strong body-function effects or medical-style expressions may create PMD Act problems.

Claims such as whitening, spot removal, anti-acne, hair growth, repair, inflammation relief or medicated effects should be reviewed especially carefully because they may suggest quasi-drug or pharmaceutical-like effects depending on the wording and presentation.

Overseas package wording and website descriptions should not be translated directly into Japanese without regulatory review. A claim that is acceptable in another country may be too strong for Japan.

Personal Import and Business Import

Cosmetics may sometimes be imported by individuals for personal use. This should be separated from business import and domestic resale.

A product imported for personal use cannot simply be resold in Japan as a business product. Once the product is sold, distributed or advertised in Japan, the importer must consider PMD Act classification, licences, notifications, labelling, advertising and post-market responsibility.

Forwarders and overseas sellers should be careful when a shipment that appears to be personal import is actually connected with online resale, marketplace sale or commercial distribution.

Main Points to Check

When handling cosmetics for shipment to Japan, forwarders and import coordinators should check the following points with the importer:

• Whether the product is imported for personal use or business sale
• Whether the product is a cosmetic, quasi-drug, pharmaceutical or another regulated product
• Whether the ingredients comply with the Standards for Cosmetics in Japan
• Whether any active ingredient may create quasi-drug or pharmaceutical classification issues
• Whether sunscreen, whitening, medicated, anti-acne, toothpaste-type or hair-related claims require additional review
• Whether the importer has the necessary manufacturing and marketing licence, manufacturing licence, notification or responsible Japanese-side operator
• Whether Japanese labels, package inserts and sales descriptions are prepared
• Whether advertising claims remain within the permitted cosmetic scope
• Whether overseas product descriptions will be used in Japan
• Whether documentary evidence is retained if the importer concludes that the product is an ordinary cosmetic

Common Problems

• The invoice only says “cosmetics,” “skin care products” or “beauty goods”
• The overseas supplier assumes that foreign cosmetic compliance is sufficient for Japan
• The importer checks customs clearance but not PMD Act classification
• A product with active ingredients is treated as an ordinary cosmetic
• A medicated or functional product is not checked as a quasi-drug
• A sunscreen product is treated as ordinary cosmetics without checking ingredients and claims
• A toothpaste-type product is treated as ordinary cosmetics without checking medicinal oral-care claims
• Whitening or spot-related claims are translated directly from overseas marketing materials
• Japanese labels or ingredient names are not prepared correctly
• Advertising claims suggest disease treatment, prevention or strong body-function effects
• Customer testimonials or influencer content imply pharmaceutical-like effects
• A product imported for personal use is later sold online
• The importer does not retain evidence for the classification decision

Practical Notes for Shipments to Japan

For shipments to Japan, origin-side forwarders should be cautious when cargo descriptions include terms such as “cosmetics,” “skin care,” “hair care,” “makeup,” “beauty product,” “medicated,” “whitening,” “anti-acne,” “hair growth,” “toothpaste” or “repair treatment.”

These terms do not automatically mean that the shipment is prohibited. However, they are warning signs that the Japanese importer should confirm product classification, ingredient compliance, licence or notification requirements and advertising claims before shipment.

In Japanese practice, customs clearance and domestic sale compliance should be separated clearly. Passing import clearance does not mean that the product can be freely sold or advertised in Japan.

Relationship with Logistics and Customs

Forwarders and customs brokers are not expected to decide all PMD Act classifications by themselves.

However, they should notice when a product description suggests possible cosmetic, quasi-drug or pharmaceutical issues, and ask the importer to confirm the regulatory position.

If the product includes aerosols, alcohol, flammable ingredients, temperature-sensitive materials, animal-derived ingredients or large commercial quantities, separate logistics and import compliance checks may also be necessary.

Key Takeaway

Cosmetics in Japan are regulated products under the PMD Act, even when they are ordinary beauty products in another country.

The main issues are product classification, ingredient compliance, licence or notification requirements, Japanese labelling and advertising claims.

Sunscreen, whitening, medicated, anti-acne, toothpaste-type and hair-related products should be checked especially carefully because they may fall near the boundary between cosmetics, quasi-drugs and pharmaceuticals.

For forwarders and overseas suppliers, the safest approach is to identify cosmetic cargo early and ask the Japanese importer to confirm whether the product is a cosmetic, quasi-drug, pharmaceutical or another regulated product before shipment arrangement.