PRODUCT REGISTRATION TIMEFRAME* for BASIC COSMETICS

•  Exporter's data refers to the time required by the brand manufacturer to prepare and legalise the documents prior to the start of the registration process.

•  Importer's data refers to the time required by the local distributor to submit the documents and complete product registrations, assuming the documents provided by the exporter are correct and comply with local regulation.

• *Data does not reflect the product registration processing time based on the best case scenario but the actual overall average timeframe observed during several recent product registration processes undertaken by different companies.

less than

1 month

SINGAPORE

THAILAND​

BRUNEI

MALAYSIA

between

1 to 3 months

CAMBODIA

LAOS

MYANMAR

PHILIPPINES

more than

3 months

VIETNAM

INDONESIA

FAQ

who should

register?

The selected importer/distributor must register your products prior to import and commercialisation.

This requirement is common to all ASEAN countries.

The local importer will be liable for the safety and compliance of your products at a local level.

registration

costs?

Registration costs of cosmetic 

products vary from country to country and range between $15 to $150 per product (when an agency is involved).

Agencies are often a preferred option as registrations tend to be faster and more accurate.

are registrations

transferable?

Yes, they are, in most countries.

​

In many cases, when you want to transfer the appointment to another importer/distributor, it is sufficient to re-register the products. Make contact with local FDA for further information.

ECONOMIC SCENARIO - General Overview

•  Population  &  Nominal GDP per capita  are based on International Monetary Fund's estimates.

•  GINI index  is based on World Bank's most recently available data.

• Nominal GDP has been preferred to Purchasing Power Parity GDP since the import / export trade is subject and limited to the nominal value of the local currency.

• GINI index measures the income or wealth distribution of a nation's residents. With GINI index tending to range between 0.24 and 0.49, low values indicate high levels of equality and high values indicate high levels of inequality. (Learn more)

THE BIGGEST

populations

INDONESIA

PHILIPPINES

VIETNAM

THAILAND

THE WEALTHIEST

countries

SINGAPORE

BRUNEI

MALAYSIA

THAILAND

THE MOST UNEQUAL

economies

MALAYSIA

SINGAPORE

PHILIPPINES

BRUNEI

IMPACT OF IMPORT TAX & SALES TAX on landed cost

• The above chart provide an overview of the landed cost of goods by country after factoring in shipping cost & insurance, import tax and sales tax.

  • For instance, when an Italian company sells $1 product to a Thai Importer / Distributor, the landed costs of that good become $1.452 after reaching Thailand.

•  Import tax  &  Sales tax  (e.g VAT, GST, etc.) refer to a goods classified under the category "body wash" (HS code: 33049990). Import tax for different product categories may differ according to their HS codes.

•  Assumption  Shipping cost & Insurance account for 10% of the value of the goods.

•  Import tax  is calculated on the CIF value (cost of goods, insurance, freight) of the goods. 

•  Sales tax  is calculated on the CIF value + Import tax of the goods.

•  Landed cost  is calculated as follows

  • Costs of​ goods: $10.000

  • Insurance & Freight: $1.000

  • CIF Value: $11.000

  • Import tax (e.g 20%): CIF value x 20% = $11.000 x 20% = $2.200

  • Sales tax (e.g. 10%): (CIF value + Import tax) x 10% = ($11.000 + $2.200) x 10% = $13.200 x 10% = $1.320

  • Landed cost: CIF value + Import tax + Sales tax = $11.000 + $2.200 + $1.320 = $14.520

NO IMPORT TAX

countries

MALAYSIA

SINGAPORE

NO SALES TAX

countries

BRUNEI

HIGH TAX BURDEN

countries

CAMBODIA

PHILIPPINES

VIETNAM

RETAIL SCENARIO - Analysis of modern trade (chain of pharmacies & drugstores)