China Dietary Supplement Import Regulations 2026 | Compliance Guide for Brands-Delivering trust through every batch

Latest China Import Regulations for Dietary Supplements: Cross-Border E-Commerce Compliance Guide Release time: 2026/04/08

In recent years, China has continuously strengthened import supervision over dietary supplements and health foods, with clearer and stricter requirements for cross-border e-commerce platform access, product registration, manufacturing entities, labeling, and traceability. For overseas manufacturers and brands, compliance is not only the prerequisite for entering the Chinese market but also the foundation for stable operation on major platforms such as Douyin Global Shopping and Tmall Global.

1. Stricter Supervision: Compliance Is a Mandatory Market Entry Requirement

Recent regulatory and media investigations in China have exposed issues including falsified country of origin, forged certificates, illegal labeling, and false advertising among some imported brands. All non-compliant products have been removed from shelves, and related companies are under official investigation. This sends a clear signal: China’s review of overseas dietary supplements will become even more stringent, and products with incomplete qualifications, opaque supply chains, or non-compliant records will be banned.

2. Douyin Global Shopping Compliance (Directional Access)

Douyin Global Shopping implements directional access + whitelist management for health foods and supplements, focusing on three core dimensions: business entity, brand, and product.

Entity Qualifications

Overseas entity: Valid registration certificate, notarization documents, corporate bank account, legal person ID.
Mainland China entity: General taxpayer status with business scope covering health foods, bearing joint compliance liability.

Brand Qualifications

Trademark: Registered R mark from overseas; TM mark is not accepted. Trademark region must match the country of origin.
Authorization: Max. 3 levels of authorization, clearly stating Douyin Global Shopping as the sales channel, valid for at least 6 months.

Core Product Documents

Health Food Registration/Notification Certificate (Blue Hat), registration number of overseas manufacturers in China (mandatory from June 1, 2026).
Certificate of Origin, Free Sale Certificate, third-party full-component test report, compliant Chinese label sample.
Purchase records (past 6 months) and overseas offline sales video to verify authenticity.

Platform Rules

Pay category deposit, accept platform sampling inspection and customs supervision, and commit to genuine products.

3. Tmall Global Compliance (Invitation-Only System)

Tmall Global uses an invitation-only system with higher standards, requiring compliance with both national laws and platform rules.

Entity Qualifications

Overseas entity: Notarized business license, tax and bank information; some categories need 6-month bank statements.
Mainland China entity: General taxpayer, with a designated domestic responsible party for compliance and after-sales.

Brand Qualifications

Overseas registered R mark; flagship stores require class 35 service trademarks.
Exclusive brand authorization (≥1 year) for flagship stores, max. 3 notarized authorization levels.

Product Qualifications

Blue Hat certification, overseas manufacturer registration number in China, customs filing, Chinese label approval.
Regular products may qualify for fast listing with GMP, FDA, etc. Special categories need additional production licenses and ingredient specifications.

Key Compliance

Complete cross-border e-commerce enterprise filing, enter designated bonded warehouses, and achieve triple-way matching (order, payment, logistics).
Provide overseas store certificates and customs declarations within 90 days to verify import authenticity.

4. Standard Bonded Warehouse & Customs Clearance Process

All cross-border imported supplements must enter customs-supervised bonded warehouses:

Pre-filing: Complete overseas manufacturer registration, customs product filing, and Chinese label review.
Overseas stocking: Prepare contract, invoice, packing list, Certificate of Origin, and sanitary certificate with consistent information.
Warehousing & clearance: Bonded warehouse inspection, customs declaration, inspection, and payment of comprehensive tax.
Sales & traceability: One-item-one-code traceability, direct delivery from bonded warehouse, data synchronized with customs to prevent counterfeits.

5. Key Compliance Recommendations for Overseas Brands

Complete documentation: Blue Hat, China manufacturer registration, and full authorization chain are mandatory.
Authentic supply chain: Full traceability of origin, production, authorization, logistics, and customs clearance.
Legal labeling: Comply with national standards; no false or medical-effect claims.
Pre-compliance: Complete registration and review in advance to reduce risks and costs.

China offers a huge and growing market for dietary supplements, but its regulatory system is mature and strict. By building operations on full compliance, valid certification, and reliable traceability, overseas brands can achieve long-term stable growth in China.