About Cosmeticscope

Cosmeticscope is a reference on how cosmetics manufacturing, sourcing, packaging and compliance actually work when the supplier is in China — written for overseas brand owners who need to make a decision, not a supplier list.

What this site is

It is a set of pages that answer the questions that cost brands money: which document proves what, where legal responsibility sits, what each category demands that the generic advice misses, and in what order to do things so the cheapest path stays the cheapest. Every page gives a decision, a document or a source you can act on.

What this site is not

• Not a factory, a trading company or an export agent.
• Not a marketplace or a directory — no supplier is listed, ranked or paid to appear.
• Not affiliated with the FDA, the European Commission, or any standards or certification body.
• Not legal advice. For your specific product and market, take qualified advice.

Why it exists

China is the world's largest base for cosmetics manufacturing and packaging, and most of the material written about sourcing from it is either marketing or a summary that copies another summary. The pages here try to do the opposite: state a judgement, attach a source, and tell you where the judgement runs out.

How to use it

Start with Manufacturing & Vetting if you are choosing a factory, Compliance if you need to know who is responsible for what, and Method if you want to know how a claim on this site was decided.