How to Verify a Chinese Cosmetics Manufacturer Before You Pay a Deposit

Verify a Chinese cosmetics manufacturer with four checks: confirm every certificate number on the issuer's own portal; read the certified scope, not just the certificate title; cross-check claimed export volumes against UN Comtrade customs data; and make sure the legal entity name is identical on certificates, invoices and B2B platform pages. This is the same checklist we expect customers to run on us.

1. A certificate number can be verified. A certificate picture cannot.

Ask for four things about every certification: the certificate number, the issuing body, the expiry date, and the legal entity name on the certificate.

For example, the certificates held by the factory we work with are:

You can see the documents on our certifications page. The point of listing the numbers is that they can be checked with the issuing body — a number is a verifiable claim, whereas a scanned image is not.

2. Read the scope, not the title

This is the step buyers skip most often. A certificate titled "GMP" tells you the facility was audited against a standard. The scope tells you which production units the audit covered.

The certified scope on the two SGS certificates above reads: general liquid units (skin care waters, gel products); cream and lotion units (hair care products); wax units (wax-based products) — and it records certified production conditions for eye skin care and baby and child skin care cosmetics.

Now apply that to your own order. If you want a sheet mask produced and the supplier's scope only covers wax-based products, the certificate does not cover your product, however impressive the logo looks. Ask directly: "Does your certified scope cover the production unit my product will run in?"

3. Cross-check claimed volumes against customs data

Trade statistics are public, and they are a useful sanity check on a supplier's claims.

The method: ask which HS code the factory ships under and roughly how many containers or how much value it exports per year. Then look the code up in UN Comtrade. For skincare and masks, the relevant code is HS 3304.

Two cautions, and they matter:

• A mismatch is not proof of dishonesty. National statistics disagree with each other for structural reasons — the UK's own reported imports for this code are effectively unusable in UN Comtrade, and Russia does not report at all. See the market-by-market analysis in Where Chinese Cosmetics Exports Actually Go.
• Use it to ask better questions, not to accuse. "Your volume looks larger than the customs data for that code — which entity invoices those shipments?" is a reasonable question. It also gets you to the next point.

4. The brand name is not the legal entity

An international brand name and the company that holds the certificates, signs the contract and issues the invoice are often different. Ours are:

• International brand: Skincraftlab
• Legal entity on certificates and invoices: Zhongshan Kailei Personal Care Supplies Co., Ltd.

Both are legitimate — but you should know which one you are contracting with. Ask: "Which legal entity will appear on the invoice, and is it the same entity that holds the certificates?" If the answer is "a different company, but don't worry", ask for the relationship in writing.

This also applies to B2B marketplace profiles. During our own audit in September 2026 we found inconsistencies between the profile fields on our Alibaba and Made-in-China storefronts and our corporate documents — an outdated company name, an incorrect business category, and a minimum-order field that did not match our published terms. We corrected them. If a supplier's marketplace profile contradicts its certificates, that is worth one direct question.

5. Clear your brand before you print packaging

Neither the factory nor the marketplace can clear your trademark for you. Before you approve packaging artwork:

• Search EUIPO (euipo.europa.eu) for your brand name in the classes you intend to sell in.
• Search the US USPTO register if you are selling in the United States.
• Ask your manufacturer to keep brand artwork files separate from formula documentation, so a rebrand does not force a reformulation.

Background: Do I need my own trademark before finding a private label skincare manufacturer?

6. Red flags

7. What to ask in your first email

1. Certificate numbers, issuing bodies and expiry dates for GMP/ISO certifications
2. The certified scope, and which production unit your product will run in
3. The legal entity that will appear on the invoice
4. Manufacturing site address, and whether the certificate matches it
5. Minimum order quantity per SKU, and per colour or formula variant
6. Lead time for a first batch and for a repeat order
7. Which HS code they normally ship your product under
8. Whether stability and preservative challenge testing are included

FAQ

How do I know a Chinese cosmetics factory's GMP certificate is real? Ask for the certificate number and the issuing body, then verify that number with the issuer. A number that cannot be confirmed, or that belongs to a different company name, is the clearest warning sign.

What is the difference between a GMP certificate and a certified scope? The certificate states that the facility passed an audit against a standard. The scope states which production units and product categories the audit covered. A factory can hold a valid certificate that does not cover the type of product you are ordering.

Can I check a supplier's export volumes? Partly. National trade statistics in UN Comtrade are public and can be queried by product code, but they are country-level, not company-level, and different countries report inconsistently. Use them as a directional check.

Is it a problem if the brand name differs from the company name? Not by itself — it is common for a manufacturer to sell internationally under a brand while contracting through its legal entity. The problem is not knowing which entity holds the certificates and issues the invoice.

What should I verify before paying a deposit? Certificate numbers verified with the issuer, the certified scope covering your product category, the invoicing entity in writing, a sample from the actual production line, and a clear written statement of MOQ, lead time and what happens if the batch fails testing.

We expect to be checked

Every number on this page is one you can verify independently — the certificate numbers with SGS, and the trade data with UN Comtrade. If you want to run the checklist against us, request the documents or ask us directly; we will also tell you which parts of our own marketplace profiles we had to correct. To review production capability first, see our OEM/ODM catalogue and MOQ and pricing.

Related reading: Cosmetics GMP vs ISO 22716: Which Certification for a Chinese Cosmetics Exporter? · EU Responsible Person Requirement