How to store cosmetic ingredients and semi-finished goods: stability test conditions (25°C ± 2°C, 60% RH ± 10%), storage for oils, essential oils and emulsifiers, the new customs measures, and bonded options.
China's imports and exports of cosmetics reached RMB 171.61 billion in 2025, up 2.74% year on year, with imports at RMB 115.69 billion (source: GACC press conference, 11 May 2026). The bigger the market, the more pressure on upstream ingredient warehouses — oils, essential oils and emulsifiers fear heat, damp and light, and one summer in a general warehouse can push acid values out of spec. This article explains why cosmetic ingredients dislike temperature change, how to control temperature and humidity, and what compliance and safety require.
Why Cosmetic Ingredients Fear Temperature Change
The stability test conditions for cosmetic ingredients are themselves a temperature and humidity benchmark: registration and filing materials for new cosmetic ingredients set long-term testing at around 25°C ± 2°C and 60% RH ± 10%, accelerated testing at 40°C ± 2°C and 75% RH ± 5%, and destructive testing under heat (about 60°C), cold (about -20°C), high humidity (about 90% RH) or strong light (source: Measures for Administration of Cosmetic New Ingredient Registration and Filing Data, NMPA Announcement No. 31 of 2021). In other words, ingredients should be designed around this band from production, through transport, to warehousing. Too hot, and oils oxidize and turn rancid faster, essential oils evaporate quicker, and emulsions may split; too cold, and waxes solidify and some ingredients crystallize; too damp, and powders cake and microbes grow.
One clarification: the Chinese Pharmacopoeia defines "cool storage" as not above 20°C, but cosmetics and medical device regulations do not specify a temperature standard for "cool" (source: China Food and Drug News, 30 January 2024). So there is no mandatory national standard to copy for cosmetic ingredient warehouses — practice follows stability test conditions and the storage requirements on each ingredient's safety data sheet (SDS). This is industry practice, not regulation.
Stability Test Conditions Are the Storage Benchmark
The benchmark was renewed in 2026. On 25 June 2026, the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) issued Announcement No. 59 of 2026, publishing the new Measures for Cosmetic New Ingredient Registration, Filing and Data Management, effective 15 July 2026, which replaces the 2021 version (NMPA Announcement No. 31 of 2021). The long-term stability conditions remain the benchmark: three batches of the raw material kept in marketed packaging and storage conditions (for ambient storage, 25°C ± 2°C and 60% RH ± 10%) over the shelf-life, with the accelerated study at 40°C ± 2°C and 75% RH ± 5% (source: NMPA Announcement No. 59 of 2026; China Institute for Food and Drug Control technical guidelines, June 2026).
For a warehouse operator, this matters directly: if the raw material's registration or filing dossier is built on 25°C ± 2°C and 60% RH ± 10% long-term conditions, the storage environment should hold the same band — otherwise the goods age faster than the dossier says. Consistency between the dossier and the warehouse is what keeps both the product and the compliance story intact.
Controlling Temperature and Humidity by Ingredient Type
Different ingredients need different conditions, so classify first, then set temperature and humidity:
| Ingredient type | Temperature | Humidity | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oils and waxes | Around 25°C ± 2°C | 60% RH ± 10% | Follows stability test conditions |
| Essential oils and fragrances | Cool, dark | Moisture-proof | Volatile, avoid heat; small-lot turnover |
| Emulsifiers and surfactants | Ambient to cool | Moisture-proof, no caking | Follow package labeling |
| Powders and pigments | Dry, cool | Low humidity preferred | Prevent caking and deliquescence |
| Natural extracts and actives | Cool, dark, airtight | Low humidity | Sensitive to light and oxygen |
| Semi-finished and finished goods | Steady temperature and humidity | 40%-60% RH | Per formula and packaging |
Yunxiu's temperature-controlled warehouse covers 1,000 m² with adjustable 18-25°C zones and automatic 40-60% humidity regulation, covering most conventional ingredient ranges; ingredients needing narrower bands get dedicated zones. Volatile materials such as essential oils and fragrances are best kept cool, out of light, and turned over in small lots rather than held long.
The Market and the Risk: Why Ingredient Storage Pays
Trade data explain why upstream storage matters. GACC's 11 May 2026 press conference put 2025 cosmetics imports and exports at RMB 171.61 billion (up 2.74% year on year), with imports of RMB 115.69 billion — and KPMG's 2025 China Beauty Market Industry Report (November 2025) shows imports concentrated in five markets: France, Japan, South Korea, the United States and the United Kingdom accounted for 55.7% of import value in the first nine months of 2025. Long ocean transits and summer heat mean imported ingredients — French essential oils, Japanese emulsifiers, Korean pigments — arrive already stressed. A Guangzhou formulator receiving a container of rose essential oil in July faces a very different quality picture if the goods are staged in a 25°C stable zone rather than a sun-exposed general warehouse.
Compliance, Safety and Storage Options
Ingredient warehouse compliance is half warehouse and half paperwork. For imported cosmetic ingredients and finished goods, GACC Order No. 284, the Measures for Inspection and Quarantine Supervision of Import and Export Cosmetics, takes effect on 1 December 2026 together with Announcement No. 61 of 2026: imports declare under a domestic consignee and must correctly report special cosmetics registration numbers or ordinary cosmetics filing numbers; the requirement to store in designated places is removed and inspection moves to the consignee's or agent's declared destination; GACC also cancelled the record-filing management for import consignees (source: GACC press conference, 11 May 2026); and Shanghai pilots electronic labels for imported cosmetics from 11 May 2026. These changes make storage locations more flexible but declaration and traceability requirements stricter; policy follows official GACC publications.
On safety, classify by SDS: keep flammable solvents separate from oxidizers, acids separate from alkalis, fit appropriate fire and ventilation systems, and keep temperature, humidity and in/out records. Imported ingredients need complete labeling, batch and shelf-life ledgers for traceability and inspection.
Bonded or Standard Options
Imported cosmetic ingredients can go into a bonded warehouse: enter the zone with duty deferred, release in batches against production plans, and pair with perfume and cosmetics bonded warehousing and value-added labeling and kitting. For ingredients already bought domestically, a standard climate-controlled warehouse is enough. Import compliance details are covered in our cosmetics import regulation and perfume compliance; fees are subject to our quotation.
FAQ: Cosmetic Ingredient Storage
What temperature and humidity do cosmetic ingredients need? Industry practice follows new-ingredient stability test conditions of 25°C ± 2°C and 60% RH ± 10%; essential oils and fragrances prefer cool, dark, small-lot rotation.
Is there a mandatory standard for ingredient warehouses? No explicit mandatory standard for "cool" storage exists for cosmetics; practice follows pharmacopoeia wording, stability test conditions and SDS storage requirements.
Do the 2026 NMPA rules change storage conditions? No. Under NMPA Announcement No. 59 of 2026 (effective 15 July 2026), long-term stability conditions remain 25°C ± 2°C and 60% RH ± 10%, with accelerated testing at 40°C ± 2°C and 75% RH ± 5%.
What should I watch with imported ingredients in a bonded warehouse? From December 2026, new measures apply — declare as domestic consignee and correctly report registration or filing numbers; storage locations are more flexible but declaration and traceability are stricter.
What safety points matter in an ingredient warehouse? Classify by SDS, keep flammable solvents apart from oxidizers and acids apart from alkalis, fit fire and ventilation systems, and maintain temperature, humidity and in/out records.
Stable Ingredients, Stable Products
The value of cosmetic ingredients lies in stability — steady temperature and humidity, clear ledgers and solid compliance. Contact Yunxiu for a cosmetic ingredient storage proposal and confirmed temperature parameters — phone +86 18917757529 / jaysun@yun-xiu.cn.
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This article was written by the Yunxiu Supply Chain Policy Research Center. Policy content subject to official GACC publications and the competent authorities; policies prevail as officially published by the General Administration of Customs. Data updated to 2026.
