Private label cosmetics for the UAE, made in India

Selling private label cosmetics in the United Arab Emirates starts with a UAE business that owns the registration. Your importer, distributor or your own UAE company registers each product and clears each shipment. We make the product in our own facility in Ambala, Haryana, India, and supply the technical file, label support and shipping documents that the registration and clearance steps depend on. This page uses Dubai Municipality's published guidance as the worked example, because it sets out the registration and clearance steps in detail.

Who is legally responsible when you sell cosmetics in the UAE?

Responsibility sits with the business that places the product on the UAE market, not with the overseas manufacturer. Dubai Municipality's technical guidelines for cosmetics and personal care products say that, for products made abroad, the importer or the manufacturer's local agent registers them. The applicant must be a company incorporated in Dubai, or with a warehouse in Dubai, holding a Dubai trade licence that covers cosmetics activities. That applicant is responsible for the product, its safety and the information supplied with the application.

At federal level, the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology (MoIAT) runs the Emirates Conformity Assessment Scheme (ECAS). Its conformity certificate service for products under health and safety requirements includes cosmetics, and the applicant needs a valid UAE trade licence.

In practice, the responsible party is your UAE importer, your distributor or your own UAE-licensed company. We do not register products in the UAE and hold no UAE registration for your products. We provide the documents and support that the registering company needs.

What has to happen before products go on sale?

Dubai Municipality's guidance states that no cosmetic product may be manufactured, imported, advertised, sold or distributed in Dubai unless it is registered in Montaji, the municipality's consumer product platform. The usual sequence is:

1. Company registration in Montaji. The importing company registers with its trade licence and a valid importer code.
2. Consumer Product Registration (CPRE). Each product is registered with its dossier: a free sale certificate, product artwork, an ingredient report from the manufacturer and a laboratory test report, plus other documents where requested.
3. Import clearance per consignment. The importer files a release request in Montaji. The goods are then inspected at the port of entry against the packing list and documents.

Products brought in only for re-export, exhibitions, market tests or marketing samples are listed in Montaji rather than registered. A listed product is not a registered product and cannot be sold on the local market on that basis.

MoIAT's published regulation card for cosmetics lists further items for a conformity certificate. These include a test report from an accredited laboratory against the Gulf safety standard for cosmetics (GSO 1943), a formula declaration from the manufacturer, label artwork, a product safety report and a certificate of analysis. Ask your importer whether your categories need a MoIAT conformity certificate as well as Montaji registration. If you sell in other emirates, ask them which authority's process applies there.

What must a UAE cosmetics label show?

Dubai Municipality's guidance asks for the required label information in clear English and/or Arabic. Printing English and Arabic together covers both options. A bilingual label also helps if you later sell in Saudi Arabia, where SFDA requires certain label information in Arabic. The guidance lists items such as:

• Brand name and product name.
• Name and address of the manufacturer or the agent acting in the UAE.
• Country of origin, for example "Made in India".
• Ingredients, using INCI or botanical names.
• Pack size, batch number and a unique barcode for each product.
• Production and expiry dates, printed or on non-removable stickers.
• Storage conditions, directions for use, intended use and warnings.
• Symbols where relevant, such as the period-after-opening symbol.

The guidance also rules some content out. Medical claims are not allowed, and neither are illustrations that conflict with prevailing social customs and values. If the label carries a Halal logo, a valid Halal certificate is mandatory. Label information must be clear and indelible, and the label should not be easy to remove. Our custom packaging team can print bilingual artwork directly on the pack.

Which documents will your importer ask us for?

Requests vary by importer and product type. These are the items that appear in Dubai Municipality and MoIAT guidance, or that importers commonly add:

• Free sale certificate. Dubai Municipality asks for one from the country of origin, issued by a regulatory authority or a recognised body such as a chamber of commerce. Plan for it early.
• Ingredient report. The full composition with concentrations, with CAS numbers for chemical ingredients such as preservatives, signed and stamped by the manufacturer.
• INCI ingredient list for the label.
• Laboratory test report from a certified laboratory using accredited methods.
• Product specification and certificate of analysis for the batch shipped.
• Safety data sheet (SDS/MSDS). Dubai Municipality may ask for one at clearance for perfumery raw materials.
• Stability and compatibility information and a justification for the period after opening, where requested.
• Source declarations. For example, a certificate of the animal or non-animal source of ingredients such as stearic acid.
• Halal certificate if you plan a Halal logo.
• Trade documents. Commercial invoice, packing list and certificate of origin.

Our testing and documents service prepares this file. Our facility is ISO certified and GMP-compliant, with Halal certification. These are facts about the facility, not UAE approvals. If you want a Halal logo, raise it in your brief so we can confirm what our certification covers for your product.

Which ranges suit the UAE market?

Start with products that have simple dossiers and clearly cosmetic claims. Then build out once your importer's registration routine is working.

• Body and massage oils and body butters carry well with bilingual labels and suit gifting.
• Hair serums, tonics and masks suit a hair line built around oils, conditioning and masks.
• Hotel amenities suit hospitality buyers who want their own branded bathroom range. See our hotel amenities service.
• Moisturisers make a core skincare line.

Keep oil and fragrance descriptions cosmetic, with no health or therapeutic wording.

How does an order to the UAE work with us?

1. Brief. Tell us the products, the emirate and channel, and who will register them. The how it works page sets out our side.
2. Samples and formula check. Your importer reviews the ingredient list against UAE requirements before you approve.
3. Documents and artwork. We prepare the ingredient report, specifications and test information. You or your importer sign off the bilingual label.
4. Registration. Your importer completes Montaji registration, and a MoIAT certificate where needed, before the goods are cleared for sale.
5. Production. Ready formulas start from 500 units per product. Dubai Municipality expects imported products to have a good share of their shelf life left on entry, so we plan production close to dispatch.
6. Shipping. Our fulfilment and export service packs cartons to match the packing list exactly. Consignments that do not match the list can be held at the port.

For the wider picture, read our guide to exporting cosmetics from India.

Next step

Send us your product list, target emirates and importer details through the UAE inquiry form. We will confirm the documents we can prepare and plan the shipment. Requirements change, so confirm the current rules with your importer or a regulatory adviser before you file or ship.