Cosmetics — wholesale sourcing and export

Cosmetics is the highest-margin category we handle and the one where paperwork decides whether a shipment moves at all. Türkiye has a real colour cosmetics and skincare manufacturing base, much of it geared to private label, and it competes well on both quality and lead time.

The compliance point is worth being blunt about. Selling cosmetics into the EU requires a Responsible Person established inside the EU, a Product Information File and a Cosmetic Product Safety Report signed by a qualified safety assessor, plus notification through the CPNP portal. Most of that file comes from the manufacturer, not the trader — which means a Turkish producer without a CPSR simply cannot supply the European market, however good the product is. We treat that as the first filter when we select a supplier for an EU order, and we will tell you plainly if a line you have asked for cannot meet it.

For Gulf, North African and Central Asian destinations the regime differs — GSO technical regulations, G-Mark, SFDA notification — and the local importer usually carries the filing. Our job there is to supply a documentation pack complete enough for them to do it without three rounds of email.

What we source in this category

• Colour cosmetics — foundation, powder, concealer
• Eye — mascara, liner, shadow, brow
• Lip — lipstick, gloss, liner, balm
• Nail polish, treatment and remover
• Facial skincare — cleanser, serum, moisturiser, mask
• Sun care and after-sun
• Fragrance — eau de parfum, eau de toilette, body mist
• Beauty tools and applicators

Packing and loading

• High value per cubic metre — neither weight nor volume usually binds, so freight is a small share of landed cost
• Glass primary packaging needs proper corner protection and tier separation
• Nail polish and alcohol-based fragrance are flammable: dangerous goods declaration, segregated stowage, UN-approved packaging
• Temperature matters for emulsions and lipstick — routing planned around it, not hoped for

Documentation that travels with it

• Commercial invoice and packing list
• Certificate of Origin; A.TR or EUR.1 where applicable
• Product Information File and Cosmetic Product Safety Report — mandatory for EU market access
• CPNP notification, filed by the EU-established Responsible Person
• INCI ingredient declarations and PAO / expiry marking
• GSO conformity, G-Mark, SFDA notification for Gulf destinations
• Free Sale Certificate where the destination requests it
• Dangerous goods declaration for flammable lines
• Halal certification where the destination requires it

Tariff classification. Predominantly HS Chapter 33. The exact commodity code depends on the individual product and is confirmed on the invoice.