Bringing a skincare, make-up, hair-care or personal-care product to the Australian market is not a single approval. Three sets of rules usually apply at once: the Australian Industrial Chemicals Introduction Scheme (AICIS) regulates the ingredients, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) sets the ingredient-labelling standard, and the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) decides whether your product is really a cosmetic at all — and publishes the Poisons Standard that controls certain ingredients.
This guide walks through the practical steps an importer, brand owner or online seller needs to take, using the current 2026–27 AICIS fees. If you want a broader introduction first, read our overview of cosmetics regulation in Australia.
This article is general information, not legal or regulatory advice. Rules and fees change — always confirm the current position on the official AICIS, TGA and ACCC websites before you import or sell.
1. Is your product a cosmetic or a therapeutic good?
Everything else depends on this answer. If your product is a therapeutic good, it is regulated by the TGA and generally needs to be in the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG) before supply. If it is a cosmetic, the AICIS and ACCC rules below apply instead.
The TGA says you must consider four factors together, case by case:
- Claims — what the label, website, social media and advertising say the product does.
- Ingredients or composition — what is in the product.
- How it is administered or used — for example, applied to the skin, hair or teeth.
- Whether it is an excluded or declared good — under the Therapeutic Goods (Excluded Goods) Determination 2018 or the Therapeutic Goods (Declared Goods) Order 2019.
Claims are usually the deciding factor. Claims about cleansing, moisturising, perfuming, changing appearance or keeping the skin in good condition are generally cosmetic. Claims about preventing, treating or curing a disease or condition, or changing how the body works, generally make the product a therapeutic good. The TGA's guidance for advertisers and suppliers contrasts examples such as:
- Cosmetic: “hydrates and moisturises skin”, “smooths the appearance of fine lines”.
- Therapeutic: “repairs psoriasis patches”, “stimulates collagen production”.
Some product types sit on the boundary and are excluded from therapeutic goods regulation only if they meet every condition in the Excluded Goods Determination. Examples on the TGA's list include hair dyes and colourants, dental bleaches and whiteners, anti-dandruff and anti-acne products that work only by cleansing, moisturising, exfoliating or drying, and certain secondary sunscreens such as tinted foundations and sunbathing or tanning products. If a product fails any condition, it is not excluded and must meet the therapeutic goods requirements.
If your claims or ingredients are borderline, get the classification checked before you print labels or place an order. Our cosmetics regulatory services cover this step.
2. Who regulates what
| Regulator | What it covers for cosmetics |
|---|---|
| AICIS (Australian Industrial Chemicals Introduction Scheme) | Registration of businesses that import or manufacture cosmetics, and the categorisation of each chemical ingredient under the Industrial Chemicals Act 2019. |
| ACCC (Australian Competition and Consumer Commission) | The mandatory ingredient-labelling standard: the Consumer Goods (Cosmetics) Information Standard 2020. |
| TGA (Therapeutic Goods Administration) | Deciding the cosmetic/therapeutic boundary, regulating therapeutic goods (including primary sunscreens), and publishing the Poisons Standard. |
| States and territories | Giving legal effect to the Poisons Standard schedules through their own legislation. |
3. AICIS step 1: register your business
If you import cosmetics, or manufacture them in Australia, for commercial purposes, you must register your business with AICIS before your first introduction in each registration year. AICIS is explicit that this covers finished, labelled cosmetic products such as soap, shampoo and lotion — not just bulk chemicals.
- You register the business, not each product or chemical.
- There is no minimum quantity or value. Small, start-up and low-volume importers must still register.
- The registration year runs from 1 September to 31 August. There is no pro-rata registration, and you must renew by 31 August each year to keep introducing.
- Most businesses need an Australian Business Number (ABN). A small business can still register without an active ABN.
Overseas brands. If an Australian agent or distributor imports your products, they are the introducer and must register and pay the fees. If you export directly to Australian customers, you may be the introducer and must register before any product is shipped; AICIS requires an Australian Registered Body Number (ARBN) for this, and if you cannot obtain one you will need to use an Australian agent or distributor.
2026–27 registration fees and charges
Your registration level depends on the value of the industrial chemicals you imported and manufactured in the previous financial year (1 July – 30 June) — not your sales or profit. If you are registering for the first time and introduced nothing last financial year, you are Level 1. The following figures apply from 1 September 2026 to 31 August 2027 (GST does not apply):
| Level | Value of chemicals introduced (previous financial year) | Fee (A$) | Charge (A$) | Total (A$) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $0 to $49,999 | 85 | Nil | 85 |
| 2 | $50,000 to $99,999 | 85 | 10 | 95 |
| 3 | $100,000 to $249,999 | 85 | 20 | 105 |
| 4 | $250,000 to $499,999 | 85 | 35 | 120 |
| 5 | $500,000 to $2,999,999 | 85 | 210 | 295 |
| 6 | $3,000,000 to $4,999,999 | 85 | 375 | 460 |
| 7 | $5,000,000 to $14,999,999 | 85 | 2,450 | 2,535 |
| 8 | $15,000,000 or higher | 85 | 3,500 | 3,585 |
Source: AICIS, Fees and charges. Use the AICIS calculator to work out your value of introduced chemicals; AICIS warns not to use sales or profit figures. Payment is made through AICIS Business Services and is due by 1 September each year. These are government charges only. If your product turns out to be a therapeutic good, see our separate guide to TGA approval costs and fees.
4. AICIS step 2: categorise every ingredient
Registration is only the start. Each industrial chemical in your products must be authorised under one of five introduction categories, which you work out using the AICIS Categorisation Guide:
- Listed — the chemical is on the Australian Inventory of Industrial Chemicals (the Inventory) and you meet any conditions of its listing.
- Exempted — very low risk; some exempted introductions need a once-off exempted introduction declaration.
- Reported — low risk; you submit a once-off pre-introduction report before you start.
- Assessed — you need an AICIS assessment certificate before introduction. The statutory timeframe for an assessment is 70 working days.
- Commercial evaluation — a limited authorisation for testing a chemical's commercial potential.
Note that the Inventory replaced the older Australian Inventory of Chemical Substances (AICS) referred to in some older guides.
The animal test data ban
Since 1 July 2020, the Industrial Chemicals Act 2019 bans the use of new animal test data (from tests on live vertebrates or cephalopods conducted on or after 1 July 2020) for chemicals with an end use only in cosmetics, and restricts it for chemicals with multiple end uses including cosmetics. Limited exceptions apply, and data from tests before 1 July 2020 can still be used. You confirm compliance as part of your AICIS reporting.
| 2026 watch-out: retinal (retinaldehyde) From 27 June 2026, retinal (retinaldehyde; CAS 116-31-4) can no longer be introduced under the exempted or reported categories if it has any consumer end use — including as a cosmetic ingredient in serums, moisturisers and creams. Importers and manufacturers must apply for and receive an AICIS assessment certificate before introducing it. AICIS says this requirement does not apply to retinol and retinol esters that are on the Inventory. Source: AICIS, Retinal introductions for consumer use now need assessment by AICIS (published 14 July 2026). |
|---|
5. AICIS step 3: annual declaration and records
- Annual declaration: every registered introducer — including businesses importing cosmetic products for sale — must submit an annual declaration through AICIS Business Services by 30 November, covering the registration year that ended on 31 August. This is separate from registration.
- Records: keep records proving your registration level (such as invoices, purchase orders, receipts and import declarations) and records supporting each chemical's category. Keep them for 5 years — even after you stop introducing the chemical — and be ready to provide them within 20 working days if AICIS asks.
6. Labelling: the Consumer Goods (Cosmetics) Information Standard 2020
Cosmetic ingredient labelling is a mandatory ACCC standard under Australian Consumer Law. AICIS regulates the ingredients, not the label. The key requirements are:
- List the ingredients on the container (or on the product, if it has no container).
- Order them in descending order by mass or volume — or, alternatively, ingredients at 1% or more in descending order, then ingredients under 1% in any order, then colour additives in any order.
- Use English names or International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients (INCI) names. A list in another language can be added as well.
- Fragrances can be shown as “fragrance” or “parfum”, and flavours as “flavour” or “aroma”, instead of listing their components.
- Incidental ingredients do not need to be listed.
- For shade ranges or colour matching, colour additives can be shown with “may contain” or “+/–”.
- The list must be prominent and clearly legible. If the product's size, shape or nature makes on-pack listing impossible, the list must be shown another way, such as at the point of sale or in a leaflet.
- Alcohol-based hand sanitisers have extra requirements, including the alcohol percentage (v/v) and set warning statements.
The standard does not require the percentage of each ingredient (except alcohol in hand sanitiser). Remember that the general Australian Consumer Law, including the ban on misleading claims, applies to cosmetics as well.
7. The Poisons Standard (SUSMP) and cosmetics
The Poisons Standard — also called the Standard for the Uniform Scheduling of Medicines and Poisons (SUSMP) — classifies substances into schedules that control how they can be made available. It covers ingredients used in medicines and also in cosmetics, household chemicals and agricultural products. The schedules are given legal effect by state and territory legislation.
The current edition is the Therapeutic Goods (Poisons Standard—October 2026) Instrument 2026 (SUSMP No. 51), in force from 1 October 2026. It is updated regularly, so always check the edition in force on the date you supply.
Why it matters for a cosmetic:
- If an ingredient appears in a schedule or appendix, there may be concentration limits, conditions or specific warning statements that must appear on your label.
- The Poisons Standard also contains model requirements for labels and containers of scheduled substances — for example, signal words, cautionary statements such as “keep out of reach of children”, and child-resistant closures.
- An AICIS authorisation does not settle the scheduling position. You need to check both.
Check each ingredient against the current Poisons Standard before finalising your formula and artwork, not after printing.
8. Sunscreens: the TGA exception
Sunscreens are the most common exception to the cosmetic pathway. All primary sunscreens (products represented as primarily protecting the skin from ultraviolet radiation) are therapeutic goods and generally must be in the ARTG before supply. Some secondary sunscreens — such as tinted foundations, lip products and qualifying moisturisers or sunbathing and tanning products with an SPF between 4 and 15 — can be excluded and treated as cosmetics if they meet every condition. We cover sunscreens in full in a later guide; until then, see the TGA's Sunscreen regulation in Australia page.
9. Pre-launch checklist
- Confirm the product is a cosmetic, not a therapeutic good — check claims, ingredients, use and the Excluded Goods Determination.
- Review every claim on the label, website and social media against that decision.
- Register your business (or confirm your Australian importer is registered) with AICIS before the first shipment.
- Work out your registration level from the value of chemicals introduced, not sales.
- Categorise every ingredient and lodge any declaration, report or certificate application required.
- Check for ingredients with recent changes, such as retinal.
- Check each ingredient against the current Poisons Standard.
- Build an ingredient list that meets the Cosmetics Information Standard 2020.
- If the product has an SPF, confirm whether it is an excluded sunscreen or a therapeutic sunscreen.
- Set up record keeping and diarise the 30 November annual declaration and 31 August renewal.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need AICIS registration if I only import a small amount of cosmetics?
Yes. AICIS states there is no low-volume threshold. If you import cosmetics for commercial purposes, you must register before you introduce them.
How much does AICIS registration cost in 2026–27?
From A$85 (Level 1) to A$3,585 (Level 8), depending on the value of industrial chemicals you introduced in the previous financial year. GST does not apply.
Do cosmetics need TGA approval?
Not if they are genuinely cosmetics. Products that make therapeutic claims, or that fall outside the Excluded Goods Determination (such as primary sunscreens), are therapeutic goods and generally need to be in the ARTG.
Who sets the rules for cosmetic labels?
Ingredient labelling is set by the ACCC's Consumer Goods (Cosmetics) Information Standard 2020. Scheduled ingredients can also trigger Poisons Standard label requirements.
Can I use animal test data for a cosmetic ingredient?
New animal test data generated on or after 1 July 2020 cannot be used for chemicals with an end use only in cosmetics, except in limited circumstances set out by AICIS.
Next steps
If you are planning to import or launch a cosmetic range and want the classification, AICIS categorisation and labelling checked before launch, contact R2 Pharma Solutions for a quote. You can also read more about our cosmetics regulatory services.