Saudi Arabia · Cosmetics Compliance
The Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) route should be followed by all cosmetics and personal-care products that are entering Saudi Arabia. Products are listed through GHAD, must comply with current ingredient, claims, safety, and labeling requirements, and imported consignments complete the applicable conformity and clearance process through FASEH.
“SFDA Cosmetics Certification” is commonly used to describe the Saudi cosmetics compliance process, but there is no single universal certificate covering every stage.
SFDA publicly lists cosmetics notified for marketing and places responsibility for the notified product on the manufacturer or importer submitting it.
OVERVIEW
SFDA regulates cosmetics and personal-care products placed on the Saudi market. The current route should be understood as three connected compliance layers, rather than one registration certificate.
The cosmetic is listed for marketing through GHAD with the required manufacturer, product, formulation, artwork, and supporting information.
The product must meet Saudi cosmetic safety, ingredient, claim, labeling, and supporting technical standards. Based on the conformity route selected, an approved conformity body by SFDA may evaluate the product dossier, production control, inspection, sampling, or testing and give a Product Conformity Certificate, if applicable.
Imported consignments proceed through FASEH, where approved conformity bodies can inspect products and issue Consignment Certificates of Conformity before SFDA clearance.
WHO NEEDS IT
SFDA cosmetics requirements commonly apply to:
Foreign cosmetics and personal-care manufacturers exporting to Saudi Arabia
International skincare, makeup, haircare, fragrance, and oral-care brands
Exporters supplying Saudi importers and distributors
Saudi businesses importing cosmetics for retail or e-commerce
Brand owners introducing new cosmetics products, formulas, & ranges into the Saudi market
SCOPE
| Product Category | Key Compliance Focus |
|---|---|
| Makeup & color cosmetics | Ingredients, colorants, & claims |
| Skincare | Formula, claims, & warnings |
| Haircare & hair color | Restricted ingredients and use conditions |
| Fragrances & perfumery | Formula and labeling |
| Oral-care cosmetics | Ingredients and intended purpose |
| Personal care products | Category-specific safety requirements |
Claims should therefore be reviewed before packaging, listing, or advertising is finalized.
For imported cosmetics, the Saudi-side entity manages the local regulatory and import process, while the foreign manufacturer supplies the technical information required to support it.
PROCESS
Preparation
Classification, importer setup, and technical file
GHAD listing
Notification of marketing
Product conformity
Assessment where applicable
FASEH & clearance
Consignment CoC and SFDA review
Confirm that the intended use and claims qualify the product as a cosmetic rather than a drug, medical device, or another regulated category.
Make sure that the relevant corresponding Saudi-side account and commercial operations are properly established.
As needed, collect manufacturer’s authorization, manufacturing proof, formula, artwork, product information, and Product Information File data.
Compare the product’s ingredients and claims to those approved by the SFDA.CO/GSO 2528:2024. Check Arabic labels and warnings as needed.
Submit the product for notification of marketing through GHAD. SFDA maintains a public list of products notified for marketing.
Where the route requires or uses product-level conformity certification, an SFDA-designated conformity body may review the PIF, technical regulations, manufacturing controls, inspection, sampling, and testing before issuing the relevant conformity certificate.
Before an imported shipment arrives, the importer submits the clearance request through FASEH. An approved conformity body issues the Consignment Certificate of Conformity, and SFDA completes the clearance review.
DOCUMENTATION
The exact file depends on the cosmetic and conformity route, but manufacturers should be prepared for documentation across three areas.
PRODUCT COMPLIANCE
Saudi cosmetics compliance relies on two important Gulf technical regulations adopted by SFDA:
SFDA.CO/GSO 1943:2024
Safety requirements for cosmetics and personal-care products
SFDA.CO/GSO 2528:2024
Cosmetic and personal-care product claims requirements
SFDA now maintains the lists of prohibited substances, restricted substances, preservatives, colorants, and UV filters online, allowing them to be updated independently from the main regulation.
A formulation approved in another market should therefore still be checked against the current Saudi lists.
Cosmetic claims must remain appropriate for a cosmetic and be supportable. Therapeutic claims can affect classification.
Compliance with the claims regulation is required. SFDA also provides a separate claims-compliance certificate service, which should not be confused with the basic requirement to comply with the claims regulation.
Required product information should be provided in Arabic, with additional languages used alongside where permitted. Product artwork should remain consistent with the information submitted to SFDA.
CURRENT REQUIREMENTS
SFDA adopted SFDA.CO/GSO 1943:2024 and SFDA.CO/GSO 2528:2024 and moved the ingredient-control lists from fixed annexes to the SFDA website.
SFDA implemented further changes to restrictions and substances used in cosmetic products. Current formulation reviews should therefore use the live SFDA ingredient lists rather than older downloaded annexes.
Last reviewed:
COST & MISTAKES
Costs vary depending on:
Listing is one part of the compliance route.
They serve different purposes.
SFDA maintains live ingredient lists.
These can change product classification.
Submitted and marketed products should remain aligned.
This becomes important where product conformity assessment applies.
Saudi requirements still need an independent review.
SFDA clearance rules require the applicable consignment certificate through FASEH.
MARKEK SUPPORT
Markek supports cosmetics manufacturers, brands, exporters, and Saudi importers throughout the Saudi compliance process.
We confirm the cosmetic route and separate product listing, conformity, and shipment requirements.
We review the formula and marketing information against current SFDA requirements.
We coordinate manufacturer and product documentation for notification of marketing.
Where applicable, we support PIF preparation/review, manufacturing evidence, testing, and coordination with the relevant conformity-assessment body.
We support the conformity and clearance documentation required for imported shipments.
It is the Saudi compliance process for placing cosmetics on the market. Product notification/listing through GHAD is a central part of the route, together with product compliance and import-clearance requirements.
No. GHAD listing records the product for marketing, while conformity certification may involve separate product- or shipment-level assessment.
GHAD is SFDA’s unified electronic system used for services including cosmetic-product notification/listing and related product activities.
It is a product-level conformity certificate issued under an applicable conformity-assessment route to demonstrate conformity with relevant SFDA requirements. It is different from simply listing the product in GHAD.
The product conformity framework exists, but it should not be treated as a universal additional certificate for every GHAD listing. The required route should be confirmed for the specific product and conformity process.
It confirms that the cosmetic products in a specific imported shipment comply with SFDA clearance requirements. For cosmetics, the certificate is issued through FASEH by an approved conformity body.
A Product CoC relates to product-level conformity assessment. A Consignment CoC relates to a specific imported shipment, invoice, and batch/consignment details.
PIF information is an important part of cosmetic product compliance and can be reviewed during product conformity assessment. The level of documentation needed should be confirmed for the applicable route.
GMP and ISO 22716 are important manufacturing benchmarks and can form part of the conformity-assessment framework. However, ISO 22716 should not be described as a universal standalone prerequisite for every basic GHAD product listing.
Required Saudi label information should be provided in Arabic, with other languages used alongside where permitted. Artwork must remain consistent with the notified product.
All cosmetic claims must comply with SFDA.CO/GSO 2528:2024. The separate SFDA claims-compliance certificate service should not be confused with the underlying mandatory requirement to use compliant claims.
A significant formulation, ingredient, manufacturer, label, or claims change should be reviewed against the existing listing and conformity information. Updated notification or supporting documentation may be required before future shipments.
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