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Same permits apply to: beauty products.
Perfume counts as a cosmetic under the FDA Act, and the same rules cover beauty products. If you make, repack, import or distribute perfume or beauty products, you need an FDA License to Operate, and imports also need a product notification for each item. Over-the-counter retail of finished products is not listed in the licensing rule. Every seller must tag prices and never sell cosmetics past their expiry date.[1,3,4]
Perfume and beauty seller prep list
- Decide if you will make, repack, import, distribute or only retail
- Ask the FDA if your decants or refills count as repacking
- Apply for an FDA License to Operate before importing
- File a product notification for each imported item
- Check expiry dates on all stock each month
- Show a price for every item, in store and online
Making, repacking and decants
RA 9711 makes it a prohibited act to manufacture, import, export, transfer or distribute any cosmetic without an FDA License to Operate. The law defines cosmetics to include perfuming products.[3]
Pouring perfume into small bottles to sell, often called decanting, looks a lot like repacking. Ask the FDA before you start, and do not label decants with another brand's name as if they were originals.
Licence terms and import papers
An FDA cosmetic establishment licence is valid for 1 year at first and 2 years on renewal. When you import, you need a valid License to Operate and a product notification or registration for each item. FDA states 20 to 40 working days for an importer licence and 17 to 40 working days for product authorization.[4]
Plan your first import order around those processing times. Do not pay a foreign supplier for a big shipment until your licence is in hand.
Rules for every seller
RA 9711 lists selling any health product past its expiry date as a prohibited act, and health products include cosmetics.[3]
Consumer Act Art. 81 requires price tags on goods sold at retail, and DTI says the same rules apply to online stores.[1,2]
E-marketplaces must ask merchants for a name and valid government ID, or business registration documents, before listing.[5]
Questions people ask
- Do I need an FDA licence to resell perfume?
- RA 9711 requires a licence for manufacturing, importing, exporting, transferring or distributing cosmetics. Over-the-counter retail of finished products is not listed, but ask the FDA if you also buy in bulk and supply other sellers.
- How long is an FDA cosmetic licence valid?
- One year for the initial licence and two years for each renewal.
- Can I sell expired perfume at a discount?
- No. RA 9711 lists selling a health product beyond its expiry date as a prohibited act, and cosmetics are health products.
- How much is the FDA licence for a perfume business?
- FDA sets the fee. Its Advisory 2025-0032 says applications filed from 12 January 2025 pay under the newer fee order, AO 2024-0016. Ask the FDA for the current amount before you apply.
Sources
Checked 13 November 2026. We link the agency's own page for every requirement. Rules change; confirm with the office before you pay.
- DTI warns business owners, establishments that price tag is a must · Department of Trade and Industry · 6 May 2022
- Consumer Act implementation intensifies · Department of Trade and Industry · 23 January 2023
- Republic Act No. 9711 (Food and Drug Administration Act of 2009) · Lawphil Project (Arellano Law Foundation) · 18 August 2009
- Cosmetics and household urban hazardous substances such as household pesticides and toys and childcare articles | Import Licensing Procedures · WTO Import Licensing (Philippine government notification)
- Republic Act No. 11967 (Internet Transactions Act of 2023) · Congress of the Philippines (via Lawphil) · 5 December 2023
- FDA Advisory No.2025-0032 || Effectivity of Administrative Order No. 2024-0016 · Food and Drug Administration Philippines · January 2025
The extra permits, in one table
| Permit or registration | Agency | When it applies | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price tags on all consumer products sold at retail[1] | DTI | always | Not published |
| Price tags/price list also required for online selling[2] | DTI | if selling online | Not published |
| FDA License to Operate (LTO) as cosmetic manufacturer/importer/trader/distributor[3] | FDA (Center for Cosmetics and HUHS Regulation and Research) | if making, repacking, importing or distributing perfume (RA 9711 defines cosmetics to include perfuming products); pure over-the-counter retail is not listed | set by FDA (see the fee row) |
| LTO validity: 1 year initial, 2 years on renewal (cosmetic establishments)[4] | FDA | if making, repacking, importing or distributing perfume (RA 9711 defines cosmetics to include perfuming products); pure over-the-counter retail is not listed | Not published |
| Certificate of Product Notification (CPN) for each cosmetic product, plus LTO, when importing[4] | FDA | if making, repacking, importing or distributing perfume (RA 9711 defines cosmetics to include perfuming products); pure over-the-counter retail is not listed | Not published |
| No selling of health products (including cosmetics) past their expiry date[3] | FDA | always | not applicable |
| FDA fees for applications filed from 12 January 2025…[6] | FDA | if making, repacking, importing or distributing perfume | assessed by FDA under AO 2024-0016 |
Rules and exemptions
Selling rules that apply
- Submit name + valid ID or business registration documents, address…[5]