Africa · Nigeria
What does it take to sell cosmetics in Nigeria? Entry route, responsibility, labeling
Mandatory pre-market registration with NAFDAC via the NAPAMS e-portal (registration; Responsible person: Foreign manufacturers must appoint a Nigerian-incorporated …; Labeling: English mandatory with INCI ingredients in descen….
Latest change 2023 — Cosmetic Products Registration Regulations 2023 (posted by NAFDAC in Feb 2024) restated mandatory registration; no new cosmetics regulation was found for 2025-2026, only enforcement actions. Source
Factory-side digest; the official text prevails; not legal advice.
- Authority
- National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC)
- Main regulation
- NAFDAC Act Cap N1 LFN 2004; Cosmetic Products Registration Regulations 2023; Cosmetics Products Labelling Regulations 2019 · NAFDAC Act Cap N1 LFN 2004 with the Cosmetic Products Registration Regulations 2023, Cosmetics Products Labelling Regulations 2019 and Cosmetics Products (Prohibition of Bleaching Agents) Regulations 2019
- In force
- 1993
- Market entry
- Mandatory pre-market registration with NAFDAC via the NAPAMS e-portal (registration.nafdac.gov.ng), with the certificate valid 5 years and renewable.
- Responsible person
- Foreign manufacturers must appoint a Nigerian-incorporated local representative holding a Power of Attorney or contract-manufacturing agreement, in whose name the certificate is issued.
- Safety file
- Certificate of Manufacture and Free Sale, comprehensive Certificate of Analysis, GMP inspection of the factory, label artwork and NAFDAC laboratory analysis; skin-lightening agents require precautionary statements.
- Labeling
- English mandatory with INCI ingredients in descending order, NAFDAC registration number, batch, manufacturing/expiry dates, net content, manufacturer and country of origin, and warnings for skin-lightening agents.
- Animal testing
- No statutory ban identified.
- Ingredient lists
- NAFDAC prohibited/restricted substances, notably bleaching agents (mercury, corticosteroids, hydroquinone above the permitted limit) under the 2019 Bleaching Agents Regulations, with EU/ASEAN lists used as reference.
- Notes
- NAFDAC regulation PDFs could not be opened, so commencement dates are year-only (in_force_since is the year NAFDAC was created); the exact hydroquinone limit was not verified from an official text.
- Official text
- https://nafdac.gov.ng/cosmetics-medical-devices/cosmetics-guidelines/
FAQ
Does Nigeria require notification or registration before sale?
Mandatory pre-market registration with NAFDAC via the NAPAMS e-portal (registration.nafdac.gov.ng), with the certificate valid 5 years and renewable.
Is a local responsible person mandatory in Nigeria?
Foreign manufacturers must appoint a Nigerian-incorporated local representative holding a Power of Attorney or contract-manufacturing agreement, in whose name the certificate is issued.
What are the labeling requirements in Nigeria?
English mandatory with INCI ingredients in descending order, NAFDAC registration number, batch, manufacturing/expiry dates, net content, manufacturer and country of origin, and warnings for skin-lightening agents.
What changed recently in Nigeria cosmetic regulation?
2023 Cosmetic Products Registration Regulations 2023 (posted by NAFDAC in Feb 2024) restated mandatory registration; no new cosmetics regulation was found for 2025-2026, only enforcement actions.
Related buyer questions
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