Cosmetics trading licence, for skincare and make-up
A cosmetics trading licence needs every product registered with Dubai Municipality, and a treatment claim moves it to medical rules.
- Usual route
- Mainland or free zone
- Extra approval
- Product registration
- Timeline
- Weeks
- AML
- Not a DNFBP activity
A cosmetics trading licence in Dubai comes from DET or a Dubai free zone, and every product is registered with Dubai Municipality before it is sold. The registering company must be incorporated in Dubai or hold a warehouse there. Products claiming to treat acne, eczema or hair loss fall outside the cosmetics rules altogether.
- Covers
- Skincare, make-up, hair, nail and oral care, retail and wholesale
- Not covered
- Perfume, products with medical claims and own manufacturing
- Premises
- A shop, kiosk or warehouse in Dubai
- Timeline
- Weeks; product registrations set the launch date
What counts as a cosmetic in Dubai?
Anything that cleans, protects or changes how skin, hair, nails or teeth look is a cosmetic. Claims to treat a condition fall outside.
Covered
Not covered
- Covered by Perfume trading
- Covered by medical product rules under EDE
- Covered by Aesthetic clinic
- Covered by a cosmetics manufacturing licence with GMP
Tick what you plan to do. The result shows here.
We fix the wording before you apply. Send us your list on WhatsApp
A clinic or salon selling its own skincare to walk-ins adds this activity, and each product still registers before it reaches the shelf.
Shop, online store or distributor
Walk-in shops sit on the mainland. Distributors can hold stock in a free zone, but the registering company needs a Dubai base.
| If most of your clients are | Likely route | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Shoppers in malls and neighbourhoods | Mainland (DET) | A cosmetics shop is retail under DET |
| Online buyers across the UAE | Either route | An online selling activity on a Dubai licence, with every product registered |
| Retailers and salons buying wholesale | Either route | A Dubai distributor registers the range, then supplies shops and salons |
| Distributors abroad, through re-export | Free zone | Stock for re-export can sit in a Dubai free zone |
A Dubai free zone distributor supplying mainland retailers regularly can add a DET branch licence or permit (Executive Council Resolution 11 of 2025). Retail sales to individuals fall outside QFZP qualifying income.
Several free zones license this activity; we match the zone to your visas, office and banking. Compare free zones
Three questions. The closest row is marked in the table above.
Your likely route shows here.
Cosmetics trading licence approvals
No cosmetic may be imported, sold or advertised in Dubai until Dubai Municipality registers it. The registering company must be incorporated in Dubai or hold a Dubai warehouse, with cosmetics on its licence.
Before the licence
- Trade name and initial approvalDET or the free zone
The licence
- Licence with cosmetics activitiesDET or the free zone
After the licence
- Each product registeredDubai Municipality
- Influencer posts and adverts approvedDubai Municipality
- Treatment products, if anyEmirates Drug Establishment (EDE)
- Corporate bank accountThe bank
We read every label claim before a product is filed.
What does your label claim?
Tick the claims and uses on your packs. The heaviest one shows what the product needs before it can sell in Dubai.
We read the artwork before it goes to print, because one word on a pack can move a product out of cosmetics.
Tick every claim or use on your range
| What you plan | Points to |
|---|---|
| standard Dubai Municipality registration for each product | |
| standard Dubai Municipality registration for each product | |
| registration as a professional, B2B or hotel product, labelled for that use | |
| registration plus a valid halal, organic or vegan certificate for the claim | |
| registration plus clinical studies that back the claim | |
| medical product rules under the Emirates Drug Establishment, outside cosmetics registration | |
| medical product rules under the Emirates Drug Establishment, outside cosmetics registration |
Tick a line to see where your plan points.
Marketplace payouts and the bank
Bank viewStandard; imports and marketplace payouts draw questions
Banks see cosmetics trading as standard retail or distribution. Questions come from imports and sales channels. Large orders from overseas manufacturers often leave before launch, and marketplace payouts and payment links arrive in many small amounts. We put the trade licence, supplier invoices, your product registrations and the marketplace agreements into the account file together, so the money in and out matches the range you sell.
AMLNot a DNFBP activity; the bank's own customer checks still apply.
Where cosmetics launches stall
A treatment claim on a cosmetic label
Words such as treats acne or stops hair loss take a product outside cosmetics registration. The pack is reprinted or the product moves to medical rules, and the launch waits.
Registering from outside Dubai
The registering company must be incorporated in Dubai or hold a warehouse there, with cosmetics on its licence. A brand based elsewhere registers through a Dubai importer or sets up its own Dubai company.
A halal logo without its certificate
A halal, organic or vegan mark on the pack needs a valid certificate at registration. Packs printed before the certificate arrives may need a second run.
Questions about a cosmetics trading licence
A question about your plan? Describe your cosmetics trading plan and an advisor replies on WhatsApp.
Ask on WhatsAppHow much does a cosmetics trading licence cost in Dubai?
What are the cosmetics licence requirements in Dubai?
Who can register cosmetic products in Dubai?
Can I sell skincare online in Dubai?
Can I sell private label cosmetics in Dubai?
Related pages
IndustryBeauty and wellness business setupA salon license in Dubai depends on one line of your menu: beauty, spa or medical aesthetics, the approvals each needs, and the premises that fit.
ActivityPerfume trading licence in DubaiA perfume trading licence covers sealed stock; decanting or blending changes the activity, and every product needs municipality registration.
ActivityAesthetic clinic licence in DubaiInjectables and medical lasers belong in a DHA-licensed clinic, and your treatment menu sets which doctors the clinic needs.
Will your labels pass as cosmetics? We read the artwork with you
Fifteen minutes on your range, your labels and where you will sell. You leave with the activities, the route and which products register as cosmetics.
On the call
- The activity wording that fits your plan
- The route, and the approvals in order
- A written quote before any work starts
