Labelling Requirements

Cosmetic labels in Vietnam must satisfy two layered regimes: 1. **General goods labelling** — Decree 43/2017/NĐ-CP on labels of goods circulated in Vietnam, as amended by Decree 111/2021/NĐ-CP. 2. **Cosmetic-specific labelling** — Circular 06/2011/TT-BYT, Chapter on labels, which transposes the ACD label requirements. A compliant cosmetic label must show, in Vietnamese (or with a Vietnamese supplementary label for imports): **Mandatory primary information:** • **Product name and function** — e.g., "Sữa rửa mặt — Facial Cleanser". Function is required when not obvious from the name. • **Responsible company** — name and address of the organisation/individual responsible for placing the product on the Vietnamese market (tổ chức, cá nhân chịu trách nhiệm). • **Manufacturer** — name and address of the actual manufacturing site (may differ from the responsible company). • **Country of origin** — Made in [country] / Xuất xứ. • **Net content** — in metric units (g, ml, etc.) with the value displayed in Arabic numerals. • **Batch / lot number** — Số lô SX, in any consistent format traceable to the manufacturer's production records. • **Manufacturing date and/or expiry date**: - For products with stability **≥30 months**, the **period-after-opening (PAO) symbol** may be used (open-jar icon with a number followed by "M", e.g., "12M"). - For products with stability **<30 months**, the **expiry date** is mandatory (NSX-HSD or HSD format). • **Special use instructions and warnings** — including any specific warnings required by Annex III, VI, or VII (e.g., "Contains AHAs. Use sunscreen during the day. Sensitivity may occur in some individuals."). • **Ingredient list** — using **INCI (International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients)** names, headed by "Ingredients:" or "Thành phần:", in descending order of concentration. Ingredients at concentrations **≤1%** may be listed in any order after the >1% ingredients. Colourants may be listed at the end after the symbol "+/-" (may contain). **Supplementary label for imports**: per Decree 111/2021/NĐ-CP, Article 10, imported cosmetics that bear the original foreign-language label may attach a Vietnamese supplementary label (nhãn phụ) before customs clearance or at the first point of distribution. The supplementary label must cover all required information that is not in Vietnamese on the original. **INCI conventions**: Vietnam accepts the EU/US INCI nomenclature (Personal Care Products Council INCI Dictionary, cross-referenced with COSING). Botanical ingredients use the Latin binomial name per Linnaean classification; common names in parentheses are allowed but not sufficient on their own. **Online product listings** (per Decree 111/2021): the same mandatory label content must appear on the product detail page when sold online, in Vietnamese.

General label framework: • Decree 43/2017/NĐ-CP — labels of goods circulated in Vietnam. Issued 14 April 2017, effective 1 June 2017. • Decree 111/2021/NĐ-CP — amends Decree 43/2017. Issued 9 December 2021, effective 15 February 2022. Clarifies supplementary-label rules for imports, country-of-origin rules, and online-listing content. • Circular 05/2019/TT-BKHCN — detailed guidance on label content under Decree 43/2017. Cosmetic-specific label framework: • Circular 06/2011/TT-BYT, Chapter on labels — required label fields, INCI declaration, PAO use, supplementary-label requirements. • ASEAN Cosmetic Directive, label provisions — original harmonised text. • ASEAN Cosmetic Labelling Guidelines — interpretation of label content, language and graphic-symbol use. Penalty framework: • Decree 117/2020/NĐ-CP — administrative penalties for cosmetic-label non-compliance. Fines for missing batch number, missing/expired notification number on label, non-Vietnamese label without supplementary label, missing INCI declaration.

Decree 111/2021 impact: • Online-listing content rule (Article 12 amendments) means cosmetic product detail pages on e-commerce platforms must show the same Vietnamese mandatory information as the physical label; platforms can be required to remove non-compliant listings. • Country-of-origin rule clarifications mean "Made in [country]" must reflect the substantial-transformation origin, not just the assembly or packing country. Common compliance gaps in 2024–2025 inspections (DAV / DOH reports): • Vietnamese supplementary labels that omit INCI declaration because the original foreign label has it; the rule now clearly requires the INCI list to be reproduced on or cross-referenced from the Vietnamese label. • Missing or incorrect PAO symbols on imported products where the original-language label uses a different best-before format. • Notification numbers shown on label that no longer match the current valid number (after re-notification due to formula change). ASEAN guideline updates: • Ongoing harmonisation work on **e-label** (electronic on-pack QR code) acceptance for non-mandatory information; the mandatory label still needs to be on the physical package.