HSA notification
🇸🇬 SingaporeWhat HSA notification actually means
HSA notification tells Singapore's regulator that you are about to sell a cosmetic. It does not mean anyone checked the product. Here is what it covers, what it leaves to the company selling, and why it costs so little.
What this guide covers
- →What notification actually is
- →What it does not mean
- →What the company selling still has to do
- →Why the fee is so low
- →What happens if something goes wrong
HSA notification tells Singapore's regulator that you are about to sell a cosmetic. It does not mean anyone checked the product. HSA does not evaluate or approve cosmetics before sale, and it says its acknowledgement is not an endorsement of safety or quality. The fee buys a record that you filed. The safety work behind it is left to the company selling the product.
- It is an online filing by a Singapore company, made before the product is sold.
- The fee is S$13 per product, or S$28 for eye, lip, oral care and certain hair dye products, and S$8 from a product's fourth variant. It lasts one year.
- The acknowledgement is automatic, and you can start selling once you have it.
- HSA does not test or approve the product at this point.
- The company selling is responsible for safety and quality, and HSA checks the market afterwards.
What notification actually is
It is how HSA knows who is selling what. In HSA's words, notification exists "to facilitate regulatory follow-up should safety concerns arise". If a problem appears, HSA has a record of the product and a Singapore company to contact.
The filing goes through HSA's PRISM portal, and it needs a company registered in Singapore with the right government logins. That is why a brand with no Singapore company cannot file for itself.
Every variant needs its own notification, including each shade of a lipstick or scent of a shampoo. A product notified by another company still needs yours if you import it too. Different pack sizes of the same product do not.
What it does not mean
The acknowledgement proves you filed. It proves nothing about the product.
| What people assume | What is true |
|---|---|
| HSA checked my formula | HSA does not evaluate cosmetics before sale |
| The acknowledgement means it is safe | HSA says it is not an endorsement of safety or quality |
| I can say "HSA approved" | There is no approval to claim, and a label cannot suggest HSA endorses the product |
| My BPOM number covers this | Singapore needs its own filing. See BPOM vs HSA |
| It is done once | Each notification lasts one year, then must be filed again |
What the company selling still has to do
Notifying is the start of the work, not the end of it. HSA sets these out as the company's responsibilities:
| Responsibility | What it involves |
|---|---|
| Safety and quality | No adulterants or prohibited substances, and no breach of the limits on restricted ones |
| Supply records | Kept for two years |
| Safety and technical information | Provided to HSA when it asks. This is what a Product Information File is for |
| Adverse events | Monitored, and serious ones reported to HSA |
| Recalls | Carried out if a product has a safety concern, and reported to HSA |
Singapore's regulations call this party "the person responsible for placing the cosmetic product in the market". The industry shortens that to Responsible Person.
Why the fee is so low
Because the fee pays for a filing, not a review. HSA does not evaluate the product at this point and the acknowledgement is generated automatically, so there is little for the fee to cover. HSA does not publish its reasoning, so that is our reading.
It is not unusually cheap, either. BPOM charges Rp500,000 for three years on an ASEAN-made product, roughly S$36. Three years of HSA's S$13 fee comes to S$39.
The real cost is the work the fee does not touch:
| Work | Why it costs money |
|---|---|
| Ingredient review | Every ingredient checked against Singapore's lists and limits |
| Label sign-off | Done before you print, because a reprint is a print run |
| Safety assessment | Signed by a qualified assessor. Quotes we have seen run to several hundred US dollars a product |
| Product Information File | Assembling the evidence and keeping it ready |
| Lab tests, where needed | Contaminants do not show up on an ingredient list |
What happens if something goes wrong
HSA checks the market after products are on sale. It samples and tests products, and it picks up reports of reactions through healthcare professionals and other regulators.
If HSA finds a safety concern, the company has to take the product off the market and the public can be alerted. In April 2018, HSA warned the public about 18 cosmetics found to contain undeclared ingredients including high levels of mercury. It started a recall from shops and directed online platforms to remove the listings.
That is why the checks belong before the filing. Nothing in the filing itself will catch a problem for you.
FAQ
Is notification a licence? No. It is a filing. HSA does not test or approve the product before sale.
How soon can I sell? As soon as you have the acknowledgement, which is generated when the filing succeeds. The weeks go on the label and the safety file before that.
Can I notify the product myself? Only through a company registered in Singapore. Otherwise a Singapore company has to take on that role. We can.
Do I need to notify samples? Not if they are supplied purely as promotional samples, but the rules on ingredients, labelling and adverse events still apply.
Do fashion brands need this? No. Clothing is not a cosmetic. See do fashion brands need any approvals?
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Sources: HSA regulatory overview, HSA notification and responsibilities, HSA fees, How cosmetic products are regulated by HSA, the April 2018 HSA alert, and the Cosmetic Regulations 2007. Updated November 2026. Operational guidance, not legal advice.