How to Overcome Import Problems in Chile: The Cosmetics Import Interview
Many people say: “Importing cosmetics to Chile is too complicated due to regulations.” Our expert says: “Not if you know THE SECRET.”
In a unique interview, he reveals WHAT to do and HOW to do it so that the “not so easy” Chilean regulations aren’t an obstacle, but rather a clear process.
Sometimes, the true value of a trade show like Vitafoods isn’t in the brochures, but in an unexpected encounter in the VIP Lounge. Amid the hustle and bustle of meetings and the constant buzz of innovation, I came across someone who would completely change my perspective on what it means to “enter a new market.”
His name is Oscar Cella.
I didn’t need more than five seconds of conversation to understand: I wasn’t just standing in front of just another expert. I was standing before someone with privileged knowledge, the kind possessed by very few, forged by repeatedly crashing into Latin America’s complex regulatory walls.
The problem was time. Our schedules were a minefield, every minute occupied, every space blocked. Getting us back together seemed like an impossible mission.
But I couldn’t let it go. I couldn’t allow that knowledge to remain just between us.
So I made a promise to Oscar Cella of Bioconnect, and I made it to myself: before Vitafoods closed its doors, Oscar and I would sit down so he could reveal to our community the secrets of one of the industry’s greatest challenges: successfully importing cosmetics and supplements to Chile.
We did it.
On the last day. Early in the morning. Before the doors opened and the chaos began again, in the silence of the fair about to wake up, we kept the promise. And what he told me was priceless. He revealed to me the three master keys that open the doors to the Chilean market.rlo para que las “no tan fáciles” normativas chilenas no sean un obstáculo, sino un proceso claro.
The First Secret: The Two Isolated Kingdoms
The first thing I understood was that in Chile there are three parallel worlds that don’t speak to each other: food and supplements (regulated by the SEREMI) and pharmaceuticals and cosmetics (regulated by the ISP).
Oscar explained to me that the strategy for entering one is radically different from the other. Believing that the same map can be used for both territories is the first and most costly mistake companies make. In the interview, Oscar details why this separation is crucial and how it directly affects the way you should present your cosmetic product.
The Second Secret: The Closed List vs. The Open Case
“Why are so many innovative products unable to enter Chile?” I asked. His answer was a revelation. For supplements, there’s a “closed list”: if your ingredient isn’t on it, it simply doesn’t exist for the regulator. But for cosmetics, the game is different.
It’s not about a list, but about building a case, demonstrating and presenting studies. It’s an open path, but only if you know how to argue. This secret is the difference between receiving a resounding “no” and obtaining a successful registration. How do you build that case? The answer is in the video.
The Third Secret: The False Security of the First Approval
This was perhaps the most shocking secret for any business seeking long-term sustainability. Oscar told me about cases where companies manage to get their product into the market once, almost by chance, and celebrate. A serious mistake.
He warned me that one successful import doesn’t guarantee the next. Without a regulated and documented process that is sustainable over time, you risk your business coming to a standstill on the second or third import. Because, as he says, “if an ingredient is a cosmetic today and is reclassified as a pharmaceutical tomorrow, the story changes completely.”
How to Overcome Import Problems in Chile
My conversation with Oscar completely changed my perception. The Chilean cosmetics market is incredibly open to innovation and high-end products. They want the best. But that openness comes at a price: scientific rigor.
The door isn’t locked, but to cross it, you must present the right credentials. It’s not enough to arrive with a revolutionary product; you must arrive with a stack of studies demonstrating why it’s so.
For the B2B cosmetics industry, the lesson is clear: Chile is not a market for improvisation. It’s a market for serious brands, with strong R&D backing, willing to demonstrate, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that the potency of their formulas is a scientific reality.
And to navigate that path, having a guide who understands the ISP’s expectations isn’t a luxury; it’s a strategic necessity.
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Te invitamos a ver el resto de las entrevistas que realizamos en el In Cosmetic
