Overcoming Labelling Barriers for Cosmetic Imports in Chile’s Hospitality Sector
Sector:
Personal Care – Hotel Amenities
Client:
Global supplier specializing in hospitality-focused personal care and cosmetic products
Country:
Chile
The Challenge: Regulatory Overreach in Labelling Requirements
The client imported hotel toiletries (shampoo, soap, toothbrush-paste, shaving kits, etc.) in mini bottles. Chilean authorities required full consumer-level labelling (including formula details and sanitary registration numbers) on each tiny bottle. Consequently, this made the business model unviable due to printing costs and space limitations.
Strategic Turning Point
DEEP SUR challenged the literal reading of the law by showing how traceability could be achieved through master packaging, without compromising consumer safety.
The Solution: Labelling Reinterpretation and Product Grouping
- Conducted technical meetings with ISP (Instituto de Salud Pública) – Health authority (Instituto de Salud Pública)
- Proposed compliance based on secondary packaging carrying all mandatory details
- Demonstrated how traceability from master pack to individual units was preserved
- Proposed product family classification to reduce the number of required registrations despite visual or aromatic variations
The Results
- Full approval of the master labelling model based on product family classification, enabling shortened lead times at manufacturing facilities in the country of origin and facilitating seamless handling at a master level
- Over 80% reduction in labelling costs
- Group registration accepted—cutting authorization time by over half
- Business model preserved without legal risk
DEEP SUR enabled global suppliers to operate in Chile’s market without being limited by overly narrow interpretations of health labelling law. We proved that regulatory creativity, when applied with responsibility, unlocks opportunity.