ZMUni Compliance Centre

Imports of cosmetics in China reached $16.18 billion, marking a mild 0.9% year-on-year decline—the smallest drop since imports entered a negative growth cycle in 2022 and a significant improvement from the 9.0% contraction in 2024.   Import Slump Eases Significantly, Domestic Market Warms Up   China's cosmetics imports have been in a sustained negative growth phase since 2022, with declines of 10.6%, 19.4% and 9.0% in 2022, 2023 and 2024, respectively, resulting in a total reduction of $8.55 billion over the three years. Although still in negative territory, the marginal 0.9% decline in 2025 signals a clear stabilization and recovery

This article provides a comprehensive overview of key regulatory developments in the food sector in January 2026, both in China and internationally. It focuses on updates related to new food ingredients, food additives, health foods, and feed, aiming to offer timely and in-depth regulatory alerts for enterprises engaged in food import and export.   China Food Regulatory Updates Chinese Mainland   🔘 China Approves New Health Function Claims to Support Bone and Joint Health   On January 15, 2026, China's State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) officially added a new health function to the Health Function Catalogue Allowed for Health Food Claims - Helps

    On February 6, China's National Institute for Food and Drug Control(NIFDC) issued a notice, seeking public comments on six cosmetic standards, all of which pertain to microbiological testing methods. Comments can be submitted through the Cosmetic Standards Development and Revision Management System by March 22, 2026.   The six draft standards are as follows: 1. General Guidelines for Microbiological Examination Methods in Cosmetics 2. Aerobic Plate Count in Cosmetics 3. Detection of Thermotolerant Coliform Bacteria in Cosmetics 4. Detection of Staphylococcus Aureus in Cosmetics 5. Detection of Mold and Yeast in Cosmetics 6. Detection of Burkholderia cepacia Complex in Cosmetics

From January 24 to February 6, 2026, 12 new cosmetic ingredients (NCIs) have completed notifications with China's National Medical Products Administration (NMPA).     The technical requirements for the 12 NCIs mentioned above have not been disclosed, and they have not yet entered the safety monitoring period. Among them, biotech-based ingredients represent the largest share and have emerged as a key focus in China's NCI notification landscape in recent years.     Chemical Ingredients   Chemical ingredients are characterized by well-defined molecular structures and relatively mature manufacturing processes. Among all NCIs notified to date, chemical ingredients still represent the largest category.   Notification 20260017 by Botanee Group This ingredient marks

    On February 5, 2026, China's National Health Commission (NHC) officially approved 22 substances as "Three-New Food", including 5 new food ingredients, 11 new food additive varieties, and 6new food-related products.   The details of the new food ingredients and additive varieties are as follows:   New food ingredients:   No. Name in CN Name in EN 1 栀子油 Gardenia oil 2 香玉牡丹花 XiangYu peony flower 3 褐藻寡糖 Alginate oligosaccharide 4 长双歧杆菌婴儿亚种 YLGB-1496 Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis YLGB-1496 5 亚麻荠籽油 Camelina seed oil   New varieties of food additives   No. Name in EN Remark 1 D-psicose3-epimerase New varieties of enzyme preparation 2 Glucoseisomerase (xyloseisomerase) 3 Deaminase 4 Sucrose

The global cosmetics regulatory environment continues to evolve. To help businesses stay updated with regulatory changes, ZMUni Compliance Center regularly releases a monthly recap of global cosmetics regulations. This article covers the regulatory developments related to cosmetics in China and globally in January 2026, with an emphasis on updates in cosmetic ingredients and cosmetic management, among other areas.     China Cosmetic Regulatory Updates New Cosmetics Ingredients (NCI) In January 2026, 19 new cosmetic ingredients were notified with the China National Medical Products Administration (NMPA). They include:   The technical requirements for the 19 NCIs mentioned above have not been disclosed, and they have not

On February 2, 2026, China's General Administration of Customs (GACC) released its list of non-compliant imported food products for December 2025. A total of 406 batches from 40 countries and regions were denied entry, representing  a month-on-month decrease of approximately 9% (down 38 batches from 444 in November) and a year-on-year decline of about 12% (down 54 batches from 460 in the same period last year).   The rejected shipments covered a wide range of categories, including frozen meat and poultry products, edible oils, beverages, confectionery, aquatic products, preserved fruits, complementary foods for infants and young children, and seasonings. By country of origin, the United

ZMUni Compliance Centre recently supported Shenzhen CynbioX Biotech in completing the Self-GRAS scientific safety evaluation for its AKG and Ca-AKG products under U.S. FDA GRAS guidelines, culminating in expert consensus. As one of the first domestically fermented AKG products to achieve GRAS compliance, this milestone establishes a strong regulatory foundation for entering the U.S. food market and sets a benchmark for process compliance evaluation in China, reinforcing pathways for international expansion in the nutrition and wellness sector.       Core Breakthrough: First Fermentation-Based Certification in China Alpha-Ketoglutaric Acid (AKG) and its calcium salt form (Ca-AKG) are essential components of