导航菜单
On November 4, 2026, China's National Institutes for Drug Control (NIDC) released draft revisions to the Guidelines for the Use of Cosmetic Ingredient Data for public consultation. Comments may be submitted until November 30, 2026.
First issued in April 2024, the Guidelines specify seven types of data that cosmetic registrants and notifiers may use to support ingredient safety assessments. These include data from the Safety and Technical Standards for Cosmetics (STSC), international safety assessment conclusions, ingredient use information published by regulatory authorities, and evidence of a 3-year safe history of use or safe dietary use.
The draft retains the original seven-category framework while revising requirements in three key areas: the use of a 3-year safe history of use, the conditions for relying on a safe dietary history, and the assessment evidence available for whitening and anti-hair-loss ingredients.
The draft relaxes the requirements for historical use conditions, allowing differences in ingredient concentration, application site and method where the available data can support the safety assessment. It also clarifies evidence requirements, including ingredient identity, product records and adverse reaction monitoring. Products must have at least 3 years of market history, with cumulative sales of at least 10,000 units (retail data) or 30,000 units (indirect sales data).
Systemic toxicity assessment may be waived only for ingredients produced through processes similar to food processing or involving physical processing only. Local toxicity assessment remains necessary.
The draft permits reliance on international cosmetic safety assessment conclusions, safety limits or conclusions issued by authoritative organizations such as the WHO, a 3-year safe history of use, or a safe dietary history. For whitening ingredients, long-term human use-test data are required if long-term skin safety risks cannot be ruled out when relying on either use history.
