On May 6, 2025, China National Institutes for Food and Drug Control (NIFDC) of China released the 2024 Annual Review Report on Cosmetics.
The Report provides an overview of the NIFDC's continued efforts in 2024 to advance reform of the cosmetic review system, support innovation in cosmetic ingredients, and promote the implementation of safety assessment frameworks. It also offers a detailed analysis of registration and notification data for cosmetics and new cosmetic ingredients, reflecting current trends and developments within China’s cosmetic industry.
In China, special cosmetics refer to products that claim the functions of hair dyeing, perming, skin whitening, sun protection, anti-hair loss, or other new functions, and are subject to mandatory registration with China NMPA.
In 2024, China NMPA accepted 23,994 special cosmetics registration applications (including initial, renewal, and modification applications), up 64.2% from 2023. Approvals also doubled, reaching 22,812, with domestic products accounting for the vast majority (acceptance for 91.1%, approval for 90.1%).
Hair dyeing, whitening, and sunscreen products remained the top categories. The top five provinces, including Guangdong and Shanghai, dominated domestic approvals, while most imported approvals came from Japan, South Korea, France, the U.S., and Germany.
In China, cosmetics including toothpaste other than special cosmetics are regulated as general cosmetics, requiring notification with China NMPA.
In 2024, a total of 596,306 general cosmetics notifications were submitted nationwide in 2024, of which 582,857 were for domestic products, accounting for 97.7%. Notably, over 62,000 products were notified for export purposes alone, reflecting a 34.9% year-on-year growth and indicating strong outbound ambitions among Chinese enterprises.
Moisturizing, beautifying/modifying, and cleansing were the most common functions claimed for domestic products. Imported notifications came from 45 countries, with South Korea, France, and the U.S. leading in volume.
The toothpaste category continued to grow, with over 7,700 new product notifications, again dominated by domestic products (96.5%).
For more information on toothpaste compliance, click here to view previous articles.
In 2024, China NMPA accepted 2 new cosmetic ingredient registration applications, one domestic and one imported. One imported new ingredient registration was approved. Additionally, 90 new cosmetic ingredients were disclosed via notification.
From 2021 to 2024, a total of 207 new cosmetic ingredients were disclosed via notification, including 164 domestic, 41 imported, and 2 from Taiwan, China. The imported ingredients came from seven countries/regions, with the United States, Japan, Switzerland, Italy, and Germany ranking top five by volume.
This trend suggests a supportive regulatory environment for ingredient innovation, especially for companies exploring the Chinese market with new functional materials or green/sustainable cosmetic technologies.
For more information on cosmetic ingredients compliance, click here to view previous articles.
