ZMUni Compliance Centre

On May 15, 2024, the China National Institutes for Food and Drug Control (NIFDC) released seven supplementary testing methods for public consultation, including cosmetic ingredients, toothpaste, and toxicological tests. Comments are welcome until June 10, 2024.

These testing methods include:

• Determination of Phenacetin in Cosmetics

• Determination of Glucuronic Acid and Other 14 Kinds of Components in Cosmetics

• Determination of Gluconic Acid and Other 3 Kinds of Components in Cosmetics

• Determination of Hydroxycapric Acid in Cosmetics

• Determination of Asbestos in Cosmetics

• Determination of Soluble/Free Fluoride in Toothpaste

• The ARE-Nrf2 Luciferase LuSens Test

The aforementioned drafts include two prohibited ingredients: phenacetin and asbestos. Phenacetin, listed as a prohibited ingredient by the China National Medical Products Administration (NMPA), was previously primarily tested in hair dye cosmetics according to the GB/T 31408-2015 Determination of Phenacetin in Hair Dyes by Liquid Chromatography. To address this limitation, the newly released draft on the Determination of Phenacetin in Cosmetics has improved the detection method and expanded its scope to include a wider range of cosmetics, such as creams, lotions, liquids, gels, and powders.

Determination of Soluble/Free Fluoride in Toothpaste (Draft) considers the types and amounts of fluoride sources in popular fluoride-containing toothpaste like "Olaflur" on the market. The method's applicability now better aligns with the toothpaste currently available.

The primary reference for testing methods of Chinese cosmetics is the Safety and Technical Standards for Cosmetics (2015 edition). Since 2016, Chinese government agencies have issued supplementary announcements for methods not covered by this standard. To date, China has published 41 supplementary testing methods: 24 for cosmetics (6 of which have been open for public opinion) and 17 for toothpaste (1 of which has been open for public opinion).