ZMUni Compliance Centre

On December 11, 2025, China's National Institutes for Food and Drug Control (NIFDC) released two draft technical guidance documents on the naming of new cosmetic ingredients for public consultation, namely the Technical Guidelines for the Naming of Plant-Derived New Cosmetic Ingredients (Draft for Comments) and the Technical Guidelines for the Naming of Fermentation-Derived New Cosmetic Ingredients (Draft for Comments). The public consultation period is open until December 26. Detailed information are as follows:

• Technical Guidelines for the Naming of Plant-Derived New Cosmetic Ingredients (Draft for Comments) 

It applies to the study and determination of Chinese names for new cosmetic ingredients derived from plants, as well as new ingredients derived from algae or macroscopic fungi (such as mushrooms).

The Guidelines establish a scientific classification framework for plant-derived new cosmetic ingredients and, on this basis, set out naming rules that take into account factors including the source organism, plant part used, manufacturing process, and compositional characteristics, while also aligning with established industry practices.

• Technical Guidelines for the Naming of Fermentation-Derived New Cosmetic Ingredients (Draft for Comments)

It applies to the study and determination of Chinese names for fermentation-derived new cosmetic ingredients. Such ingredients are obtained through biotechnological fermentation processes, in which microorganisms (such as bacteria or yeast) act on substrates and undergo cultivation, fermentation, and, where necessary, subsequent post-processing steps to yield the intended target products.

In general, fermentation-derived ingredient names should be composed of three elements: the name of the microorganism strain, substrate information, and the form of post-processing, with the microorganism and substrate connected by a slash "/" where applicable. In particular, where the final product has a generic or commonly used name, such generic or common name may be adopted, for example, yogurt, gellan gum, xanthan gum, and wine.