ZMUni Compliance Centre

China Cosmetic Regulatory Updates

| New Cosmetics Ingredients (NCI) Notification

In August 2024, 9 new cosmetic ingredients were filed with the China National Medical Products Administration (NMPA). They include:

The technical requirements for the 9 new cosmetic ingredients mentioned above have not been disclosed, and they have not yet entered the monitoring period.

Additionally, in August, the China NMPA announced the cancellation of notifications for two NCI. The first is Zinc Hydrolyzed Hyaluronate (notification number 20220008), and the second is Alpha-Glucan Polysaccharide (notification number not provided). The reason for the cancellation is that both ingredients have been classified as "cosmetic ingredients already in use."

| Regulation Updates

On August 8, 2024, China NMPA released the Notice on the 2024 Cosmetics Standard Project Plan, which announced 55 cosmetics standard formulation and revision projects proposed by NMPA's Cosmetics Standardization Technical Committee. The whole project plan involves a total of 55 cosmetic standards, comprising 31 revisions of existing standards and 24 newly developed standards. Read the full content.

On August 23, 2024, the State Administration for Market Regulation of China (SAMR) approved 335 national standards, including Determination of restricted lauryl alcohol polyether-9 in cosmetics—Liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. Among these, 5 standards are related to cosmetic industry.

| Official FAQs

On August 6, 2024, the Beijing Medical Products Administration issued "FAQs on the Registration of General Cosmetics" (Vol. 35), providing specific guidelines on using data from international authoritative agencies for ingredient safety assessments and outlining which toxicological tests can be exempted for ingredients with a history of safe use.

On August 19, 2024, the Beijing Medical Products Administration released "FAQs on the Registration of General Cosmetics" (Vol. 36), offering an introductory overview of the complete cosmetic safety assessment report, including relevant regulations and technical documents, the required contents of a full safety assessment report, and commonly used toxicology databases.

| Administrative Penalty 

On August 13, 2024, China NMPA issued the Announcement on 37 Batches of Non-Compliant Cosmetics (2024 No. 31). Among these 37 non-compliant batches, the products primarily include face masks, sunscreens, and hair dyes, with seaweed masks being the most frequently cited.

On August 26, 2024, the General Administration of Customs published the list of non-compliant imported cosmetics in July 2024. The list includes 18 batches of cosmetics from well-known brands such as Estée Lauder, Bobbi Brown, Dove, and Biore. Among these, 9 batches were not permitted entry due to the failure to provide the required certificates or qualification documents, covering categories such as shampoos, shower gels, and toothpastes. The remaining 9 batches were rejected due to sensory inspection failures against national food safety standards and are all lipsticks.

International Cosmetic Regulatory Updates

| Europe

On August 1, 2024, the European Union's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) released its Preliminary Opinion on Yellow No. 16 (Colipa No B123) (SCCS/1670/24). The deadline for comments is 27 September 2024. See the original source for details.

On August 1, 2024, the EU SCCS released its Preliminary Opinion Biphenyl-2-ol and Sodium 2-biphenylolate used in cosmetic products (SCCS/1669/24). The deadline for comments is 27 September 2024. See the original source for details.

On August 26, 2024, the EU SCCS released its Final Opinion on Citral sensitisation endpoint (SCCS/1666/24). See the original source for details.

| Asia

On August 2, 2024, the South Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) announced plans to revise the Cosmetic Safety Standards Regulations. The main changes include: (1) the addition of a new sunscreen ingredient, Tris-Biphenyl Triazine; and (2) the removal of one sunscreen ingredient, along with the introduction of usage standards for six other cosmetic ingredients. See the original source for details.

On August 5, 2024, the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) of Thailand released a consultation document proposing revisions to improve the warnings on cosmetic labels containing climbazole. See the original source for details.

On August 5, 2024, Indonesia issued the finalized version of the Regulation Concerning the Control of Drug and Food Online Distribution. This regulation primarily focuses on regulating the criteria for online sales of drugs (including cosmetics) and food. Notably, cosmetics sold online must have a notification number. See the original source for details.

On August 9, 2024, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) of India announced a significant update to the cosmetics registration and import process. According to the new directive, companies submitting applications through the SUGAM online portal will be limited to a maximum of 50 products per single application. However, they may submit multiple applications as needed. See the original source for details.

On August 29, 2024, Indonesia released a draft amendment to the Regulation Concerning Cosmetic Labeling, Promotion, and Advertising for public consultation. See the original source for details.

| Africa

On August 19, 2024, the South African Bureau of Standards issued a notice seeking feedback on the draft Cosmetic Ingredient Labeling Standard (SANS 98). The deadline for comments is  September 10, 2024. See the original source for details.

Sources: Official regulatory authorities in respective countries/regions.