Navigating Global Cosmetic Compliance: Authorities and Regulations You Must Know

As cosmetic brands expand internationally to strengthen their global presence, they must navigate a patchwork of regulations that vary widely by country—from safety standards to labeling and registration requirements. Understanding these differences is critical to ensuring compliance and avoiding costly setbacks.

To help cosmetic enterprises better understand the regulatory landscape of key markets and mitigate potential compliance risks, ZMUni Compliance Centre has compiled an overview of major cosmetic regulatory authorities and relevant laws and regulations worldwide.

Country/Region	Competent Authority	Key Regulation
China	National Medical Products Administration (NMPA)	Cosmetic Supervision and Administration Regulation (CSAR)
	National Institute of Food and Drug Control (NIFDC)	More relevant regulations>>>
	General Administration of Customs of China (GACC)	More relevant regulations>>>
Taiwan, China	Taiwan Food and Drug Administration (TFDA)	Cosmetic Hygiene and Safety Act
Hong Kong SAR, China	Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD)	Consumer Goods Safety Ordinance
	Department of Health (DH)	Pharmacy and Poisons Ordinance
	Hong Kong Customs	Import and Export Ordinance
Macao SAR, China	Economic and Technological Development Bureau (DSEDT)	Foreign Trade Law
		Establishment of the General System for Product Safety
		Law on Protection of the Rights and Interests of Consumers
European Union	European Commission (EC)	Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009
United States	U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)	Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act)
		Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act (MoCRA, 2022)
		Code of Federal Regulations (CFR)
Canada	Health Canada	Cosmetic Regulations (C.R.C., c. 869)
Canada	Health Canada	Food and Drugs Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. F-27)
Russia	Rospotrebnadzor	Technical Regulation of the Customs Union TR CU 009/2011 on the Safety of Perfumery and Cosmetic Products
ASEAN Region	SEAN Cosmetics Committee (ACC)	ASEAN Cosmetic Directive (ACD)
Indonesia	National Agency of Drug and Food Control (BPOM)	ASEAN Cosmetic Directive (ACD)
Vietnam	Drug Administration of Vietnam (DAV)	ASEAN Cosmetic Directive (ACD)
Vietnam	Drug Administration of Vietnam (DAV)	Circular No. 06/2011/TT-BYT on cosmetic management
Thailand	Thai Food and Drug Administration (Thai FDA)	ASEAN Cosmetic Directive (ACD)
		Health Products (Cosmetic - ASEAN Cosmetic Directive) Regulations 2007
		Health Products Act 2007
Singapore	Health Sciences Authority (HSA)	ASEAN Cosmetic Directive (ACD)
		Cosmetic Products Act B.E. 2558 (2015)
		Cosmetic Products Act (No. 2), B.E. 2565 (2022)
Malaysia	Drug Control Authority (DCA)	ASEAN Cosmetic Directive (ACD)
	National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA)	Control of Drugs and Cosmetics Regulations 1984
		Guidelines for Control of Cosmetic Products in Malaysia (2022)
Japan	Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW)	Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Act (PMD Act, formerly Pharmaceutical Affairs Law)
Japan	Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW)	Enforcement Order on the Quality, Efficacy, and Safety of Pharmaceuticals
South Korea	Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS)	Cosmetics Act
	Korea Customs Service	Standards for Cosmetic Safety
	Korea Cosmetic Association (KCA)

How ZMUni Can Help

At ZMUni Compliance Centre, we offer comprehensive, one-stop compliance solutions for cosmetic ingredients, finished products, and customs clearance services—both in China and globally.

Our China cosmetic compliance services include:

Cosmetic product registration and filing (notification)
Cosmetic formula and label review
Cosmetic safety assessment
Cosmetic efficacy evaluation
Chinese Responsible Person service
Toothpaste compliance support
Registration and filing of new cosmetic ingredients (NCI)
Ingredient submission code applications
Safety assessment reports for ingredients
New chemical substance registration (China REACH)
…and more

Our global compliance services include:

Export compliance for the European Union
Export compliance for the United Kingdom
Export compliance for the United States
Export compliance for Canada
Export compliance for Australia
Export compliance for Russia
Export compliance for ASEAN countries
Export compliance for South Korea and Japan
Export compliance for Hong Kong SAR and Taiwan, China
INCI name applications
CAS number applications
…and more

If you need assistance, feel free to contact us at info@zmuni.com.