Cosmetic product in China is defined as “a kind of daily-used chemical product intended to be applied on the surface of human body (skin, hair, nails, lips, etc.) by rubbing, spraying or otherwise similar ways for the purpose of cleansing, protecting, beautifying and altering the appearance”.
The pillar cosmetic regulation in China now is called Cosmetic Supervision and Administration Regulation (CSAR 2020), which was officially released in June 2020. What’s more, CSAR’s relevant practices for cosmetic registration and filing will take into effect officially from May 2021 on (the announcement was released by NMPA just at the very beginning of January). And more detailed rules drafts are under public consultation, like guidance for cosmetic efficacy evaluation, administrative measures for cosmetic labeling, etc. Various subsidiary rules, standards and guidance documents together with the pillar regulation has formed a complex regulation system for cosmetic management in China.
Hence the compliance work in China for cosmetic products is also complicated. Generally, all the cosmetic products should be imported/produced only after the pre-market compliance work is done. However, the obligation differs for imported cosmetic products and domestic cosmetic products.
In China, cosmetics is divided as two groups, namely non-special use and special use cosmetics according to different functions. Special use cosmetics refer to 7 types, specifically speaking, hair dye, hair perm, anti-spot, whitening, UV protection, anti-hair loss/alopecia and new functions, except which the others without these seven functions belong to non-special use cosmetics, like moisturizing cream, shampoo, shower gel, lipstick, etc. Before importing or selling cosmetics, it is mandatory to apply pre-market approval or filing from National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) or provincial Medical Products Administration (provincial MPA).
Accestra cosmetic experts are experienced in all types of cosmetic registration/filing procedure and dossier preparation. We provide tailored solution based on your products and business needs.
