The A.B. 2762 bill will now go to the Appropriations Committee for revision. If passed, the California Toxic-Free Cosmetics Act will explicitly prohibit the use of the 12 harmful chemicals in cosmetics, which include mercury, PFAS, some of the most toxic parabens and phthalates.

On May 23, Zheng Chunyang, a member of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) proposed several reform suggestions of the cosmetic sector during the third session of the 13th CPPCC. He stated that cosmetics shall be separated from the category of chemical raw materials and chemical products manufacturing to be in parallel with foods and pharmaceuticals, and shall continue to subdivide the makeup category on this basis. In terms of policies, the NDRC and local development and reform commissions shall adjust the policy of cosmetics project approval to reduce development limitations; reduce the pollution risk level of cosmetics companies to distinguish them from chemical companies; and implement classified management on the manufacture of daily chemical products and reduce the evaluation category of cosmetics manufacturing with less pollution. In terms of supervision, the category of daily chemical products shall be divided, etc.

According to China NMPA’s notice on May 22, 2020, the on-site acceptance business of administrative licensing items for cosmetics, drugs, medical devices and special foods will be resumed since May 25. The approval certificates will continue to be delivered by mail. Enterprises who have to handle the business or receive the approval certificates on the spot shall make an appointment through the online reservation system in advance. Only after successful reservations can enterprises enter the acceptance hall.

MFDS revealed the cosmetics sold online, which are likely to be mistaken as hand sanitizers on May 21. These cosmetics purported to sterilize the hands or prevent bacteria, etc. are no longer allowed for sale. The relevant websites are either terminated for accessing or deleted.

One goal of the 2020 Report on the Work of the Government mentions that actively utilize the foreign capitals, which includes significantly reducing the negative list for admission of foreign investment, introducing a negative list of cross-border service trade, giving the Pilot Free Trade Zones greater autonomy for reform and opening up, speeding up the construction of the Hainan Free Trade Port, setting up Pilot Free Trade Zones and comprehensive bonded zones in the central and western regions, and increasing the service industry to expand and open comprehensive pilot projects. Create a market environment in which domestic and foreign enterprises are treated equally and fairly, as well as accelerating the development of CBEC and expanding imports.

A total of 900 batches of cosmetics were randomly sampled by Shanxi Medical Product Administration in 2019. A total of 17 batches of non-compliant cosmetics were detected, 1 batch of skin care (facial mask, facial cream), 1 batch of fragrance, 7 batches of cleansing and bathing products, 6 batches of hair dyes, 2 batches of talcum powder and prickly heat powder. The main unqualified reasons are counterfeit products, the total number of colonies and the usage of restricted ingredients exceeds the standard, detection of prohibited ingredients, and non-compliant labels.

It is reported that Jing Zhu, a member of the Chinese People`s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) has proposed to abolish the cosmetic consumption tax in a proposal submitted for China’s annual Two Sessions meeting which will start on May 21. Whether the proposal will be approved still remains to be seen. Detailed news will be published by ChemLinked soon.

On May 15, 2020, Vietnam Deputy Prime Minister approved the master plan for e-commerce development from 2021 to 2025, aiming to support and promote the e-commerce in enterprises and society, as well as CBEC. It is planned that by 2025, 55% of the population will participate in online shopping, and the value of online purchases of goods and services will reach average $ 600 per person per year. Related news will be published by ChemLinked soon.

On May 13, 2020, KPTA released the Guideline for Customized Cosmetics Sales. This guide details the scope, ingredients, and labeling of customized cosmetics. It also specifies the application procedures, requirements, hygiene management, and arrangement of the compounding managers, etc. of customized cosmetics sales. A detailed analysis article will be published soon.

Considering that it is difficult for representatives to affix a seal on the administrative application documents due to the suspension of business or the telework during the COVID 19 pandemic, Japan MHLW announced that administrative application documents related to Pharmaceutical and Medical Devices Law can be exempted from a stamp of representatives. But in such a case, an explanation shall be attached. After the resumption of work, representatives shall submit the application document with a seal to replace the previous one.