Understanding Feminine Hygiene Product Regulations in China

Feminine menstrual hygiene products, such as sanitary pads, panty liners, menstrual underwear, tampons, and menstrual cups, are essential items for women’s intimate hygiene. They play a crucial role in safeguarding both the physical and mental health of women while enhancing their overall quality of life. Recently, some Chinese KOLs highlighted the discrepancies between the stated and actual lengths of certain sanitary pads and unqualified pH levels, raising concerns regarding non-compliant sanitary products.

In light of this, this article offers an overview of the applicable laws and standards for feminine hygiene products in China. It aims to assist companies in aligning their production and sales practices with regulatory requirements, thereby ensuring compliance and minimizing risks.

Regulatory Framework

To illustrate the regulatory framework of feminine hygiene products, we should first understand its relationship with disinfection products and sanitary products. In China, disinfection products include disinfectants, disinfection equipment, sanitary products, and disposable medical items. According to GB 15979-2024 Hygienic Requirements for Disposable Sanitary Products, disposable sanitary products refer to everyday items that come into direct contact with the human body and are used for personal hygiene or antibacterial purposes, including feminine menstrual hygiene products such as sanitary pads, panty liners, and tampons. Therefore, feminine hygiene products are regulated as sanitary products under the category of disinfection products in China. The overall regulatory requirements for these products are briefly outlined in the table below.

Items	Requirements
Product Category	Disinfection products
Competent Authority	National Health Commission of China (NHC)
Major Regulations	Measures of Disinfection Management Provisions for the Hygiene and Safety Evaluation of Disinfection Products Hygiene Licensing Regulations for Disinfection Product Manufacturers Hygiene Standards for Disinfection Product Manufacturers
Pre-market Approval	Under the Hygiene Licensing Regulations for Disinfection Product Manufacturers, Chinese companies engaged in the production and repackaging of disinfection products are required to obtain a Disinfection Product Manufacturing Hygiene License. The hygiene license number shall be displayed on the product package. According to the Provisions for the Hygiene and Safety Evaluation of Disinfection Products, Class I and Class II disinfection products must undergo safety evaluations. Companies shall submit the safety evaluation report for notification before the products are introduced to the market. Sanitary products, classified as Class III (low risk) disinfection products, are not subject to pre-market notification but only subject to related standards.
Post-market Surveillance	Post-market surveillance is the main regulatory instrument for feminine menstrual products. After market introduction, health commissions and administrations for market regulation at all levels will conduct inspections to ensure product safety. Non-compliant products will be punished.

Product Executive Standards

As mentioned above, feminine menstrual products must comply with relevant standards before they can be marketed. The table below outlines the applicable standards for these products that ensure these products meet the necessary safety, and quality requirements for consumer protection and public health. These standards cover various aspects, such as product’s materials, labeling, physical and chemical indicators, as well as manufacturing practices, to guarantee that these products are safe and effective for use.

Among feminine hygiene products, sanitary pads are the most commonly used in China. The available products on the market are primarily governed by two national standards: a mandatory national standard GB 15979-2002 Hygienic Standards for Disposable Sanitary Products and a national recommended standard GB/T 8939-2018 Sanitary Absorbent Pads (Panty Liner). Besides, it is important to note that GB 15979-2002 will be officially replaced by the updated standard GB 15979-2024 Hygiene Requirements for Disposable Sanitary Products on July 1, 2025.

Product Category	Standard Name	Type	Initiator	Implementation Date
General	GB 15979-2002 Hygienic Standards for Disposable Sanitary Products	National Standard	State Administration for Market Regulation	Sep 1, 2002
	GB 15979-2024 Hygienic Requirements for Disposable Sanitary Products	National Standard	State Administration for Market Regulation	July 1, 2025
	GB 38598-2020 General Requirement for Label and Instruction Book of Disinfection Products	National Standard	State Administration for Market Regulation	Dec 1, 2021
	GB/T 36420-2018 Tissue Paper and Products—Safety Assessment Management System of Chemicals and Materials	National Recommended Standard	State Administration for Market Regulation	Jan 1, 2019
	GB 5749-2022 Standards for Drinking Water Quality	National Standard	State Administration for Market Regulation	Apr 1, 2023
Sanitary Pad	GB/T 8939-2018 Sanitary Absorbent Pads (Panty Liner)	National Recommended Standard	State Administration for Market Regulation	July 1, 2019
Tampons	GB/T 43585-2023 Disposable Tampons	National Recommended Standard	State Administration for Market Regulation	July 1, 2024

Labeling Requirements

Regarding labeling requirements, GB 38598-2020 General Requirement for Label and Instruction Book of Disinfection Products outlines several general requirements for sanitary products. Similarly, GB/T 8939-2018 Sanitary Absorbent Pads (Panty Liner) specify certain labeling requirements for sanitary pads. The specific labeling information required is summarized in the table below.

Executive Standard

Labeling Requirements

GB 38598-2020 General Requirement for Label and Instruction Book of Disinfection Products

The minimum sales packing of other sanitary products (various daily necessities that are discarded after use, come into direct contact with the human body, serve the purpose of maintaining physiological hygiene, including sanitary napkins, sanitary pads, and sanitary tampons) should include:

Product name;
Net content;
Name, address, and contact information of the manufacturer;
Hygiene license number of Chinese manufacturer;
Country or region of imported products;
Production date and shelf life or production batch number and expiration date;
Storage conditions (if necessary);
The type of microorganism killed (for antibacterial sanitary pads), the type of microorganism inhibited (for antimicrobial sanitary pads), product specifications, main raw materials, the standard number.

GB/T 8939-2018 Sanitary Absorbent Pads (Panty Liner)

In addition to the requirements of GB 38598-2020, the label of sanitary pads should include:

Product name (including the word “sanitary pad” or “panty liner”);
Standard number;
Main raw materials;
Production date and shelf life or production batch number and expiration date;
Product length and quantity;
Product qualification mark;
Name, address, and contact information of the manufacturing or responsible unit;
Other required information;
The sales packaging should protect the product uncontaminated. All labels and information on the packaging should be clear and resistant to fading. The Chinese characters, numbers, and letters used on the product label must be with a height of no less than 1.8mm.