CFDA Finalized the Inventory of Existing Cosmetic Ingredients in China (IECIC 2014)

On 30 June 2014, CFDA announced the release of the final version of the much anticipated Inventory of Existing Cosmetic Ingredients in China (IECIC 2014), containing 8783 ingredients that have already been used in cosmetic in China. The inventory will serve as the sole reference for determining the regulatory status of a cosmetic ingredient. Cosmetic companies and ingredient suppliers are strongly recommended to check whether their ingredients number among the inventory. All ingredients excluded from the list are subject to mandatory pre-market registration under new cosmetic ingredients regulations with the CFDA.

The number of 8783 ingredients represent a significant increase in the number of existing cosmetic ingredients in comparison to the previous versions. Furthermore, CFDA has officially clarified issues regarding ingredients of plant origin which have in the past been a source of great confusion for industry. It is worth mentioning that in the IECIC 2014 if the ingredient's name is in the form of "a name of a plant+extract" (e.g. AGAVE ATROVIRENS EXTRACT), it means that the plant and its extracts are regarded as existing ingredients. If the ingredient's name is in the form of "a name of a plant+flower/leaf/stem+extract" or "a name of a plant+flower/leaf/vine+extract" (e.g. LILIUM CANDIDUM FLOWER EXTRACT), it means that the above-ground parts of this plant and their extracts are regulated as existing. In addition, in the IECIC 2014, some ingredients are marked with asterisk “*” or "**". A single “*” [e.g. 浮游生物提取物*(PLANKTON EXTRACT)] represents one category of ingredients and double “**” [e.g. 黑蚂蚁**] represents the nomenclature is not standardized and the source of origin is nonspecific. Companies are reminded to pay attention to these important points when using the list.

The new IECIC is a far better reflection of the market status quo. In previous versions of the IECIC a significant proportion of cosmetics ingredients with a relatively long history of safe use domestically and internationally did not appear in the inventory, making the China’s regulatory system seriously out of touch with the industry situation on the ground. The huge gap, blurred lines between new and used ingredients and the extremely difficult registration requirements for new ingredients have long been the controversial topic and put CFDA under great pressure. The finalization of IECIC 2014 is one of the essential moves for China to align with the international markets and in the meantime paves the way for the cosmetic regulatory reform that is about to happen in the following months as the overarching cosmetic law is currently under revision. 

 If you want to track whether a substance is included in the IECIC 2014, please enter Chemlinked Inventory Toolbox 

Reference Links

• CFDA Circular No.11-2014
• IECIC 2014_Bilingual Version (prepared by ChemLinked)