China Consults on 5 Draft Standards Regarding Cosmetic Safety Assessment

On Nov. 12, China Association of Fragrance Flavor and Cosmetic Industries (CAFFCI) opened the public consultation on five draft group standards (including 2 guidelines and 3 cosmetic ingredients quality standards) on cosmetic safety assessment in line with a regulatory reform schedule which was detailed in an earlier ChemLinked report...

Takehome: On Nov. 12, China Association of Fragrance Flavor and Cosmetic Industries (CAFFCI) opened a public consultation on five draft group standards (including 2 guidelines and 3 cosmetic ingredients quality standards) on cosmetic safety assessment in line with a regulatory reform schedule which was detailed in an earlier ChemLinked report.

The development of five new draft group standards was headed by CAFFCI in collaboration with some leading companies including Unilever China, L’Oréal China and Shanghai Jahwa to provide a reference basis for cosmetic enterprises to strengthen safety management, foster increased industry self-regulation and ultimately standardize the market. In general, group standards refer to a series of voluntary standards established or adopted by a professional association or body for enterprises’ reference.

Deadline for public comments is Dec. 10. Any advice or suggestions can be submitted to CAFFCI by email or by fax. Meanwhile, relevant patents and supporting documents can be attached to support your feedback. Please contact us at cosmetic@chemlinked.com if translations are required.

Specifics of the 5 draft standards are as follows:

1. Guidelines on cosmetic safety assessment

The guideline provides common terms, general principle, evaluator requirements, assessment process and report requirements of safety assessment for cosmetic ingredients, finished products and impurities. The most critical content of the guideline lies in part 8 safety assessment on cosmetic ingredients, where 8 assessment principles and detailed requirements of four-step approach are introduced, namely hazard identification, dose-response assessment, exposure assessment and risk characterization.

2. The guidance of lifecycle management for cosmetic raw materials

In a move to unify the industry understandings of frequently-used cosmetic terms and facilitate supervision, the Guideline which is applicable to cosmetic raw ingredients manufactured, sold and used in China expounds the definitions of safety data sheet, shelf life, validity period, retest date, life cycle and certificate of analysis. Obligations of cosmetic manufacturer, ingredient supplier/manufacturers in regards to lifecycle management of raw materials are also clarified.

3 Draft quality standards for cosmetic ingredients

Standard name	Active ingredient	Content
Cosmetic ingredients-Rhodiola crenulata root extract	Salidroside (CAS 10338-51-9)	The standard specifies the requirements, test methods, inspection rules, labeling, packaging, transportation, storage and shelf life of rhodiola crenulata root extract. This standard applies to the quality control of cosmetic ingredient-rhodiola crenulata root extract which is extracted from dried roots and rhizomes of the rhodiola crenulata plant using a mixture of organic alcohols such as glycerin and propylene glycol or water or a mixture of the two.
Cosmetic ingredients-Camellia japonica/ reticulata flower extract	Polyphenol	The standard specifies the requirements, test methods, inspection rules, labeling, packaging, transportation, storage and shelf life of camellia japonica/reticulata flower extract. This standard applies to the quality control of cosmetic ingredient- camellia japonica/reticulata flower extract which is extracted from the camellia japonica /reticulata flower using a mixture of organic alcohols such as glycerin and propylene glycol or water or a mixture of the two.
Cosmetic ingredients-Hydrolyzed silk	Polypeptide	The standard specifies the requirements, test methods, inspection rules, labeling, packaging, transportation, storage and shelf life of hydrolyzed silk. This standard is applicable to the powder of hydrolyzed silk.