[Updated] China Releases a National Standard regarding the Determination of Plastic Microbeads in Cosmetics

On May 21, 2021, the Standardization Administration of China released the GB/T 40146-2021 Determination of Plastic Microbead in Cosmetics, which will take effect on September 1, 2021.

The standard stipulates the principles, reagents and materials, instruments and equipment, sample processing, spectrum testing, spectrum analysis and result report for the determination of plastic microbeads in cosmetics by fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and fourier transform microinfrared spectroscopy. The standard is applicable to the determination of plastic microbead in cosmetics. Other daily chemical products such as toothpaste, soap and laundry detergent can also refer to it. Notably, the standard does not apply to the determination of plastic microbeads in makeup cosmetics.

Compared with the draft version, the finalized standard deletes the content related to the types of plastics that may be contained in daily products and refines the determination method of plastic microbeads. For more plastic microbeads-related reports, please stay tuned for ChemLinked Hot Topic.

China Consults on a National Standard regarding the Determination of Plastic Microbeads in Cosmetics

As revealed by the National Public Service Platform for Standards Information, China drafted a recommended national standard for microbeads determination in 2019, which is now undergoing public consultation ^[1]. The deadline for the consultation is May 5, 2020. (The English translation is available here.)

Specifics of the Standard

• Main Content

The GB/T XXXXX-XXXX Determination of Plastic Microbeads in Cosmetics stipulates the terms and definitions of plastic microbeads, as well as the reagents and materials, instruments and equipment, test procedures, results, and report for the determination of plastic microbeads in cosmetics by infrared spectrometry.

• Definition and Types of Microbeads

As per the draft, plastic microbeads shall refer to solid plastic particles that are less than or equal to 5 mm in size and insoluble in water. Common types of plastics that exist in daily chemical products in the form of particles include polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, etc.

The types of plastics that may be contained in daily products are as follows:

• Major Technical Content
  

The key technology of this determination method principally consists of three parts: 1) Extraction and isolation methods of plastic microbeads in cosmetics. 2) Qualitative methods of Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR) for plastic microbeads in cosmetics. 3) Quantitative methods of plastic microbeads in cosmetics.

Implications for Stakeholders

At present, there is no unified standard for particle size and detection methods of plastic microbeads used in cosmetics and personal care products, and there are few quantitative studies on microbeads in China and abroad. Only two methods are available for determining plastic microbeads in cosmetics across the globe, namely, the “ Qualitative Screening Method for Plastic Microbeads in Personal Care and Cosmetics Products” of China Taiwan and “Microbeads in Toiletries: Method 445.0 ^[2]” of Canada.

China’s new standard will instruct enterprises in terms of supply chain quality management and risk management, promote increased industry self-regulation and ultimately standardize the market. In addition, the standard also provides reliable technical support for China's pending ban ^[3] on the manufacture and sale of daily chemical products containing microbeads.