China Drafts a Consolidated List of 8641 Existing Cosmetic Ingredients (IECIC 2014)

On 21 Jan 2014, CFDA opened for public consultation a consolidated list of 8641 cosmetic ingredients that have already been used in approved cosmetic products in China, namely the Inventory of Existing Cosmetic Ingredients in China (IECIC 2014). Substances inlcuded in this list are not "new cosmetic ingredients" in China and need not CFDA's approval before use. 

The list was completed based on the first batch and second batch of existing cosmetic ingredients announced by CFDA last year. A third batch was expected to be released but it seems that CFDA has chosen to abandon a batch-wise approach and instead published the integrated existing cosmetics inventory. The formulation of such a list is a significant regulatory improvement in management of existing cosmetic ingredients and also makes it easy for cosmetic companies to determine the regulatory status of an ingredient. 

The issuance of IECIC can be traced back to 2003 when the Ministry of Health was the competent cosmetics authority. IECIC 2003 served as the gold standard reference for determining the regulatory status of cosmetic ingredients. It has more than 3000 cosmetic ingredients that were used in China. However the official version was never publically available. A large number of ingredients in widespread global use that have scientifically established safety and a long history of safe use were not included in the IECIC which is a major issue for multinational companies.

In an effort to improve the situation, in 2012, the CFDA published three draft batches of existing cosmetic ingredients, which totaled 3,667 ingredients.

In the past 2013, CFDA just finalized the first two batches, leaving the number of ingredients in the third batch a mistry. 

The release of this consolidated list is a favorable turn in the process of cosmetic ingredient regulation in China. The scope of used ingredients in China will become much more specific and transparent than before. But whether the list will be the only reference for determining the status of cosmetic ingredients still needs to be confirmed. The structure of the list is shown below:

The public consultation period is open until 20 Feb 2014. If you have any comments on this list, please send your proposal to CFDA official’s email or contact ChemLinked:

• CFDA official: Liu Zelong
• Tel: 010-88330719
• Email: linqb@sfda.gov.cn

  Please click here to download the English version of IECIC 2014 (draft) prepared by ChemLinked.

Reference Link

CFDA public consultation