China NMPA Officials Reveal Future Supervision Focus for Cosmetics in Industry Summit

The following officials and experts were invited to give keynote speeches on cosmetic regulations.

• Qi Liubin, Deputy Director at the Department of Cosmetics Supervision and Administration of National Medical Products Administration (NMPA)

• Jin Xin, Deputy Director of the Cosmetics Supervision Office of Shanghai Municipal Medical Products Administration

• Li Hua, Deputy Director at the Advertisements Supervision and Administration Division of Shanghai Municipal Administration for Market Regulation

• Tan Yimei, Executive Deputy Director at Shanghai Skin Diseases and STD Hospital, and Executive Deputy Director of the Skin and Cosmetics Research Office of the Skin Disease Hospital Affiliated to Tongji University

• Zheng Rong, Deputy Director at the Cosmetics Institute of Shanghai Institute for Food and Drug Inspection

Qi Liubin, Deputy Director at the Department of Cosmetics Supervision and Administration of NMPA

(Source: The Oriental Beauty Valley International Cosmetics Conference)

NMPA’s Attitude towards Joint R&D between Cosmetic Companies and Medical Institutions

NMPA’s attitude can be summarized in two aspects:

1. NMPA encourages companies to further strengthen cooperation with scientific research institutes, and indeed improve cosmetic R&D capability;

2. Meanwhile, NMPA firmly opposes companies using “medical innovation” as a gimmick to promote cosmetics. Companies should not use medical terms when promoting cosmetics, so as not to mislead consumers that products have medical efficacies.

"Cosmetics are closely related to dermatology. We encourage the cooperation among companies, hospitals, and scientific research institutes to develop more competitive cosmetics for consumers to solve skin problems," During the panel discussion, Qi said.

"But there are also many non-compliant claims in the industry. Some companies advertise their products with 'efficacies tested by a dermatologist,' but actually, regarding efficacy evaluation, dermatologist is just a kind of evaluation personnel. There is no difference between efficacy evaluation reports issued by dermatologists, hospitals, or other qualified third-party institutions.” What Qi said was also to remind companies to avoid using the claim of “efficacies tested by a dermatologist”.

NMPA’s Attitude towards Application of Plant Extracts in Cosmetics

NMPA encourages and supports companies to research the application of Chinese special plant ingredients in cosmetics, and will cautiously review related products. NMPA is also communicating with the industry on improving the inspection methods, approval standards, and regulatory requirements to standardize the use of plant extracts in cosmetics.

Qi said, “Plant extracts are not the same as pure chemical substances. The relevant review standards should be formulated in conjunction with the characteristics of plant extracts, and be inclusive, prudential, and scientific.”

Currently, cosmetic product manufacturers lack the ability and methods to inspect the plant extracts in their products. The information of plant extract is entirely dependent on the ingredient supplier. NMPA is studying how to formulate detailed and scientific inspection requirements to ensure the accuracy of plant extracts addition in cosmetic products.

Panel Discussion

(Source: The Oriental Beauty Valley International Cosmetics Conference)

Common Problems Found During Risk Monitoring in Shanghai

Zheng Rong, Deputy Director at the Cosmetics Institute of Shanghai Institute for Food and Drug Inspection

(Source: The Oriental Beauty Valley International Cosmetics Conference)

Further Reading

• Webinar | Introduction of China's First Children Cosmetics Regulation
  

• News | China NMPA Answers Key Questions about New Cosmetic Ingredient (NCI) Registration/Notification

• News | China Consults on Five Testing Methods for Cosmetics Products and Ingredients, New Animal Testing Alternatives Included