China to Revise Cosmetics Hygienic Standard

The Technical Safety Standard for Cosmetics, revised based on the Hygienic Standard for Cosmetics 2007, was open for public comments on 30 Nov 2012 but has still not been released until now. According to Zhang Qingsheng, Director for Food and Cosmetic Control, National Institutes for Food and Drug Control (NIFDC), the first draft of the standard has been completed and will be open for public consultation within the year. After it is amended according to the public opinions the “Technical Safety Standard for Cosmetics” will be officially promulgated.

Zhang stated that the Technical Safety Standard for Cosmetics is divided into two parts: body and appendices. The body includes the scope and definition of technical terms and the general requirements and specific requirements of safety and techniques for both cosmetics and raw materials. The appendices cover the related documentations on safety and techniques including the “List of Substances Prohibited in Cosmetics”, “List of Substances Restricted in Cosmetics” as well as the testing and evaluation methods. It should be noted that new testing methods are not added in the standard but only the texts of existing testing methods are corrected and normalized.

The major changes in the Technical Safety Standard for Cosmetics can be summarized as follows:

1. List of Substances Prohibited in Cosmetics

• All plant ingredients in the table 2(1) of Hygienic Standard for Cosmetics 2007 are transferred to the table 2(2).
• 123 prohibited substances are added including the colorants and preservatives used in the hair dying products.

2. List of Substances Restricted in Cosmetics

• Text Errors and translation in the Hygienic Standard for Cosmetics 2007 are corrected.
• The contents about oral hygiene products are deleted.
• Limits of part substances are further defined as total amounts.
• 4 restricted substances are added, 9 restricted substances are deleted, 23 restricted substances are adjusted to prohibited substances and 35 restricted colorants are prohibited to be used in the hair dying products.
• Limits, ranges of application and restricted conditions of 65 restricted substances are amended.

3. Physical and Chemical Testing Methods 

• Some testing methods of substances (outside the cosmetics) in the Hygienic Standard for Cosmetics 2007 are deleted, for example the testing method of strontium.
• Testing methods of 50 prohibited and restricted substances are added.
• Incorrect testing methods used in the Hygienic Standard for Cosmetics 2007 are corrected.
• Malic acid 2 which is the annotation of the sixth chromatographic peak in the chromatogram is deleted.

4. The testing methods of human safety and efficacy evaluation

• The ranges of application of testing methods are increased in the human safety testing.
• The testing methods of efficacy evaluation are improved, referring to the international standards ISO 24444 and ISO 24442.