China’s Wet Wipe Safety Standard Lagging behind International Model

Shanghai Consumer Protection Committee (SCPC) published a report on the 14th of September detailing the results of tests conducted on both domestically produced and imported wet wipe samples taken from 50 batches of product. The wet wipes are designated for human application directly to the body and have been placed on the market. 21 of them were identified as containing excessive CIT that has the potential to cause adverse effects.  

Domestic producers were found chiefly responsible for the cases of excessive CIT levels, in stark contrast to the tested foreign brands that performed comparatively well. Experts note this is largely due to the lack of corresponding standards for wet wipe in China, which has been implemented for many years in most developed nations. The Committee has called for improvements to be made in China’s wet wipe national standard system.

Wet wipes have become increasingly popular among consumers thanks to their convenience. According to a survey conducted by SCPC over 1800 consumers of wet wipes, a sixth of them use wet wipes on a daily basis, with 96% of products used in hand hygiene or for infant hygiene. As the wipes are not used in conjunction with traditional soap and water hand rinsing, the presence of any toxic compounds poses a risk of absorption through skin surfaces.  

Infant wet wipes pose most significant risk

Infant wet wipes pose the greatest risk. CIT was detected in nearly half of the tested samples. The products in question were routinely labeled with phrases indicating their utility and specificity in infant and baby hygiene. The targeted marketing of infant and baby hygiene is particularly worrying given the routine use of added value marketing terminology such as “no additives”, “no irritation”, “safe application to sensitive skin”, “food-level ingredient”, “slightly sweet in taste” and “absolutely safe even if licked” that blatantly mislead consumers about product safety profiles.

What is CIT?

According to experts from third party testing institute, CIT is a class of preservative that is often mixed with another preservative called MIT in the production of liquid cosmetics, in order to inhibit microbial growth. Both these ingredients can cause irritation to skin and mucosa after chronic exposure including a risk of chemical burn at excessive concentrations.

Antiquated Industry Standards

The fact that CIT is prevalent among domestic brands as suggested by Ning Hai—deputy secretary of SCPC, does not legally justify they are below standard. In actual fact there is no standard in China that specifically regulates “wet wipes”, in contrast to the regulatory frameworks of China’s more developed international counterparts.

Part of the reasons can be attributed to a long-standing debate in China over the classification of wet wipe. Due to the application of wet wipes on skin some experts consider it a cosmetic. In that sense, China’s “Cosmetic Safety Technical Standards” should be consulted, in which CIT/MIT is not permitted for products applied to the skin.

However, wet wipe remain classified as disposable hygiene products, regulated under a voluntary national standard “GB/T27728-2011” and a mandatory national standard “GB1579-2002”, both of which do not specify any rules for usage of preservative chemical agents. In most developed nations, wet wipes, defined as products “applied to the human body and possessing a cleaning function”, have long been categorized as leave-on cosmetic products with specific regulations and standards to govern its production and distribution. Under these rules preservatives such as CIT are strictly controlled. In 2014, EU set the maximum permitted volume for preservatives and instituted a ban on the use of CIT or CIT/MIT mixture in leave-on products.

“That is why most foreign brands passed the test”, Ning added, before urging relevant government departments and industry to take joint effort in incorporating “wet wipe” into the framework of cosmetic inspection and supervision while separating those for infant use from normal wet wipe to ensure greater safety. 

Reference: http://news.163.com/15/0915/04/B3HDK2V500014AED.html