Taiwan to Regulate Infant Wet Wipes as Cosmetics

Taiwan FDA released a draft announcing their intention to regulate wet wipes for infants as cosmetics from June 1^st 2017. The definition of infants references the definition set by WHO, which means babies under 1 year of age. Once this regulation officially takes effect, all wet wipes made for infants should obey the specific rules in Statute for Control of Cosmetic Hygiene.

Wet wipes are already regulated as cosmetics in many developed countries. The production and distribution of these products are strictly controlled by specific regulations and standards. Taiwan’s latest regulatory development will help align it with international standards and facilitate trade with its major global partners.

However, on the other side of the Taiwan Strait in the Chinese mainland, wet wipe safety standard is still lagging behind global progress. Wet wipes 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.