Tmall Global Implements a New Random Inspection Standard for CBEC Cosmetics

Tmall Global will entrust a state-certified third-party inspection agency to conduct irregular spot checks on cosmetics within its platform. Non-compliant merchants will be subject to different punishments depending on the level of violation.

ChemLinked earlier reported that China's top cross-border e-commerce platform Tmall Global is tightening oversight for cosmetics on its platform to improve the product quality of merchants and enhance the shopping experience of consumers. In the past few months, multiple cosmetic quality management standards have been introduced by the platform.

Standards	Release Date	Implement Date
Standard for Tmall Global Cosmetics Platform	April 30, 2020	June 22, 2020
Technical Specifications for Cross-Border Cosmetics on Tmall Global	May 22, 2020	May 29, 2020
Tmall Global Prohibited and Restricted Ingredients Standard	September 10, 2020	September 17, 2020

On December 9, 2020, the platform released a new technical standard for CBEC cosmetics, i.e., the Implementation Rules for the Conformity Spot Check on Cosmetics Goods on Tmall Global, which spells out the basic requirements for the platform’s irregular random inspections on cosmetics sold and is scheduled to be effective as of December 16, 2020 ^[1].

Specifies of the Implementation Rules are as follows:

Applicable Scope

Theses rule shall apply to cosmetic products intended to be used on the surface of the human body (skin, hair, nails, lips, etc.), teeth, and oral mucosa by rubbing, spraying, or other similar ways for cleansing, protecting, beautifying, embellishing, and maintaining in good condition.

The parts highlighted in red indicate the differences from the definition of cosmetic in the CSAR.

Inspection Agencies

Domestic and foreign authoritative third-party inspection agencies recognized by Tmall Global.

Sampling Methods

1) Directly purchase goods from online stores, or

2) Directly sample goods from the warehouse, then submit them for inspections by Tmall Global itself.

Inspection Items for the Conformity of Production

The conformity of production is judged on the basis of the sensory and technical parameters. These two parameters mainly include the following inspection items.

Sensory Parameters	Packaging: sale packaging, content, display surface, visible surface, net content, shelf life, etc.
Sensory Parameters	Sensory indicators: appearance, smell, skin sensation, etc.
Technical Parameters	Physical and chemical indicators: pH value, density, viscosity, etc.
	Fingerprinting: Inspect goods samples, analyze and evaluate the print in accordance with spectroscopy combined with analysis techniques, such as HPLC, GC, GC-MS, CRS, and XRF
	Feature parameters: preservatives, functional ingredients, special ingredients, and other ingredients contained in the samples using international standard testing methods

Treatment for Inspection Failure

Severe penalties, including but not limited to a series of administrative measures such as delisting goods, removing goods, returning goods, returning shipments, and adjusting vendor ranks, will be imposed on violators if their cosmetic products are found substandard during the irregular spot checks.