Ingredients listed in the IECIC (I&II) are regarded as "existing" ingredients, otherwise, they are new cosmetic ingredients.

In China, new cosmetic ingredients require registration or notification with the NMPA prior to use in cosmetic products. The notified/registered new cosmetic ingredients will be subject to a 3-year safety monitoring period. If there are no safety issues found within the 3 years, the ingredients will be included in the IECIC. The IECIC will be dynamically updated.

The IECIC is managed in two lists: IECIC I and IECIC II. IECIC I is an objective collection of ingredients that have been used in cosmetics produced and sold within China. IECIC II includes new cosmetic ingredients that have been registered or notified in China, have completed their safety monitoring period, and meet the criteria for inclusion in the IECIC.

When selecting ingredients from these Inventory, cosmetic registrants and notifiers shall comply with relevant requirements of the national laws and regulations, mandatory national standards, and technical specifications, and bear the primary responsibility for product quality and safety.

IECIC serves as the basis to judge whether a cosmetic ingredient is new or existing, while IECSC is the basis to judge whether a substance is identified as a new chemical substance subject to registration requirements. Since cosmetic ingredients are chemical substances, a cosmetic ingredient not listed in the IECSC (even if it is included in the IECIC) will require registration of new chemical substances prior to manufacture or import.

The INCI Chinese Version is translated to standardize the Chinese translation of INCI name, cosmetic labeling and instructions, which is certainly not a criterion for illustrating the regulatory status of an ingredient.

Safety and Technical Standards for Cosmetics 2015 serves as the overarching technical standard for cosmetics safety supervision and testing in China. The Standards contains the prohibited, restricted, and permitted cosmetic ingredients, physical and chemical testing methods for cosmetics, microbiological testing methods, toxicological testing methods, human body safety testing methods, and human body efficacy evaluation testing methods.