China’s Food and Drug Administration (CFDA) is drafting a new regulatory framework to govern cosmetics. The Regulations on the Supervision and Administration of Cosmetics was published in draft form on July 20th for public comments.

The new regulations will usher in a raw material management system detailing those raw materials that require review and approval from the government, versus those that need filing. Under the new system, ‘special cosmetics’ such as sun screen, skin whitening products, hair colorants and permanent waving products as well as any other cosmetics products the CFDA deems to fall into this category will require registration. All other cosmetics will be classified as ‘common’ cosmetics and require filling. Safety evaluation by specialized personnel or third-party institutions will be required for the registration or record filing of all cosmetics products.

Most importantly, the draft legislation has recategorized oral care products as cosmetics, thus bringing the sector under the scope of the regulation for the first time.

The framework will also bring in stricter controls on the claims manufacturers can make in regards to the efficacy of their products, requiring brand owners to publish scientific data to back any claims.