SAFEGUARDS | Cosmetics, Personal Care & HouseholdNO. 062/21
China's National Medical Products Administration, NMPA, issued Notice No. 50, a Standard of Cosmetic Claim Evaluation, providing instructions on accepted scientific ways of claim substantiation. Cosmetic products with efficacy claims shall be supported by an efficacy evaluation. A summary of efficacy evaluation results shall be made available to the public via an online platform specified by the NMPA. Here are the highlights on this Standard:
- Cosmetic notifiers or registrants shall submit a summary of efficacy evaluation to the online platform specified by the NMPA during the notification and registration process
- Efficacy evaluation methods must be scientific, reasonable, and feasible to meet the purpose of claim substantiation
- The following products are not required to submit a summary of efficacy evaluation:
- Products with visual, olfactory or sensation description, like cleansing, make-up removal, hair dying, hair perming, deodorization etc.
- Products with efficacy delivered through physical action, like physical exfoliation, whitening by physical masking/coverage etc., and with a clear indication of its efficacy delivered by physical action on the product label
- Efficacy of products with claims of whitening, sunscreen, anti-hair loss shall be subject to the mandatory test standard in the Safety and Technical Standards for Cosmetics
- The summary of efficacy evaluation shall include a number of key points:
- Basic product information
- Parameters and the testing house of efficacy claim evaluation
- Evaluation method and its result
- Conclusion and relevance of test result and product claims
| Product Claims | Human efficacy evaluation test | Consumer in-use test | Laboratory test | Literature or research data |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whitening and spot removing1 | ? | |||
| Sunscreen | ? | |||
| Anti-hair loss | ? | |||
| Acne-removing | ? | |||
| Nourishing2 | ? | |||
| Repairing2 | ? | |||
| Anti-wrinkle | ? | ? | ? | ? |
| Firming | ? | ? | ? | ? |
| Reliving | ? | ? | ? | ? |
| Oil control | ? | ? | ? | ? |
| Exfoliation | ? | ? | ? | ? |
| Anti-hair breakage | ? | ? | ? | ? |
| Anti-dandruff | ? | ? | ? | ? |
| Moisturizing | ? | ? | ? | ? |
| Hair conditioning | ? | ? | ? | ? |
| Specific claims (suitable for sensitive skin, tree-free formulation) | ? | ? | ||
| Specific claims (efficacy of raw material) | ? | ? | ? | ? |
| Gentle (Non-irritating) | ? | ? | ? | ? |
| Claims with quantification (period of time, statistic data) | ? | ? | ? | ? |
| New efficacy | Depending on the product claims statement. | |||
?denotes 'mandatory to perform'
? denotes 'optional but must have at least one selected'
? denotes 'as a combination with other parameters, but must be combined with either one of human efficacy evaluation test, consumer in-use test or laboratory test'
Remarks:
- If this is delivered through physical actions like covering or masking and product label indicates as such, submission of efficacy evaluation summary is exempted
- If the claimed function is applicable to hair only, in-vitro testing on real hair is possible
This standard came into force on May 1, 2021. A transition period is given for smooth implementation.
| Scenario | Timeline |
|---|---|
| Products that are registered or notified before May 1, 2021 | Relevant claim evaluation summary shall be submitted before May 1, 2023 |
| Product that are registered or notified between May 1 and December 31, 2021 | Relevant claim evaluation summary shall be submitted before May 1, 2022 |
| Product that are registered or notified from January 1, 2022 | Relevant claim evaluation summary shall be submitted during registration or notification. |
Reference
- NMPA Notice No. 50 (2021), Standard of Cosmetic Claim Evaluation
It is crucial for all cosmetic, personal care and household products to be safe, effective and stable. SGS provides testing, inspection and certification services to manufacturers, distributors and importers to ensure a high level of product quality in every area. Our state-of-the-art laboratories offer tailored solutions for chemical, biophysical, microbiological, stability and biological aspects. We also have extensive capabilities in performance testing, claim support studies and consumer panels. Our testing is conducted according to customer specific or recognized standard methods, some of which were developed by SGS. Our cosmetic safety assessors and other technical experts can support customers by making sure new products comply with regulatory requirements. In the end, it's only trusted because it's tested. Contact us for more information or visit our website.
NEXT STEP
If the cosmetic products are labelled with relevant efficacy claims, the industry shall be aware of the timeline and shall submit corresponding evaluation summary accordingly.
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