CFDA Seeking Public Opinion Again on the New Guidelines for Cosmetic Classifications

On 17 Jan, 2018, CFDA published the “Guidelines for Cosmetic Classifications (Drafted Version)” and request for public feedbacks of any suggestions on amendments to be sent via email to CFDA’s Department of Cosmetic Registration before 30 Jan, 2018.

Contact No.: 010-88330729

Email: hzpc@sfda.gov.cn

Background

On 15 Mar, 2016, the National Institutes for Food and Drug Control published the “Standards for Cosmetic Classifications (Drafted Version)” and seek public opinions on this matter. According to the current cosmetic regulation, cosmetics are mainly divided into non-special use and special use products according to their functions. Based on the principle of risk management, and under the premise of ensuring products’ quality and safety, CFDA’s Department of Cosmetic Registration carried out the study of classification of cosmetics. The classifications are mainly refined and optimized according to the following aspects:

1) Establish the classification principle of cosmetics based on efficacy claiming, application site, form, suitable users and safety risks;

2) Use coding system; and

3) Adopt the mode of open classification table managemen;

Main contents of Guidelines for Cosmetic Classifications (Drafted Version)

Standards for cosmetic classifications: product’s efficacy claim, application site, product form and suitable users

Coding structure:

Coding methods:

• The codes from 1 to 4 layers are sequenced together with “-“s in between
• Each layer is represented by 2 or more digit numbers, with coding from 00– 99. For multi efficacy clamming, application sites or varies suitable users, coding can be sequenced in accordance with their degree of risk

Code for 1^st layer (Efficacy claim): 00 - 25

Code for 2^nd layer (Application site): 00 – 25 (Note: N/A for oral cavity (dental and oral mucosa))

Code for 3^rd layer (form): 00 - 17

Code for 4^th layer (suitable users): 00 - 06

Comparison between “Guidelines for Cosmetic Classifications (Drafted Version)” and “Standards for Cosmetic Classifications (Drafted Version)”

Coding Structure

Coding method

“Classification Guidelines”: represented by numbers

“Classification Standards”: represented by numbers and letters

Efficacy claiming

Application site

Form

Suitable users

CIRS comments:

1). The classification of cosmetics will be refined from 5 categories of non-special use products and 9 categories of special use products to 26 categories of efficacy claiming, 27 categories of application site, 18 categories of product forms and 7 categories of suitable users with coding.

2). Compared to the first edition of the draft version of “Standards for Cosmetic Classifications”, the second draft version of “Guidelines for Cosmetic Classifications” further optimized and refined the classification of cosmetics in efficacy claiming, application site, product form and suitable users.

3). Compared to the current classification standard of cosmetics in the US, EU, Japan and Korea, this guideline for classification is the most detailed and complex. Due to China’s current cosmetic regulation’s requirement of safety data, supporting documents of efficacy claiming, suitable advertising wording that can be used in different efficacy claiming, exposure site and safety assessment of exposure group might also be taken into consideration. This classification guideline is beneficial to the competent authorities to conduct more targeted and accurate pre-, in- and post-market supervision. However, in combination with the current situation of China's cosmetic industry, the competent authorities, cosmetic manufacturers and cosmetic raw material suppliers will all face huge challenges.

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Source: New Guidelines for Cosmetic Classification (draft for public comments)