Stringent standard set for cosmetics

China has released its first mandatory national safety standard for cosmetics, setting strict limits on microbes, heavy metals and other harmful substances and imposing tougher requirements on products intended for children.

The standard, formulated by the National Medical Products Administration and issued last week by the State Administration for Market Regulation, will take effect on Jan 1, 2028. It will replace an older hygiene standard for cosmetics published in 1987.

The new standard is designed to provide a comprehensive safety benchmark for all cosmetics produced and sold in China, authorities said.

"This standard serves as the foundational safety benchmark for all cosmetics produced and sold in China. It marks a significant upgrade from the previous hygiene standard to a comprehensive safety standard, to better safeguard public health in cosmetic use and support high-quality development of the industry," authorities said.

The standard sets limits on the amount of bacteria, mold and yeast that cosmetics can contain. It also prohibits the presence of several microorganisms that can pose serious health risks, including thermotolerant coliforms, Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

It is based in part on microbiological limits set by the International Organization for Standardization, but introduces stricter requirements for certain products.

For cosmetics intended for children, the requirements are about 10 times stricter. They apply mainly to cleansers, moisturizers, powders and sunscreens intended for children up to 12 years of age, as well as products used around the eyes, on eyelashes and on the mouth and lips.

For example, international standards set a maximum of 100 colony-forming units — a measure used to estimate the number of living microorganisms — per gram or milliliter for cosmetics intended for children under 3 years old. The Chinese standard extends the same requirement to products intended for children under 12.

The standard also sets maximum limits for eight harmful substances, including lead, arsenic, mercury and cadmium. By comparison, international standards specify testing methods for these substances but do not set specific limits.

For raw materials that could leave behind residues of methanol, asbestos, benzene or other hazardous substances, manufacturers must strictly control the levels of such residues and increase testing, according to the standard.

The new rules are part of efforts to strengthen safety oversight as China's cosmetics industry continues to expand.

Official data from the National Medical Products Administration shows that China's cosmetics market surpassed 1.1 trillion yuan ($163 billion) for the first time in 2025, an increase of 2.8 percent year-on-year.

The number of cosmetics manufacturers has also grown sharply, from about 70 in 1980 to more than 6,000 in 2026. China now has the world's largest beauty consumer market.

wangxiaoyu@chinadaily.com.cn