To thoroughly implement the important instructions of General Secretary Xi Jinping on drug regulation and industrial development, further coordinate high-quality development and high-level safety in the cosmetics sector, and thereby better meet the people's new expectations for a better life in the new era, the NMPA has issued the NMPA's Opinions on Deepening the Reform of Cosmetics Regulation and Promoting High-Quality Industry Development (hereinafter referred to as the Opinions). The key points are interpreted as follows.

I. Drafting Background of the Opinions

The CPC Central Committee and the State Council attach great importance to cosmetics regulation and industrial development. General Secretary Xi Jinping has emphasized that the people's aspiration for a better life is the goal of our endeavors. As a vital component of the big health industry, the cosmetics sector serves as a key field for fulfilling people's aspirations for a better life, reflecting consumption vitality and cultural confidence. The 20th CPC National Congress report outlined the promotion of the Healthy China initiative, accelerated innovation-driven development strategy, and laid out a strategic path and development roadmap centered on achieving self-reliance and self-strengthening in science and technology, providing strong and enduring momentum for the innovative, high-quality development of the cosmetics industry.

Since 2018, drug regulatory authorities have adhered to political leadership, a problem-solving approach, China's national conditions, international perspectives, reform and innovation, and scientific development. They have vigorously promoted the development of the regulatory system and standards system for cosmetics, improved regulatory mechanisms, innovated regulatory approaches, and carried out comprehensive safety governance. As a result, the overall level of cosmetics quality and safety has continued to rise, and the industry has experienced robust growth. As of the end of October 2025, there were more than 20,000 cosmetics registrants and filing entities in China, 46,000 registered special cosmetics, 2,291,000 filed ordinary cosmetics, and 327 registered or filed new cosmetic ingredients. According to statistics from the China Association of Fragrance Flavour and Cosmetic Industries, China’s cosmetics market transaction value exceeded 1 trillion yuan in 2024, making it the world's largest cosmetics consumption market. At the same time, China’s cosmetics industry remains large in scale but not yet strong, facing underlying structural challenges such as a low degree of industrial intensification, shortcomings in quality management systems among some enterprises, limited capacity for independent innovation, and inadequate core competitiveness.

Based on a comprehensive review of existing policies, in-depth investigation, and extensive consultation with all parties, the NMPA drafted the Opinions to enhance the systematic, holistic and coordinated nature of regulation reform; deepen cosmetics regulation reform across the entire process; strengthen the safety foundation of cosmetics in an all-round manner; support high-quality development of the cosmetics industry across the full-chain; accelerate China's transformation from a major cosmetics producer to a leading cosmetics powerhouse; and effectively enhance the people’s sense of fulfillment, happiness and security in the cosmetics sector.

II. Overall Considerations and Main Content of the Opinions

The Opinions are grounded in the fundamental nature of cosmetics as essential consumer products and focus on meeting the public's aspirations for a better life and aligning with the central theme of deepening regulation reform and promoting high-quality industry development. Guided by the principles of "high-quality development, high-level safety, high-efficiency governance, and high-standard opening-up," and while ensuring the stability and continuity of regulatory policies, the Opinions respond to the urgent needs of industrial innovation and put forward a series of reform measures for cosmetics regulation. The Opinions are divided into six parts. The first part specifies the overall requirements, sets out the guiding ideology and main goals of the reform, and proposes that by 2030 the legal system for cosmetics regulation will be more complete, the standards system more sound, technical support more robust, industrial innovation vitality stronger, risk prevention and control capabilities comprehensively enhanced, and the level of quality and safety significantly improved. By 2035, the cosmetics quality and safety regulatory system will reach an internationally advanced level, the industry's capacity for innovation and global competitiveness will be significantly enhanced, and regulatory modernization will be essentially achieved. The second through sixth parts set out 24 reform measures across five areas.

1. Encouraging innovation and fostering new, high-quality productive forces. Facilitate registration pathways for cosmetics with new efficacy claims and implement a system of immediate review upon submission; encourage international innovative cosmetics to be launched first in China by exempting the requirement for supporting documents of overseas marketing authorization; promote the "silver economy" by supporting R&D of products targeted at the elderly population; and advance innovative approaches to cosmetics labeling and personalized service models.

2. Improving quality and efficiency, and optimizing registration and filing management. Simplify registration and filing dossiers, allowing products with similar formulations to share part of the technical documentation; shift ingredient safety information to enterprise-level archiving for inspection; implement classified management for changes to special cosmetics and shorten review timelines.

3. Ensuring scientific regulation and strengthening risk prevention and control. Implement graded and classified regulation of enterprises and rationally allocate regulatory resources; strengthen regulation of online business distribution, improve mechanisms for “governing the internet via the internet”, and ensure platforms fully assume their responsibilities; enhance the adverse reaction monitoring system and strengthen analysis, evaluation and application of monitoring data; promote extended inspections associated with registration and filing to build a whole-chain risk prevention and control system.

4. Providing technical support and consolidating the regulatory foundation. Strengthen the management and training of review and inspection teams; establish a "NMPA–provincial administration" coordinated review mechanism; improve the standards system and accelerate the development of mandatory national standards; deepen regulatory science research and promote the R&D and application of new tools and new standards; enhance intelligent regulation and accelerate the application of artificial intelligence technologies in regulatory activities.

5. Promoting regulatory coordination and enhancing international competitiveness. Accelerate the adoption and implementation of internationally accepted standards and actively participate in the development of international standards; progressively expand exemptions from animal testing and expedite the development, adoption, and application of alternative methods; and establish a dynamic mechanism for updating positive lists of permitted ingredients to broaden the space for enterprise innovation.

III. Considerations for Supporting Industrial Innovation

1. Supporting technological innovation in cosmetic ingredients. Cosmetic ingredients form the fundamental basis of product safety and efficacy, and the level of ingredient innovation directly determines the quality and level of industrial development. To stimulate innovation vitality in cosmetic ingredients, at the beginning of this year, the NMPA issued the Several Provisions on Supporting Innovation in Cosmetic Ingredients, introducing nine supporting measures for ingredient R&D and registration/filing. On this basis, the Opinions further propose optimization measures: improve the classified management and technical evaluation system for new ingredients; explore the establishment of ingredient nomenclature rules that fit China's national conditions and align with international practice; strengthen standards guidance by focusing on developing standards for high-use-frequency ingredients, ingredients with prominent safety risks, and ingredients derived from plant resources with Chinese characteristics; and build a mechanism for R&D–review collaboration to provide end-to-end services of "early engagement, process guidance and dynamic optimization" for eligible new ingredients, thereby improving the quality of R&D and submission.

2. Facilitating registration pathways for cosmetics with new efficacy claims. With the rapid development of the economy and society and the continuous improvement of people's living standards, consumer demand for cosmetics has been rising, and expectations for new efficacy claims and new products are increasing day by day. At the same time, enterprises have a strong willingness for innovative development and hope to enhance product appeal through developing cosmetics with new efficacy claims and achieving differentiated market positioning. The pursuit of broader efficacy claims and expanded product categories has become a new driving force for the development of the cosmetics industry. However, R&D of cosmetics with new efficacy claims is difficult and costly and involves significant uncertainty. Enterprises urgently need systematic, scientific, and rational policy guidance and technical guidance during the R&D process. In view of the industry's development needs, the Opinions propose that the NMPA will establish dedicated review pathways for cosmetics with new efficacy claims, implement a system of immediate review upon submission, and introduce a pre-submission consultation mechanism for their registration. While strengthening service and guidance for enterprises, the review and approval procedures will be optimized to better meet emerging consumer demands and evolving industry trends. On this basis, the Opinions support innovative industry development by adjusting the cosmetics classification rules and catalogue and streamlining certain management requirements for some products.

3. Encouraging the new cosmetics' first launch in China. To foster a "first-launch economy" in China's cosmetics sector, and on the premise of strictly ensuring product safety, the Opinions specify that eligible international new cosmetic products may be exempt from submitting overseas marketing authorization documents, effectively removing the "time barrier." This opens up a "fast track" for trendy international products to enter the Chinese market more quickly, enabling consumers to experience the latest and highest-quality beauty products from around the world at the earliest opportunity. It will also effectively stimulate consumption vitality and promote a shift in domestic beauty consumption from "basic needs" to "quality upgrading".

IV. Better Addressing Emerging Consumer Needs

With the increasing aging population in China, demand for cosmetics among the elderly population is rising and becoming increasingly diversified. The Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee has outlined plans for developing the silver economy during the 15th Five-Year Plan period. The Opinions identify the promotion of the cosmetics-related silver economy as a key reform direction, encouraging and supporting the industry to address and meet the beauty needs of the elderly population and to advance the R&D and innovation of related products. The Opinions explicitly encourage enterprises to strengthen technological R&D for cosmetics designed for "silver-haired" consumers, and support cutting-edge fundamental research on skin-aging mechanisms to provide a scientific foundation for technological innovation. At the same time, the Opinions support the development of cosmetics tailored to the characteristics and needs of the elderly population and, on the premise of ensuring safety and efficacy, accelerate their registration, filing, and marketing process. This policy direction aligns with the national strategy for the silver economy. It not only demonstrates a strong commitment to meeting the beauty needs of the elderly population but also opens up a new growth space for the cosmetics industry. As the potential of the "silver economy" continues to be unleashed, cosmetics specially developed for the elderly population are expected to become an important track for innovative industrial development, fostering a group of silver-focused cosmetic brands with Chinese characteristics and achieving a win-win situation in both social and economic benefits.

To meet the needs of intelligent and green development in the cosmetics industry, the Opinions explicitly call for accelerating the implementation of electronic labeling for cosmetics. The NMPA plans to launch pilot programs for electronic cosmetics labeling in certain provinces (municipalities) starting from February 2026. The application of electronic labels will diversify how labeling information is presented. By simply scanning a code, consumers will be able to access and fully understand product information. Features such as page zooming and audio playback will allow label content to be displayed more clearly and vividly, significantly improving legibility and ease of reading. This will help meet the needs of elderly users as well as different demographic groups, and enhance consumers' overall experience and sense of fulfillment. The use of electronic labels can also streamline the content required on physical labels, allowing product packaging to become cleaner, more concise, and more visually appealing. Enterprises will be able to update electronic label content via information systems, enabling refined and dynamic management of labeling information, effectively avoiding resource waste from reprinting labels and thereby achieving energy saving, burden reduction, and cost-efficiency.

In addition, to respond to personalized and precision consumption demand, the Opinions propose innovating personalized service models. The NMPA has already initiated the second phase of pilot work on personalized cosmetics services.

V. New Measures to "Strengthen Safety and Safeguard the Bottom Line"

1. Comprehensively enhancing enterprise quality management levels. The effective implementation of cosmetics Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) systems is essential for ensuring enterprises' quality management level. The Opinions accurately position the "golden key" of raising enterprises' quality management level and propose a three-year action plan to upgrade quality systems, focusing on prominent issues and weak links in the operation of enterprises' manufacturing quality management systems. Through coordinated planning, comprehensive measures, and targeted support, the initiative aims to fully enhance system operating efficiency and elevate the overall quality management level of the industry, thereby providing strong momentum for the high-quality development of the cosmetics industry.

2. Continuously optimizing regulatory mechanisms and approaches. In response to new needs, new business models, and new trends in industrial development, the Opinions further optimize cosmetics regulatory mechanisms and approaches and continuously enhance the level and capacity of scientific regulation. The Opinions propose improving the quality and efficiency of regulation of online cosmetics distribution, adhering to the principles of "governing the internet via the internet", risk-based governance, and regulatory collaboration; strengthening focused monitoring of typical and serious online violations; continuously strengthening cooperation mechanisms with third-party platforms; and promoting coordinated action between administrative regulation and platform governance. The Opinions propose exploring optimized systems for cosmetics manufacturing management, encouraging provincial drug regulatory authorities to explore requirements for product release from off-site warehouses operating under the same manufacturing quality management system as the manufacturing site, and quality management requirements that adapt to intelligent cosmetics manufacturing. The Opinions propose improving the cosmetics adverse reaction monitoring and evaluation system, upgrading the national adverse reaction monitoring platform, promoting the sharing of national adverse reaction monitoring data, further strengthening in-depth analysis, scientific evaluation, and risk assessment of monitoring data, and advancing the adoption and application of monitoring and evaluation results.

3. Advancing graded and classified regulation of enterprises. Based on the characteristics of the cosmetics industry and regulatory patterns, the Opinions focus on optimizing regulatory strategies and exploring graded and classified regulation of cosmetics enterprises to allocate regulatory resources more rationally and improve regulatory efficiency. Local drug regulatory authorities at all levels are encouraged to scientifically assess risk grades according to key factors such as enterprises’ quality management systems and risk prevention and control capabilities. They are encouraged to explore the establishment of graded and classified regulatory systems, apply differentiated and targeted regulatory measures, and allocate more regulatory resources to high-risk areas and high-risk enterprises. These efforts will help significantly enhance regulatory efficiency and provide stronger safeguards for cosmetics quality and safety.

VI. Planning for the Development of the Cosmetics Standards System

Standards form the foundation for ensuring the quality and safety of cosmetics, regulating market order, and fostering innovative industrial development. In recent years, the NMPA has strengthened the development of the cosmetics standards system, established the NMPA Cosmetics Standardization Technical Committee, issued more than 170 cosmetics-related standards, and initiated the formulation and revision of six mandatory national standards, including the Hygienic Standard for Cosmetics.

The Opinions provide a more systematic plan for the cosmetics standards system and aim to build a more scientific, unified, authoritative, and efficient system of standards.

1. Improving the standards system. Accelerate the development of medium- and long-term plans for cosmetics standards; strengthen the baseline, binding role of mandatory national standards; and continuously advance the formulation and revision of standards in key areas such as general fundamentals, product safety, and testing methods, thereby enhancing the systematic, coordinated, and applicable nature of the standards system.

2. Addressing gaps in key areas of standards. Focusing on key areas and weak links such as ingredient safety control, safety and efficacy evaluation, and the application of emerging technologies, the Opinions call for a targeted plan of standards development projects to address issues of absent or outdated standards, thereby providing standards-based guidance for improving cosmetics quality and advancing technological innovation

3. Deepening alignment and cooperation with international standards. Strengthen tracking research and adoption/application of international cosmetics standards and promote the alignment of domestic standards with internationally advanced levels. At the same time, strive to take an active role in international standards development, enhance China's contribution and influence in global cosmetics standards governance, and support the internationalization of China's cosmetics industry.

VII. How to Enhance the Internationalization of Cosmetics Regulation

Cosmetics are globally circulating commodities. Promoting convergence, coordination, and mutual trust in international cosmetics regulation and advancing the reduction and exemption of animal testing will help lower technical barriers, facilitate the international trade of cosmetics, support Chinese cosmetics in expanding globally, and enable domestic consumers to access high-quality overseas products more easily and conveniently. In recent years, the NMPA has adhered to a high-level openness strategy and has continuously engaged in international exchanges and cooperation. Through multilateral and bilateral cooperation mechanisms, it has deepened regulatory and technical collaboration in the cosmetics industry and actively participated in the activities of the International Cooperation on Cosmetics Regulation (ICCR). The NMPA has also communicated China's industrial development progress, regulatory achievements, and regulatory philosophy, demonstrating China's commitment and responsibility in global cosmetics regulation.

To promote international trade in cosmetics and support high-quality Chinese cosmetics in expanding globally, the Opinions propose actively advancing the reduction and exemption of animal testing requirements. 1. Strengthen research and innovation in cosmetics safety assessment technologies to enhance the scientific rigor, precision, and applicability of safety assessments. On this basis, promote reduced reliance on animal testing for cosmetics. Priority will be given to reducing or waiving animal testing requirements for products such as perming products, non-oxidative hair dyes, and cosmetics that use new ingredients during their monitoring period, with such exemptions to be gradually expanded to additional product categories. 2. Strengthen the top-level design for validating alternative methods to animal testing. Adhering to integrated planning and coordinated implementation, and following the principle of "adopting alternatives wherever feasible," accelerates the development, adoption, and application of alternative test methods. 3. Leverage the role of cosmetics regulatory science innovation bases. Focusing on industry expectations and regulatory needs, strengthen fundamental, cutting-edge, and innovative research on alternative methods to animal testing, and comprehensively enhance China's capabilities in cosmetics safety assessment and scientific regulation.

VIII. Specific Measures to Enhance Governance Capacity

To meet the new situation and new requirements brought by the innovative development of the cosmetics industry, the Opinions deploy reform measures in three aspects around modernization of regulatory capacity and improvement of review and approval efficiency, aiming to build a scientific, efficient, and standardized modern governance system for cosmetics.

1. Deepening reform of registration and filing. The Opinions outline a series of specific measures to optimize registration and filing management. Application dossiers will be simplified. While ensuring product quality and safety and meeting regulatory needs, products under the same brand with similar formulations may share safety assessment and efficacy evaluation documentation. For products that require re-registration or re-filing due to a change in manufacturing site, part of the original technical documentation may be reused. Except for efficacy claims such as spot corrector and whitening, sunscreen, and preventing hair loss, enterprises may independently select appropriate efficacy evaluation methods. Ingredient safety information will be kept on file by enterprises for inspection, substantially reducing their submission burden. The review mechanism will be further optimized by establishing a coordinated national–provincial review system for special cosmetics and promoting the integrated use of review resources. Registration changes will be subject to categorized management: for high-risk changes, the review period will be shortened from 90 to 60 working days; for low-risk changes, to 45 working days. For changes that do not involve safety or efficacy claims, enterprises will be permitted to maintain product information on their own, thereby significantly improving approval efficiency.

2. Strengthening regulatory teams and capacity building. In view of the rapid development of the cosmetics industry and accelerated product iteration, the capabilities of current regulatory teams still need to be further strengthened. The Opinions explicitly call for strengthening professional technical capacity in cosmetics review, optimizing the structure of cosmetics inspector teams, and enhancing systematic training, professional management, and scientific performance evaluation for review and inspection personnel, thereby comprehensively improving the professional capability and execution efficiency of regulatory teams. In terms of optimizing mechanisms, provincial drug regulatory authorities are encouraged to strengthen exchanges and cooperation, enhance resource sharing, information interconnection, and regulatory collaboration, actively explore innovative regulatory models, and establish a modern regulatory system characterized by efficient coordination and integrated operation.

3. Strengthening regulatory science research and the development of intelligent regulation. The Opinions specify the full utilization of regulatory science innovation research bases to focus major research projects on key areas such as safety assessment, innovative products and ingredients, and risk early warning, while accelerating the development of new regulatory tools, standards, and methodologies. At the same time, the digital transformation of regulation will be accelerated, promoting the online processing of all aspects and the entire process of cosmetics regulation. This includes upgrading the cosmetics regulation APP and actively exploring the application of artificial intelligence technologies in filing, manufacturing, and distribution regulation, thereby enhancing the overall intelligence of the regulation.