China Issues First Mandatory Cosmetics Standard, Effective 2028, with 10-Fold Stricter Limits for Children
China's Standardization Administration has issued the first mandatory national standard for cosmetics, 'Cosmetics - General Safety Requirements', effective in 2028. The standard integrates existing technical requirements and sets stricter controls for high-risk products. For children's cosmetics and those for the eye area, eyelashes, and lips, the total colony count limit is 10 times stricter than for ordinary products, with children's cosmetics capped at 100 colonies per gram or milliliter. It also limits heavy metals such as mercury, lead, arsenic, and cadmium to 1-10 mg/kg. Consumers are advised to verify registration and look for the 'Little Golden Shield' mark on children's products.
The Standardization Administration of China has recently issued the first mandatory national standard for cosmetics, 'Cosmetics - General Safety Requirements', which will be officially implemented in 2028. The new standard organically integrates scattered technical requirements such as the 'Safety and Technical Standards for Cosmetics', and clarifies the full-chain safety requirements for cosmetics in the form of a mandatory national standard, covering terminology definitions, raw material control, product classification, and testing standards.
The new standard comprehensively regulates the terms and definitions related to cosmetics, and scientifically defines the connotation and boundaries of quality and safety management. In the past, the definitions of prohibited substances and restricted raw materials for some cosmetics were broad, posing certain safety risks. The new standard implements strict control over high-risk products, and for children's cosmetics as well as cosmetics applied to the eye area, eyelashes, and lips, the total colony count limit is 10 times stricter than that for ordinary products.
Children's cosmetics refer to products for cleaning, moisturizing, powdering, and sun protection used by children aged 12 and under. The new standard requires that the total colony count limit for cosmetics for children aged 12 and under be set at 100 colonies per gram or milliliter of product. This requirement is stricter than the international ISO standard for children under 3 years old, and covers a wider range.
The new standard strictly controls risk substances in cosmetics, setting strict limits for harmful substances such as mercury, lead, arsenic, and cadmium, requiring residues to be controlled within 1 to 10 milligrams per kilogram of product. For raw materials that are prone to residues of methanol, asbestos, benzene, etc. , the new standard requires enterprises to strictly control residues and strengthen testing to reduce potential safety risks.
When purchasing cosmetics, consumers should check the label for the manufacturer's name, address, production license number, as well as the registration certificate number for special cosmetics or the filing number for ordinary cosmetics. They can check registration or filing information through the National Medical Products Administration website or the mobile app 'Cosmetics Regulation' to avoid purchasing products that are not registered or filed, or that do not match the registered or filed information. When selecting children's cosmetics, consumers should confirm whether the product label bears the children's cosmetics mark 'Little Golden Shield'; if not, they should not purchase it.
Why this event matters
The event has a measured impact on 1 industry. The strongest current signal is mixed for Cosmetics, with intensity 60/100 and 80% confidence over a long term horizon.
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