Cosmetics Regulation in China

While regulation in other spaces has gradually increased, cosmetics regulation increased dramatically between 2020 and 2022. This followed a period of dormancy, in which China used outdated cosmetics regulations that focused primarily on product registration following government testing, but not on other parts of the product lifecycle. The recent changes have paved the way for the regime to focus more on the post-market environment and adapt to increasingly mainstream online sales. But the regime still contains requirements and processes that are onerous, particularly as compared to other jurisdictions. This chapter explores the recent evolution and the current state of affairs.