Q&As on Ordinary Cosmetics Filing in Guangzhou (Vol. 46)

We have collected the latest FAQs on ordinary cosmetics filing from the Guangzhou Administration for Market Regulation and translated them into English for your reference.

1. According to the "Technical Guidelines for Cosmetic Formulas Filing" (hereinafter referred to as the "Guidelines"), which ingredients belong to cosmetic formulas and which do not?

Cosmetic formula ingredients refer to the ingredients intentionally added to the product formula during production and play a certain role in the final product, including preservatives, sunscreen, hair dyes, colorants, moisturizers, pH regulators, and viscosity regulators;

Ingredients that are not used as formula ingredients include:

(1) extremely small amounts of ingredients added to the ingredients in order to ensure the quality of cosmetic ingredients (such as antioxidants, approved preservatives, excluding approved sunscreen for protecting products);

(2) Inevitable trace impurities present in the ingredient itself or remaining in the technical process; and

(3) Processing aids that are added to the production process of the product but do not react chemically with other components and are not effective in the final product, which are removed in subsequent production steps.

2. What are the requirements for ingredients that are not included in the formula?

Ingredients that are not included in the formula may not be reported in the product formula, but the ingredients that have not been reported should still be analyzed and evaluated in the product safety assessment.

When there is a change in the type or content of ingredients that are not used as formula ingredients and do not affect product quality and safety, the cosmetic registrant, filer, or domestic responsible person must update the information of product formula and product safety assessment data. When the type or content increase affects the conclusion of product safety assessment, the cosmetic registrant, filer, or domestic responsible person must make changes to the product safety assessment data.

3. How should the formula and safety assessment be filled out for propellants that come into direct contact with the content?

If the formula contains a propellant that comes into direct contact with the product content, the composition and content of the propellant should be reported separately. The total propellant content should be 100%, and the filling ratio of the propellant and material should be indicated.

When the spray product containing propellant is actually used, the exposure amount of the formula ingredients in the human body is the ingredient concentration after removing the propellant. The propellant should be evaluated separately from other ingredients, and the evaluation concentration of other ingredients should be the concentration of each component in the formula after deducting the propellant (in 100%).

4. How do you fill in the formula for pH and viscosity regulators that may fluctuate in content depending on the production batch?

(1) Fill in the formula table with typical values of the added amount of such ingredients, and then note that "the added amount is a typical value";

(2) Note the range value of the actual added amount at the bottom of the formula table, for example, "citric acid is added to the formula for the purpose of pH regulator to adjust the pH value of the system during production. The addition range is 0.1%-0.2%, and the water in the formula table is adjusted to 100%".

5. What should be noted when filling in formulas for cosmetics that claim to have hair coloring, perm, freckle removal, whitening, sun protection, anti-hairloss, acne removal, anti-wrinkle, dandruff, and deodorization effects, as well as cosmetics that claim new effects (except for special populations)?

The corresponding functional ingredients should be labeled in the purpose column of the formula table. If the above-mentioned functional ingredients that need to be labeled are not a single component, their specific functional ingredients should be specified in the purpose column.

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