How to register products and new ingredients in China? While this country is an essential market for the export of cosmetics, since April 2010, the regulatory requirements have become extremely complex. Further, the new regulation is not only complex: it is also far from clear and complete … As a help to manufacturers, an update on this Chinese news was given during the 9th Congress on Perfumes & Cosmetics - Regulatory Stakes (9e Congrès Parfums & Cosmétiques – Enjeux réglementaires), held in Chartres on 23 and 24 November 2011.
Even if the new President of the Cosmetic Valley does not want to say 'hell' when talking about the Chinese market, this word seemed relevant when hearing the conference - a very clear presentation, though - by Tiphaine Daubert-Macia (in charge of regulatory affairs for cosmetic products at Chanel.)
Indeed, the Chinese environment has recently been vastly modified, notably because of the numerous sanitary scandals (contaminated milk, etc.), getting closer to the Japanese system of quasi-drugs. However, the legislator’s requirements for importers to the Chinese market are both particularly stringent and fuzzy.
The weight of the Administration
Do not forget … China still is a communist country; hence, it has a very powerful Communist Party, which establishes its yearly planning policy, having in mind to control everything. In practice, the competition between the provinces may lead to different requirements depending on the province or the economic sector. Anyway, it is useless to think about asserting one’s rights; ' the cost of a trial would be far too high. Further, the public law largely outweighs private rights, ' the lecturer warned.
Therefore, one has to deal with the Chinese authorities, which are, in this case: the CFDA and the AQSIQ.
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