China Cosmetic Supervision and Administration Regulation
China's foundational cosmetics law — the Cosmetic Supervision and Administration Regulation, promulgated by State Council Order No. 727 on 29 June 2020 and effective 1 January 2021, replacing the 1989 hygiene-supervision regime. Administered by the NMPA, it establishes registration for special cosmetics and notification for general cosmetics, a registration/notification system for new cosmetic ingredients, safety assessment and efficacy-claim substantiation duties, and GMP obligations for licensed manufacturers.
What this does not cover
stated in the document's own scope- Covers cosmetics and their ingredients in China; toothpaste is regulated by reference under the CSAR's supplementary provisions, and ordinary soap falls outside unless it claims special cosmetic efficacy.
- The parent regulation: dossier requirements, ingredient safety-information rules, and GMP norms live in NMPA implementing measures, not in the CSAR text itself.
- A Chinese regime: EU cosmetics run under Regulation (EC) 1223/2009 and the US under FD&C Act/MoCRA — compliance with one does not establish compliance with another.
Always verify against the current published text before relying on it for a submission or inspection.
Overview
The Cosmetic Supervision and Administration Regulation (CSAR) is China's foundational cosmetics law — the State Council regulation that replaced the 1989 hygiene-supervision regime and opened what the industry calls China's "Cosmetics 2.0" era. Promulgated by Order No. 727 on 29 June 2020 and effective 1 January 2021, it runs to six chapters and eighty articles. It divides products into special cosmetics, which require NMPA registration, and general cosmetics, which are notified; creates a registration/notification pathway for new cosmetic ingredients with risk-based data requirements; makes registrants and notifiers responsible for product quality and safety, with a designated safety assessor and substantiated efficacy claims; and subjects manufacturers to licensing, China's cosmetics GMP norms, and a quality safety officer requirement.
Scope & applicability
Cosmetics produced in or imported into China, their ingredients, and the registrants, notifiers, manufacturers, and operators behind them. Toothpaste is regulated by reference; soap generally falls outside except where efficacy claims bring it in.
Legal basis & how it acquires force
An administrative regulation of the State Council of the People's Republic of China (Order No. 727 of 29 June 2020), effective 1 January 2021, administered by the National Medical Products Administration and its provincial counterparts. It replaced the 1989 Cosmetics Hygiene Supervision Regulations. The CSAR is the parent instrument of a family of NMPA implementing measures — on registration and notification dossiers, new ingredients, efficacy-claim evaluation, GMP norms, and adverse-reaction monitoring — issued from 2021 onward.
Document structure
| Part | Covers |
|---|---|
| Chapter I — General provisions | Scope, definitions (including special vs general cosmetics), and regulatory responsibilities |
| Chapter II — Raw materials and products | New-ingredient registration/notification, product registration for special cosmetics, and notification for general cosmetics |
| Chapter III — Production and operation | Manufacturing licences, GMP obligations, the quality safety officer, labelling, and e-commerce operator duties |
| Chapter IV — Supervision and administration | Inspection powers, sampling, and adverse-reaction monitoring |
| Chapters V–VI — Legal liability and supplementary provisions | Penalties for violations and transitional/interpretive provisions, including the treatment of toothpaste |
Key requirements
- Registration of special cosmetics (e.g. hair dyes, sunscreens) and notification of general cosmetics before marketing
- Registration or notification of new cosmetic ingredients, with risk-based data requirements
- A designated safety assessor and product safety assessment per NMPA technical guidance
- Efficacy claims supported by evidence and published summaries
- Production under a manufacturing licence and China's cosmetics GMP norms, with a quality safety officer
Implementation tips
- Plan the dossier around the subsidiary NMPA measures (registration/notification dossier standards, ingredient safety information requirements) — the CSAR is the frame; the operational detail lives in the implementing rules
Revision notes
Promulgated 29 June 2020 (State Council Order No. 727), effective 1 January 2021; six chapters and 80 articles replacing the 1989 Cosmetics Hygiene Supervision Regulations, with NMPA implementing measures rolling out from 2021 onward.
Where this control fails
live FDA enforcementLive FDA recalls SPEQ maps to this standard’s topics — a SPEQ interpretation, not an FDA classification.
International alignment
The CSAR moves China's cosmetics regime structurally closer to the EU model — pre-market notification with registrant responsibility, safety assessment, and efficacy substantiation echo Regulation (EC) 1223/2009 — while retaining registration for higher-risk special cosmetics and a national GMP licensing system administered by the NMPA. Its GMP layer is China's own norms rather than ISO 22716, though the practice areas correspond; the US comparison is MoCRA, which introduced facility registration and safety substantiation federally in 2022.
CSAR (Order No. 727): frequently asked questions
Quick answers to common questions about CSAR (Order No. 727).
What is the difference between special and general cosmetics under the CSAR?
Special cosmetics — categories such as hair dyes, perms, whitening products, and sunscreens — require NMPA registration before marketing. General cosmetics are notified rather than registered, with the notifier bearing responsibility for safety and compliance. The classification drives the dossier, timeline, and supervision intensity.
When did the CSAR take effect and what did it replace?
It was promulgated by State Council Order No. 727 on 29 June 2020 and took effect on 1 January 2021, replacing the Cosmetics Hygiene Supervision Regulations that had governed the sector since 1989.
What does the CSAR require for efficacy claims?
Claims must be supported by evidence — literature, research data, or product efficacy evaluation per NMPA rules — and a summary of the supporting basis for notified and registered products is published for public scrutiny, ending the era of unsubstantiated claims.
Does the CSAR impose GMP on manufacturers?
Yes. Manufacturing requires a licence, production must follow China's cosmetics GMP norms issued under the CSAR, and each manufacturer must appoint a quality safety officer with defined qualifications responsible for product quality and safety.
This standard in practice
Recall domain is a SPEQ mapping of this standard’s topics, not an FDA classification.