The National Medical Products Administration ("NMPA") has recently issued the Regulations on Inspections for Registration and Record-filing of Cosmetics (the "Regulations") and simultaneously released an announcement to clarify the implementation issues. The Regulations have taken effect immediately from the date of issuance.
According to the Regulations, inspection and testing agencies shall obtain the China Inspection Body and Laboratory Mandatory Approval (CMA) for the cosmetics field, before performing inspections on cosmetics to be registered or filed for record, and its capacity under the approval should be adequate to meet the needs of inspections for registration and record-filing of cosmetics. The announcement reads that from the date when this announcement is released, inspection and testing agencies that satisfy the requirements set out in the Regulations may undertake inspections for registration and record-filing of cosmetics, after submitting information about the agencies into the information management system for inspections for registration and record-filing of cosmetics. Starting November 1, 2019, the relevant qualification of inspection agencies for administrative licensing of cosmetics or inspection agencies for record-filing of domestic non-special-purpose cosmetics that have been accredited or designated by the former food and drug regulators, will automatically become invalid, and such inspection agencies cannot continue to undertake inspections for registration or record-filing of cosmetics, by virtue of the previous accreditation or designation.