American Chamber of Commerce urges China to “adopt international best practices”

In its 2014 American Business in China White Paper, AmCham also calls on China to help to integrate the domestic and global markets by “encouraging companies to take responsibility for providing safe and high-quality products”.​

As China’s supervision system requires examination and approval before a product is launched, compared to the self-regulatory approach accepted by the global cosmetics industry, the Chamber hopes the proposed revision will introduce a more science-based and efficient supervisory system. 

The White Paper suggests four principles should underpin the work:​

• reducing the review and approval processes conducted before products are introduced to the market;
• maintaining in China the current definitions and classifications within the international cosmetics industry;
• creating a new model of product safety supervision that shifts responsibility to companies; and
• to encourage self-regulation, the supervisory authorities should primarily use post-product launch measures.

15 specific measures have also been outlined to achieve these principles:​

• implementing a filing system for imported, non-special purpose cosmetics that is similar to that faced by domestic cosmetic products;
• deleting the definition of new raw materials for cosmetics;
• limiting the raw materials requiring registration and approval to functional raw materials likely to have a higher risk profile, such as preservatives, colourants, sun-screen agents, hair-dyes and special-purpose cosmetic active ingredients;
• avoiding repeated registrations for ingredients or products by setting up a “holistic" regulatory management system;
• simplifying or waiving the pre-registration process for special-purpose cosmetics that have a positive list of active ingredients;
• defining the main body responsible for product safety;
• establishing a nationwide, public access system listing statistics for exposure to cosmetic ingredients to enhance the public’s ability to assess risks; and
• enhancing the transparency of decision making with regards to risks, by disclosing risk evaluation plans, procedures and results to the public