Laws & Regulation: Top news on cosmetics regulation across the APAC region

1 – Need-to-know regulatory issues on the agenda for APAC’s cosmetics sector in 2019

Among APAC’s emerging economies and lucrative markets, APAC’s cosmetics legislation is changing at a fast pace. Here we reveal the latest developments set to come into place in 2019.

IECIC to get major upgrade​

By refining its cross-border e-commerce laws and hosting the inaugural China International Import Expo, China is sending a clear message that it plans to continue opening up its market.

The cosmetics industry can expect China to continue changing its policies, which will come swiftly in the New Year, said Kris Fang, head of Europe for China Beauteville.

Fang said that the industry can expect “important changes” in the coming months, especially in raw materials.

2 – Forever delayed? Australia’s postpones ban on animal testing for a third time to 2020

Australia has delayed efforts to ban cosmetic testing on animals for the third time, pushing the deadline back to July 1, 2020.

The ban on cosmetic testing on animals is part of the Industrial Chemicals Bill, which aims to establish the Australian Industrial Chemicals Introduction Scheme (AICIS).

The National Industrial Chemicals Notification and Assessment Scheme (NICNAS) announced on January 11 that the deadline has been extended as legislation for the new scheme is expected to be debated in the senate in the first half of 2019.

Government amendments to change the commencement date will be addressed during that time.

3 – IFRA to launch new sustainability initiative in 2019 as consumer interest grows

The International Fragrance Association (IFRA) will be launching its own sustainability initiative in collaboration with the flavours industry later this year.

Michael Carlos, chairman of IFRA, said sustainability will continue to be a “key driver for change” in 2019 as consumers increasingly value it as a priority.

“Our customers and the public are increasingly making sustainability and ‘values’ a part of their purchasing decisions and we will continue to move with and shape that trend.”

4 – Croda expands Halal portfolio as Indonesia puts new Halal legislation into effect

Croda International expands Halal ingredient portfolio in anticipation of rising Halal demand as ahead of Indonesia’s October 2019 deadline to have all cosmetics certified by Majelis Ulama Indonesia (MUI).

The company has achieved Halal-certification for 15 biopolymer ingredients manufactured at their Ditton site in the United Kingdom.

The latest Halal additions brings the total number of Halal-certified raw materials available from Croda’s manufacturing sites around the world to 743.

5 – K-beauty dominates EWG’s latest “Best Bets” list

South Korean beauty products take up 12 out of 19 spots on Environmental Working Group (EWG) “Best Bets” lists for serums and essences.

The ranking was determined after the EWG accessed more than 350 serums and essences from various companies across the world, cross-referencing its Skin Deep database.

Affordable K-beauty serums and essences on the lists included Innisfree, Missha, COSRX, Purito and Olivarrier.

The product category was made popular globally by the K-beauty wave. According to EWG, US sales of K-beauty products increased by almost 300% in the past two years alone.