NEWS

On April 3, 2026, the Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) announced that, in response to packaging material supply shortages, it will temporarily allow food, cosmetics, and other products to display required labeling information using sticker labels when using alternative packaging materials. This temporary measure takes effect on April 5 and will be valid for 6 months (may be terminated early or extended depending on actual supply conditions).

On March 31, 2026，the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) of Japan issued MHLW Notification No. 155, revising the standards and requirements for ruminant-derived raw materials under the Standards for Biological Raw Materials. The relevant amendments apply to pharmaceuticals, quasi-drugs, cosmetics, medical devices, and regenerative medical products. The revisions became effective on the date of issuance.

On April 1, 2026, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) of South Korea officially announced the launch of the "Cosmetic Safety Assessment Support Program”. This program aims to recruit 1,500 small and medium-sized cosmetic responsible sales companies nationwide and provide them with professional consulting services. The South Korean government plans to phase in mandatory cosmetic safety assessments starting in 2028. The application period for interested companies is from April 1 to April 30, 2026, with results to be announced in mid-May 2026.

To help stakeholders stay informed of the latest developments and gain insights into market trends, this article provides a systematic review and in-depth analysis of the cosmetic ingredient filings published by China’s National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) in March 2026. The report mainly covers the number of new ingredient filings during the month, basic information about the filing enterprises, the regional distribution of domestic filers, ingredients that have been filed multiple times, and interpretations of selected ingredients. It aims to offer valuable data support and information references for the cosmetics industry.

On April 7, 2026, China National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) released five cosmetic industry standards, including the "General Technical Requirements for Biotechnological Ingredients in Cosmetics." These five standards are recommended guidelines and will come into effect on May 1, 2027. Serving as technical references, these standards not only contribute to the establishment of a systematic and comprehensive cosmetic standard system but also provide essential guidelines for ingredient quality control, product safety assessment, and quality safety supervision in the cosmetics industry.

On April 2, 2026, the Korea Cosmetic Association (KCIA) issued an announcement stating that the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) partially amended the Enforcement Rule of the Cosmetics Act on March 31, 2026, aiming to further strengthen the safety supervision of directly purchased overseas cosmetics. The amended provisions have entered into force on April 2, 2026.

In March 2026, the Shanghai Municipal, Fujian Provincial, Hubei Provincial, and Anhui Provincial Medical Products Administrations successively issued announcements regarding cosmetic supervision and sampling inspections. A total of 12 batches of products were found to be non-compliant. This summary of the announcements aims to help enterprises stay informed of evolving regulatory trends and strengthen their quality management and compliance awareness.

On March 26, 2026, Australia's Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) officially opened an 8-week public consultation aiming at seeking improvements to the regulation of sunscreens in Australia. Stakeholders are invited to submit their responses by May 23, 2026.

On March 31, 2026, China’s National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) issued the Announcement on Matters Related to Cosmetic Registration and Filing (Draft for Comments) and is now soliciting public comments.

On March 30, 2026, China's National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) publicly solicited opinions on two mandatory national standards, including “Instructions for use of consumer interest- Part 3: General labelling for cosmetics” and “General requirements of safety and technical for toothpastes”.