24 New Regulations! Key Impacts and New Opportunities Brands Can’t Afford to Miss

NMPA Releases 24 New Regulatory Measures

On November 17, a major policy document quickly went viral across the cosmetics industry— the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) officially issued the Opinions on Deepening Reform of Cosmetics Regulation and Promoting High-Quality Development of the Industry.This document introduces 24 concrete measures, marking a brand-new starting line for the sector. As a guiding policy shaping the industry’s future direction, it not only clarifies the regulatory roadmap but will also significantly influence brands’ product development strategies and compliance workflows. Understanding the new rules will allow enterprises to gain a head start in the next round of competition.

This article focuses on what matters most to companies—reducing costs, improving efficiency, and unlocking new growth opportunities—and highlights the key business potentials behind these new measures.

Cost Reduction & Efficiency Improvement

Streamlined Processes to Help Companies “Travel Light”

The new regulations address long-standing compliance challenges such as repeated testing and overly complex documentation. By simplifying procedures, they effectively reduce compliance burdens and overall operational costs.

Optimized Review Mechanisms, Shortened Time-to-Market

Key Measures:

• Establish a coordinated review mechanism between national and provincial authorities.

• Adopt a tiered management approach for changes involving special cosmetics, with review timelines substantially shortened—from the original 90 working days to 60 days for high-risk items and 45 days for low-risk items.

Opportunities for Enterprises:

Product iteration cycles and post-market change response times can improve by up to 50%, enabling brands to react faster to market demand and capture business opportunities promptly.

Simplified Registration & Filing — Eliminating “Duplicate Submissions”

Key Measures:

• Product Level:

Products under the same brand with similar formulation systems (e.g., lipsticks of different shades, perfumes of different scents) may share safety documentation and efficacy evaluation data.

• Ingredient Level:

Safety-related information for cosmetic ingredients (previously Appendix 14 materials) will now be retained by the enterprise for inspection instead of being submitted during registration and filing.

Opportunities for Enterprises:

This greatly reduces the volume of documents required at the registration and filing stage, significantly improving submission efficiency. In the development of product series, per-SKU testing and documentation costs decrease notably. Meanwhile, regulatory focus shifts from strict pre-approval to more balanced in-process and post-market supervision.

Optimized Production Change Management — Lower “Process Burden”

Key Measures:

When re-filing is required due to a change in the manufacturing site, most existing technical documents may continue to be used.

Opportunities for Enterprises:

This allows far greater flexibility when adjusting internal manufacturing arrangements or switching contract manufacturers, avoiding the need to redo documentation from scratch and helping control operational adjustment costs.

Implementation of E-Labels — Reducing Waste and Operational Burden

Key Measures:

A pilot program for electronic labels is planned to begin in several provinces and municipalities starting February 2026. Companies will be able to update label information dynamically through digital systems.

Benefits for Enterprises:

Electronic labels can reduce packaging waste from label changes, lower costs, and enhance operational efficiency. They also help better meet diverse consumer needs, including accessibility for elderly users.

Encouraging Innovation

Building New Growth Tracks and Driving the Industry Toward “Value-Based Competition”

The new regulations send a clear policy signal encouraging enterprises to move into high-value, innovation-driven fields and break free from homogenized competition.

Opening Channels for New Efficacy Claims

Key Measures:

Establish a dedicated “immediate submission and immediate review” pathway for cosmetic products with new efficacy claims, supported by a pre-submission consultation mechanism.

Opportunities for Enterprises:

This provides a fast track for brands to build differentiation through innovative efficacy claims and secure early market advantages.

Supporting Innovation in Ingredient Technologies

Key Measures:

Offer full-process services featuring “early engagement and continuous guidance” for new ingredients; promote standards development focusing on uniquely Chinese botanical resources and other innovation fields.

Opportunities for Enterprises:

Innovation is encouraged at the source, helping domestic brands build distinctive competitiveness around core functional ingredients.

Tapping Into the “Old aged Economy” — A New Blue Ocean

Key Measures:

Explicitly encourage the development of products tailored to the needs of the elderly population and support their registration and filing.

Opportunities for Enterprises:

Policy support opens the market for senior consumers, motivating companies to study the physiological characteristics of aging skin and cultivate new growth drivers.

Optimizing Supervision

Standardizing the Market and Creating a “Non-Interference” Regulatory Environment

The new measures aim to improve the regulatory ecosystem and create a more stable, transparent environment for compliant enterprises.

Implementing Tiered and Classified Regulation

Key Measures:

Allocate regulatory resources based on an enterprise’s quality management system and risk classification.

Opportunities for Enterprises:

High-quality, compliant companies will benefit from a “non-interference unless necessary” approach, fostering a precise and business-friendly regulatory environment.

Strengthening Oversight of Online Operations

Key Measures:

Improve the “online governance through online mechanisms” framework and reinforce platform responsibilities in e-commerce.

Opportunities for Enterprises:

This helps clean up the online marketplace, combat counterfeit and substandard products, and protect the reputation and market share of legitimate brands.

Aligning With International Standards

Enabling Chinese Brands to Expand Globally and Fostering Two-Way Synergy

The new regulations pave the way for companies to enter global markets and promote harmonization between domestic and international standards.

• Reduction of Animal Testing:

Starting with categories such as perming products and non-oxidative hair dyes, China will gradually promote exemptions from animal testing—removing a long-standing barrier for Chinese brands entering markets like the EU that require non-animal-tested products.

• Standards Harmonization and Optimization:

China will work to align domestic standards with international ones, establish a dynamic update mechanism for categories such as preservatives, sunscreens, and colorants, and support the timely inclusion of ingredients scientifically assessed by recognized international bodies with extensive safe-use histories. This reduces the compliance burden for products intended for both domestic and overseas markets.

• Supporting First-Launch Strategies:

International new products launched first in China will be exempt from submitting overseas marketing authorization proofs, significantly shortening time-to-market in China and benefiting imported brands and cross-border e-commerce.

The release of this new Opinion marks a brand-new stage in China’s cosmetic regulatory landscape. At its core, the logic is clear: by “easing” procedural burdens at the front end, the policy pushes enterprises to “strengthen” their internal innovation capabilities and quality accountability—ultimately driving high-quality development across the entire industry chain.

For companies, this is not only a long-awaited policy dividend but also a serious test of competence. Brands that can swiftly adapt to the new rules, focus on genuine innovation, and build a solid quality management system will be the ones to stand out in the next round of competition.

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