A New Era of Whitening Begins! 7 New Whitening Agent Ingredients to Receive National Innovative Guidance

On October 20, the NIFDC released the List of Innovative Guided Varieties of New Cosmetic Ingredients, with a total of 16 new ingredients selected, covering multiple categories such as colorants, sunscreens, anti-hair loss agents, and emollients. Among them, whitening agent ingredients performed particularly prominently—7 were selected, accounting for nearly half of the total—indicating that China's whitening cosmetic ingredients are ushering in a new round of technological innovation.

Policy Support: 7 New Whitening Ingredients Gain Access to the "Green Channel"

The selection aims to promote cosmetic ingredient innovation in four directions: early market launch, Chinese characteristics, domestic substitution, and green and low-carbon development. The selected ingredients will receive proactive intervention and full-process guidance services to accelerate their R&D and market launch processes.

Notably, whitening ingredients have become the focus of this round of innovative guidance. In the past, whitening products mostly relied on classic ingredients such as niacinamide and vitamin C. In our article "In-depth Analysis: Selection and Experience Summary of Ingredients in Freckle-Removing and Whitening Cosmetics" (click to read), we have thoroughly analyzed the ingredient preferences, dosage form choices, and action mechanisms of existing domestic and imported special-certified whitening products.

List of 13 commonly used freckle-removing and whitening agents in China currently

As consumers' demands for efficacy and safety continue to rise, the market is in urgent need of more targeted, gentler, and China-characteristic whitening solutions. The selected ingredients come from diverse sources—ranging from plant extracts and traditional Chinese medicines to synthetic biological materials—and hold great potential for breakthroughs in mechanisms of action, safety, sustainability, and other aspects.

In the announcement, the National Institutes for Food and Drug Control (NIFDC) specially emphasized that entry into the innovative guidance does not mean recognition of quality and safety; enterprises still need to complete registration and filing in accordance with the law. This also reflects that while encouraging innovation, China adheres to the bottom line of cosmetic safety. As these ingredients gradually enter the market, we are expected to witness the birth of whitening products with more Chinese characteristics and higher technological content.

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