Obtaining an NMPA Code does not Equal Approval by the Chinese Regulatory Authority

On October 27, 2022, the National Institutes for Food and Drug Control released a FAQ regarding the NMPA codes for cosmetic ingredients. Details are as follows:

Q: How are NMPA codes of cosmetic ingredients generated via the Cosmetic Ingredients Safety Information Registration Platform?

A: The Safety Information Registration Platform of Cosmetic Ingredients (hereinafter referred to as the Platform of Cosmetic Ingredients) is mainly used for cosmetic ingredient enterprises or enterprises designated by ingredient manufacturers registering the safety information of ingredients. After the information is registered, an NMPA code will be automatically generated. With the NMPA code, cosmetic enterprises can associate relevant safety information of the ingredients to the products during registration/filing. The use of the NMPA code may largely reduce duplication. Particularly when one cosmetic ingredient is used in multiple products and information on the ingredient related to its quality and safety, including the main components of the ingredient, the limit requirements for risk substances, and other information needs to be filled in several times.

It is worth mentioning that the Platform of Cosmetic Ingredients is only developed to improve the efficiency of cosmetic registration and filing and the competent authorities will not review the submitted safety information. Related enterprises (ingredient manufacturers and enterprises that need to use the ingredient) must bear responsibility for the legality, authenticity, accuracy, and integrity of the ingredient safety information.

Enterprises obtaining NMPA codes for one cosmetic ingredient does not mean the ingredient has been approved by the regulatory authority. Anyone claiming that the ingredient is approved by the regulatory authority after "obtaining the NMPA code of cosmetic ingredient", or even making advertisements by fabricating a trade name that does not belong to the category of cosmetic ingredients, such as "exosomes", is suspected of false or exaggerated publicity, and will be investigated according to law.

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