On December 15, 2023, the Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) of the European Union issued a final opinion on Methylparaben. The preliminary opinion on the safety of Methylparaben in cosmetics (SCCS/1652/23) was released on June 8, 2023.

On December 23, 2023, Turkey officially announced to extend the KKDIK registration deadline of December 31, 2023, by up to seven years, between 2026 and 2030 depending on the tonnage band and the hazard classification. Earlier in November, a draft text proposed to gradually extend the KKDIK registration deadlines was submitted to the NGO.

In recent years, fueled by consumers’ growing demand for low-calorie diets, sweetness-related keywords such as “low-sugar” and “zero-sugar” remain highly popular. Sugar substitutes are widely used in the downstream food and beverage industry, due to the characteristics of high-sweet, low-calorie, and not causing a rise in blood sugar levels.

25 Dec 2023, China MARA issued its notice No. 736 to officially impose bans on the use of four highly toxic pesticides, namely Omethoate, Carbofuran, Methomyl, and Aldicarb. Effective from June 1, 2024, the registrations of formulation products containing Omethoate, Carbosulfan, Methomyl, and Aldicarb in China will be revoked, and their production will be prohibited. Sales and use of these products will be banned starting from June 1, 2026.

On December 5, 2023, the European Union Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) published the preliminary opinion(SCCS/1661/23) on Titanium Dioxide (TiO2). The deadline for comments is set for 6 February 2024.

On December 22, 2023, China National Center for Food Safety Risk Assessment (CFSA) issued 2 new food raw materials, L-alpha-Glycerylphosphorylcholine and Leuconostoc pseudomesenteroides, for public comments. The deadline for public comments is January 22, 2024.

On December 14, 2023, the Taiwanese Ministry of Health and Welfare published a notice on the draft amendment of the List of Ingredients Prohibited in Cosmetic Products to commence a period of public comments. The new amendment will come into effect on July 1, 2024. For any comments or suggestions, please submit them within 60 days from the day following the publication of the notice.

The Administrative Measures for the Registration of Infant Formula Products (hereinafter referred to as the Administrative Measures) was revised and issued on July 10, 2023, and came into effect on October 1, 2023. Following the implementation of the new national standards, the new registration regulations have further tightened the requirements for infant formula registration. How should enterprises make adjustments to cope with the new circumstances?

FDA Direct is a U.S. Food and Drug Administration's web-based and free structured product labeling (SPL) authoring tool. Previously CDER Direct, FDA Direct now includes CDER Direct and Cosmetics Direct. Users can create separate accounts, depending on drugs or cosmetics submissions, or a single account that includes both CDER Direct submissions as well as Cosmetics Direct submissions.

On December 18, 2023, China's Ministry of Ecological Environment (MEE) announced the addition of a batch of 25 registered substances that fulfill the requirements of existing substances into the Inventory of Existing Chemical Substances in China (IECSC). CIRS warmly reminds you that related enterprises must make sure whether their substances are existing substances. The Provisions on Environmental Administration of New Chemical Substances (MEE Order 12) require enterprises to complete new substance registration/record before manufacturing or importing, or they may face various punishments.