The Chinese Ministry of Health announced the implementation of a supervisory program to strengthen the monitoring and regulation of cosmetics hygiene, beginning in April 2005 and lasting until the end of the year. The provincial health administrations will supervise more closely the enforcement of cosmetics hygiene in all production and marketing companies. They will also provide improved training for hygienic administrative authorities at all levels.
Health administrations will monitor cosmetics production companies to ensure that they have valid hygiene licenses. Companies that hold hygiene licenses are responsible for ensuring that their plants and warehouses are supervised and managed in accordance with the “Hygienic Standard of Cosmetics Production Enterprises.” In particular, they must refrain from any illegal use of cosmetic materials, and from the use of any forbidden materials as outlined in the Hygienic Standard.
Health administrations will also closely supervise cosmetics marketing enterprises such as hair and beauty salons, drugstores, and cosmetics wholesale markets, to examine their cosmetics’ labels and instruction sheets for any false or exaggerated claims. They will also perform periodic spot checks on key cosmetic products to assess their hygienic quality.
All health administrations are required to submit progress reports on the supervisory program to the Hygienic Supervision Center by the end of September 2005, and summary reports by the end of December 2005.