GB 7916-2026 Cosmetics - General safety requirements ENGLISH
1 Scope
This document specifies the general requirements, ingredient requirements and product requirements for cosmetics, as well as provisions for packaging materials and carriers, labelling, storage and transport, and implementation of the standard.
This document applies to cosmetics that are produced and marketed within the territory of the People's Republic of China.
This document does not apply to cosmetics intended solely for export.
2 Normative references
The following normative documents contain provisions which, through reference in this text, constitute provisions of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references, the latest edition (including any amendments) applies.
GB 5296.3 Instruction for use of consumer products - General labelling for cosmetics
Technical specifications for cosmetic safety (National Medical Products Administration)
Technical guidelines for cosmetic safety assessment (National Medical Products Administration)
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
3.1
cosmetics
products of daily chemical industry intended to be applied to the surface of the human body, such as skin, hair, nails and lips, by means of applying, spraying or other similar methods, for the purposes of cleaning, protecting, beautifying or modifying the appearance
3.2
cosmetic ingredients
substances used in the formulation of cosmetics
3.3
prohibited substances
substances that shall not be used as cosmetic ingredients
3.4
restricted ingredients
substances that may be used as cosmetic ingredients under limited conditions
3.5
preservatives
substances added to cosmetics for the purpose of inhibiting the growth of microorganisms in cosmetics
3.6
UV-filters
substances added to cosmetics to protect the skin, lips, etc., from damage caused by specific ultraviolet radiation, or to protect the product itself, by means of absorption, reflection or scattering of light
3.7
colorants
substances added to cosmetics to impart colour to the cosmetics or to the area of application, by means of absorption or reflection of visible light
Note: Colorants do not include hairdyes as specified in the Technical specifications for cosmetic safety.
3.8
hairdyes
substances added to cosmetics for the purpose of changing the colour of hair
3.9
packaging materials
containers and components that come into direct contact with the contents of cosmetics, used for storage, transport and sale
Note: Components include, but are not limited to, bottle caps, sealing gaskets, pump tubes, etc.
3.10
cosmetics labelling
marks such as text, symbols, numbers and graphics on the sales packaging of cosmetics used to identify and describe the basic information, attributes, safety warnings, etc., of the product, as well as packaging containers, boxes and instruction leaflets that bear the labelling information
4 Abbreviations
For the purposes of this document, the following abbreviations apply.
CAS: Chemical Abstracts Service Registry Number
EINECS: European Inventory of Existing Commercial Chemical Substances
INCI: International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients
5 Requirements
5.1 General requirements
5.1.1 The production of cosmetics shall be subject to whole‑process control and traceability. Cosmetics shall not be marketed until they have passed the factory inspection. The Quality management standards for cosmetics production sets out the basic requirements for the quality management of cosmetics.
5.1.2 Before being placed on the market, cosmetics shall be subjected to a safety assessment to ensure that they do not cause harm to human health under normal, reasonable and foreseeable conditions of use. The procedures and relevant requirements for safety assessment shall comply with the Technical guidelines for cosmetic safety assessment.
5.1.3 Children's cosmetics shall comply with the provisions of this document; other relevant requirements shall comply with the Provisions on the supervision and administration of children's cosmetics.
....
....
Interpretation of the mandatory national standard General Safety Requirements for Cosmetics
On August 6, 2026, the Standardization Administration of China issued the mandatory national standard GB 7916-2026 General Safety Requirements for Cosmetics. The standard was drafted by the National Medical Products Administration.
The revision of GB 7916-2026 General Safety Requirements for Cosmetics follows five main principles:
1. Compliance with laws and regulations. The standard is strictly based on the Regulations on the Supervision and Administration of Cosmetics and its supporting departmental rules and normative documents, and remains aligned with current regulatory policy directions.
2. Continuity and development. The standard systematically integrates and restructures the mature and reliable general safety technical requirements for cosmetics that have been proven through years of practice in the Safety and Technical Standards for Cosmetics, and maintains coherence with GB 5296.3 Instruction for Use of Consumer Products – Part 3: General Labelling of Cosmetics.
3. Risk‑based classification. The standard sets corresponding safety technical indicators based on differentiated risk assessment results, considering product exposure routes, user populations and application areas. For higher‑risk products such as children’s cosmetics and those applied to the eye area skin, eyelashes, and lips, stricter safety indicators are imposed, including more stringent microbiological limits.
4. International harmonization. The standard draws on advanced concepts from the EU Cosmetics Regulation (EC No 1223/2009) regarding product safety responsibility, safety assessment frameworks and trace substance management. At the technical level, such as biological indicators, it aligns with international standards such as ISO 17516:2014 Cosmetics – Microbiology – Microbiological Limits, thereby enhancing its international compatibility.
5. Economic feasibility and practicality. During preparation, the standard fully considered industry technical capabilities and cost feasibility to ensure that the technical indicators are scientifically sound and reasonable. Supporting test methods are also provided to facilitate implementation by the industry.
In terms of maintaining the safety bottom line for cosmetics, the standard sets out four main provisions:
1. Under the current regulatory framework, it consolidates and improves the previously scattered technical requirements from documents such as the Safety and Technical Standards for Cosmetics, establishing, as a mandatory national standard, the full‑chain safety requirements for cosmetics from raw materials to finished products.
2. It comprehensively standardizes the terms and definitions related to cosmetics, including prohibited substances, restricted ingredients, permitted sunscreens and colourants, and packaging materials, thereby more scientifically defining the scope and boundaries of cosmetic quality and safety management.
3. It establishes stricter technical standards for children’s cosmetics and other higher‑risk products. For children’s cosmetics and those applied to the eye area, eyelashes and lips, the total bacterial count limit is set ten times stricter than for ordinary products, reflecting a stringent control approach for high‑risk products.
4. It imposes strict controls on hazardous substances, and sets strict limits for harmful substances such as mercury, lead, arsenic and cadmium, and the list of prohibited substances is comprehensively revised. Besides, the standard reserves space for future updates to the prohibited substances list as scientific research progresses, clarifying that when the State Council Drug Administration issues relevant announcements updating the prohibited substances list and its requirements, the relevant provisions of this list shall be subject to those updates.
The standard is scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2028. Cosmetics that have been produced or imported before the implementation date may continue to be sold until the end of their shelf life.
This is a draft translation for reference among interesting stakeholders. The finalized translation (passing through draft translation, self-check, revision and verification) will be delivered upon being ordered.
Contents
Foreword I
Introduction III
1 Scope
2 Normative references
3 Terms and definitions
4 Abbreviations
5 Requirements
5.1 General requirements
5.2 Ingredient requirements
5.3 Product requirements
6 Packaging materials and carriers
7 Labelling
8 Storage and transport
9 Implementation of the standard
Annex A (Normative) Prohibited substances for cosmetics
Annex B (Normative) Prohibited plant (animal) substances for cosmetics
Bibliography
Table 1 Requirements for microbiological indicators of cosmetics
Table 2 Requirements for hazardous substances in cosmetics
Table A.1 List of prohibited substances for cosmetics
Table B.1 List of prohibited plant (animal) substances for cosmetics
GB 7916-2026 Cosmetics - General safety requirements ENGLISH
1 Scope
This document specifies the general requirements, ingredient requirements and product requirements for cosmetics, as well as provisions for packaging materials and carriers, labelling, storage and transport, and implementation of the standard.
This document applies to cosmetics that are produced and marketed within the territory of the People's Republic of China.
This document does not apply to cosmetics intended solely for export.
2 Normative references
The following normative documents contain provisions which, through reference in this text, constitute provisions of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references, the latest edition (including any amendments) applies.
GB 5296.3 Instruction for use of consumer products - General labelling for cosmetics
Technical specifications for cosmetic safety (National Medical Products Administration)
Technical guidelines for cosmetic safety assessment (National Medical Products Administration)
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
3.1
cosmetics
products of daily chemical industry intended to be applied to the surface of the human body, such as skin, hair, nails and lips, by means of applying, spraying or other similar methods, for the purposes of cleaning, protecting, beautifying or modifying the appearance
3.2
cosmetic ingredients
substances used in the formulation of cosmetics
3.3
prohibited substances
substances that shall not be used as cosmetic ingredients
3.4
restricted ingredients
substances that may be used as cosmetic ingredients under limited conditions
3.5
preservatives
substances added to cosmetics for the purpose of inhibiting the growth of microorganisms in cosmetics
3.6
UV-filters
substances added to cosmetics to protect the skin, lips, etc., from damage caused by specific ultraviolet radiation, or to protect the product itself, by means of absorption, reflection or scattering of light
3.7
colorants
substances added to cosmetics to impart colour to the cosmetics or to the area of application, by means of absorption or reflection of visible light
Note: Colorants do not include hairdyes as specified in the Technical specifications for cosmetic safety.
3.8
hairdyes
substances added to cosmetics for the purpose of changing the colour of hair
3.9
packaging materials
containers and components that come into direct contact with the contents of cosmetics, used for storage, transport and sale
Note: Components include, but are not limited to, bottle caps, sealing gaskets, pump tubes, etc.
3.10
cosmetics labelling
marks such as text, symbols, numbers and graphics on the sales packaging of cosmetics used to identify and describe the basic information, attributes, safety warnings, etc., of the product, as well as packaging containers, boxes and instruction leaflets that bear the labelling information
4 Abbreviations
For the purposes of this document, the following abbreviations apply.
CAS: Chemical Abstracts Service Registry Number
EINECS: European Inventory of Existing Commercial Chemical Substances
INCI: International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients
5 Requirements
5.1 General requirements
5.1.1 The production of cosmetics shall be subject to whole‑process control and traceability. Cosmetics shall not be marketed until they have passed the factory inspection. The Quality management standards for cosmetics production sets out the basic requirements for the quality management of cosmetics.
5.1.2 Before being placed on the market, cosmetics shall be subjected to a safety assessment to ensure that they do not cause harm to human health under normal, reasonable and foreseeable conditions of use. The procedures and relevant requirements for safety assessment shall comply with the Technical guidelines for cosmetic safety assessment.
5.1.3 Children's cosmetics shall comply with the provisions of this document; other relevant requirements shall comply with the Provisions on the supervision and administration of children's cosmetics.
....
....
Interpretation of the mandatory national standard General Safety Requirements for Cosmetics
On August 6, 2026, the Standardization Administration of China issued the mandatory national standard GB 7916-2026 General Safety Requirements for Cosmetics. The standard was drafted by the National Medical Products Administration.
The revision of GB 7916-2026 General Safety Requirements for Cosmetics follows five main principles:
1. Compliance with laws and regulations. The standard is strictly based on the Regulations on the Supervision and Administration of Cosmetics and its supporting departmental rules and normative documents, and remains aligned with current regulatory policy directions.
2. Continuity and development. The standard systematically integrates and restructures the mature and reliable general safety technical requirements for cosmetics that have been proven through years of practice in the Safety and Technical Standards for Cosmetics, and maintains coherence with GB 5296.3 Instruction for Use of Consumer Products – Part 3: General Labelling of Cosmetics.
3. Risk‑based classification. The standard sets corresponding safety technical indicators based on differentiated risk assessment results, considering product exposure routes, user populations and application areas. For higher‑risk products such as children’s cosmetics and those applied to the eye area skin, eyelashes, and lips, stricter safety indicators are imposed, including more stringent microbiological limits.
4. International harmonization. The standard draws on advanced concepts from the EU Cosmetics Regulation (EC No 1223/2009) regarding product safety responsibility, safety assessment frameworks and trace substance management. At the technical level, such as biological indicators, it aligns with international standards such as ISO 17516:2014 Cosmetics – Microbiology – Microbiological Limits, thereby enhancing its international compatibility.
5. Economic feasibility and practicality. During preparation, the standard fully considered industry technical capabilities and cost feasibility to ensure that the technical indicators are scientifically sound and reasonable. Supporting test methods are also provided to facilitate implementation by the industry.
In terms of maintaining the safety bottom line for cosmetics, the standard sets out four main provisions:
1. Under the current regulatory framework, it consolidates and improves the previously scattered technical requirements from documents such as the Safety and Technical Standards for Cosmetics, establishing, as a mandatory national standard, the full‑chain safety requirements for cosmetics from raw materials to finished products.
2. It comprehensively standardizes the terms and definitions related to cosmetics, including prohibited substances, restricted ingredients, permitted sunscreens and colourants, and packaging materials, thereby more scientifically defining the scope and boundaries of cosmetic quality and safety management.
3. It establishes stricter technical standards for children’s cosmetics and other higher‑risk products. For children’s cosmetics and those applied to the eye area, eyelashes and lips, the total bacterial count limit is set ten times stricter than for ordinary products, reflecting a stringent control approach for high‑risk products.
4. It imposes strict controls on hazardous substances, and sets strict limits for harmful substances such as mercury, lead, arsenic and cadmium, and the list of prohibited substances is comprehensively revised. Besides, the standard reserves space for future updates to the prohibited substances list as scientific research progresses, clarifying that when the State Council Drug Administration issues relevant announcements updating the prohibited substances list and its requirements, the relevant provisions of this list shall be subject to those updates.
The standard is scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2028. Cosmetics that have been produced or imported before the implementation date may continue to be sold until the end of their shelf life.
This is a draft translation for reference among interesting stakeholders. The finalized translation (passing through draft translation, self-check, revision and verification) will be delivered upon being ordered.
Contents of GB 7916-2026
Contents
Foreword I
Introduction III
1 Scope
2 Normative references
3 Terms and definitions
4 Abbreviations
5 Requirements
5.1 General requirements
5.2 Ingredient requirements
5.3 Product requirements
6 Packaging materials and carriers
7 Labelling
8 Storage and transport
9 Implementation of the standard
Annex A (Normative) Prohibited substances for cosmetics
Annex B (Normative) Prohibited plant (animal) substances for cosmetics
Bibliography
Table 1 Requirements for microbiological indicators of cosmetics
Table 2 Requirements for hazardous substances in cosmetics
Table A.1 List of prohibited substances for cosmetics
Table B.1 List of prohibited plant (animal) substances for cosmetics
