SFDA approves new ingredient for skin whitening products formulations

The China State Food and Drug Administration(SFDA) has approved a new ingredient, ‘Phenylethyl Resorcinol’, that can be used in in skin whitening products formulations, for the first time in five months after taking on the responsibilities of cosmetics management from the Health Ministry.

According to the agency, the ingredient approval was part of the Administration’s effort to compile a new Inventory of Existing Cosmetic Ingredients in China (IECIC), which would replace the old version issued in 2003, reported cosmeticsdesign.com.

The SFDA published the second batch of the Inventory of Existing Cosmetic Ingredient in China (IECIC) for public consultations containing 673 ingredients in July 2012, and the first batch revised in May, included 1674.

In March 2012, the SFDA had announced that it had approved two new substances, Nivitol and PM-lysine, after nearly nine months of public consultation.

The Chemical Inspection and Regulation Service (CIRS) revealed that it was the first time the administration approved new cosmetic ingredients since taking over licensing responsibilities.

CIRS was quoted by the website as saying, "There have only been eight new cosmetic ingredients approved so far by China since 2004."

In 1990, the authority revealed that the use of new ingredients for cosmetics production must be approved first, while in 2009, it clearly mentioned that the rules for the application of administrative licenses for cosmetics ingredients in China must be licensed.

The regulatory body in 2010 updated its rules for cosmetic companies looking to access the Chinese marketplace.

The authority also made it clear that from then on it would to be the sole regulatory body of cosmetics products, and that this responsibility was no longer that of the Health Ministry of China.