The draft revisions to the renamed Act for Control of Cosmetic Safety and Hygiene aims to align Taiwan’s regulatory system with global cosmetics practices to secure consumer safety.
Marking the first major changes to the country’s cosmetic regulations in 14 years, the proposed revisions passed review at the Executive Yuan and will now move to parliament for the next stage of the process.
The Premier of the Republic of China, Lin Chuan, plans to make Taiwan's cosmetics hygiene and safety management system work effectively alongside international standards, reports the Ministry of Health and Welfare in a press release.
This follows the country’s Taiwan-US Trade and investment framework agreement (Trade and Investment Framework Agreement, TIFA) and "Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement” (Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement, TPP).
Regulation Amendments
The revised regulations are designed to update the definitions of cosmetics, cosmetic industry, the product information files and cosmetic ingredient (amendments to provision 3).
In amendments to the provisions of section 4 and 5, the draft revisions plan to abolish the current cosmetic pigment identification registration in favour of a reference system.
Cosmetic manufacturers and importers will have access to product information files to help cosmetics companies register launches or new imports. Other identification registration systems will also be in place for specific cosmetics.
The regulation sets out revised rules on how essential information must be displayed on packaging or containers.
Marketing and advertising
Other amended articles, including articles 10 to 12, place importance on the marketing and advertising capabilities of brands within the cosmetics and beauty industry. The revisions emphasise the importance of communicating all information to the public in a transparent and accurate way.
The mandate sets out that the manufacturing of cosmetic products should align with the cosmetic good manufacturing practices (CGMP) issued by the Ministry of Health and Welfare.
In addition, the revised regulations will give central government agencies, including the Ministry of Economic Affairs, the authority to conduct related factory inspections to ensure safety practices are implemented.