1 - Cosmetics face stricter regulation as China’s CBEC rules set to change
Our most popular story trending over our social media reports on the changes to cross-border e-commerce (CBEC) rules in China.
Cosmetic products imported via CBEC into China look set to require registration with the China Food and Drug Administration (CFDA) before they can be imported into the country from next year.
Reliable sources have unofficially confirmed that China is certain to implement CBEC changes as early as January 1 next year.
The requirement would apply to products that have not be registered after the new regulations have been put in place, regardless of how long they have been sold on e-commerce platforms like Tmall and JD.
2 - The beauty of food: lük beautifood hopes to expand in Asia as clean beauty trend takes off
The other hot story gaining likes is our exclusive interview with indie Aussie beauty brand lük beautifood. The Australian-made brand revealed to us that it will slowly but surely increase its presence in Asia as the clean beauty trend continues to generate interest globally.
As consumers come to understand that they can have quality products without the synthetic dyes, fragrances, preservatives, petroleum oil or any other nasty toxins and chemicals, brands like lük beautifood have been gaining more popularity in the cosmetics market.
3 - Are free-from products creating harm or safety?
Next is our feature on free-from claims, where we explore if “green” and “clean” cosmetics are always the safe alternative.
Free-from claims are designed to provide reassurance to safety and health-conscious consumers, which, in turn, help build trust and confidence in their purchasing decisions. But are they proving successful? Or is the real harm in the nature of these free-from product claims?
Packaging, labels and claims traditionally centred around providing ingredient information, ethical statements and formulation techniques.
‘Green’, ‘pure’, ‘clean’, ‘natural’, ‘organic’ and ‘vegan’ are all terms that indicate various ingredients have been omitted from manufacturing and, instead, replaced with ‘healthier’ and ‘safer’ alternatives.
4 - China’s new laws will hold e-commerce platforms responsible for counterfeit cosmetics
In fourth place is our breaking story on China’s new anti-counterfeit laws which hold e-commerce platforms such as Alibaba and JD.com accountable for fake goods sold by third parties on their websites, in a bid to curb the spread of counterfeits and strengthened their IP protection.
The e-commerce law was approved by the 13th National People's Congress, and will be take effect from January 1 next year.
5 - Unilever utilises A.S. Watson’s customer insight to launch TRESemmé in China
Last but certainly not least is our story on Unilever deploying A.S. Watson retail insights and expertise of Chinese market to launch TRESemmé haircare in China.
The launch strategy was co-developed by the two firms to ensure they rolled out a strong and effective plan both online and offline.
“With its breadth of stores, customer data and market insights… A.S. Watson is able to help brands develop products and grow their presence in new markets,” said the company in a statement.