Today (May 9), China’s National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) issued a notice on cosmetics that failed to meet regulatory standards. According to the announcement, inspections conducted by institutions including the Hainan Institute for Drug Control found that 44 batches of cosmetics — including products labeled as Xingxiangmei Moisturizing Aloe Vera Gel — were non-compliant.
Specifically, the 44 batches of substandard cosmetics covered products such as sunscreens, hair dyes, facial masks, shampoos, and body washes. Nearly half of the products were sunscreens, involving companies including Guangdong Yawei Biotechnology Co., Ltd., Guangzhou Yuelong Biotechnology Co., Ltd., and Guangzhou Weina Cosmetics Co., Ltd.
In terms of the causes, discrepancies between ingredient claims and actual formulations were the most serious issue, affecting 24 batches of products. Several sunscreen products failed to contain the UV filters declared on their labels and registration documents, while some hair dye products were found to contain undeclared dye ingredients. Microbial contamination was another major problem, primarily involving excessive total bacterial counts. Some products were also found to exceed limits for mold and yeast counts, as well as thermotolerant coliform bacteria.
In addition, several batches were found to contain excessive levels of heavy metals or restricted substances. For example, PAYOT Acne Treatment Cream exceeded the arsenic limit, Fakshu Jiaofa Hydrolyzed Keratin Shampoo contained excessive acrylamide, and preservatives such as Kathon in products including Zuoyi Jie Shampoo and Mingshutang Platycladus Plant Shampoo failed to meet regulatory requirements.
Notably, the list of non-compliant products also included established domestic hair dye brand Zhanghua. Two products under its Tianfeng Herbal Care Hair Dye Cream line — M4 and D0 — were both found to contain resorcinol, a hair dye ingredient not declared on product labels or registration materials.
Public records show that Zhejiang Zhanghua Hairdressing & Beauty Industrial Co., Ltd., the parent company of the Zhanghua brand, was founded in 1980 and has long specialized in hair dyeing and perm products. Its portfolio includes brands such as Zhanghua, Tianfeng, Zhanghua Herbal, and Zhanghua Ecology, covering hair care, hair dye, and perm products. The inclusion of the company on the non-compliance list highlights ongoing weaknesses among some long-established domestic companies in areas such as raw material control, formula compliance, and manufacturing quality management, while also serving as a warning to the broader industry regarding quality oversight.
The notice also stated that 10 batches of non-compliant products, including Lancôme Clarifying Brightening Cream and COGI Multi-Effect Whitening Sunscreen Spray, are suspected counterfeit products. Relevant companies raised objections regarding the authenticity of the samples, and after investigation by local regulators, authorities confirmed that the companies had neither manufactured nor imported those product batches.
