After a month of heated discussion, today, the Guangdong Cosmetic Quality Management Association released a refutation article, explicitly stating that “Cosmetic hydration is a stupid tax” has no scientific basis.” The article has garnered praise from industry professionals and relieved sighs from many. Some insiders even expressed to the media, “Finally, an association has spoken out. Otherwise, the entire industry’s reputation would be tarnished by this erroneous viewpoint.
The Guangdong Drug Administration-affiliated association issued a clarification statement
Looking back on the whole incident: At the end of last month, a self-media account named “Skincare Industry Chronicles for Lingfei” (hereinafter referred to as “For Lingfei”) released a video titled “An Inquiry That Offends the Soul,” sparking a huge uproar in the industry. In the video, a self-proclaimed post-95s formulation specialist put forward the viewpoint that “hydration is a stupid tax,” which caused widespread skepticism among industry professionals. Many industry insiders expressed their disagreement and non-recognition of this viewpoint. At the same time, many seasoned research and development engineers provided scientific arguments that “cosmetics can indeed provide moisturizing and hydrating effects.”
Industry professionals widely believe that the viewpoint expressed in the video, “Cosmetic hydration is a stupid tax,” not only misleads consumers but also affects the overall image of the industry. Therefore, some industry insiders had previously suggested that “such unscientific statements that impact the industry’s image require leadership from industry associations to clarify.”
Of note, today, the Guangdong Cosmetic Quality Management Association released an article titled “Clarification | Explanation of the Announcement of the Release of ‘Cosmetic Hydration is a Stupid Tax'” on its official WeChat account. According to the introduction, the association is the “official announcement platform of the Guangdong Provincial Drug Administration-affiliated Cosmetic Association, focusing on policy regulations, government and enterprise voices, industry dynamics, and exposure of illegal activities.”
The Guangdong Cosmetic Quality Management Association stated that recent discussions on the internet about statements like “Skincare lies, skin doesn’t need hydration” and “Cosmetic hydration is a stupid tax” have caused some ideological fluctuations and negative effects among consumers and cosmetics personnel. This viewpoint disregards the basic principles of skin physiology and modern scientific research and fails to accurately assess the importance of hydration for skin health.
In response, the Guangdong Cosmetic Quality Management Association provided explanations regarding the hotly debated information from four aspects: “Water is an essential component of skin cells,” “Principle of skin ‘aquaporins,'” “Regulatory interpretation of ‘moisturizing’ and hydrating effects,” and “‘Hydration is a stupid tax’ has no scientific basis.”
The article explicitly stated, “Products containing moisturizing agents such as glycerin, hyaluronic acid, aloe vera, and betaine can replenish moisture to the skin, prevent dryness, penetrate the stratum corneum more deeply, synergize with NMF, enhance skin’s hydration ability, promote skin metabolism, and keep the skin hydrated and smooth.” Additionally, it cited Nobel laureate Peter Agre’s discovery of aquaporins as evidence, explaining that “Aquaporin AQP3 plays a crucial role in maintaining skin hydration function, regulating the water balance of keratinocytes, and provides scientific basis for the development of more effective moisturizing products.”
Furthermore, the Guangdong Cosmetic Quality Management Association provided evidence from various regulatory provisions such as the Standards for Cosmetic Efficacy Claim Evaluation and the Guideline for Evaluation of Cosmetics Moisturization Efficacy indicating that moisturizing efficacy and hydration are complementary and inseparable.
The association strongly opposes the viewpoint that “cosmetic hydration is a stupid tax.” It stated, “This statement not only lacks scientific basis but also misleads consumers, posing potential threats to their skin health,” and urged consumers to “rationally consider skincare issues, follow scientific and reasonable skincare methods, and choose moisturizing products that suit their needs.”
“It is very necessary to restore the reputation of the industry”
It is reported that after the above article was published by the Guangdong Cosmetics Quality Management Association, it received widespread praise from industry insiders. Many professionals in the industry commented, “This association is very responsible and has a sense of duty.”
A senior research and development engineer with nearly 30 years of experience expressed to CHAILEEDO, “Overall, it gives people a feeling that the cosmetics industry is very unbearable. And spreading such views that violate scientific principles may further create a negative impression of the industry in consumers’ minds.”
As the saying goes, “It takes a thousand good deeds to build a reputation, but only one bad deed to destroy it.” Establishing a good industry image requires the joint efforts of countless industry professionals, but damaging the industry image may only require one thing. “This time, the industry association’s clarification has more authority and credibility, and it is also a popular science education for the industry and consumers.” Many industry professionals have stated, “It is necessary to restore the industry’s reputation and not let unscientific remarks affect the industry’s reputation as a whole.”
It is also worth mentioning that recently, CHAILEEDO also noticed a video titled “A Mother’s Complaint” posted by the “For Lingfei” account. The video, narrated by “Lingfei’s mother,” recounts the journey of the blogger “Si Huo” from graduation to becoming a documentary director for cosmetics, and the video also includes promotional information for a certain cosmetics brand. “Lingfei’s mother” even stated, “This is the first advertisement he has taken.” CHAILEEDO also sought confirmation from the brand, and they confirmed, “Indeed, we have collaborated with ‘For Lingfei’.”
It is worth noting that in the promotion of a certain brand’s mask by this account, the packaging of the mask contains claims related to “hydrating the skin.” Therefore, many industry professionals have expressed that “the behavior of this blogger is self-contradictory, it could be described as hypocritical.” In addition, some insiders believe, “He is just seeking attention, and the ultimate goal is to get advertisements.” Some even angrily remarked, “Using views that discredit the industry to gain traffic, it’s unsightly.”
It is worth mentioning that based on the video, the viewpoint that “hydrating is a tax on intelligence” was proposed by a self-proclaimed post-95s formulation chemist. Therefore, a senior formulation chemist in the industry, who preferred not to be named, also pointed out that we should take this event as a lesson and regulate the professional ethics of cosmetic formulation chemists.
She believes, “As a cosmetic formulator, it is far from enough to only understand formulation as a discipline, but rather one should know multiple disciplines. This includes not only knowledge of skin physiology but also a thorough understanding of the working mechanisms of ingredients. In addition, knowledge of product safety, and even insights into consumer psychology, are also necessary. Otherwise, one may become narrow-minded and fail to comprehensively address issues, leading to misunderstandings.”
