China’s SFDA Incorporates New and Revised Cosmetic Safety Testing Methods into Safety Technical Specifications

On January 12, 2026, the State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) of China issued Announcement No. 5 of 2026, approving the incorporation of four testing methods into the Cosmetics Safety Technical Specifications (2015 Edition). These methods were reviewed and adopted by the Cosmetics Standardization Technical Committee to strengthen cosmetic safety evaluation and regulatory testing. Two methods are newly introduced, while two existing methods are revised and will replace earlier versions in the Specifications. The updated methods will be implemented from July 1, 2026, with early voluntary adoption encouraged for cosmetics registration and filing inspections. Testing methods included in the announcement: • Skin Allergy Local Lymph Node Test Method: BrdU-FCM (new) • Metabolic Kinetics Test Method (new) • Human Skin Patch Test Method (revised) • Human Safety Trial Test Method (revised)