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News Center · Policy & RegulationNMPA Adds Seven Microbiological Test Methods to Cosmetics Safety Standards
Original headline (CN): 药监局更新7项化妆品微生物检验方法
China's National Medical Products Administration issued Announcement No. 105 of 2026, adding seven microbiological test methods to the Safety and Technical Standards for Cosmetics. Five are revisions covering aerobic plate count, thermotolerant coliforms, Staphylococcus aureus, molds and yeasts, and the general rules. Two are brand new: a legal test method for Burkholderia cepacia complex, closing a gap for high-risk water-based formulations, and a collagen-gel eye-irritation test built on an OECD TG494 corneal-epithelium model — an animal-alternative approach. Timelines are staggered. The eye-irritation method takes effect May 1, 2027, while the other six apply from December 1, 2027, with voluntary early adoption encouraged for registration and filing tests before then. For QC and compliance teams the additions matter in two directions: they harden the official toolkit exactly where formulation trends — preservative-light, water-rich products — raise microbial risk, and they formalize China's shift toward validated animal-free safety testing. Detail --- NMPA No. 105 of 2026 Plate count, coliforms, S. aureus, molds/yeasts, general rules First legal method for the opportunistic path
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