China GB 7916—2026: mandatory cosmetic safety standard — what SME filers should map first
Original source
Official interpretation关于强制性国家标准《化妆品安全通用要求》解读
Regulatory Details
Official source. NMPA interpretation of GB 7916—2026
Key points
- First mandatory national standard for cosmetic safety organised by the drug regulator.
- Re-structures mature STSC general safety requirements; aligned with GB 5296.3 labeling.
- Sets limits for mercury, lead, arsenic, cadmium and other hazardous substances (eight named in the interpretation).
- Banned-substance catalogue can be updated by later NMPA announcements — the announcement wins if it conflicts with the printed catalogue.
- Impurity focus is risk-based: methanol, dioxane, asbestos, benzene when specific raw materials can introduce them.
Dates. Published / interpreted 6 August 2026. Implementation date: confirm in the GB publication, not only this Q&A.
Verify in the official text. Implementation date, catalogue of banned substances, and which impurity tests apply when a listed raw material is absent.
Open questions. Confirm any transitional stock rules and whether your exact INCI / product type is named. This desk brief is a prioritisation aid, not a legal determination.
What changed: China issued GB 7916—2026 as a mandatory national safety standard sitting above STSC practice.
Who is affected: China registrants/filers and overseas brands with a China RP; testing labs designing release specs.
Suggested next steps: 1. Get the GB text and highlight implementation / transition clauses. 2. Map SKUs that use raw materials flagged for impurity attention. 3. Do not retire STSC files until NMPA says how the two instruments coexist on your product type.
Business Impact
NMPA published an official interpretation of GB 7916—2026 (Cosmetic general safety requirements) on 6 August 2026, after SAC released the mandatory standard the same day.
This is aimed at anyone making or filing cosmetics in China, including imported brands via a domestic Responsible Person.
Near-term business impact is process and testing design, not an overnight formula ban: NMPA describes a “one body, two wings” system with GB as the body and STSC plus industry standards as the wings.
This week: assign RA to download the standard text, list which of your live SKUs use raw materials that can introduce methanol, dioxane, asbestos or benzene, and separate “must test” from “not in scope”.
Confidence is partial until you have the implementation / transition clauses in the GB text itself — the interpretation is not the legal instrument.
Official text
Unofficial English translation of the NMPA interpretation published 6 August 2026. The Chinese official text prevails.
Background
On 6 August 2026 the Standardization Administration of China issued the mandatory national standard GB 7916—2026 Cosmetic — General safety requirements. The standard was organised by the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA).
NMPA describes GB 7916 as the first mandatory national standard for cosmetics organised by the drug regulator. It is intended as a foundational safety standard that cosmetics production and operation must observe. NMPA states it will promote a standards system with national standards such as this general safety requirement as the “body”, and the Safety and Technical Standards for Cosmetics (STSC) plus industry standards as the “two wings”.
What the interpretation says the standard does
- It systematically reorganises mature, practice-tested general safety requirements from STSC, and stays coordinated with GB 5296.3 (general labeling of cosmetics).
- It sets limit requirements for hazardous substances including mercury, lead, arsenic and cadmium (eight substances are named in the interpretation).
- It comprehensively revises the catalogue of substances prohibited in cosmetics, and reserves space to update that catalogue by later NMPA announcements. Where an NMPA announcement updates the catalogue, the announcement prevails.
- For methanol, dioxane, asbestos and benzene, products that use specified raw materials which may introduce those substances should pay particular attention to the relevant limits. Products that do not use those raw materials may have more targeted pre-market tests, to avoid unnecessary testing cost.
Implementation and transition dates sit in the GB publication itself. This interpretation is official policy explanation, not a substitute for the standard text.