China’s National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) has announced that 50 batches of cosmetics failed national sampling tests for 2025, prompting immediate enforcement steps in several provinces. The non‑conformities range from microbial contamination and excessive levels of acrylamide to glaring mismatches between labelled and detected sunscreen ingredients, underscoring persistent product‑safety gaps across domestic and imported lines.
Among the specific failures cited by the regulator were a herbal clay mask with colony counts and mold/yeast levels above statutory limits, an anti‑dandruff shampoo containing acrylamide above permitted thresholds, and a high‑SPF sunscreen (labelled as imported from Switzerland) whose chemical profile did not match its registration and label. Inspectors detected an undeclared methoxycinnamate ester (amyl methoxycinnamate) while several declared filters — including ethylhexyl salicylate, ethylhexyl triazone, methylene bis‑benzotriazolyl tetramethylbutylphenol (MBBT) and bis‑ethylhexyloxyphenol methoxyphenyl triazine (bemotrizinol) — were not found in the product.
The NMPA has instructed provincial drug regulators in Zhejiang, Guangdong and Qinghai to open formal investigations of the registered holders, record filers and contracted manufacturers implicated in the tests. Authorities must order risk‑control measures, require firms to carry out self‑inspections and compel local distributors to stop selling the affected batches while tracing supply‑chain records. The notice cites the Cosmetic Supervision and Administration Regulation and other implementing measures; it warns that firms face administrative penalties and possible criminal referral for serious violations.
The announcement is consistent with a wider, years‑long tightening of cosmetics oversight in China. Since the overhaul of cosmetics regulation in 2021, Beijing has pushed for clearer ingredient disclosure, strengthened pre‑market review for certain products and expanded post‑market sampling and enforcement. Regulators have focused especially on microbiological quality and undeclared or illegally used chemical agents — problems that carry clear health risks and that are relatively easy to detect through routine laboratory screening.
The practical implications extend beyond regulatory paperwork. Microbial overgrowth in leave‑on or rinse‑off products can cause skin infections and allergic reactions, while acrylamide is a monomer of concern because of its toxicological profile and is tightly limited in consumer goods. The sunscreen findings are particularly worrying for consumers and brands: modern UV protection often relies on a mix of organic and inorganic filters, and undisclosed substitutions or omissions can materially alter product performance and safety. For foreign exporters and domestic manufacturers alike, the episode highlights the commercial risk of weak quality control and poor alignment between product formulation, registration dossiers and on‑pack labelling.
For the market, expect three near‑term effects. First, affected companies will face recall and sales‑stoppage costs, plus the expense of deeper forensic testing and supply‑chain audits. Second, retailers and cross‑border platforms will likely tighten inbound inspection and documentation checks to avoid liability. Third, demand for accredited testing labs and compliance consultants will grow, favouring larger operators able to provide comprehensive pre‑export verification. Longer term, repeated enforcement actions could erode consumer trust in certain categories, accelerating consolidation around brands that can demonstrate robust regulatory compliance.
The NMPA’s public naming of non‑conforming batches is also a signalling tool: it reassures cautious consumers while warning the industry that routine sampling will continue and that mislabelling or substandard manufacture carries punitive consequences. Companies exporting to China or operating there should treat this as a reminder to harmonise technical specifications, batch testing and on‑label disclosures with registration files and to invest in upstream quality assurance.