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On February 11, 2026, the European Union officially published new regulations regarding detergents and surfactants (EU) 2026/405, aimed at fully replacing the previous regulations (EC) No 648/2004, which have been in effect for nearly twenty years. The new regulations establish minimum requirements for the biodegradability of surfactants, impose restrictions on the content of phosphates and other phosphate compounds in household laundry detergents and household automatic dishwasher detergents, and introduce the Digital Product Passport (DPP) along with new labeling rules, including provisions related to allergenic fragrances. Companies exporting detergents or surfactants to the EU will need to comply with these regulations.

In light of increasing concerns over carcinogenic risks, the European Union is considering banning the use of ethanol as an active ingredient in hand sanitizers and other disinfectant products, triggering significant controversy. On October 10, a working group under the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) issued an internal recommendation classifying ethanol as a hazardous substance that may increase the risk of cancer and suggested it should be replaced in cleaning and other disinfectant products.

On April 29, 2024, the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) and the Standardization Administration of China (SAC) officially approved 34 mandatory national standards and one amendment to an existing mandatory national standard, including the Amendment to GB 38598-2020: General Requirements for Labels and Instructions of Disinfection Products. This amendment is scheduled to take effect on May 1, 2025.

The Beauty industry in China is booming. Today, the market presents numerous exciting opportunities for beauty brands. To stay up to date with the latest beauty trends, Chinese consumers are open to trialling niche brands or new categories to satisfy their pursuit of beauty. According to Statista, China's cosmetics market reached £ 54.9 billion in 2023. The industry is expected to grow, with a projected market size of £61.3 billion by 2025. As the second-largest cosmetics-consuming market in the world, China has generated huge business opportunities for the cosmetic industry which is one of the promising fields UK companies could explore.

Since the outbreak of Covid-19 epidemic, disinfection products are far more widely used in daily lives in various scenarios. Enterprises have fastened their steps in new disinfection products development. To apply for a sanitary administrative license for “three new” disinfection products, related enterprises must: Judge whether your products are classified as “three new” disinfection products; Apply for notification under the requirements of Provisions on the Acceptance of Application for New Disinfection Products and the Application Guide issued by the National Health Commission. However, it is significantly difficult to notify a new disinfection product. There are uncertainties about the specific requirements, testing items, costs and application cycle for different products.

On October 11, 2021, the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) and Standardization Administration (SAC) jointly published the mandatory standard – GB27951-2021 General Requirements for Skin Disinfectant. This standard will be implemented on November 1, 2022, replacing and renaming the current standard – GB 27951-2011 Hygiene Requirements for Skin Disinfectant.

On April 12, Personal and Home Care Products Division and Agrochemicals Division in CIRS together held a free training course on the key points of disinfection products, antibacterial products and mosquito repellent products compliance in China. More than 600 people participated in this training course. CIRS Personal and Home Care Products Division has collected questions about disinfection and antibacterial products and shared as follows:

The industry currently supervises and manages the labeling instructions of disinfection products mainly based on the Standard for the Management of Labeling Instructions for Disinfection Products (2005 version), which is a regulatory document implemented as a supportive standard to Disinfection Management Measures issued by the Ministry of Health and is not a national mandatory standard to meet the current regulatory needs. Therefore, the National Health Commission and other relevant departments drew up a mandatory health standard - GB 38598-2020 General Requirement for Label and Instructions Book of Disinfection Products. The standard was released on November 17, 2020 and came effective on December 1, 2021.

Cosmetics Since the release of the Cosmetics Supervision and Administration Regulations (CSAR, State Order No. 727) on June 29, 2020, a series of draft secondary regulations, including ’Management Measures for Cosmetics Registration (Draft for Comments)’, ‘Management Measures for the Supervision of Cosmetics Production and Operation(Draft for Comments)’, ‘Technical Guidelines for Cosmetic Safety Evaluation(Draft for Comments)’, ‘Cosmetics Classification Rules a