On 29 May 2026, National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) published Notice No. 51 announcing the inclusion of eight test methods into the "Cosmetic Safety Technical Specifications (2015 Edition)". The package adds four new methods- most notably the "Testing Methods for Trivalent and Hexavalent Chromium in Cosmetics"- and revises four existing methods such as bacterial reversion/mutation testing and in vitro mammalian chromosomal aberration assays. The new and updated methods cover raw material inspections (including lauryl arginine ethyl ester hydrochloride and 11 other substances), long-term human trial procedures, 90 day oral and transdermal toxicity testing, and specific chromium speciation analysis. These methods replace or supplement corresponding chapters in the 2015 Technical Specifications and aim to standardize detection and safety assessment practices across registration and filing processes. Implementation is scheduled for 1 March 2027, and the NMPA encourages stakeholders to adopt the methods for inspections before that date. Attachments in the notice list each method and a summary table of the eight projects. The announcement aligns regulatory testing with updated scientific approaches and clarifies expectations for manufacturers, testing laboratories, and registrants.
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