China's Ministry of Health has issued a circular which says that from January 1, 2008, the ingredients of all cosmetics must be marked in standard Chinese.

In order to strengthen the supervision and management of raw materials of cosmetics and promote the standardization of the naming of these raw materials, the Ministry of Health has worked out a Standard Chinese Name Catalog on International Cosmetics Raw Materials, asking cosmetics manufacturers to use the standard Chinese names listed in the Catalog for the specification of their products. It also asks that cosmetics enterprises should use the standard Chinese names for their products in the application letter filed to apply for a business license.

The Ministry of Health emphasizes that they have not evaluated the safety of the raw materials included in the Catalog, but cosmetics manufacturers should follow the relevant laws and regulations in using the raw materials and be accountable for the safety of the materials. For new materials that have not been included in the Catalog, the Ministry of Health will offer a standard Chinese name when issuing a sanitation license.

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