As the saying goes, "one white covers all ugliness". Among Chinese female consumers, the pursuit of fair skin is also one of their important demands for using cosmetics. Therefore, whitening cosmetics are very popular among consumers in China and even Asia. Cosmetic companies are also very optimistic about this market and have launched their own whitening products.

　　1. what is whitening cosmetics?

Whitening cosmetics generally refer to cosmetics that help reduce or slow down skin pigmentation and achieve skin whitening and whitening effects. Due to the relatively high degree of risk of such products, the regulations on the Supervision and Administration of Cosmetics make it clear that they belong to the category of special cosmetics and implement registration management.

At present, the determination of whitening cosmetics in our country is mainly based on the label claim of the product and the intrinsic attribute of the product. In addition, the relevant departments are preparing to draft a list of cosmetic whitening agents, which is expected to have a further impact on the definition of whitening cosmetics in China after the release of the list.

Consumers need to be reminded that products that achieve skin whitening and whitening effect through physical covering in our country are also under the management of freckle whitening cosmetics. However, the number of such products is relatively small. The product categories on the approval documents are printed with the words "freckle whitening (only with physical covering effect)". The labels of such products also need to be clearly marked with "only with physical covering effect" to distinguish them. This kind of product is only a temporary covering whitening effect, and will not really make the original skin color white, so we should pay special attention to the difference between these two types of products when purchasing freckle whitening cosmetics.

What are the commonly used whitening agents in 2?

From the perspective of composition, cosmetics are generally products obtained by physical mixing of various raw materials, and the efficacy of cosmetics can be regarded as a concentrated expression of the functions of the raw materials used. That is to say, the whitening effect of whitening cosmetics depends on the variety and amount of whitening agent added to the product.

In addition to products that achieve whitening and whitening effects by physical covering, at present, the mechanism of whitening cosmetics mainly includes: inhibiting the generation of melanin, blocking the transport of melanin, reducing melanin, promoting the shedding of epidermal melanin, etc. Depending on the specific whitening agent used in the formula, the whitening effect of the product is usually reflected by one or more of the mechanisms and the combination of raw materials.

Whitening agents commonly used in cosmetics in China, Japan and South Korea include: arbutin, niacinamide, glabridin, phenethyl resorcinol, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), ascorbic acid glucoside, 3-o-ethyl ascorbic acid, magnesium ascorbyl phosphate, tranexamic acid, potassium methoxy salicylate, bisoxyl alcohol, etc. Wherein the whitening plant ingredients mainly include oil-soluble licorice extract, tree leaf extract, chrysanthemum extract and so on.

Titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, mica, talcum powder and other raw materials are commonly used physical whitening ingredients.

　Are 3. whitening products a safety risk?

Everything has two sides. While companies pursue the whitening effect of whitening cosmetics, they cannot ignore their possible safety risks.

The production of melanin is actually a manifestation of the normal physiological functions of the human body. It is an important amino acid in melanocytes-tyrosine is generated through a series of complex biochemical metabolic transformations, and is affected by many factors. For example, ultraviolet radiation will make melanocytes synthesize and produce more melanin, so that the skin black to protect skin cells from ultraviolet damage. Therefore, whitening cosmetics should be appropriate to inhibit the synthesis of melanin, if the effect is too strong, it may seriously interfere with the production of melanin and adversely affect the normal physiological function of the human body. In addition, since tyrosine and tyrosinase are also involved in the metabolism of catecholamine hormones in the body, excessive action of whitening agents may also have adverse effects on the metabolism of catecholamine hormones.

The event that whitening products added with rhododendron alcohol cause "white spots" on the skin of users is a typical case of skin damage caused by such products. Therefore, this also requires our manufacturers to strictly implement the main responsibility and carry out a comprehensive safety assessment when developing whitening cosmetics to ensure the safety of such products.

Internationally, the safety risks that may be brought about by the use of whitening agents are also given continuous attention, and there is a new understanding of the safety of related raw materials. In November 2021, the European Union Consumer Safety Science Committee SCCS issued a preliminary evaluation draft SCCS/1637/21 on kojic acid, a cosmetic whitening ingredient. It concluded that kojic acid has potential endocrine disrupting properties, and the current maximum concentration of 1% allowed in EU cosmetics will no longer be considered safe. kojic acid is included in the SCCS priority reevaluation list. The safety assessment information of whitening agents at home and abroad is worthy of our attention.

　What are the new changes in the regulation of whitening cosmetics in China in 4?

In China, the classification of whitening cosmetics into the category of special cosmetics and the implementation of strict supervision is based on the high safety risk of this category of products. Stricter management of whitening products is also an international practice.

Japan will be divided into ordinary cosmetics cosmetics and pharmaceutical products. Whitening products are defined as foreign products of the Ministry of Medicine in Japan, and they must be reviewed and approved by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare before they can be sold.

According to the Cosmetics Law of South Korea, cosmetics are divided into general cosmetics and functional cosmetics. Whitening cosmetics are functional cosmetics, which must be reviewed and approved by the South Korea Food and Drug Safety Department before listing.

Now, cosmetics are indispensable products in people's daily life. One of the main ways for consumers to understand the efficacy of cosmetics is to look at the label claims. The content of the label, especially the claim of efficacy, will have a direct impact on the behavior of consumers buying cosmetics.

The efficacy of a cosmetic is mainly determined by the type, addition amount, specification, product usage and other factors of the effective raw materials added in its formula.

According to the Regulations for the Evaluation of Cosmetic Efficacy Claims, starting from January 1, 2022, newly applied for registration of freckle-removing and whitening cosmetics shall be carried out by cosmetics registration and filing inspection agencies in accordance with the requirements of mandatory national standards and technical specifications. Evaluation tests and reports are issued, and the cosmetics registrant uploads a summary of the basis for product efficacy claims on a special website designated by the State Food and Drug Administration.

At the same time, the "Measures for the Administration of Cosmetic Labels" that came into effect on May 1, 2022 stipulates that all cosmetic labels require the labeling of all ingredients, and all ingredients not exceeding 0.1%(w/w) in cosmetic formulations should be separately labeled with "other trace ingredients" as a guide.

The above two regulations also show that the national regulatory authorities attach great importance to the management of cosmetic efficacy claims and pay attention to consumers' right to know. After their implementation, they will certainly crack down on the false and exaggerated claims of whitening efficacy of bad enterprises and the conceptual addition of efficacy ingredients to a certain extent. Guide enterprises and the entire industry to pay more attention to research and development, focus on improving their own product quality, and promote the high quality and healthy development of the entire industry.

　5. consumers should be how to choose whitening cosmetics?

First of all, whitening cosmetics should be purchased through regular channels, and the product label purchased must have the product approval number of the State Food and Drug Administration, that is, for example, the domestic freckle-removing and whitening products approved in 2021 are "national makeup special word G2021XXXX" and the imported products are "national makeup special word J2021XXXX". You can also check the consistency between the product registration information and the information marked on the actual label through the official website of the State Food and Drug Administration or the "Cosmetics Supervision" APP of the State Administration. When purchasing, pay attention to distinguish between freckle whitening products only with physical cover.

Avoid buying products with obvious illegal claims on the label, such as "fast whitening", "seven-day whitening", "medical whitening", etc., because some fake and inferior products stimulate consumers' desire to buy through these false claims. Behind the above claims, some illegal additions are often suspected, such as illegal addition of hormones, prohibited substances such as lead and mercury, and repeated use of hormone products will make the skin extremely sensitive, become "hormone face" cause dependent dermatitis, serious will cause harm to the nervous system.

According to the characteristics of the season to choose their own skin products, sensitive skin consumers in the local skin after the trial use. Pay attention to read the product manual carefully before use, especially some warning terms. If symptoms such as skin redness and itching occur after use, stop using it immediately, and in severe cases, seek medical attention in time.

When using whitening cosmetics, we must minimize the impact of sun exposure on the skin, especially the long-wave ultraviolet UVA that tans the skin, otherwise it will affect the whitening effect of the product. It is recommended to use sunscreen cosmetics when going out in spring and summer.

What do 6. think of "377" in ordinary products "?

Not long ago, the State Food and Drug Administration found that some enterprises added phenethyl resorcinol (trade name SymWhite? 377, commonly known as 377), a raw material with whitening effect, to ordinary products. The raw material was a new cosmetic raw material approved by the former State Food and Drug Administration in 2012. The only purpose of approval was to "whiten the skin and inhibit the formation of melanin by inhibiting the activity of tyrosinase".

From the perspective of the use of raw materials, the efficacy of using the raw material in ordinary cosmetics beyond the purpose of the approved use of the raw material, should be in accordance with the new raw material registration, filing regulations to complete the registration or filing before use. From the perspective of product formula, adding the only raw material for whitening agent to the common product formula, and the raw material has no other functions, means that the product added with the raw material should have whitening function, or the enterprise's practice implies that the product has whitening function, the product should be managed according to freckle removing whitening cosmetics, and the product can be sold after registration.

The above-mentioned ordinary products with phenethyl resorcinol added are suspected of violating the relevant provisions of the regulations on the Supervision and Administration of Cosmetics, and the provincial drug administration has begun to deal with them in accordance with the law.

Whitening agent is a kind of raw material with relatively high risk. It is suggested that enterprises should fully understand its source, nature, scope of application, conditions of use, regulatory requirements, etc. when using such raw materials, and complete a comprehensive safety assessment before using them, so as to ensure the safety of their use.

Many raw materials in cosmetics have multiple effects at the same time. For example, ascorbic acid and its derivatives have antioxidant effects in addition to whitening effects. Red myrrh alcohol not only has certain whitening effects but also has certain soothing effects. Many formulators know this raw material first based on its soothing effects. Before the whitening list is issued, cosmetics enterprises should reasonably select and use the products according to the source of raw materials and their own characteristics, so as to avoid repeating the mistake of "377" due to ignoring the nature of some specific raw materials and the attributes of the applied products.

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