Home / Guides / Claims that are often not allowed on China cosmetics labels
Guide
Claims that are often not allowed on China cosmetics labels
Two principles sit behind most rejected claims. A cosmetic must not expressly or impliedly claim a medical effect, and it must not use false, exaggerated, absolute or misleading wording. The Cosmetics Supervision and Administration Regulation and the Cosmetics Labeling Rules are the starting point. Even a registered trademark cannot be used to claim a medical effect or an efficacy the product does not have, and pictures, fonts, homophones, letters or numbers cannot be used to hint at treatment.
How to judge a phrase
Return to the product classification, the formula and the evaluation file. If the claim has no matching evaluation method, or if it describes disease treatment, it should not appear in the name, on the label or on a detail page. Unofficial “banned word lists” circulating online cannot replace the rules or current official Q&A.
What to prepare instead
Write claims that the chosen evaluation can support, using the Chinese wording that matches the Efficacy Claim Evaluation Standard. If a trademark name hints that a class of ingredient is present, the rules require you either to explain its purpose when the ingredient is in the formula or to state clearly that the wording is only a trademark when it is not.
Cautions
Absolute words, medical vocabulary and “food-grade” or edible suggestions on children’s products are recurring problems. Correct a non-compliant Chinese name before you print the first batch. See the related guide on name corrections.
Questions we are often asked
Can we keep a medical-sounding trademark if we add “this is not a drug”?
A disclaimer does not authorize a medical claim. Trademark use still has to meet cosmetics labelling rules.
Do these limits apply only to the box, or also to advertisements?
Labels, names and promotional information, including online pages, should stay consistent with the registration or filing materials and with the prohibition on medical and misleading claims.
Next step
Discuss your China market path
Tell us whether you plan to import finished goods or manufacture in mainland China, and what the product claims. We will outline the likely filing or registration path. Testing, where needed, is arranged with partner laboratories.
Contact us