China’s National Medical Products Administration (国家药品监督管理局, NMPA) said on 15 October 2026 that 45 batches of cosmetics failed its national sampling tests this year. Fifteen were sunscreens whose UV filters did not match their registration files or exceeded limits, and 21 contained excess microbes. Provincial regulators have been told to open investigations into the companies involved.
Fifteen sunscreen batches failed, 14 on ingredient checks
All 15 failing sunscreens held special cosmetics registrations. Fourteen failed the ingredient comparison test: either UV filters listed on the label and in the registration file were not found, or filters that were not listed were detected.
A product labelled as a Herborist (佰草世家) whitening sunscreen, SPF25, sampled from an online shop on Douyin, contained none of its three listed filters, including octocrylene. A batch labelled Anchuyt SPF50+ contained 13.8 percent ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate on retest, against a limit of 10 percent.
Twenty-one batches failed microbial limits, including toothpastes
Microbial failures covered total bacterial count, mould and yeast, and in two batches the presence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which must not be detected. The list includes face masks, shower gels, a hair mask and toothpastes.
The highest bacterial count was in a skin glycerin labelled BAIZIHUI (百姿汇), at 590,000 CFU/ml against a limit of 1,000 CFU/ml. A hair mask showed 570,000 CFU/ml.
Unit: batches
Grouped by main failing item, CMB calculation · Source: NMPA, Notice No. 36 of 2026, 15 October 2026
View as table
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Microbial limits | 21 batches |
| Sunscreen filters | 15 batches |
| pH value | 6 batches |
| Preservative level | 3 batches |
Six whitening products failed on pH, one imported from Japan
All six batches that failed on pH were whitening or anti-spot products. The only imported product on the list, a whitening essence from Japan labelled 蜜珂思摩菁印柔肤美白精华乳, was sampled from a flagship store on Pinduoduo and measured pH 7.01, against a required range of 4.00 to 5.00.
Three shampoo and shower products exceeded the 0.0015 percent limit for the preservative mixture methylchloroisothiazolinone and methylisothiazolinone. The highest reading was 0.01065 percent.
Fourteen batches came from online shops, seven of them on Douyin
The annex names an online shop as the sampled seller for 14 batches: seven on Douyin, four on Pinduoduo and three on Tmall. The rest were taken from pharmacies, shops, beauty salons and hotels. By the location stated in the annex, 39 of the 45 batches were from Guangdong.
Unit: batches
Sampled seller named as an online shop, CMB calculation · Source: NMPA, Notice No. 36 of 2026, 15 October 2026
View as table
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Douyin | 7 batches |
| Pinduoduo | 4 batches |
| Tmall | 3 batches |
Regulators must investigate makers and halt sales
The NMPA has asked regulators in Beijing, Jiangsu, Shandong, Henan, Guangdong and other provinces to investigate the registrants, filers and contract manufacturers, and to order risk-control measures and corrective checks. Provincial regulators must also order sellers to stop selling the products, check their purchase records and trace the products to their source. Suspected crimes are to be referred to the police.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Issuing body | National Medical Products Administration |
| Document number | Notice No. 36 of 2026 |
| Signed | 14 October 2026 |
| Published | 15 October 2026 |
| Scope | 2026 national cosmetics sampling inspection |
| Failing batches | 45 (21 microbial, 15 sunscreen, 6 pH, 3 preservative) |
Coming up · We may follow up with the NMPA’s next sampling notices and how they treat imported and online-sold products.
