Recently, the State Food and Drug Administration reported 53 batches of unqualified cosmetics, and 10 batches of sunscreen products such as Anresha and Caijie were once again on the list. However, as sunscreen cosmetics become increasingly popular, the State Food and Drug Adminis

"Drive out bad coins"

Recently, the State Food and Drug Administration reported 53 batches of substandard cosmetics, and Anresha , Caijie and other 10 batches of sunscreen products were once again on the list. According to further statistics from Qingyan, a total of 41 batches of sunscreen products have been notified this year, and shortages of sunscreen agents have become a "common problem." Sunscreen is the decisive component of sunscreen products. Why do sunscreen products frequently overturn on the same issue?

Sunscreen is short of jinshaoliang

In recent years, skin care concepts such as "sun protection and anti-aging" and "one white mask covers all ugliness" have become popular on social platforms. The number of sunscreen-related notes on Xiaohongshu exceeds 4.57 million, covering various sunscreen cosmetics purchase guides and sunscreen knowledge popularization.

However, as sunscreen cosmetics become increasingly popular, the State Food and Drug Administration has repeatedly found substandard sunscreen cosmetics during random inspections, including some well-known brands. The main problems are: first, a certain sunscreen is actually added but not marked on the label; second, the sunscreen indicated on the label is not actually added. In short, the sunscreen ingredients are fake.

In the recent notice issued by the State Food and Drug Administration (No. 60, 2022), 10 batches of sunscreen products among 53 batches of unqualified cosmetics were once again notified because the label identification did not match the actual ingredients. Among them, 8 batches contained undetected sunscreen agents with label identification.

▍Taken from the official website of the State Food and Drug Administration, the report shows that these 8 batches of sunscreen products are: Anresha Golden Protective Sunscreen Lotion, Anresha Hydropower Outdoor Sunscreen Lotion, Wenli Sunscreen Lotion, Naris Parasol Sunscreen Spray, Swabib Caijie Sunscreen SPF50+, Caijie Sunscreen Cream (2 batches in total), and Princess Sophia Sunscreen Spray.

Sunscreen agents such as Anresha Golden Sun Protection Sunscreen Lotion and Anresha Water Energy Outdoor Sunscreen Lotion were not detected, including bis-ethylhexyloxyphenol methoxyphenyltriazine, diethylaminohydroxybenzoyl hexyl benzoate, ethylhexyl salicylate, octocrylene ; The sunscreen agents not detected in the 2 batches of Caijie sunscreen were 4-methylbenzylidene camphor, butylmethoxydibenzoylmethane, ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate , and octocrylene.

In addition, two batches of sunscreen products, "Aihe Pure Mild Sunscreen Cream" and "L.I.D LOVEINDESERT Ice Crystal Sunscreen Spray SPF50+PA+++" were notified due to the detection of sunscreen agents that were not declared on the label.

According to the " Cosmetics Supervision and Administration Regulations " and the "Cosmetics Production and Operation Supervision and Administration Measures", the State Food and Drug Administration has required local food and drug administrations to investigate the registrants, recorders, entrusted production enterprises, and domestic responsible persons involved in the above 53 batches of cosmetics that do not meet the regulations.

According to Qingyan statistics, in this year’s notification from the State Food and Drug Administration, a total of 41 batches of sunscreen products were found to be unqualified. In terms of the number of times on the list, Caijie sunscreen has the most, followed by Anresha Water Energy Outdoor Sunscreen Milk. In addition, well-known brands such as AHC, L'Oreal, Nalise, etc. have also been on the list.

However, regarding the reported situation, L'Oreal, Shiseido , etc. have all stated that the products randomly inspected are counterfeit products. In response to this notification, Qingyan also contacted various companies as soon as possible. The relevant person in charge of Shiseido China said, "It has been confirmed that the suspected Anresa products sampled are counterfeit and has been reported to the regulatory authorities. The Shanghai Pudong New Area Market Supervision and Administration Bureau has also made it clear in its investigation results document that the sampled products are counterfeit."

At the same time, Qingyan contacted Guangzhou Fankou Cosmetics Co., Ltd. , Naris Cosmetics Co., Ltd., Guangzhou Caijie Cosmetics Co., Ltd. and other companies. As of press time, no reply has been received. However, the customer service of NARIS's JD.com self-operated flagship store told Qingyan, "The notification form shows that the product was investigated and dealt with by Guangxi Man'er Trading Co., Ltd. After internal verification, it was confirmed that Naris has no cooperative relationship or transaction with Guangxi Man'er Trading Co., Ltd. , the products investigated are suspected to be counterfeit. "

It is true that many companies have stated that the products reported as unqualified are suspected to be counterfeit products, but such products are rampant in the market, and it is undoubtedly " bad money drives out good money ". You must know that insufficient sunscreen will directly affect the sunscreen effect of the product. If you use a product with poor effect, it may cause harm to consumers' skin.

"The sun protection power of a sunscreen is closely related to its sunscreen agent. How different sunscreen agents are combined and the amount added will directly affect the sunscreen effect." A vice president of the Guangdong Provincial Cosmetic Science and Technology Research Association also said bluntly.

Why do sunscreen products frequently overturn?

So, why do companies play tricks on sunscreen?

According to the relevant person in charge of Suzhou Shangse Cosmetics Co., Ltd., sunscreen agents such as ethylhexyl salicylate are not very expensive, and the purpose of counterfeiting is to pursue more profits. "Because as long as the product sells well and is profitable, it may be counterfeited. Ordinary consumers may not have the ability to distinguish when buying sunscreen products. The SPF index of sunscreen products requires professional testing agencies to detect."

"After actual testing of sunscreen products, if the sunscreen agent is inconsistent with its label and approval, it is suspected of violating the " Cosmetics Registration and Filing Management Measures " and the "Cosmetics Supervision and Administration Regulations"." Shen Yingjie, assistant general manager of Cosmax (China), told Qingyan that large companies will carefully test the internal ingredients of sunscreen products before they leave the factory, and generally there will be no inconsistencies between labels and ingredients. "But driven by profit, some irregular manufacturers may take risks and produce fake big-name cosmetics."

A senior person in the industry said that it is generally difficult for a single sunscreen to achieve a good sunscreen effect, and each sunscreen has an upper limit of use restricted by regulations. Therefore, most sunscreens are used in combination with multiple sunscreens to achieve better broad-spectrum sunscreen effects. Some merchants will take advantage of this and falsely label or over-label product ingredients in an attempt to get through.

As the core of sunscreen cosmetics, sunscreen agents can be divided into two categories: inorganic sunscreen agents and organic sunscreen agents. Among them, inorganic sunscreen agents (commonly known as physical sunscreen agents) are a type of white inorganic mineral powder that has a physical shielding effect. At present, the more common inorganic sunscreen agents include titanium dioxide and zinc oxide.

Organic sunscreens (commonly known as chemical sunscreens) are a type of organic compounds that have good absorption of ultraviolet rays. Common organic sunscreen agents include ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate, octocrylene, ethylhexyl salicylate, polysiloxane -15, benzophenone-3, etc.

According to Qingyan’s understanding, the state will conduct random inspections of sunscreen agents in sunscreens circulating on the market from time to time. However, the inspections are basically organic sunscreen agents, and inorganic sunscreen agents such as titanium dioxide and zinc oxide will not be inspected. "Merchant may have tampered with the sunscreen. For example, it claims to be a pure physical sunscreen, but consumers end up buying chemical sunscreen ingredients. This is also illegal." A person in charge of a factory told Qingyan.

"The production of sunscreens is based on what effects the merchants want to achieve. For example, some manufacturers only add inorganic sunscreens, some only add organic sunscreens, and some add both. There is no standard formula combination." Shen Yingjie added. It is worth noting that sunscreen products also have a decay cycle. For example, the sunscreen efficacy of sunscreen lotion will gradually decay after 1-3 years.

The threshold has been raised, avoid taking shortcuts

According to data from the Qingyan Intelligence Database, the domestic sunscreen cosmetics market is estimated to be 9.3 billion yuan in 2022, with a year-on-year growth of 56.9%. As consumers' awareness of sun protection increases, the overall trend of sun protection cosmetics is still stable and improving.

However, in the face of problems such as insufficient sunscreen ingredients, low price, low quality and even counterfeit products in the current sunscreen market, it still depends on the national regulatory authorities to strengthen the supervision of the market. It also requires correct guidance from leading companies and supervision of the end market.

It is worth mentioning that sunscreen cosmetics are regulated as special cosmetics, and the state has always been stricter on specially certified products. Under the new regulations, sunscreen products are also required to undergo human efficacy evaluation tests and provide safety-related information on raw materials with sunscreen functions.

The country is conducting comprehensive supervision on the raw materials, production and promotion of sunscreen cosmetics. The sunscreen market is rapidly clearing, which will benefit standardized companies with strong R&D capabilities.

From the consumer side, according to the research report of Zhongyan Puhua, consumers have two new demands for sunscreen products, including the use demands of refreshing, non-greasy and no need to remove makeup, and the skin care demands of hydrating, moisturizing and anti-aging. In addition to sun protection, people hope that sun protection products can combine other functions such as soothing, nourishing, brightening and isolating.

As consumers become more and more aware of ingredients, their demand for sunscreen products becomes more segmented, which also means that the development threshold for sunscreen products will only get higher and higher. To realize the multiple functions of sunscreen products, it is necessary to increase investment in research and development and production.

In addition, under the trend of environmental protection, some traditional sunscreen ingredients are gradually being marginalized or eliminated. For example, Hawaii bans the sale of sunscreen products containing oxybenzone and cinnamate. "Although organic sunscreens have stronger sun protection effects, long-term use may affect human health and cause environmental pollution." An industry insider also said that for example, many chemical components of sunscreens will cause the bleaching of coral reefs after entering the ocean, thus causing a negative impact on the marine environment.

Therefore, sunscreen products will increasingly develop in a professional direction, which also means that it is difficult for unscrupulous companies to play side projects.