Smart Thinking =

After the USA, China is the second largest market in the cosmetics industry worldwide. It has shown tremendous growth potential in recent years, a trend that the pandemic has not hampered. In fact, the beauty market in China is expected to grow to a value of 124.3 billion RMB by 2024 at an average annual growth rate of 17.6%. In this scenario, new guidelines came into force from May 2021, which are summarized in the Cosmetics Supervision and Ordinance (CSAR) and end the mandatory animal testing for imported "generic" cosmetics. Exceptions are "special" cosmetics - such as hair dyes, skin lighteners and sun protection - products for babies and children, with new ingredients or from companies under official control. The new regulation will open the doors to many international crueltyfree brands that previously were against entering the market.