Restrictions on the Manufacture, Import, and Sale of Personal Care 
and Cosmetics Products Containing Plastic Microbeads  
 
Overview  
 
In order to facilitate exfoliation and cleaning, enterprises have 
commonly added solid plastic microbeads to personal care and cosmetics 
products based on considerations of product cost and product function 
and effectiveness. However, since solid plastic m icrobeads possess the 
characteristics of small size, small mass, and large quantity, after they are 
rinsed off, they cannot be effectively collected, removed, or disposed of, 
and consequently enter water bodies and the environment via the sewage 
collection  system. In the marine environment, the microbeads readily 
adsorb harmful substances and may accumulate within the bodies of 
aquatic organisms, causing harm to the environment and ecosystem.  
 
In view of the fact that solid plastic microbeads do not natura lly 
decompose in water bodies or the environment, and their small particle 
diameter makes them difficult to eliminate, various countries have 
gradually imposed controls on plastic microbeads contained in products, 
such as facial cleanser, body wash, and to othpaste. Because plastic 
microbeads constitute one of the additive components in products, many 
countries have preferred to adopt restriction at the source, while 
regulating the microbeads at the product stage, which achieves the goals 
of effective manage ment and reducing impact on various parties. For 
instance, the United States completed legislation of the Microbead -Free 
Waters Act of 2015 on December 28, 2015, and the regulations of the US 
Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act have prescribed successive bans 
on the manufacture, import, and sale of cleansing cosmetics containing 
plastic microbeads starting from July 1, 2017; France, Canada, and Korea 
have also begun legislation of controls on personal care products 
containing plastic microbeads, such as cl eaning products, cosmetics, and 
rinsing cosmetics.  
  In light of international management trends, and in order to 
reduce the use of products containing plastic microbeads at the 
consumer -end by inducing domestic manufacturers to adjust their raw 
material composition and change to the use of environmentally -friendly 
substitute materials, and inducing importers to purchase products not 
containing plastic microbeads, the Environmental Protection 
Administration, Executive Yuan has accordingly set the Restricti ons on 
the Manufacture, Import, and Sale of  Personal Care and Cosmetics 
Products Containing Plastic Microbeads  as authorized by Article 21 of 
the Waste Disposal Act ; the Restrictions  prescribe the restriction in stages 
of the manufacture, import, and sale  of personal care and cosmetics 
products containing plastic microbeads, with the provision of a transition 
period for the controlled materials; the key points of the Restrictions  are 
as follows:  
1. In view of the time needed by manufacturers, importers, an d 
vendors to respond, implementation will proceed in 2 stages, and 
vendors will be given a half -year grace period. (main purpose of 
Announcement)  
2. Definition  of the name of the Announcement (Announced Item I)  
3. Types of controlled  personal care and cosm etics products, and 
their scope. (Announced Item II)  
4. Limitations on the audit of product manufacture, import, and sale 
(Announced Item III)  
5. Time -limited  improvement measures imposed when 
noncompliant products are found (Announced Item IV)  
 
  Restrictions on the Manufacture, Import, and Sale of Personal Care 
and Cosmetics Products Containing Plastic Microbeads  
 
Public Announcement   
 
Announcement  Explanation  
Subject:  
The "Restrictions on the Manufacture, 
Import, and Sale of Personal Care and 
Cosmetics Products Containing Plastic 
Microbeads" with the provisions  of sale  
of Item II taking effect from July 1, 
2018, and the remaining provisions 
taking effect from January 1, 2018.  1. Name of Announcement and date of 
implementation.  
2. At present, mos t personal care products 
containing added plastic microbeads on the 
market take the form of shampoo products, 
bathing products, facial cleansing products, 
soaps, facial scrubs, and toothpaste; the first 
four of these product types are regulated by 
Taiwan's  management law, the  Statute for 
Control of Cosmetic Hygiene . Because these 
regulations will affect the rights and interests 
of enterprises handling products subject to 
the Statute for Control of Cosmetic Hygiene , 
to clarify those subject to the regulation s in 
this announcement, the summary refers to 
both cosmetics and personal care products.  
3. In view of environmental public interest and 
the rights of manufacturers and importers 
who have received a "medicated cosmetics 
permit" from the Ministry of Health and  
Welfare prior to the date this Announcement 
takes effect, and in view of the time needed 
to adopt response measures in conjunction 
with this Announcement, and the need for a 
reasonable transition period of at least 6 
months after the announcement and 
implementation of the World Trade 
Organization's Technical Barriers to Trade 
(TBT) agreement, it is accordingly specified 
that personal care and cosmetics products containing plastic microbeads may not be 
manufactured or imported beginning on 
January 1, 2018; this will provide 
manufacturers and importers a transition 
period of at least 16 months from the date of 
the pre -announcement of this Draft on 
August 23, 2016.  
4. In view of the time needed to sell those 
personal care and cosmetics products 
containing plastic microbeads that have been 
manufactured and imported legally prior to 
the date this Announcement takes effect, in 
reference to the approach and control 
schedule  adopted by the first nation imposing 
legislative controls, the United States, and an 
evaluation of the proposed laws and methods 
associated with the controls that France, 
Canada, and Korea will impose starting in 
2018 in reference to the plastic microbead s 
control methods adopted by the United 
States, it is hereby specified that the second 
stage of controls will take effect ahead of 
time from July 1, 2018, at which time 
full-scale control will be achieved by the 
prohibition of the sale of personal care and  
cosmetics products containing plastic 
microbeads. The time from the draft advance 
notice on August 23, 2016 will provide 
vendors with a grace period equivalent to 22 
months in length.  
Basis:  
Article 2 1, Waste Disposal Act   Legal basis.  
Announced items:  
I. Terms used in this Official Announcement 
are defined as follows:  
A.“Cosmetics” means those products termed 
cosmetics in the Statute for Control of 
Cosmetic Hygiene .  
B.“Personal care products” means those 
products used for cleaning on e's body, and 1. Definition of terms used in this 
Announcement.  
2. The definitions of cosmetics are in 
accordance with the regulations of Article 3 
of the Statute for Control of Cosmetic 
Hygiene , which is the governing law which must be cleaned off or rinsed off 
with water after use.  
C. "Facial scrub" means those preparations in 
liquid, paste, cream, or gel form 
containing microbeads and used for the 
functions of skin exfoliation or cleaning.  
D.“Toothpaste” m eans products generally 
used to protect the surface of people's 
teeth and surrounding tissue, specifically 
semi-solid or powder blended products 
that take the form of a paste, cream, or 
gel.  
E.“Plastic microbeads” means solid plastic 
particles used for ex foliation or cleaning 
of the body wherein the scope of particles 
diameter is smaller than 5 mm , and the 
material of which they are made includes 
biodegradable plastic.  
F.“Manufacturer” means an enterprise that 
engages in the manufacture of personal 
care or  cosmetics products.  
G.“Importer” means a business that engages 
in the importation of  personal care or 
cosmetics products.  
H.“Vendor” means a business that engages 
in the sale (including wholesaling, 
retailing, or presentation as gifts or prizes, 
etc.) of personal care or cosmetics 
products.  concerning co smetics in Taiwan, and the 
types and scopes of cosmetics party in 
accordance with the central health competent 
authority's relevant announcements.  
3.  The definition of personal care products 
reflects the fact that facial scrub and other 
controlled product i tems can be wiped off or 
rinsed off with water after use, and some 
wiping actions are performed using materials 
that can be repeatedly washed, such as 
towels; such materials will require washing 
to facilitate subsequent use, and plastic 
microbeads may stil l enter bodies of water as 
a consequence. Accordingly, the definition 
specifies wiping or rinsing with water.  
4. The definition of toothpaste is in accordance 
with the regulations of Chinese National 
Standards  (CNS) 15492.  
5. The definition of plastic microbead s is 
adopted from the United States' 
Microbead -Free Waters Act of 2015, which 
contains the definition: the term ‘plastic 
microbead’ means any solid plastic particle 
that is less than five millimeters in size and 
is intended to be used to exfoliate or clean se 
the human body or any part thereof.  
6. The "plastic" material in plastic microbeads 
also includes biodegradable materials 
(international plastic material identification 
code 7) , which is specified in the definition 
to ensure that it is not erroneously as sumed 
that biodegradable materials are not plastic 
materials, and facilitate awareness and 
compliance on the part of enterprises and the 
public.  
II. Apart from those enterprises already 
manufacturing or importing the following 
cosmetic and personal care products 
containing plastic microbeads as of August 1. Types of personal care and cosmetics 
products containing plastic microbeads 
controlled pursuant to this Announcement 23, 2016,  manufacturers, importers, and 
vendors may not manufacture, import, or sell 
such products :  
A. Cosmetics used for washing hair, 
cosmetics used for bathing, cosmetics 
used for face -washing, and soap as 
defined in relevant provisions of the 
Statute for Control of Cosmetic Hygiene .  
B. Facial scrub . 
C. Toothpaste . and scope of controlled items.  
2. This Announcement specifies the types of 
cosmetics and personal care products whose 
manufacture, import, an d sale are restricted 
in accordance with the "List of Cosmetic 
Scope and Types" (revised on February 3, 
2017) announced under authorization in 
Article 3 of the Statute for Control of 
Cosmetic Hygiene , and also includes those 
cosmetics used for washing hair , cosmetics 
used for face washing and makeup removal, 
cosmetics used for bathing, soaps, facial 
scrub, and toothpaste to which plastic 
microbeads may be ad ded under the scope of 
control.  
3. The control of products containing plastic 
microbeads is an emerging international 
issue. The first country to impose legislative 
controls on such products was the United 
States, which completed relevant legislation 
on December 28, 2015. The ROC will 
control the manufacture and import of such 
products starting on January 1,  2018, which 
will reduce the quantity of such products at 
the source. In view of the fact that this 
Announcement has only provided advance 
notice since August 23, 2016 that products 
containing plastic microbeads will be subject 
to controls in 2018, those e nterprises 
manufacturing or importing such products 
prior to August 23, 2016 will be excluded 
from the scope of control.  
III. The competent authority may dispatch 
personnel (carrying identification 
documents) to enter manufacturer’s, 
importer’s or vendor’ s premises to inspect 
the manufacturing, importation or vending 
of the foregoing personal care or cosmetics 
products , and may request each product and 
relevant information, and the manufacturer, 1. The competent authority may enter operating 
premises in order to perform audits and 
sampling inspection of the state of 
manufacture, import, and sale of personal 
care and cosmetics products.  
2. With regard to sampling and testing for the importer or vendor may not refuse, seek to 
evade, or obstruc t such inspection.  
 presence of plastic microbeads in personal 
care and cosmetics products, as a rule, 
enterprises must provide up to a limit of 
three samples needed for testing; of these 
samples, one shall be used to provide a basis 
for legal enforcement in connection with t he 
current inspection, another may be used for 
re-testing, and the competent authority shall 
preserve one sample in order to avoid 
subsequent disputes. However, if the amount 
of a sample is excessively small, and is 
insufficient for testing, the competent 
authority may require an enterprise to 
provide a sufficiently large sample to meet 
sample testing needs.  
IV. When the competent authority's random 
inspection and testing of personal care and 
cosmetics products whose manufacture, 
import, or sale is restric ted finds the 
presence of plastic microbeads, the 
competent authority may require the 
manufacturer, importer, or to remove the 
products from sale, recall the products, or 
return the products within a specified time 
limit.  
 Regulations governing improvement  within a 
limited time period if sample  testing discovers 
controlled personal  care and cosmetics  products.