Regulatory Upgrades In China: The Medical Aesthetics Industry Enters An Era Of Compliant Development In 2022
Cracking down on chaos in the medical aesthetics industry
In 2020 and 2021, Chinese authorities, including the National Health Commission and other departments, initiated stringent measures to regulate the medical aesthetics industry. This involved issuing guidelines for law enforcement and supervision, and launching a special rectification campaign targeting illegal practices in the industry. The crackdown continued in 2022, with the State Administration for Market Regulation introducing an action plan to address illegal activities in medical aesthetics among other sectors. In Tianjin, a significant five-month crackdown began in May 2022, led by nine departments, to address disorder in the medical aesthetics field.
Standardizing industrial standards
In 2022, China’s National Medical Products Administration introduced several draft revisions to tighten regulations on medical devices, focusing on managing non-compliant products like hyaluronic acid needles, radiofrequency instruments, and thread embedding under stricter supervision. These measures aim to combat industry issues like smuggled and counterfeit goods. Additionally, the Chinese Society of Aesthetic and Plastic Surgery released guidelines for the proper use of red-light beauty instruments, addressing a previously unregulated area in skin health management.
Raising the threshold for surgeries
In efforts to regulate the medical aesthetics industry in China, significant measures were implemented from 2020 to 2022. These included the introduction of self-inspection management for medical institutions, establishment of comprehensive supervision systems, and tiered evaluations of medical aesthetic institutions. Detailed standards for hospitals, clinics, and outpatient departments were introduced, focusing on management, patient safety, and quality improvement. Additionally, Shanghai launched a crackdown on illegal medical aesthetic equipment in 2021, and Guangdong revised surgery classifications in 2022 to raise the bar for medical aesthetic procedures, aiming to control the unchecked growth of such institutions.
Strictly regulating marketing channels
China has taken significant steps to regulate the medical aesthetics advertising industry from 2021 to 2022. New guidelines were introduced to target misleading advertisements, prevent the exploitation of patients’ images and names, and control the portrayal of ‘doctors’ and ‘experts’ in such ads. The state also banned live internet broadcasts for medical and health product advertisements. In 2022, Shanghai and other departments intensified inspections and regulatory actions on medical aesthetic advertisements across various platforms. Additionally, national efforts were made to correct irregularities in medical and pharmaceutical sales, focusing on live-streaming sales by medical personnel and illegal benefit chains in the industry.
