At the 26th Cosmed Regulatory Congress in early April 2026, Tania Gabriela Zamora Molero, a regulatory expert who has worked within the Andean Community, outlined the key requirements applicable to cosmetic products entering that market.
The Andean Community of Nations (CAN) is a bloc of four countries (Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru), comprising more than 144 million consumers. One of its major strengths is that it is governed by the principle of supranationality: the same rule applies in all four countries, and when new regulations are published, they automatically apply everywhere in the same way, taking precedence over national laws.
The Decisions and Resolutions of the CAN are published in the Gaceta Oficial del Acuerdo de Cartagena (Official Gazette of the Cartagena Agreement).
The regulatory framework
Each country has its own health authority (AGEMED in Bolivia, INVIMA in Colombia, ARCSA in Ecuador, and DIGEMID in Peru), with all four working together within an expert group to harmonise their public health legislation.
The main text is Resolution 833, supplemented by other resolutions and technical regulations, covering notification procedures and formats, microbiological specifications, good manufacturing practices, labelling rules, and prohibitions and restrictions on ingredients…
The Andean regulations serve three objectives:
• To establish common requirements and procedures for the marketing of products from member countries and third countries
• To ensure a high level of protection for public health and safety throughout the region
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