2020 Top 10 Cosmetic Regulatory Updates in South Korea

1. South Korea Implements the Regulation on the Examination of Designation and Changes of Cosmetics Ingredient Standards

In South Korea, restricted ingredients, such as preservatives, colorants, shall be used under specified limitation requirements. However, to apply for using other non-specified restricted ingredients, the cosmetic company needs to apply for a certificate of relevant usage standard to MFDS.

On May 11, 2020, the MFDS published a draft of the Regulation on the Examination of Designation and Changes of Cosmetics Ingredients Usage Standards in order to clarify the application methods, scope of ingredients used under a limitation and any necessary dossiers. Soon after they announced its implementation on June 15, 2020. Get up to speed here.

2. South Korean Custom Cosmetics Regulation Set to Enter into Force

After debating it for over three years, the long-awaited provisions of custom cosmetic finally came into force on March 14, 2020. It defined custom cosmetics as blended or dispensed products by a qualified cosmetic compounding manager according to the consumers' needs. The prohibited, restricted, or functional ingredients are not appropriate for making a custom cosmetic. Take a look under the hood here.

3. South Korea Implements the Amended Cosmetic Safety Standard

South Korea implemented the amended Cosmetic Safety Standard. This latest version specified the ingredients applicable for custom cosmetics, as well as amending some previous ingredients. Find all changes in this article.

ChemLinked Note

The Cosmetic Safety Standard is one of the most significant cosmetic standards in South Korea, detailing the ingredient standards of cosmetic products. MFDS keeps frequent updates on this requirement. We suggest enterprises catch up with these amendments to trade with South Korea smoothly. To give a brief understanding of the ingredient usage, ChemLinked compiles the CosmeList based on this standard. 

4. Updates in South Korea Colorants