South Korea and Brazil Sign MoU to Boost K-Beauty Exports to Latin America

1. South Korea’s MFDS and Brazil’s ANVISA signed a revised MOU on February 23, 2026, expanding regulatory cooperation to all health-related products, now explicitly including cosmetics. 2. The agreement focuses on information exchange, regulatory reliance, and cosmetic regulatory harmonization, particularly in areas such as e-labeling and functional cosmetics. 3. The MOU is expected to streamline Korean cosmetics’ access to the Brazilian market, reducing non-tariff barriers and improving predictability for small and medium-sized enterprises.

On February 23, 2026, South Korea's Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) and the Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency (ANVISA) signed a revised Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to enhance regulatory cooperation for health-related products. The agreement, which now includes cosmetics, was finalized during a summit between the presidents of both nations and aims to facilitate the entry of Korean products into Brazil, Latin America's largest market.

Key Areas of Cooperation

The revised MOU expands upon a previous agreement from 2014, which was limited to food, pharmaceuticals, and medical devices. The scope has now been expanded to cover all health-related products, with cosmetics newly included. The main pillars of the agreement include:

Information Exchange: Sharing information on policies, regulations, and safety management systems.
Regulatory Reliance: Promoting mutual cooperation to establish pathways for regulatory reliance between the two agencies.
Harmonization for Cosmetics: Facilitating technical exchange and regulatory harmonization on cosmetic systems, including key areas like e-labeling and the management of functional cosmetics.

In a separate bilateral meeting, MFDS Minister Oh Yu-Kyeong and ANVISA President Leandro Pinheiro Safatle reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening this partnership. They agreed to pursue working-level discussions on a range of topics, including building regulatory trust for pharmaceuticals and vaccines, collaborating on medical device Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), sharing Korea's experience with e-labeling for cosmetics, and exploring the use of AI in regulatory innovation.

Impact on the Cosmetics Industry

This agreement is expected to provide a significant boost for the Korean cosmetics industry by streamlining access to the rapidly growing Brazilian market. With Korean cosmetic exports to Brazil already showing a strong upward trend—from USD 9 million in 2022 to a projected USD 54 million in 2025—the MOU is poised to support this growth by reducing non-tariff trade barriers. For small and medium-sized Korean enterprises, the enhanced cooperation will increase regulatory predictability and provide clearer guidance, making it easier to navigate the entry process into this key emerging market.