Reminder! South Korea Officially Bans Five Genotoxic Substances in Cosmetic

Reminder: o-Aminophenol and other four hair dye substances are prohibited in cosmetics after August 22, 2023 for they are genotoxic.

On February 21, 2023, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) revised the Regulation on Safety Standards, etc., for Cosmetics¹ to ban five hair dye substances in cosmetics. The regulation became effective on August 22, 2023. An interim period of two years is granted for enterprises after the regulation implementation. 

The five hair dye substances designated as prohibited ingredients are as below:

These five substances are prohibited from being used in cosmetics to minimize exposure to human beings as they probably have genotoxic effects in accordance with the regular assessment result.

ENTERPRISES OBLIGATION

After the regulation entered into effect on August 22, 2023, products containing these ingredients cannot be manufactured in or imported to South Korea.

For the products already manufactured in or imported to South Korea, they can be sold for only two years after the regulation implementation, which is August 21, 2025. 

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• South Korea Functional Cosmetic Regulation