South Korea Cracks Down False and Exaggerated Advertising for Cosmetics Claiming to Alleviate Hair Loss

 On October 25, 2024, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) revealed the inspection results of 151 online postings for cosmetics claiming to alleviate hair loss symptoms¹. In total, 67 cases were identified as false and exaggerated advertising in violation of Article 13 of the Cosmetics Act², prohibiting "improper labeling and advertising practices". These postings will be blocked from access under MFDS requests. Additionally, among the 67 improper cases, 27 postings directly promoted by the cosmetic responsible sellers were found illegal via on-site inspections, resulting in administrative penalties.

Looking into the 27 illegal cases subject to administrative penalty, 21 raise concerns about misleading consumers into perceiving cosmetics as pharmaceuticals, accounting for 77.8%. In particular, some products claimed unverified medical benefits such as "promoting new hair growth," "improving hair thickness," "preventing hair loss," "hair loss prevention," and "reducing inflammation." The rest 6 advertisements, representing 22.2%, could deceive consumers or create misconceptions that diverge from the facts, such as "no animal testing".

According to the authority, for cosmetics with the claim of aiding in the alleviation of hair loss symptoms, enterprises should submit test data regarding human applications to MFDS to obtain a functional cosmetic recognition. Such test data includes evaluations of hair density (1 cm²) in test and control groups, expert visual assessments, etc. Moreover, even for recognized functional cosmetics, advertising that may mislead consumers into perceiving cosmetics as therapeutic products is prohibited. 

Examples of Noncompliance Advertising：