South Korea to Cancel Certification for Natural and Organic Cosmetics

The Cosmetics Act, announced on January 31, 2025, mandates the abolition of the natural and organic cosmetics certification system, which will take effect on August 1, 2025. To facilitate this transition, South Korea’s MFDS issued three public consultation notices on March 26, 2025, proposing the removal of provisions and regulations related to the certification of natural and organic cosmetics. The deadlines for public consultation are April 16, 2025, and May 7, 2025, respectively. Further details regarding these notices are as follows:

Notice	Introduction	Proposed Implementation Date	Transitional Measures	Deadline for Public Consultation
Notice on the Repeal of the Regulations on the Standards of Natural and Organic Cosmetic Products	The notice proposes repealing the Regulation on Standards for Natural and Organic Cosmetics.	Aug. 1, 2025	When the regulations are repealed, applications for the certification of natural and organic cosmetics that have already been submitted and are under review will be handled according to the previous regulations.	Apr. 16, 2025
Notice on the Repeal of the Regulation on the Designation and Authorization of Certification Body for Organic and Natural Cosmetics	The notice proposes repealing the Regulation on the Designation and Authorization of Certification Body for Organic and Natural Cosmetics.	Aug. 1, 2025	When the regulations are repealed, 1. Applications for certification of natural and organic cosmetics, or modifications to certified products that have been reported and are under review, will be processed in accordance with the previous regulations. 2. Natural and organic cosmetics that have already been certified under the previous regulations will remain valid until their certification period expires.	Apr. 16, 2025
Notice on the Partial Amendment to the Enforcement Rule of the Cosmetics Act	The notice proposes deleting Articles 23-2, 23-3, and Annex Tables 5-2 to 5-4, which outline the certification procedures for natural and organic cosmetics and the criteria for certification bodies. It also suggests removing the contents related to natural and organic cosmetics from Section 2 of Annex Table 5 - Compliance requirements for cosmetics labeling and advertising.	Aug. 1, 2025	When the amendments take effect, 1. Applications for certification of natural and organic cosmetics, or modifications to certified products that have been reported and are under review, will be processed in accordance with the previous regulations. 2. Natural and organic cosmetics that have already been certified under the previous regulations will remain valid until their certification period expires.	May 7, 2025

South Korea is canceling the certification of natural and organic cosmetics with the aim of abolishing the current government-led system and promoting a market-driven cosmetics certification system, in line with international practices where such certification systems (e.g., COSMOS) are typically managed by the private sector.