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KRKorean with some English namesOfficial records available

South Korea cosmetic ingredient regulations

The Korean source remains canonical; English-only material is incomplete.

Regulator
Ministry of Food and Drug Safety
Source language
Korean with some English names
Coverage version
MFDS Notice 2026-19, effective 18 March 2026

What this list is

South Korea's cosmetic ingredient rules are published by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety in Korean. The English material that circulates is partial, and the gaps are not marked.

  • 1,320 Korean records: 1,077 prohibited, 243 restricted.
  • The regulator is the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, under the Cosmetics Act.
  • The Korean text is canonical; English versions are incomplete rather than merely later.
  • Functional cosmetics — sunscreen, whitening, anti-wrinkle and others — carry a separate reporting or approval route.

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety maintains the prohibited and restricted ingredient lists under the Cosmetics Act, and publishes them in Korean. This matters more than the usual caution about translations. The English material in circulation is not a delayed version of the Korean; it is a subset, and nothing in it indicates which entries were left out.

The second thing to know is that Korea separates ordinary cosmetics from functional cosmetics. A product claiming sun protection, skin whitening, anti-wrinkle action, hair loss relief and several other functions falls into the functional category, which carries its own reporting or approval requirement and its own constraints on ingredients and concentrations. A formula that is unremarkable as a cosmetic can move into that category on the strength of a single claim.

The 1,320 records here come from the Korean source. Where a substance has no Korean record, that is the absence of an entry we could resolve, not a finding about the substance.

Checked against

Official ingredient records

1320 matching records
RestrictedBinding ruleNo English translationOfficial-source import checked

페녹시이소프로판올(1-페녹시프로판-2-올)

CAS 770-35-4 · EC 212-222-7

Listed by the Korean MFDS as a cosmetic ingredient requiring conditions of use.

Conditions: 사용 후 씻어내는 제품에 1.0% · 기타 제품에는 사용금지

Source:화장품 안전기준 등에 관한 규정, 별표 2, record 2-104 · version 2026-19 · effective March 18, 2026 · source checked 2026-08-30

View full recordIngredient profile
RestrictedBinding ruleNo English translationOfficial-source import checked

페닐렌비스-디페닐트리아진

CAS 55514-22-2 · EC 700-823-1 (L)

Listed by the Korean MFDS as a cosmetic ingredient requiring conditions of use.

Conditions: 5% · 흡입을 통해 사용자의 폐에 노출될 수 있는 제품에는 사용하지 말 것

Source:화장품 안전기준 등에 관한 규정, 별표 2, record 2-164 · version 2026-19 · effective March 18, 2026 · source checked 2026-08-30

View full recordIngredient profile
RestrictedBinding ruleNo English translationOfficial-source import checked

포타슘하이드록사이드또는 소듐하이드록사이드

CAS 1310-58-3; 1310-73-2 · EC 215-181-3

Listed by the Korean MFDS as a cosmetic ingredient requiring conditions of use.

Conditions: ?손톱표피 용해 목적일 경우 5%, pH 조정 목적으로 사용되고 최종 제품이 제5조제5항 에 pH기준이 정하여 있지 아니한 경우에도 최종 제품의 pH는 11이하 ?제모제에서 pH조정 목적으로 사용되는 경우 최종 제품의 pH는 12.7이하 · 포타슘하이드록사이드소듐하이드록사이드

Source:화장품 안전기준 등에 관한 규정, 별표 2, record 2-402 · version 2026-19 · effective March 18, 2026 · source checked 2026-08-30

View full recordIngredient profile
RestrictedBinding ruleNo English translationOfficial-source import checked

폴리(1-헥사메칠렌바이구아니드)에이치씨엘

CAS 32289-58-0

Listed by the Korean MFDS as a cosmetic ingredient requiring conditions of use.

Conditions: 0.05% · 에어로졸(스프레 이에 한함) 제품에는 사용금지 · 폴리아미노프로필바이구아나이드

Source:화장품 안전기준 등에 관한 규정, 별표 2, record 2-107 · version 2026-19 · effective March 18, 2026 · source checked 2026-08-30

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RestrictedBinding ruleNo English translationOfficial-source import checked

폴리아크릴아마이드류

Listed by the Korean MFDS as a cosmetic ingredient requiring conditions of use.

Conditions: ?사용 후 씻어내지 않는 바디화장품 에 잔류 아크릴아마 이드로서 0.00001% ?기타 제품에 잔류 아크릴아마 이드로서 0.00005%

Source:화장품 안전기준 등에 관한 규정, 별표 2, record 2-403 · version 2026-19 · effective March 18, 2026 · source checked 2026-08-30

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ProhibitedBinding ruleNo English translationOfficial-source import checked

푸로쿠마린류(예 : 트리옥시살렌, 8-메톡시소랄렌, 5-메톡시소랄렌)(천연에센스에 자연적으로 함유된 경우는 제외.다만, 자외선차단제품 및 인공선탠제품에서는 1ppm 이하이어야 한다.)

CAS 3902-71-4; 298-81-7; 484-20-8

Listed by the Korean MFDS as a substance that may not be used in cosmetics.

Conditions: 트리옥시살렌8-메톡시소랄렌5-메톡시소랄렌

Source:화장품 안전기준 등에 관한 규정, 별표 1, record 1-1123 · version 2026-19 · effective March 18, 2026 · source checked 2026-08-30

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Market coverage contract

Complete current appendix dataset
Included scope
All rows in official Appendix 1 (prohibited) and Appendix 2 (restricted) of the Safety Standards for Cosmetics.
If no match is found
Korean source wording is canonical and other positive lists/notices may still apply to the formulation.

Complete verification checklist

  1. Match the Korean canonical substance name and identifiers.
  2. Review all Appendix 1 and 2 matches and conditions.
  3. Check functional-cosmetic and positive-list requirements where applicable.
  4. Confirm current MFDS notice, responsible seller and label obligations.

Official sources and legal role

South Korea MFDS cosmetic ingredient data

Ingredient identity and separate restriction/regulation data endpoints

Legal meaning: Korean source is canonical; English materials alone are not complete enough for certification

Available language: Korean with English names and CAS fields

What this market page can answer

Source and authority

Identify the official material and the regulator responsible for it: Ministry of Food and Drug Safety.

Language and scope

See whether usable English or bilingual material exists and what the mapped source actually covers. Current source language: Korean with some English names.

Evidence status

Browse ingredient-level records imported from official sources. Each row states whether it passed deterministic source checks or human editorial review.

How to verify an ingredient for this market

  1. Search the ingredient by INCI name, CAS number or EC number and record the exact identity.
  2. Open each official source above and check the current version, product scope, concentration limits and required warnings.
  3. Confirm effective dates and whether an English text is official, reviewed or only contextual.
  4. Treat a missing local match as unknown, never as permission or a safety conclusion.
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