Korean Cosmetics Companies
South Korea's Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) lists 32,750 entries of registered or notified cosmetics businesses: 28,358 registrations of responsible sellers (화장품책임판매업), 4,157 registrations of manufacturers (화장품제조업) and 235 notifications of customized cosmetics sellers (맞춤형화장품판매업).
Korea Cosmetics Safety Information Group shows how many cosmetics companies there are, where they are, and how to check whether the company on a package is registered.
- Name of the cosmeticAlso on the container
- Business operator's trade name and addressAlso on the containerTrade name only on primary packaging. This is the name you search when checking a registration.
- All ingredients used in manufactureExcludes ingredients set by Ordinance of the Prime Minister, such as harmless trace ingredients
- Volume or weight of the contents
- Batch numberAlso on the container
- Use-by date or period after openingAlso on the containerIf a period after opening is given, the manufacturing date is given with it
- Price
- The words or symbol for "functional cosmetics"For functional cosmetics
- Precautions for use
- Other matters set by Ordinance of the Prime Minister
How to check that the company on a package is registered
How to Check a Korean Cosmetics Company- Find the business operator's trade name on the packageArticle 10 of the Cosmetics Act requires the trade name and address on the outer packaging, and the trade name on the container.
- Search the company on MFDS NedrugThe page is in Korean. Under business type (업종), choose 화장품제조 (manufacturing), 화장품책임판매 (responsible selling) or 맞춤형화장품판매 (customized cosmetics selling), then enter the company name (업체명).
- Compare the result with the packageThe result shows the company name, business type, permit date (허가일자) and address. Check that the trade name and address match the package.
Registration and notification mean that a person intending to run the business completed the procedure set by the Cosmetics Act. They do not guarantee the quality or safety of any individual product.
Cosmetics company data 7 data pages
All data pages- Registrations and notifications
- 32,75028,860 business registration numbers
- Responsible sellers
- 28,3586.8 times the manufacturers
- Most manufacturers: Gyeonggi-do
- 1,65839.9% of manufacturers
- Most responsible sellers: Seoul
- 10,40536.7% of responsible sellers
- Korean Cosmetics Company Count32,750 entries · 86.6% responsible sellers
- Cosmetics Registrations by Year2025: 4,431 entries · 2026: 3,721
- Cosmetics Manufacturers by RegionGyeonggi-do 1,658 · Seoul capital area 61.4%
- Responsible Sellers by RegionSeoul 10,405 · Gangnam-gu 2,681
- Top Cosmetics Manufacturing AreasNo. 1: Namdong-gu, Incheon 203
- Customized Cosmetics Sellers235 notifications · Seoul 90
- Korean Cosmetics Company List120 manufacturers · 120 responsible sellers
- Responsible sellers
- Manufacturers
Guides to the Cosmetics Act and labels
All guidesQuestions that take both the articles of the Cosmetics Act (화장품법) and the registration data to answer. Statements of law carry the article number.
- GuideManufacturer vs Responsible SellerA cosmetics manufacturer is a party registered for the business of making cosmetics, and a responsible seller is a party registered for the business of distributing and selling those cosmetics while managing their quality and safety.
- GuideHow to Read a Korean Cosmetics LabelThe label on the back of a Korean cosmetic is made up of the ten required label items set by Article 10(1) of the Cosmetics Act (화장품법). Read them in order: the name, the business operator's trade name and address, all ingredients, the volume, the batch number, and the use-by date or period after opening.
- GuideHow to Check a Korean Cosmetics CompanyTo check whether a Korean cosmetics company is registered, use the company search of MFDS Nedrug, a Korean-language site of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS): choose the business type and enter the business operator's trade name from the package as the company name.
- GuideWhy Sellers Outnumber ManufacturersResponsible sellers (화장품책임판매업) outnumber manufacturers (화장품제조업) because 86.8% of the 28,277 business registration numbers with a responsible seller registration, or 24,556, registered as responsible sellers only, without a manufacturing registration.
- GuideWhat Are Customized Cosmetics?Customized cosmetics are cosmetics made by adding the contents of another cosmetic or designated ingredients to the contents of a manufactured or imported cosmetic and mixing them, and cosmetics made by subdividing those contents (Cosmetics Act (화장품법) Article 2(3-2)).
Browse by topic
All topics- Cosmetics Companies in Korea
- As of October 4, 2026, South Korea lists 32,750 entries of registered or notified cosmetics businesses, including 28,358 registrations of responsible sellers and 4,157 registrations of manufacturers.
- Cosmetics Companies by Region
- As of October 4, 2026, manufacturers are most numerous in Gyeonggi-do (1,658 registrations) and responsible sellers in Seoul (10,405 registrations).
- Cosmetics Label Checks
- Article 10 of the Cosmetics Act (화장품법) requires cosmetics packaging to state the product name, the business operator's trade name and address, the batch number, and a use-by date or period after opening.
How Korea Cosmetics Safety Information Group handles data
Editorial principles- Every page states its source and retrieval dateEvery count comes with the name and address of its source and the date it was retrieved. Shares and ratios we calculated are marked as calculated.
- The law is cited with article numbersWe read the original Cosmetics Act, Enforcement Decree and Enforcement Rule and give the article number. Nothing outside the articles is written as if it were the law.
- No recommendationsWe do not rate or recommend companies or products, and there are no ads or affiliate links. Registration is never presented as evidence of quality or safety.
Source Ministry of Food and Drug Safety: Cosmetics Information dataset · Cosmetics Act
Frequently asked questions
How many cosmetics companies are there in South Korea?
As of October 4, 2026, the list holds 32,750 entries of registered or notified cosmetics businesses: 28,358 registrations of responsible sellers (화장품책임판매업), 4,157 registrations of manufacturers (화장품제조업) and 235 notifications of customized cosmetics sellers (맞춤형화장품판매업). Grouped by business registration number, that is 28,860 business registration numbers.
Which region has the most cosmetics manufacturers?
Gyeonggi-do. It holds 1,658 of the 4,157 registrations of manufacturers (39.9%). At the city, county and district level, Namdong-gu, Incheon has 203.
Which company name appears on cosmetics packaging?
Article 10(1) of the Cosmetics Act (화장품법) requires the business operator's trade name and address on the outer packaging. Business operator means a manufacturer, a responsible seller or a customized cosmetics seller (Article 5(8)).
Where do the figures on Korea Cosmetics Safety Information Group come from?
From the cosmetics manufacturer information in the dataset "Cosmetics Information", which the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety publishes on Korea's Public Data Portal. Every page carries the name and address of its source.