How to Check a Korean Cosmetics Company
To 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.
The result shows the company name, business type, permit date and address. Korea Cosmetics Safety Information Group shows the search steps, how to match the result against the label on the package, and how far the fact of registration goes.
Contents
- Where can you go for checking a Korean cosmetics company?
- What are the steps for checking a Korean cosmetics company?
- Where on the package is the trade name for checking a Korean cosmetics company?
- Which business type should you choose when checking a Korean cosmetics company?
- What should the result be matched against when checking a Korean cosmetics company?
- What does it mean if no company appears when checking a Korean cosmetics company?
- If checking a Korean cosmetics company confirms registration, can you trust the product?
- Is checking a Korean cosmetics company also possible on Korea Cosmetics Safety Information Group?
- FAQ: checking a Korean cosmetics company
- Related reading
- Sources
Where can you go for checking a Korean cosmetics company?
The company search of MFDS Nedrug. Under business type (업종), choose one of manufacturing (화장품제조), responsible selling (화장품책임판매) or customized cosmetics selling (맞춤형화장품판매), then search by company name (업체명).
| Type | Field | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Business type | Manufacturing (화장품제조), Responsible selling (화장품책임판매), Customized cosmetics selling (맞춤형화장품판매) | Choose which of the three businesses under the Cosmetics Act to search |
| Input | Company name | Enter the business operator's trade name from the package |
| Input | Permit date (허가일자), start to end | Narrow by the range of dates of registration or notification |
| Result | Sequence number, company name, business type, permit date, address | Match against the trade name and address on the package |
The registration list Korea Cosmetics Safety Information Group retrieved from Korea's Public Data Portal on October 4, 2026 holds 32,750 entries. The company search is where the same list can be looked up one company name at a time.
What are the steps for checking a Korean cosmetics company?
There are four steps: find the business operator's trade name on the package, choose the business type, search by company name, and match the result against the package. All you need is the product's outer packaging or container.
| Step | What to do | What to look at |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Find the business operator's trade name and address on the package | Trade name and address on the outer packaging; trade name on the primary packaging (Act, Article 10(1)(2) and 10(2)(2)) |
| 2 | Choose the business type in the company search | Manufacturing (화장품제조), Responsible selling (화장품책임판매), Customized cosmetics selling (맞춤형화장품판매) |
| 3 | Enter the trade name as the company name and search | If needed, also enter a start and end range for the permit date |
| 4 | Match the company name, business type, permit date and address in the result against the package | If the same trade name appears on several lines, tell them apart by address |
If you do not know the business type, search the three types in turn. Dual registration as a manufacturer (화장품제조업) and a responsible seller (화장품책임판매업) covers 3,721 business registration numbers, so the same trade name can appear under both types.
Where on the package is the trade name for checking a Korean cosmetics company?
Under Article 10(1)(2) of the Cosmetics Act (화장품법), the outer packaging states the business operator's trade name and address. If the box has been thrown away, use the business operator's trade name on the container (Article 10(2)(2)).
The packaging of cosmetics with contents of 10 milliliters or less or 10 grams or less, and of samples, may state only the trade name of the responsible seller and the customized cosmetics seller (맞춤형화장품판매업) (proviso to Article 10(1)). In that case, choose responsible selling or customized cosmetics selling as the business type when searching.
The packaging of imported cosmetics also states the name of the country of manufacture, the name of the manufacturing company and its location (Article 19(4)(6) of the Enforcement Rule of the Cosmetics Act, 화장품법 시행규칙). The name to use for the search is the business operator's trade name. The articles do not state whether a manufacturing company in the country of manufacture appears on the domestic registration list. Other items on the package are in How to Read a Korean Cosmetics Label.
Which business type should you choose when checking a Korean cosmetics company?
Choose manufacturing to find the company that made the cosmetic, responsible selling to find the company responsible for distribution and sale, and customized cosmetics selling to find a shop that mixes or subdivides and sells.
| Business type on the search screen | Business under the Cosmetics Act | Procedure | Registrations and notifications |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing (화장품제조) | Manufacturers | Registration (Act, Article 3(1)) | 4,157 |
| Responsible selling (화장품책임판매) | Responsible sellers | Registration (Act, Article 3(1)) | 28,358 |
| Customized cosmetics selling (맞춤형화장품판매) | Customized cosmetics sellers | Notification (Act, Article 3-2(1)) | 235 |
A business that distributes and sells cosmetics made under contract or imported cosmetics is a responsible seller business (Article 2(2) of the Enforcement Decree of the Cosmetics Act, 화장품법 시행령). Counts for the three businesses and dual registration are in Korean Cosmetics Company Count.
What should the result be matched against when checking a Korean cosmetics company?
Match the company name and address in the result against the business operator's trade name and address on the package. The business type and permit date tell you which business that company registered or notified, and when.
| Result field | Match against | Points to know when reading |
|---|---|---|
| Company name | Business operator's trade name on the package | The register records the business operator's trade name, and for a corporation the name of the corporation (Enforcement Rule, Articles 3(4)(3) and 4(4)(3)) |
| Business type | Which of manufacturing, responsible selling or customized selling the company you are looking for does | One company can appear under several business types |
| Permit date | The date the business was registered or notified | May differ from the date the company was founded or a product was launched |
| Address | Business operator's address on the package | The register records the location of the factory, of the responsible seller's office, or of the customized cosmetics seller's shop |
- Are the characters of the trade name the same as on the package? Also look for names that differ only in how they are written, such as the Korean company markers "(주)" and "주식회사".
- Does the business type match the role of the business operator stated on the package?
- Is the city, county or district in the address the same as on the package?
- If the same trade name appears several times, can they be told apart by address?
What does it mean if no company appears when checking a Korean cosmetics company?
It is hard to conclude right away that the company is unregistered. The trade name may be written differently, the company may be registered under another business type, or the trade name may have changed, so search again in the order below.
| Case | What to try again | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| The trade name is written differently | Search again, changing "(주)" to "주식회사" or "주식회사" to "(주)" | Of the 300 entries named on Korea Cosmetics Safety Information Group, 185 are written with "(주)" and 27 with "주식회사" |
| Registered under another business type | Choose and search the three business types in turn | There are three types of business (Act, Article 2-2(1)) |
| The trade name or location has changed | See whether a company has the same address as the package | A change of trade name or location requires a change of registration within 30 days (Enforcement Rule, Article 5) |
| Closed, or registration canceled | The search result alone cannot tell you | Closure notification (Act, Article 6(1)); cancellation of registration and closure of the business premises (Act, Article 24(1)) |
| Unregistered company | Ask the regional Office of Food and Drug Safety with jurisdiction | The sale of cosmetics manufactured, or manufactured or imported and then distributed and sold, by a person who has not registered is prohibited (Act, Article 16(1)(1)) |
No material has been confirmed on when closed or canceled companies drop out of the search results. Running a manufacturing or responsible seller business without registering is punishable by up to 3 years in prison or a fine of up to 30 million won (Act, Article 36(1)(1)).
If checking a Korean cosmetics company confirms registration, can you trust the product?
The fact of registration tells you only that the company met the requirements of Article 3 of the Cosmetics Act and registered its business. It is not a marking that guarantees the quality or safety of a product.
The requirement for manufacturer registration is the facility standards. The requirements for responsible seller registration are the standards for quality control and post-sale safety management and a responsible sales manager (책임판매관리자). The registration application documents include no product-by-product material (Enforcement Rule, Articles 3(2) and 4(2)). A registered business operator that does not carry out its compliance duties can also face cancellation of registration or suspension of business (Act, Article 24(1)).
- What a search can tell you is under which business type and when a company with that trade name registered or filed a notification, and what its address is.
- Quality test results for individual products are not in the search result. A responsible seller must carry out quality testing by batch number before distribution (Enforcement Rule, Article 12(5)).
- Administrative sanction history, production records and sales are not among the five result fields either.
- The Minister of Food and Drug Safety separately designates by public notice the raw materials that cannot be used in cosmetics and the use standards (Act, Article 8(1) and (2)).
Korea Cosmetics Safety Information Group covers only how to check registration and does not recommend companies or products.
Is checking a Korean cosmetics company also possible on Korea Cosmetics Safety Information Group?
Only in part. Of the full 32,750 entries, Korea Cosmetics Safety Information Group carries only the company name, registration date and location of the earliest-registered manufacturers and responsible sellers, 240 entries in all.
A name's absence from the Korean Cosmetics Company List does not mean the company is unregistered. The list was retrieved on October 4, 2026, so later registrations, changes and closures are not reflected either. Current registration status must be judged from the results of the MFDS Nedrug company search, which is in Korean.
FAQ: checking a Korean cosmetics company
Is the permit date in the search result the same as the registration date?
The column in the search result is named permit date. The Cosmetics Act provides for registration of manufacturers and responsible sellers and for notification of customized cosmetics sellers, so for cosmetics companies you can read it as the date of registration or notification. The register records the registration number and registration date (Enforcement Rule, Article 3(4)(1)).
Must a store that sells cosmetics be registered too?
The businesses for which Articles 3 and 3-2 of the Cosmetics Act require registration or notification are three: manufacturer, responsible seller and customized cosmetics seller. Article 11 separately calls a person who sells cosmetics directly to consumers a "seller" and imposes the duty to label prices.
Is a company with an older registration date more reliable?
There is no basis for saying so. The registration date is only the date the business was registered, and the registration list does not hold production records, sales or administrative sanction history. Korea Cosmetics Safety Information Group does not rate companies by registration date.
Can you also search by business registration number?
The input fields of the company search checked on October 4, 2026 are the company name and the permit date (start to end). Business registration number input is not among the fields checked.
Can you also tell whether a company is temporarily closed?
The result fields checked are five: sequence number, company name, business type, permit date and address. Temporary closure status is not among them. Article 6(1) of the Cosmetics Act requires a business operator intending to close temporarily to file a notification, and states that no notification is needed if the closure period is less than 1 month.
What happens to the registration of a company that only filed a closure report with the tax office?
Under Article 6(2) of the Cosmetics Act, the Minister of Food and Drug Safety may cancel the registration if a manufacturer or responsible seller has filed a closure report with the head of the competent tax office or its business registration has been canceled. To cancel, the Minister must give prior notice and announce it in advance on the website of the regional Office of Food and Drug Safety for at least 10 days (Enforcement Rule, Article 15(5)).
Sources
- MFDS Nedrug company search Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) · Integrated drug information system · page in Korean
- Cosmetics Act Ministry of Government Legislation · National Law Information Center · in force April 2, 2026 · page in Korean
- Enforcement Rule of the Cosmetics Act Ministry of Government Legislation · National Law Information Center · in force April 2, 2026 · page in Korean
- Ministry of Food and Drug Safety: Cosmetics Information dataset Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) · Public Data Portal open API · page in Korean · retrieved oct 4, 2026
Sentences on the law follow the articles of the statutes above; figures are counts of the registration list. Shares and ratios were calculated by us.