How to Read a Korean Cosmetics Label

What is stated on a Korean cosmetics label?

Ten items. Article 10(1) of the Cosmetics Act requires the outer packaging of a cosmetic to state the name, the business operator's trade name and address, all ingredients, the volume or weight, the batch number, the use-by date and other items.

In the law, labeling means the letters, numbers, shapes, pictures and the like written on the container or packaging of a cosmetic (Article 2(8)). The article does not use the word "back"; it sets only which packaging carries the items.

How does a Korean cosmetics label differ between outer packaging and the container?

Outer packaging states all ten items. The container inside states four: the name, the business operator's trade name, the batch number, and the use-by date or period after opening (Cosmetics Act, Article 10(2)).

Primary packaging is the container that comes into direct contact with the contents when the cosmetic is manufactured (Article 2(6)). Secondary packaging is the packaging and protective material that holds the primary packaging, plus packaging for the purpose of labeling, and it includes enclosed documents (Article 2(7)). A cosmetic made up of primary packaging only states the ten items on that outer packaging (Article 10(1)).

Under the proviso to Article 10(2) and Article 19(6) of the Enforcement Rule of the Cosmetics Act (화장품법 시행규칙), cosmetic soap that consumers use after removing the primary packaging is exempt from the four-item labeling duty for primary packaging.

Whose trade name and address are on a Korean cosmetics label?

The business operator's trade name and address. In the Cosmetics Act, business operator is the collective term for a manufacturer (화장품제조업), a responsible seller (화장품책임판매업) and a customized cosmetics seller (맞춤형화장품판매업) (Article 5(8)).

As of October 4, 2026, the list holds 28,358 registrations of responsible sellers, 4,157 registrations of manufacturers and 235 notifications of customized cosmetics sellers. Business operator refers to those who have registered or filed a notification, so the trade name on a package is a name you can look up in the full list of 32,750 entries of registrations and notifications. The sale of cosmetics manufactured, or manufactured or imported and then distributed and sold, by a person who has not registered is prohibited (Article 16(1)(1)).

How the trade names of the manufacturer and the responsible seller are divided on the package is set by Attached Table 4 of the Enforcement Rule. The roles of the two business operators are in Manufacturer vs Responsible Seller, and the steps for looking up registration by trade name are in How to Check a Korean Cosmetics Company.

Which ingredients can be left off the list on a Korean cosmetics label?

Ingredients removed during manufacture that do not remain in the final product, and incidental ingredients contained in a raw material in amounts below those at which they produce an effect, need not be stated (Enforcement Rule, Article 19(2)).

Cosmetics with contents of more than 10 milliliters up to 50 milliliters, or more than 10 grams up to 50 grams, may omit from the label the ingredients other than the six below (Article 19(2)(3)). Those six must appear even on small packages.

• Tar colors
• Gold leaf
• The type of phosphate in shampoos and rinses
• Fruit acids (AHA)
• For functional cosmetics, the raw material that produces the efficacy or effect
• Cosmetic raw materials whose use limit has been set by public notice of the Minister of Food and Drug Safety

A package that omits ingredients must state a phone number or website address where all ingredients can be checked immediately, or a printed sheet listing all ingredients must be kept at the point of sale (Article 19(5)). Ingredient names are written using standardized common names (Enforcement Rule, Article 21(2)).

How do the use-by date and period after opening differ on a Korean cosmetics label?

The use-by date is the minimum period from the date of manufacture during which, under proper storage, a consumer can use the cosmetic stably while it retains its inherent characteristics (Cosmetics Act, Article 2(5)).

A package states either the use-by date or the period after opening. A cosmetic that states a period after opening must also state the manufacturing date (proviso to Article 10(1)). Article 2 of the Act does not define the period after opening.

The batch number is an item stated on both the outer packaging and the container. A cosmetic whose use-by date, period after opening or accompanying manufacturing date has been forged or altered may not be sold, or manufactured, imported, stored or displayed for sale (Article 15(9)).

What else does a Korean cosmetics label state for certain products?

The eight items in Article 19(4) of the Enforcement Rule. They appear only on the cosmetics they apply to, such as functional cosmetics, imported cosmetics, products labeled natural or organic, and products for infants or children.

The functional cosmetics in item 7 are cosmetics that help relieve hair loss symptoms, relieve acne-prone skin, restore the skin barrier function, or lighten red stretch marks (Enforcement Rule, Article 2(8) to (11)).

Who writes the price on a Korean cosmetics label?

The person who sells the cosmetic directly to consumers writes the intended selling price (Cosmetics Act, Article 11(1)). The law calls this person the "seller" and distinguishes that person from a business operator.

The seller must label the price on the product's packaging so that ordinary consumers can easily understand it, and the Minister of Food and Drug Safety sets the detailed labeling method by public notice (Enforcement Rule, Article 20). Failing to label the selling price is subject to an administrative fine of up to 1 million won (Act, Article 40(1)(5-2)).

Must a Korean cosmetics label be written in Hangul?

It must be written accurately in Hangul that is easy to read and understand (Cosmetics Act, Article 12). Chinese characters or foreign languages may be written alongside the Hangul.

Products for export and the like may be written in the language of the destination country (Enforcement Rule, Article 21(1)). Items must be written and labeled where they are easier to see than other letters or sentences. There is also a provision that Braille or codes for conversion to voice or sign-language video may be labeled alongside for people with visual or hearing impairments (Article 10(3)). This parallel labeling is not a mandatory provision.

What should you check first on a Korean cosmetics label?

Start with four items: the name, the business operator's trade name, the batch number, and the use-by date or period after opening. They appear on both the outer packaging and the container, so they remain even after the box is thrown away.

• Does the container state the name of the cosmetic and the business operator's trade name?
• Does it state a batch number?
• Has the use-by date not passed? If the product states a period after opening, is the manufacturing date there too?
• Does the outer packaging state the business operator's address, all ingredients, and the volume or weight?
• If a small package omits ingredients, is there a phone number or website address for checking all of them?
• Are the precautions for use written in Hangul?
• If it is a functional cosmetic, are the words "functional cosmetics" or the symbol there?
• If it is an imported cosmetic, does it state the name of the country of manufacture and the manufacturing company?

The sale of cosmetics whose labeling has been damaged, forged or altered is prohibited (Cosmetics Act, Article 16(1)(4)). Registration counts by business type are in Korean Cosmetics Company Count.

What can a Korean cosmetics label not tell you?

A label cannot tell you whether a product suits your skin or what its quality is. The required label items in Article 10 state facts such as the name, the business operator, the ingredients, the volume and the date limit.

Labeling standards and methods are in Attached Table 4 of the Enforcement Rule, and precautions for use are in Attached Table 3. Korea Cosmetics Safety Information Group does not reproduce the text of these two tables, so the detailed standards must be checked in the Enforcement Rule of the Cosmetics Act at the National Law Information Center, in Korean.

Failing to follow the required label items in Article 10(1) and (2) is punishable by a fine of up to 2 million won; price labeling is excluded from this (Cosmetics Act, Article 38(2)). Cosmetics that violate Articles 10 to 12 may not be sold, or stored or displayed for sale (Article 16(1)(2)). Korea Cosmetics Safety Information Group does not judge whether the label of any specific product complies with the law.