# What 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)).

Selling them requires notifying the customized cosmetics seller business (맞춤형화장품판매업) and employing a customized cosmetics dispensing manager (맞춤형화장품조제관리사). Korea Cosmetics Safety Information Group gives the definition, the notification procedure and the seller's compliance duties with article numbers.

- Written by: Korea Cosmetics Safety Information Group Editorial Team
- Published: Oct 4, 2026
- As of: October 4, 2026
- Canonical URL: https://en.safecosmetic.org/articles/what-is-customized-cosmetics

## How does the law define customized cosmetics?

Article 2(3-2) of the Cosmetics Act sets two kinds of customized cosmetics: cosmetics made by adding other contents or ingredients to the contents and mixing them, and cosmetics made by subdividing the contents.

**The two types of customized cosmetics and the excluded case** (Cosmetics Act Article 2(3-2); Enforcement Decree Article 2(3); Enforcement Rule Article 2-2)

| Category | Content | Provision |
| --- | ---: | ---: |
| Mixing | A cosmetic made by adding the contents of another cosmetic or ingredients set by the Minister of Food and Drug Safety to the contents of a manufactured or imported cosmetic and mixing them | Act Article 2(3-2)(a) |
| Subdividing | A cosmetic made by subdividing the contents of a manufactured or imported cosmetic | Act Article 2(3-2)(b) |
| Excluded | A cosmetic made by merely subdividing the contents of a solid facial soap (cosmetic soap) | Act Article 2(3-2)(b), proviso; Enforcement Rule Article 2-2 |
| Business selling mixed cosmetics | Customized cosmetics seller business | Enforcement Decree Article 2(3)(a) |
| Business selling subdivided cosmetics | Customized cosmetics seller business | Enforcement Decree Article 2(3)(b) |

The Minister of Food and Drug Safety sets and publicly notifies the ingredients that may be used for mixing. The content of that public notice is not in the text of the Act or the Enforcement Rule.

## Who can sell customized cosmetics?

A seller that has notified the customized cosmetics seller business and employs a customized cosmetics dispensing manager. Customized cosmetics sold by a party that has not notified may not be sold or stored or displayed for sale.

The basis is Cosmetics Act Article 16(1)(1-2) and (1-3). Customized cosmetics sold without a dispensing manager are subject to the same prohibition. Dividing and selling the contents held in a cosmetic's container is prohibited for everyone, except for a customized cosmetics seller selling through a customized cosmetics dispensing manager (Article 16(2)).

Doing business without notification or without employing a dispensing manager carries imprisonment of up to three years or a fine of up to 30 million won (Article 36(1)(1-3) and (1-4)).

## How do you notify a customized cosmetics seller business?

File a notification form with the head of the regional Office of Food and Drug Safety with jurisdiction over the location of the sales establishment. Attach a copy of the customized cosmetics dispensing manager's certificate and a statement of facilities (Enforcement Rule of the Cosmetics Act (화장품법 시행규칙) Article 8-2(1)).

**Steps for notification and change notification of the customized cosmetics seller business** (Cosmetics Act Article 3-2; Enforcement Rule Articles 8-2, 8-3 and 8-4)

| Step | Content | Provision |
| --- | ---: | ---: |
| 1. Prepare the facilities | Separate or partition the space for mixing and subdividing customized cosmetics from space used for other purposes | Enforcement Rule Article 8-4 |
| 2. Employ a dispensing manager | Employ a customized cosmetics dispensing manager engaged in quality and safety management work such as mixing and subdividing customized cosmetics | Act Article 3-2(2) |
| 3. File the notification | File the customized cosmetics seller business notification form, with a copy of the dispensing manager certificate and a statement of facilities attached, with the head of the regional Office of Food and Drug Safety with jurisdiction | Enforcement Rule Article 8-2(1) |
| 4. Issue of the notification certificate | If the notification meets the requirements, the head of the regional Office of Food and Drug Safety enters it in the notification register and issues a notification certificate | Enforcement Rule Article 8-2(3) |
| 5. Change notification | File a change notification if the seller, the trade name or location of the sales establishment, or the dispensing manager changes | Enforcement Rule Article 8-3(1) |

If it is recognized that no public health hazard is likely to arise in the mixing and subdividing process, the space need not be separated or partitioned (Enforcement Rule Article 8-4, proviso). A business intending to operate temporarily, for up to one month, outside the notified location must also file a notification form.

## What qualification is a customized cosmetics dispensing manager?

It is a qualification that requires passing an examination run by the Minister of Food and Drug Safety (Cosmetics Act Article 3-4(1)). The examination is a written test held at least once a year (Enforcement Rule Article 8-5).

**Subjects and passing standard of the customized cosmetics dispensing manager examination** (Enforcement Rule of the Cosmetics Act Article 8-5(3) and (4))

| Item | Content |
| --- | ---: |
| Subject 1 | Matters such as cosmetics laws, regulations and systems |
| Subject 2 | Matters such as cosmetics manufacturing and quality control and standards for the use of ingredients |
| Subject 3 | Matters such as cosmetics distribution and safety management |
| Subject 4 | Matters such as the characteristics, content and management of customized cosmetics |
| Passing standard | Scoring both at least 60 percent of the total for all subjects and at least 40 percent of the maximum in each subject |
| Notice of the implementation plan | Posted on the website of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) at least 90 days before the examination |

A dispensing manager may not transfer or lend the certificate to another person (Act Article 3-6). The manager must also receive training on securing the safety of cosmetics and on quality control every year (Act Article 5(7)). The first training is due within six months from the date of starting the work (Enforcement Rule Article 14(1)).

## What must a customized cosmetics seller comply with?

A seller must follow safety management standards for mixing and subdividing, prepare sales records, and explain the contents and precautions to consumers. Enforcement Rule Article 12-2 sets five compliance duties.

- Regularly inspect the customized cosmetics store facilities and equipment and manage them so that there is no public health hazard (item 1).
- Before mixing or subdividing, check the quality certificate of the contents or ingredients (item 2(a)).
- Before mixing or subdividing, disinfect or wash your hands. Wearing disposable gloves is the exception (item 2(b)).
- Check in advance whether the packaging container for the mixed or subdivided product is contaminated (item 2(c)).
- Check the hygiene of equipment and tools before use and wash them after use so that no contamination remains (item 2(d)).
- Prepare and keep sales records including the batch number, the use-by date or period after opening, the sale date and the quantity sold (item 3).
- Explain to the consumer the content and characteristics of the contents and ingredients used in mixing or subdividing, and the precautions for use (item 4).
- Report adverse reaction cases to the Minister of Food and Drug Safety (item 5).

The Act itself also states two duties directly. Cosmetics distributed and sold to consumers must not be mixed or subdivided at will (Cosmetics Act Article 5(3)). The list of ingredients used in customized cosmetics sold in the previous year is to be reported by the end of February each year (Act Article 5(6); Enforcement Rule Article 13(4)).

## What can a consumer check when buying customized cosmetics?

Three things: whether the seller business is notified, what the seller explains, and what the packaging shows. All come from items the Cosmetics Act and the Enforcement Rule set as seller duties.

- Look up whether a store is notified as a customized cosmetics seller business on MFDS Nedrug company search (in Korean) by choosing customized cosmetics selling (맞춤형화장품판매) as the business type (업종).
- See whether you received an explanation of the content and characteristics of the contents and ingredients used in mixing or subdividing (Enforcement Rule Article 12-2(4)(a)).
- See whether you received an explanation of the precautions for use (Article 12-2(4)(b)).
- See whether the packaging shows the trade name of the business operator, the batch number, and the use-by date or period after opening (Cosmetics Act Article 10(1)).

The packaging of customized cosmetics is not required to show a barcode or, for imported cosmetics, the country of manufacture and manufacturer name (Enforcement Rule Article 19(4), proviso). The fact that a store is notified does not tell you about product quality or whether a product suits your skin. The lookup steps are in [How to Check a Korean Cosmetics Company](https://en.safecosmetic.org/articles/how-to-check-cosmetics-company).

## How does a customized cosmetics seller differ from a manufacturer or responsible seller?

The procedure is notification rather than registration, and the person it must employ is a customized cosmetics dispensing manager. Of the three businesses set by Article 2-2 of the Cosmetics Act, alongside the cosmetics manufacturing business (화장품제조업) and the responsible seller business (화장품책임판매업), the customized cosmetics seller business is the only one that starts with notification.

**Differences between the customized cosmetics seller, manufacturing and responsible seller businesses** (Cosmetics Act Articles 3, 3-2 and 24; counts as of October 4, 2026)

| Item | Customized cosmetics sellers | Responsible sellers | Manufacturers |
| --- | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| Procedure | Notification (Act Article 3-2(1)) | Registration (Act Article 3(1)) | Registration (Act Article 3(1)) |
| What it must have | Facility standards | Standards for quality control and post-sale safety management | Facility standards |
| Person it must employ | Customized cosmetics dispensing manager | Responsible sales manager | Not stated in Article 3 of the Act |
| Name of the sanction (Act Article 24(1)) | Closure of the business premises | Cancellation of registration | Cancellation of registration |
| Count | 235 notifications | 28,358 registrations | 4,157 registrations |

The requirements of the other two businesses are in [Manufacturer vs Responsible Seller](https://en.safecosmetic.org/articles/manufacturer-vs-responsible-seller).

## How many customized cosmetics seller notifications are there?

235 notifications. That is 0.7% of the 32,750 entries of cosmetics business registrations and notifications, and Seoul and Gyeonggi-do hold 158 notifications.

Seoul has 90 notifications and Gyeonggi-do has 68 notifications. These are counts of notifications, so they may not equal the number of companies. Counts by province or metropolitan city and by year are in Korea Cosmetics Safety Information Group's [Customized Cosmetics Sellers](https://en.safecosmetic.org/statistics/customized-cosmetics-shops).

## When did customized cosmetics enter the law?

Article 3-2 of the Cosmetics Act, which provides for notification of the customized cosmetics seller business, was newly established on March 13, 2018. It took effect two years after promulgation.

The effective date is in Article 1 of the Addenda to Act No. 15488, promulgated the same day. It covers the amended provisions on customized cosmetics, customized cosmetics sellers and customized cosmetics dispensing managers. In the list Korea Cosmetics Safety Information Group retrieved, the earliest notification date for the customized cosmetics seller business is March 13, 2020. Articles 3-5 through 3-8, which set the disqualification grounds for dispensing managers, the ban on lending certificates, the ban on using similar titles and the revocation of the qualification, were newly established on August 17, 2021.

## Frequently asked questions

### Is cutting soap and selling the pieces also customized cosmetics?

The proviso to Article 2(3-2)(b) of the Cosmetics Act excludes from customized cosmetics a cosmetic made by merely subdividing the contents of a cosmetic set by Ordinance of the Prime Minister, such as solid soap. Article 2-2 of the Enforcement Rule sets that category as solid facial soap (cosmetic soap).

### Can a seller also serve as the customized cosmetics dispensing manager?

Yes. Article 8-2(4) of the Enforcement Rule provides that a customized cosmetics seller who has passed the examination may perform dispensing manager work at one of the seller's own sales establishments, and that establishment is treated as having a dispensing manager.

### Can someone who passes the customized cosmetics dispensing manager examination also become a responsible sales manager?

Yes. Article 8(1)(3-4) of the Enforcement Rule lists a person who has passed the customized cosmetics dispensing manager examination among those who may become a responsible sales manager.

### Can someone who is not a customized cosmetics dispensing manager use that title?

No. Article 3-7 of the Cosmetics Act bars anyone who is not a customized cosmetics dispensing manager from using that title or a similar one, and Article 40(1)(1-2) imposes an administrative fine of up to 1 million won on a violator.

### What happens if someone cheats on the examination?

The examination is stopped or the pass is voided. Under Article 3-4(2) of the Cosmetics Act, that person may not take the examination for three years from the date of the disposition.

### Do customized cosmetics sellers also have a duty to use safety containers and packaging?

Yes. Article 9(1) of the Cosmetics Act requires responsible sellers and customized cosmetics sellers, when selling cosmetics, to use safety containers and packaging so that accidents from misuse by children do not occur. The items covered are in Article 18(1) of the Enforcement Rule.

## Sources

- [Cosmetics Act](https://www.law.go.kr/%EB%B2%95%EB%A0%B9/%ED%99%94%EC%9E%A5%ED%92%88%EB%B2%95) - Ministry of Government Legislation, National Law Information Center · in force April 2, 2026 · page in Korean
- [Enforcement Rule of the Cosmetics Act](https://www.law.go.kr/%EB%B2%95%EB%A0%B9/%ED%99%94%EC%9E%A5%ED%92%88%EB%B2%95%20%EC%8B%9C%ED%96%89%EA%B7%9C%EC%B9%99) - Ministry of Government Legislation, National Law Information Center · in force April 2, 2026 · page in Korean
- [Enforcement Decree of the Cosmetics Act](https://www.law.go.kr/%EB%B2%95%EB%A0%B9/%ED%99%94%EC%9E%A5%ED%92%88%EB%B2%95%20%EC%8B%9C%ED%96%89%EB%A0%B9) - 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](https://www.data.go.kr/data/15020628/openapi.do) - Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS), Public Data Portal open API · page in Korean · retrieved oct 4, 2026