# Korea Cosmetics Safety Information Group

> How many cosmetics manufacturers and responsible sellers are registered in South Korea, where and since when, from MFDS data, plus how to read labels and check a company. Free, no ads.

## Organization

- Operator: Korea Cosmetics Safety Information Group (https://en.safecosmetic.org/)
- Location: Cosmetics Safety Association, 10F, 123-10 Yatap, Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
- Contact: info@safecosmetic.org
- Nature: a free public-interest information site that explains public cosmetics business registration data and the Korean Cosmetics Act. There are no ads, affiliate links, sign-ups or fees. It does not make or sell cosmetics or recommend companies or products.
- It is not a government agency. It is a private site with no connection to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) that republishes public data.
- It has no figures of its own. All counts come from counting the registration list published by MFDS.

## What cosmetics packaging must state (Cosmetics Act, Article 10(1) and (2))

1. Name of the cosmetic (also on the container)
2. Business operator's trade name and address (also on the container) - Trade name only on primary packaging. This is the name you search when checking a registration.
3. All ingredients used in manufacture - Excludes ingredients set by Ordinance of the Prime Minister, such as harmless trace ingredients
4. Volume or weight of the contents
5. Batch number (also on the container)
6. Use-by date or period after opening (also on the container) - If a period after opening is given, the manufacturing date is given with it
7. Price
8. The words or symbol for "functional cosmetics" - For functional cosmetics
9. Precautions for use
10. Other matters set by Ordinance of the Prime Minister

## How to check that the company on a package is registered

1. Find the business operator's trade name on the package. Article 10 of the Cosmetics Act requires the trade name and address on the outer packaging, and the trade name on the container.
2. Search the company on MFDS Nedrug. The 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).
3. Compare the result with the package. The 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.

## Topic hubs

- [Cosmetics Companies in Korea](https://en.safecosmetic.org/topics/cosmetics-businesses): 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](https://en.safecosmetic.org/topics/cosmetics-regions): 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](https://en.safecosmetic.org/topics/cosmetics-label): 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.

## Data: Cosmetics Companies in Korea

- [Korean Cosmetics Company Count](https://en.safecosmetic.org/statistics/cosmetics-business-count): The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) lists 32,750 entries of registered or notified cosmetics businesses, and 86.6% of them, 28,358 registrations, are responsible sellers (화장품책임판매업).
- [Cosmetics Registrations by Year](https://en.safecosmetic.org/statistics/cosmetics-registrations-by-year): Of the 32,750 entries of cosmetics businesses now registered, 56.4%, or 18,459 entries, date from 2022 or later.
- [Customized Cosmetics Sellers](https://en.safecosmetic.org/statistics/customized-cosmetics-shops): Customized cosmetics sellers (맞춤형화장품판매업) account for 235 notifications, led by Seoul with 90 and Gyeonggi-do with 68.
- [Korean Cosmetics Company List](https://en.safecosmetic.org/statistics/cosmetics-company-list): Korea Cosmetics Safety Information Group lists 120 manufacturers (화장품제조업) and 120 responsible sellers (화장품책임판매업), starting from the earliest registration date.

## Data: Cosmetics Companies by Region

- [Cosmetics Manufacturers by Region](https://en.safecosmetic.org/statistics/cosmetics-manufacturers-by-region): Of 4,157 registrations of cosmetics manufacturers, 1,658 (39.9%) are in Gyeonggi-do, followed by Incheon with 457 and Seoul with 439.
- [Responsible Sellers by Region](https://en.safecosmetic.org/statistics/cosmetics-sellers-by-region): Of 28,358 registrations of responsible sellers, 10,405 (36.7%) are registered in Seoul and 9,353 (33.0%) in Gyeonggi-do.
- [Top Cosmetics Manufacturing Areas](https://en.safecosmetic.org/statistics/cosmetics-manufacturer-cities): The city, county or district with the most cosmetics manufacturers is Namdong-gu, Incheon, with 203 registrations, followed by Hwaseong-si, Gyeonggi-do (139) and Gimpo-si, Gyeonggi-do (112).

## Guides

- [Manufacturer vs Responsible Seller](https://en.safecosmetic.org/articles/manufacturer-vs-responsible-seller): A 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.
- [How to Read a Korean Cosmetics Label](https://en.safecosmetic.org/articles/how-to-read-cosmetics-label): The 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.
- [How to Check a Korean Cosmetics Company](https://en.safecosmetic.org/articles/how-to-check-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.
- [Why Sellers Outnumber Manufacturers](https://en.safecosmetic.org/articles/why-sellers-outnumber-manufacturers): Responsible 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.
- [What Are Customized Cosmetics?](https://en.safecosmetic.org/articles/what-is-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)).

## Main pages

- [Korean Cosmetics Company Data](https://en.safecosmetic.org/statistics): figures and addresses for 7 data pages
- [Korean Cosmetics Law Guides](https://en.safecosmetic.org/articles): the list of guides and the latest posts
- [Korean cosmetics terms](https://en.safecosmetic.org/glossary): meanings of terms from the Cosmetics Act and registration data
- [Frequently asked questions](https://en.safecosmetic.org/faq): questions and answers on company counts, regions, labels and company checks
- [About Korea Cosmetics Safety Information Group](https://en.safecosmetic.org/about): editorial principles and data sources
- New post feeds: https://en.safecosmetic.org/rss.xml (RSS), https://en.safecosmetic.org/feed.xml (Atom)
- Add /index.md to a page address for a Markdown copy. Example: https://en.safecosmetic.org/statistics/cosmetics-business-count/index.md

## Data and use

- Source of figures: cosmetics manufacturer information in the MFDS dataset "Cosmetics Information" (Public Data Portal open API, license scope: no restrictions; page in Korean)
- Reference date: retrieved October 4, 2026, 32,750 entries of registrations and notifications. These are not live figures.
- Source of law: the Cosmetics Act, Enforcement Decree and Enforcement Rule on the National Law Information Center (in force April 2, 2026; pages in Korean)
- Totals, shares and ratios were calculated by Korea Cosmetics Safety Information Group by counting the registration list.
- When citing, please give the original source (MFDS) together with the page address on Korea Cosmetics Safety Information Group.

## Writing principles

- Counts are business registrations and notifications, not numbers of companies, factories or output.
- Registration does not guarantee quality or safety. No company or product is recommended or rated.
- Sentences on the law give the article number. Nothing outside the articles is stated.
- Where the registration data gives no reason for a distribution or change, we say no reason is stated, and any interpretation is marked as an estimate.
- The site name is "Korea Cosmetics Safety Information Group".

## Contact

- Email: info@safecosmetic.org
- Address: Cosmetics Safety Association, 10F, 123-10 Yatap, Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea