Korean Cosmetics Label Requirements: How to Read the Label

Korean cosmetics label requirements are set by Article 10 of the Cosmetics Act¹.

The outer packaging must show the product name, the business operator’s name and address, all ingredients, the volume or weight, the batch number, the expiry date or period after opening, the price, a functional cosmetics mark where relevant, precautions for use, and further items set by the Enforcement Rule.

Where a product has a carton around the container, the container itself must at least carry the name, the operator’s name, the batch number and the expiry date or period after opening.

If you import Korean skincare, knowing which part of the label is the legal information, and what the Korean words mean, lets you check products quickly and spot what your own market will require. Work through the label in the order below. This guide covers legal labelling only, not authenticity checks.

Step 1: See which Korean cosmetics label requirements apply to box and container

Korean law distinguishes the primary packaging (1차 포장), meaning the container that touches the product, from the secondary packaging (2차 포장), usually the printed carton.

• Outer packaging (the carton, or the container if there is no carton) must carry every item in Article 10(1).
• The container inside a carton only needs the product name, the operator’s name, the batch number and the expiry date or period after opening (Article 10(2)). Bar soap, which is used after the wrapper is removed, is exempt.

So once the carton is thrown away, the full ingredient list and precautions may be gone. If you plan to break cases and sell single units, keep the carton information on file.

Step 2: Find the name and the business operators

After the product name (화장품의 명칭), look for the companies. The Act requires the business operator’s name and address, and labels usually split this into two lines:

• 화장품책임판매업자 (responsible seller): the company that places the product on the Korean market and is accountable for quality and safety, often the brand owner.
• 화장품제조업자 (manufacturer): the factory that made it. Contract manufacturing is common, so a different company name here is normal.
• Imported cosmetics sold in Korea also show the country of manufacture and the manufacturer’s name and address (Enforcement Rule Article 19(4)6²); the country can be omitted if origin is marked under the Foreign Trade Act.

Step 3: Read the full ingredient list (전성분)

Korean cosmetics label requirements include every ingredient, with defined exceptions in Enforcement Rule Article 19:

• Ingredients removed during manufacturing, and trace stabilisers or preservatives carried in with a raw material below an effective level, may be omitted.
• Products of 10 ml or 10 g or less may show only the name, operator, price, batch number and expiry information.
• Products over 10 ml up to 50 ml (over 10 g up to 50 g) may omit ingredients except tar colours, gold leaf, phosphates in shampoo and rinse, AHAs, the active ingredients of functional cosmetics, and ingredients with a regulated maximum level.
• When ingredients are omitted, the pack must give a phone number or website, or the full list must be available in print at the point of sale.

Ingredients must be written with their standardised common names (Article 21). Matching those Korean names to INCI names is the starting point for checking rules in your own market.

Step 4: Check volume, batch number and expiry

• Volume or weight (용량/중량): in ml or g.
• Batch number (제조번호): the lot code used to trace quality issues and recalls. In wholesale it is worth recording batch numbers against the invoice and packing list.
• Expiry (사용기한) or period after opening (개봉 후 사용기간): one of the two must appear. If the period after opening is used, the manufacturing date must be printed as well (Article 10(1), proviso). Our guide to reading Korean cosmetics expiry dates explains the formats.

Step 5: Look for the functional cosmetics mark (기능성화장품)

Products reviewed by or reported to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety as functional cosmetics, such as whitening, anti-wrinkle or UV protection, carry the words 기능성화장품 or the official mark, plus the reviewed efficacy and directions (Article 19(4)2).

Functional products for hair-loss symptoms, acne-prone skin (cleansers), itch relief through barrier recovery, and stretch marks must also state that the product is not a medicine for preventing or treating disease.

Remember that classification does not travel with the product. A Korean functional sunscreen may be regulated as a drug or under a separate regime in your country, so check before you list it.

Step 6: Precautions, barcode, price and label language

• Precautions (사용할 때의 주의사항): common and product-specific warnings are listed in Annex 3 of the Enforcement Rule.
• Barcode: in the format set by the Ministry.
• Ingredient named in the product name: its content must be stated (fragrance products excepted).
• Price: shown by the retailer that sells to consumers (Article 11).
• Language: labels must be in readable Korean, Chinese characters or foreign languages may be added, and products for export may be labelled in the language of the destination country (Article 21). That is why export and domestic versions of the same product can look different; see export vs domestic version cosmetics.

Once you have read the Korean label, the next question is whether it meets your own market’s rules. For how labels differ by supply channel, see parallel import vs authorized distributor.

Related reading: How to read Korean cosmetics expiry dates · Export vs domestic version cosmetics · Parallel import vs authorized distributor

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Notes

1. Korea’s Ministry of Government Legislation, 화장품법, verified 2026-10-25. ↩

2. Korea’s Ministry of Government Legislation, 화장품법시행규칙, verified 2026-10-25. ↩