South Korea Promulgates Amendment to the Enforcement Decree of the Cosmetics Act; Inter-ministerial Briefing Held to Combat Counterfeit Cosmetics.

On March 10, 2026, the South Korean government published an amendment to the Enforcement Decree of the Cosmetics Act. The key revisions are as follows:

1. Promotion of “Cosmetics Day”: Under the amendment, national and local government bodies may legally designate “Cosmetics Day” events as week-long or month-long celebrations. Individuals or organizations that have made significant contributions to cosmetic safety and industrial development may be selected and rewarded as “Persons of Merit for Cosmetics Day.”
2. Overseas Direct Purchase Surveys: To facilitate investigations into the actual status of overseas direct purchases (parallel imports/cross-border e-commerce) of cosmetics, the amendment specifies the scope of data that relevant agencies may request. This includes three categories:
   • Basic customs import declaration data for cosmetics.
   • Consumer information and survey result data.
   • Data regarding mail-order business operators.

News Brief 2: Joint Inter-Ministerial Briefing on Counteracting Counterfeit Cosmetics in South Korea

On March 12, 2026, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS), the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO), and the Korea Customs Service (KCS) jointly held a briefing in Mapo-gu, Seoul, to address the issue of counterfeit cosmetics.

I. Background

This briefing is a core component of the “K-Beauty Safety and Quality Competitiveness Enhancement Plan” announced during the 6th National Policy Coordination Meeting chaired by the Prime Minister on November 27, 2025. It aims to tackle the global infringement of popular South Korean cosmetic brands and prevent financial loss to both businesses and consumers caused by the circulation of counterfeit goods.

II. Core Statistical Data

• K-Cosmetics Export Growth: Exports have climbed steadily from $8.46 billion in 2023 to $10.18 billion in 2024 (+20.3%), reaching $11.43 billion in 2025 (+12.3%).
• Scale of Counterfeiting: The total scale of counterfeit goods infringing on the intellectual property (IP) of South Korean enterprises is valued at $9.7 billion (11.1 trillion KRW). Cosmetics account for 10% of this total, amounting to $970 million (1.1 trillion KRW).

III. Key Measures by Department

1. Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS)

Focus: Post-circulation management and legal enforcement.

• Refining the legal basis for penalties against sellers of counterfeit cosmetics and establishing statutory provisions for the recall and destruction of fake products.
• Establishing and operating a Counterfeit Cosmetics Reporting Center within the Korea Cosmetic Association (KCA) to facilitate industry-led reporting of counterfeit circulation.

2. Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO)

Focus: IP protection and infringement response for K-Beauty brands.

• Disseminating case studies of K-Brand infringement to emphasize the importance of trademark and design rights.
• Introducing K-Brand infringement response solutions, support projects, and the K-Brand Protection Portal.
• Explaining global patent dispute trends and announcing KIPO’s matching support policies.

3. Korea Customs Service (KCS)

Focus: Cross-border IP protection and counterfeit inspection.

• Guiding K-Beauty companies to complete IP registrations (trademarks, etc.) with customs authorities in major export destination countries.
• Building a Joint Inspection Network leveraging global networks with overseas inspection agencies to block the manufacturing, circulation, and import/export of counterfeit K-Brands.
• Advancing the GLOW-K Export Support Program while strengthening cooperation with overseas customs for counterfeit detection.
  • GLOW-K stands for: Globalization, Local Fit (customized support for importing countries), Online Export (e-commerce activation), Widening Channel (export route expansion), and K-Brand Protection.

News Brief 3: South Korea Amends “Regulations on Cosmetic Safety Standards, etc.”

On March 18, 2026, the MFDS issued Announcement No. 2026-16, amending the Regulations on Cosmetic Safety Standards, etc. The revisions include:

Revising the testing standards for Dioxane, Formaldehyde, and Free Alkali within the safety control methods for cosmetics in circulation.

Standardizing and organizing the list of hair dye ingredients within the prohibited and restricted raw material categories.

Adding one new UV filter to the list of restricted cosmetic ingredients: Phenylene Bis-Diphenyltriazine (Korean: 페닐렌비스-디페닐트리아진).