Korea Cosmetics Animal Testing Ban: A Guide for EU Buyers

Korea has banned the sale of animal-tested cosmetics since 4 February 2017.

Article 15-2 of the Cosmetics Act¹ prohibits distributing cosmetics that were tested on animals or made with animal-tested ingredients, with listed exceptions such as cases where no alternative test exists or where an importing country’s law requires testing. The EU’s full marketing ban has applied since 11 March 2013.

If you buy Korean cosmetics for the EU or UK market, the Korean ban is a good starting point, but it is not the same as the EU rule. These steps explain the difference and what evidence to ask your supplier for.

Step 1: Understand the Korea cosmetics animal testing ban

The provision was added by an amendment promulgated on 3 February 2016 (Act No. 14027)², according to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) notice³, and took effect on 4 February 2017. That version applied the ban to manufacturer-sellers (제조판매업자); after amendments in 2018 and 2021, the current text applies it to responsible sellers and customized cosmetics sellers, who may not distribute or sell:

• Cosmetics that were tested on animals.
• Cosmetics manufactured, contract-manufactured or imported using ingredients that were tested on animals.

The ban covers imported cosmetics as well as products made in Korea, and breaches are subject to an administrative fine.

Step 2: Know the exceptions

The Cosmetics Act text⁴ lists exceptions, including:

• Setting use standards for restricted ingredients such as preservatives, colourants and UV filters, or assessing ingredients that raise public health concerns.
• Cases where no validated alternative to animal testing exists.
• Cases where the law of an export destination requires animal testing.
• Cases where the law of an importing country requires animal testing for product development.
• Using ingredients developed with animal testing under other laws.
• Other cases set by the Minister where alternatives are impractical.

So the Korean rule is “banned in principle, with exceptions”, not “never tested”. When a buyer asks whether a product is cruelty-free, the accurate answer comes from the brand’s records for that product, not from the law alone.

Step 3: Compare it with the EU ban

According to the European Commission’s animal testing page⁵, the EU timeline is:

• 11 September 2004: testing ban on finished products.
• 11 March 2009: testing ban on ingredients, and a marketing ban for most human health effects.
• 11 March 2013: marketing ban extended to repeated-dose toxicity, reproductive toxicity and toxicokinetics, whether or not alternatives exist.

These rules now sit in Regulation (EC) 1223/2009⁶, which bans placing products on the market when the product or its ingredients were tested on animals to meet the Regulation’s requirements. A test carried out under Korea’s “export country” exception for a different market therefore needs a separate check before the product goes to the EU.

Step 4: Ask for the right documents

The EU responsible person must keep a product information file that includes data on any animal testing. Useful documents from a Korean supplier include:

• A statement from the Korean responsible seller that the product and its ingredients were not tested on animals to meet EU requirements.
• Ingredient suppliers’ animal testing statements.
• Any vegan or cruelty-free certificates, keeping in mind that schemes differ; see our vegan cosmetics certification comparison.

See also our guides to the product information file and the CPNP notification.

Step 5: Check other markets you sell into

Rules differ by country. Taiwan, for example, has barred the use of animals in safety assessments of cosmetics and their ingredients since 9 November 2019 under Article 6 of its Cosmetic Hygiene and Safety Act⁷, with exceptions only by approval of the central authority. The UK kept the EU-derived ban after Brexit; for the notification side, see UK SCPN vs EU CPNP.

Summary

• Korea: banned in principle since 4 February 2017, with legal exceptions.
• EU: full marketing ban since 11 March 2013.
• In practice: answer buyer questions with product-level statements, not just the law.

SEONGWOO GLOBAL supplies Korean skincare to overseas buyers from Seoul. If you are sourcing for the EU or another regulated market, contact us through the pages below.

Related articles: Vegan cosmetics certifications · Korea vs EU ingredient restrictions · EU CPNP notification

Related pages: Brands · FAQ · Contact us

Notes

1. Korea’s Ministry of Government Legislation, 화장품법 제15조의2, verified 2026-10-25. ↩

2. Korea’s Ministry of Government Legislation, 화장품법(법률 제14027호, 2016. 2. 3., 일부개정), verified 2026-10-25. ↩

3. Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, 「화장품법」 일부개정법률 공포 알림, verified 2026-10-25. ↩

4. Korea Legislation Research Institute, Cosmetics Act, verified 2026-10-25. ↩

5. European Commission, Ban on animal testing, verified 2026-10-25. ↩

6. Publications Office of the European Union, Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009, verified 2026-10-25. ↩

7. Taiwan’s Ministry of Justice, 化粧品衛生安全管理法, verified 2026-10-25. ↩