Korean Functional Cosmetics: The 11 Categories Explained
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In Korea, “functional cosmetics” (기능성화장품) is a legal category, not a marketing phrase.
A product qualifies only if it falls into one of the 11 types listed in the Cosmetics Act Enforcement Rule, such as brightening, wrinkle improvement, UV protection, hair colouring, hair removal, hair-loss symptom relief, acne-prone skin, skin-barrier function or stretch marks.
It qualifies only after each product has been reviewed by, or reported to, the National Institute of Food and Drug Safety Evaluation.
Only then may it carry the “functional cosmetic” label and advertise that function.
Here is how Korean functional cosmetics work, step by step.
Step 1: Read the legal definition of Korean functional cosmetics
Article 2(2) of Korea’s Cosmetics Act1 defines functional cosmetics as cosmetics, specified by Prime Ministerial ordinance, that help with: (a) skin brightening; (b) wrinkle improvement; (c) tanning or protecting skin from UV; (d) changing, removing or nourishing hair colour; and (e) preventing or improving dryness, cracking, loss or keratinisation caused by weakened skin or hair function.
Note that a functional cosmetic is still a cosmetic. Article 2(1) defines cosmetics as products with a mild effect on the body and excludes medicines. A functional cosmetic is not a drug and must not be presented as one.
Step 2: Learn the 11 categories
The detailed scope is set by Article 2 of the Enforcement Rule2. In summary:
Swipe sideways to see the whole table.
| No. | Category (summary of Enforcement Rule, Art. 2) |
|---|---|
| 1 | Helps brighten skin by preventing melanin deposition and so inhibiting freckles and spots |
| 2 | Helps brighten skin by lightening deposited melanin |
| 3 | Eases or improves wrinkles by giving skin elasticity |
| 4 | Helps skin tan evenly by preventing strong sunlight |
| 5 | Protects skin from UV by blocking or scattering it |
| 6 | Changes hair colour, including bleaching (temporary colour excluded) |
| 7 | Removes body hair (physical removal excluded) |
| 8 | Helps relieve hair-loss symptoms (products that only make hair look thicker, e.g. by coating, excluded) |
| 9 | Helps soothe acne-prone skin (limited to body-cleansing products) |
| 10 | Helps relieve itching by restoring skin-barrier function |
| 11 | Helps fade red lines from stretch marks |
Anything outside this list, such as “pore care” or “slow ageing”, is not a functional category. Using such terms needs care so that the product is not mistaken for a functional cosmetic (see Step 5).
Step 3: Know whether a product was reviewed or reported
Article 4 of the Act requires manufacturers, responsible sellers or designated research institutions to obtain a safety and efficacy review, or to submit a report, for each product they want recognised as functional.
- Review (Enforcement Rule, Art. 9): the applicant submits data on origin and development, safety (single-dose toxicity, primary skin irritation, eye irritation, skin sensitisation, phototoxicity and photosensitisation, human patch test), efficacy (efficacy tests and human application tests), SPF/PA substantiation for sunscreens, and specifications and test methods. Some data can be waived where the active ingredient and level have been published by the Ministry.
- Report (Enforcement Rule, Art. 10): where the active ingredient and level, claims, directions and test methods match a product type published by the Ministry, or match an already-reviewed product in all key respects, a report is submitted instead of a review.
A reviewed product receives a notice with a review number and its approved claims; a reported product receives a report number. Buyers can ask suppliers for that number or a copy of the notice.
Step 4: Check the label
Article 10(1)8 of the Act requires functional cosmetics to show the words “기능성화장품” (functional cosmetic) or a Ministry-designated symbol on the pack. On Korean domestic packaging, that marking is the first check.
Sunscreens also have their own SPF and PA labelling rules: see sunscreen PA ratings and labels and mineral vs chemical sunscreen.
Step 5: Follow the claim rules
Article 13(1) of the Act prohibits labels or ads that:
- could be mistaken for a medicine;
- could make a non-functional cosmetic look functional, or differ from the results of a functional product’s safety and efficacy review;
- otherwise deceive or mislead consumers.
So a product that has not been reviewed or reported cannot claim brightening or wrinkle improvement, and a reviewed product cannot go beyond its approved claims. Article 14 requires factual claims to be substantiated.
Step 6: What importers should check
- Functional status is Korean. A brightening, wrinkle or sunscreen product may be an ordinary cosmetic, a quasi-drug or a drug elsewhere. In the US, for example, sunscreens are regulated as OTC drugs.
- Local label wording: do not simply translate the Korean “functional cosmetic” marking or its claims; review them against your market’s rules.
- Evidence: keep the review or report number and the active ingredient information for local registration and customer questions.
Related pages: Brands we supply · FAQ · Contact us · What slow ageing means · What is hanbang skincare · Sunscreen PA rating meaning