On September 17, 2026, South Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) and the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) jointly announced the findings from their inaugural special judicial-police joint investigation. Between October 2024 and November 2025, 28 types of counterfeit cosmetics totaling 33,281 units were sold via online platforms.
CIRS Group hereby summarizes the counterfeit issues in the cosmetics sector reflected in this case, together with the implications for relevant companies, for reference.
Counterfeit Issues in the Cosmetics Sector
This case revealed the following prominent problems in the current distribution of counterfeit cosmetics:
- A cross-border collusion chain for manufacturing and selling counterfeits has taken shape:
The counterfeit products were manufactured in China, shipped into South Korea in bulk via international express and overseas direct mail, and then sold directly to consumers as “genuine products” through mainstream e-commerce open marketplaces, forming a covert distribution chain with extensive reach;
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Highly counterfeited packaging that consumers can hardly identify on their own:
The counterfeit products differ from the genuine ones in packaging material, printing, container shape and size, product texture and color, but such differences are almost imperceptible to ordinary consumers when shopping online. Official comparisons further revealed label fraud practices such as misspelled Korean labels, misprinted names of responsible sellers, batch numbers without any production records, and missing embossed batch/use-by information, which do not comply with the labeling requirements for cosmetics under South Korea's Cosmetics Act;
- Functional cosmetics with “zero detection” of functional ingredients—no efficacy or safety to speak of:
MFDS conducted detailed testing on 12 seized functional cosmetics (covering efficacy categories such as whitening, wrinkle improvement, and sun protection), and the results showed that no functional ingredients were detected at all. In other words, although these products were sold as “functional cosmetics,” they did not contain any of the claimed functional ingredients. MFDS emphasized that such products do not undergo proper quality inspection during the manufacturing process, and therefore cannot guarantee the efficacy and safety that consumers expect, posing health risks.
Implications for Cosmetics Companies
The announcement shows that the counterfeited products involve both popular Korean beauty brands and internationally renowned brands, indicating that best-selling K-beauty products have become prime targets for cross-border counterfeiters. Should counterfeit “functional cosmetics” cause adverse reactions, the reputation of genuine brands could also suffer collateral damage. Cosmetics companies are therefore advised to:
- Strengthen online channel monitoring: Regularly screen open marketplaces such as Coupang and Naver, as well as cross-border e-commerce platforms, for unauthorized stores and abnormally low-priced products, and promptly file complaints and reports with the platforms and regulatory authorities;
- Optimize anti-counterfeiting design: Reinforce anti-counterfeiting features in packaging materials, printing details, embossed batch numbers/use-by dates, and Korean label formatting to make counterfeit products easier to identify, and provide clear authenticity-verification materials to regulators and consumers;
- Establish authenticity verification and reporting channels: Set up consumer-facing verification services such as customer-service authentication and official website query portals, and cooperate with MFDS's cosmetics hazard reporting mechanism to shorten the response and handling time for counterfeit products;
- Ensure export compliance: Companies exporting to South Korea should complete import declarations through official channels and strictly comply with the requirements of South Korea's Cosmetics Act on functional cosmetics notification and labeling (including country-of-origin marking), so as to eliminate legal risks.
If you need any assistance or have any questions, please get in touch with us via service@cirs-group.com.
Our Services
- South Korea Cosmetics Product Notification & Registration (General Cosmetics, Functional Cosmetics)
- South Korea Cosmetic Ingredient Database (KCID) Registration
- South Korea Responsible Party (RP) Services
- South Korea Cosmetic Formula Review
- South Korea Cosmetic Label Review
- Quality Inspection
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