Decoding how Korean beauty becomes global business.

Korea gates commercial cosmetics imports through a registrant. An importer registers as a responsible distributor under Article 3 of the Cosmetics Act, files a clearance report before customs release, and tests each batch before sale. On 17 September two agencies announced that roughly 97,000 counterfeit units had moved through Coupang and Naver over fourteen months. None of those controls failed. None of them applied.

Korea founded the Global Cosmetics Regulatory Authority Summit (GCORAS) to lead regulatory alignment across key export markets like ASEAN, the Middle East, and Latin America. Paired with Korea’s mandatory Safety Assessment regime phasing in from 2028, GCORAS aims to establish mutual recognition for safety dossiers. This turns a domestic compliance burden into a portable global export asset, mitigating fixed compliance costs for indie brands while expanding ODM service roles.