"Korean Cosmetics Must Also Prove Safety and Efficacy in Line with Global Standards"

It has been a long time since the Korean cosmetics industry expanded beyond domestic borders into the global market. Korean beauty products have widely promoted their excellence to customers worldwide. However, as evaluation methods for proving the safety and efficacy of cosmetics have recently shifted toward new global standards, many Korean companies are facing difficulties with exports. We met with Lim Doo Hyeon, CEO of L’s Safety and Efficacy Research Center, ahead of the center's official establishment to hear more details.

The Korean cosmetics industry has long become an export-driven sector, with exports significantly outweighing imports, and it now plays a vital role in the Korean economy. Consequently, understanding and preparing for the safety and efficacy verification systems required by importing countries has become an extremely critical priority.

In particular, the methods for proving safety and efficacy implemented in advanced cosmetics markets such as Europe, the United States, and Japan differ significantly from those traditionally used in Korea. This situation has become even more critical as China recently transitioned its cosmetics regulations toward an advanced safety and efficacy verification system similar to those of developed nations.

L’s Safety and Efficacy Research Center was established to guide Korean raw material suppliers, cosmetics manufacturers, and brand companies in proving the safety and efficacy of their products in line with global standards. Through the center, I look forward to seeing Korean cosmetics demonstrate their safety and efficacy in compliance with international requirements and successfully expanding their exports worldwide.

Unlike other clinical institutions, L’s Safety and Efficacy Research Center does not conduct clinical trials for cosmetics. Instead, it is an agency that evaluates whether the safety and efficacy of cosmetic raw materials and products have been properly established. Accordingly, our role involves reviewing the safety and efficacy data secured by raw material suppliers, manufacturers, and brand companies to determine if it meets global standards. We then provide advice on how to reinforce any insufficient areas or work alongside affiliated analytical and clinical institutions to supplement and provide the necessary documentation.

Safety is more important than efficacy when it comes to cosmetics. This is because they are used in greater quantities than pharmaceuticals and are not used under the supervision of a doctor or pharmacist. Furthermore, people use cosmetics to pursue both health and beauty. Just as safe ingredients must be selected to prepare healthy food, the starting point for cosmetics that promote human health is the selection of safe raw materials. However, Korea has not invested significantly in or paid enough attention to proving the safety of raw materials. This specific area is where the greatest discrepancy with global standards occurs.

The evaluation standards for cosmetic safety and efficacy are largely similar across the globe. However, Korea has primarily relied on safety standards for distributed cosmetics and efficacy standards specifically for functional cosmetics. In other words, because we evaluate products differently from global standards, we have reached a point where it is difficult to respond to regulations in Europe, the US, Japan, and China, leading to complications during export. Overcoming these issues quickly is vital for the continued advancement of the Korean cosmetics industry.

In short, it is about verifying the safety and efficacy of cosmetics in a rational and scientific manner. To achieve this, we must comprehensively evaluate the safety of cosmetic ingredients, the safety of the finished product, and the overall safety and efficacy of the cosmetic as a whole.

Most of all, raw material safety assessment is the scientific verification that the ingredients contained in cosmetic raw materials do not cause harm to the human body. Cosmetic raw materials consist of both intended ingredients and unintended impurities. This assessment involves examining each component—whether intended or unintended—to confirm that they are inherently harmless or, if they pose a potential risk, that they are present in such small quantities that they do not cause any actual harm.

A product is created by mixing various raw materials. Even if every individual ingredient is confirmed to be safe, product safety assessment involves verifying that stability is maintained in the final product form. This includes ensuring sufficient preservation, confirming a low potential for irritation or sensitization, and checking that the product does not react with its packaging, which could cause harmful substances from the container to migrate into the contents.

The evaluation of safety and efficacy involves examining whether cosmetic clinical assessments are being conducted in a scientific and rational manner. Clinical assessments must be performed on the finished product rather than individual ingredients, applying the product to the human body according to its actual intended use. Furthermore, the experimental methods must be scientific and rational, and the final judgment of the evaluation must be based on statistically significant results. In short, evaluating a cosmetic's safety and efficacy means taking a comprehensive look at whether these specific processes have been executed properly.

In essence, raw material safety, product safety, and safety/efficacy evaluation can be viewed as the necessary procedures to ensure that the final product provided to the consumer is truly safe.

First and foremost, whether it is a raw material supplier, a manufacturer, or a brand company, there must be a fundamental shift in perception: the verification of safety and efficacy is the single most important factor. Based on this awareness, it is crucial to cultivate internal experts capable of evaluating these standards. If the industry fosters this mindset and leverages specialized talent to develop products that are both safer and more demonstrably effective, the future of the Korean cosmetics industry will be even brighter.

We are fully committed to disseminating global standards to the Korean cosmetics industry to ensure the rigorous verification of product safety and efficacy. We also plan to actively collaborate with companies to foster their own in-house experts capable of conducting these essential evaluations. We will spare no effort to ensure that Korean cosmetics are recognized worldwide as the gold standard for safety and performance.