Recap and Latest Developments

Animal testing is banned in many countries. South Korea was one of the pioneers that protected animal rights since 2013. According to South Korea’s Cosmetics Act, no cosmetics or cosmetic ingredients for which animal testing was conducted, should be distributed in South Korea. The ban on animal testing also applies to imported cosmetics.

To guide cosmetic enterprises in smoothly conducting safety tests, the Korean authority has published twenty-nine guidelines on alternative animal testing methods. This article summarises all Korean officially published alternative animal testing methods, along with the latest developments.

Alternative Animal Testing Guidelines Published by MFDS

Exemptions from Animal Testing Ban

However, MFDS specifies six situations which animal testing can be adopted on cosmetics:

1. Situation when animal testing is needed to determine the standards for using raw materials requiring a specific restriction on usage, such as preservatives, coloring or sun-blocks, or to assess hazards of cosmetics raw materials, etc., posing risks to public health;
2. Situation when animal testing is needed because no alternative to animal testing exists;
3. Situation when animal testing is needed to export cosmetics following the statutes and regulations of the exporting country;
4. Situation when animal testing is needed for product development following the statutes and regulations of the importing country;
5. Situation when raw materials developed through animal testing conducted under other statutes and regulations are used for the manufacture, etc. of cosmetics;
6. Other cases prescribed by MFSD, where it is impractical to conduct alternatives to animal testing.

Latest Developments

On October 18, 2023, Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) issued a new alternative animal testing guideline, named Guideline of Alternative Animal Testing Methods for Cosmetics: Eye Irritation(Acute Eye Damage or Irritation) Test using Reconstructed human Cornea-like Epithelium (RhCE)(인체각막유사 상피모델을 이용한 안 유해성 시험법). This guideline is established based on the latest OECD-approved alternative testing methods. The “eye damage or irritation” refers to harmful effects such as damage or irritation that occur when the test substance comes into contact with the eyes. RhCE eye irritation test method is expected to help enterprises develop safer cosmetic products without animal testing.

Further Reading

• South Korea Modifies the Cosmetic Safety Standard: Ingredients and CAS No.
• South Korea Revises Cosmetic Colorant Requirement
• Exploring the Use of Animal Testing in Japanese Cosmetics
• US Moves Towards National Ban on Cosmetic Animal Testing

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