How to check whether a Korean product's functional claim is real

Genuine functional cosmetics carry the 기능성화장품 marking on the packaging along with the specific claim category. The reviewed or reported claim wording must also be printed on the pack, and the product is on file with the MFDS — so the marking is checkable rather than decorative. One caveat: Korean law does not generally require the active's concentration on the label. Brands often print it anyway, and must do so when the ingredient name forms part of the product name, but its absence is not evidence of anything.

What appears on genuine packaging

The marking 기능성화장품 together with the claim category — 미백, 주름개선, 자외선차단 or another approved type. Korean packaging is dense with regulatory text, and this sits among it rather than in the marketing copy.

Cross-check the ingredient list

If a product claims wrinkle improvement, a notified active such as adenosine or retinol should appear. A wrinkle claim with no recognised active anywhere in the list is a reason to be sceptical of the packaging.

Watch the translation on export packaging

Products repackaged for export sometimes translate or drop the marking. Absence on an English-language box does not necessarily mean the Korean original lacked it — but it does mean you cannot verify the claim from the box in front of you.

Where counterfeits fall down

Regulatory text is one of the details fakes most often get wrong: missing markings, misspelled Korean, absent batch codes. It is a useful authenticity check alongside buying from official channels.

Try the free tools

✍️ Written & reviewed by the KoreaPlus Editorial team — dermatologist-informed, cosmetic-science researched & source-cited. Last reviewed: 2026-08-23.

General educational information using cosmetic structure-function wording — not medical advice. Always patch-test new actives. © KoreaPlus.