제조 versus 유통기한: manufacture date and expiry on Korean beauty 제조일 vs 유통기한

Korean cosmetics may show a manufacture date (제조) and/or an expiry or 'period of validity' (유통기한), plus PAO after opening. They are not the same stamp. Manufacture tells you when it was made; expiry tells you the unopened limit; PAO tells you the open-jar window. Batch codes are for traceability, not a secret extra expiry you can decode from a blog table.

Read the words, not a rumour

Internet tables that claim every brand's batch code maps to a date go stale and were often guessed. If the box prints a date, use that. If it prints only a lot code, the brand or retailer can interpret it; a stranger's spreadsheet cannot.

Unopened versus opened

An unopened moisturiser sitting in a cool cupboard is working against 유통기한. Once opened, PAO is the more relevant clock for most leave-on products. Using a 'still sealed' argument on a jar you opened last summer is not how the labels are written.

Parallel imports and stickers

Importer stickers can add a language layer. They should not contradict the original date marks. If two dates fight, ask the seller — that is a authenticity and storage question as much as a calendar one.

When to throw it

Changed smell, colour, texture, or irritation that started with that bottle. Dates are a guide. Your senses are a second guide. Neither is a medical test.

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✍️ Written & reviewed by the KoreaPlus Editorial team — dermatologist-informed, cosmetic-science researched & source-cited. Last reviewed: 2026-08-28.

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