Check 1 of 2

Put the product on the line

Choose where the scent goes, who you are in the chain, and anything the label claims. The strip moves to the side it belongs to, and the steps for that side appear below it.

2 · Where are you in the chain?

We make it in Korea, or have a Korean plant make itOwn production or a contract manufacturer.
We import a finished product into KoreaWe are the Korean importer.
We are a foreign brand selling through a Korean importerThe importer files; we supply the data.
We buy on behalf of Korean customers (purchase agency)구매대행: the customer is the importer of record.

3 · Anything on the label or in the range?

The label or ads claim antibacterial, germ-killing or insect-repelling actionEven as a side benefit.
The copy says non-toxic, natural or eco-friendly, harmless, or body-friendlyIn any language on the pack or in ads.
It is sold as a DIY kit to make the finished productWax, wick and oil packed together.
The range has several scents in the same base and formFor example twelve diffuser scents.

Where it falls

It must meet both lawsKEITI’s answer on a "room spray perfume" used in rooms and on the body: the room use is a reportable air freshener, the body use falls under the Cosmetics Act, and a multi-use product has to meet the standards of each. Splitting it into two products is usually simpler.KEITI Q&A (2022), scope table
Outside the air-freshener standardProducts worn on the body or attached to clothing, such as patches, necklaces and scent bracelets, are excluded from air fresheners. We did not check other product-safety laws that may apply to jewellery or accessories.Notice 2026-215 annex 2, exclusion 4); KEITI Q&A (2022)
Outside, if nothing is added (our reading for oud and resin)The standard excludes ritual incense, dried petals and similar products with no fragrance artificially added. We read untreated oud chips and plain resin the same way; the moment perfume oil is added, they become air fresheners. Ask KEITI before relying on this.Notice 2026-215 annex 2, exclusion 3)
It is a cosmeticApplied, rubbed or sprayed on the body to make it more attractive, with a mild action. Fragrance products listed by the Cosmetics Act are perfume, powder fragrance, scent sachets and cologne. The air-freshener standard excludes these by name.Cosmetics Act art. 2(1); Enforcement Rule annex 3; Notice 2026-215 annex 2
Body deodorant is a cosmetic tooThe deodorizer standard excludes products used directly on people or animals, and the air-freshener standard lists body-odour products among the cosmetics it leaves out.Notice 2026-215 annex 2, deodorizers 1) and air fresheners 1)
The company placing it on the market registers under the Cosmetics ActIn Korea the importer or brand owner registers as a cosmetics responsible sales business and keeps a responsible sales manager. Our sister tool Own Label (ownlabel.milleuno.kr) walks through which registration fits.Cosmetics Act art. 3
Korean cosmetics labelling and import steps applyLabel items and import paperwork for perfume are on Korea Gate (kgate.milleuno.kr). None of the chemical-products steps on the right apply to a pure cosmetic.Cosmetics Act arts. 10 to 12
Item: air freshener, general use (indoor space)A chemical product that keeps giving off a pleasant smell in a home, office, public facility or car. Spray types and non-spray types (liquid, gel, solid, refill) are all forms of the same item.Notice 2026-215 annex 2, air fresheners; KEITI manual (2022), forms
Item: air freshener, car useCar fresheners are a use of their own in the air-freshener standard.Notice 2026-215 annex 2, table 1
Item: air freshener, general use (fabric or leather)Scenting fabric or leather is listed as a use of air fresheners. If the claim is removing odour from clothes or shoes, the item is a deodorizer instead.Notice 2026-215 annex 2, table 1
Item: deodorizerA chemical product that removes bad smells from a living space or from clothes, fabric or shoes. Fridges and shoe cabinets count as closed spaces, with the detailed use stated.Notice 2026-215 annex 2, deodorizers
Item: candle (for scent, or for light)Any wick candle of paraffin, soy, palm or beeswax used in a living space is covered, scented or not. The lead limit covers wick and body for both uses; formaldehyde and glyoxal limits, and methanol for liquid products, apply to scented candles.Notice 2026-215 annex 2, candles
Item: air freshener, heated typeKEITI treats wickless wax melted on a warmer as an air freshener for indoor space, heated type. If the same wax has a wick and can also be lit, it is a candle.KEITI manual (2022), Q5
Item: air freshener, burning type (our reading)Incense and bakhoor with added fragrance give off scent in a living space and are not in the exclusion for ritual incense without added fragrance. The ministry named incense among the scent products it found non-compliant in 2026. Ask KEITI to confirm for a specific product.Notice 2026-215 annex 2, exclusion 3); MCEE press release, 23 Sep 2026
Before making or importing: a safety confirmation from a designated laboratoryThe laboratory needs the product, product information and the formula of the listed substances. The result comes within 10 days of finishing the test. The confirmation is valid for three years.Act art. 10(1)(2); Decree art. 5(2); Rule art. 5(1)
Report to KEITI within 30 days of the resultThe report lists every substance with its ratio and purpose, and a label sample. KEITI issues the certificate within 25 days, plus any time spent on corrections. Selling before the report is filed is banned.Decree art. 5(3); Rule art. 5(3)(5); Act art. 35(1)
Your formula can go straight to the system, not to the importerIf you will not share the full formula with your Korean importer, the importer enters your email in the reporting system and you input the substances and ratios yourself.KEITI Q&A (2022)
At customs: an import-requirement numberImported products clear customs with an import-requirement number from the chemical products system, usually issued within three days of applying. Samples for testing can apply for an exemption.KEITI Q&A (2022), Q7
A Korean label with the report numberThe standard sets 23 label items, among them item, product name, use, form, date of manufacture, quantity, substances used, how to use, precautions, first aid, country of manufacture and maker, importer, the safety-confirmation mark and the report number. Foreign text may run alongside the Korean.Act art. 10(8); Notice 2026-215 annex 5
Fixed warnings for anything burnedBurning air fresheners and scented candles carry set wording: take care in closed spaces and do not inhale the smoke; check for embers and ventilate after use; store away from fire and heat. Candles sold without a holder add: use a non-flammable holder.Notice 2026-215 annex 5, part II
Other scents: one test, many reportsScents with the same use and form and no change in safety-standard substances are reported as derivatives without a new test. A new form is a new representative product. Plan it on the range page.Notice 2026-215 art. 5(6); KEITI Q&A (2022)
What it costs to skip a stepMaking or importing without the report: up to 3 years in prison or KRW 30 million. A missed change report: a fine of up to KRW 10 million. The ministry can also ban the product from being made or imported.Act arts. 11, 58, 60
Stop: a germ-killing or insect claim is a biocide questionA product may not be labelled or advertised as a biocidal product, or in a way that could be mistaken for one, unless it is approved as one. That is a separate and longer route that this tool does not cover.Act art. 34(2), art. 58(5)
Remove four kinds of wordsNon-toxic, environment- or nature-friendly, harmless, and human- or animal-friendly (and expressions like them) are banned on the pack and in ads for these products. Breaking the rule carries the same criminal penalty as selling unreported.Act art. 34(1), art. 58(4); Rule art. 34(1)
A DIY kit is treated as the finished productMake the product from the kit at the stated ratios, then confirm and report it before selling the kit. Loose wicks or wax sold on their own are raw materials and are not covered.KEITI Q&A (2022), Q1-1
Purchase agents may not handle unreported productsA person who personally buys from abroad for their own use is outside the domestic confirmation and report. A purchase agent or sales broker is not: handling a product that lacks confirmation or a report is banned, with a fine of up to KRW 10 million.Act art. 35(2), art. 60(1)(6); MCEE press release, 23 Sep 2026

How the check decides

The line follows the texts. The Cosmetics Act covers what is applied, rubbed or sprayed on the body; the air-freshener standard covers what scents a living space and names the cosmetics it excludes; the deodorizer standard excludes anything used directly on people or animals; every wick candle is covered. Where the texts are silent, as with bakhoor and raw oud, the step is marked as our reading, in a dashed outline.

See 21 common products placed on the line