What each line rests on

1. Consumer Chemical Products and Biocides Safety Act (생활화학제품 및 살생물제의 안전관리에 관한 법률), text in force from 1 Jul 2026, law.go.kr. Art. 3 (a consumer chemical product is a chemical product used in everyday living spaces such as homes, offices and public facilities); art. 10(1) (confirmation by a designated testing body before making or importing), 10(2) (valid three years from confirmation; the ministry may extend by up to two years in set cases), 10(4) (report to the ministry), 10(8) (Korean labelling: name, maker or importer, chemicals, quantity, precautions, report details); art. 11 (ban on making or importing); art. 34(1) and (2) (wording and biocide claims); art. 35 (no sale, and no sale brokering or purchase agency, for an unconfirmed or unreported product); art. 58 (up to three years in prison or a KRW 30 million fine for making or importing without the report); art. 60(1) (fine up to KRW 10 million for a missed change report or for brokering or purchase agency in breach of art. 35(2)). Read 31 Oct 2026.

2. Enforcement Decree of the same Act, in force from 12 May 2026, art. 5(2) (the testing body tells the applicant the result within 10 days of finishing the test) and 5(3) (the report is filed within 30 days of receiving the result). law.go.kr. Read 31 Oct 2026.

3. Enforcement Rule of the same Act, in force from 1 Jul 2026, art. 5(1) (documents for the testing body, including the formula of the substances set by notice and, for a contracted maker, the contract), 5(3) (the report covers every substance in the product with its ratio and purpose, and a label sample), 5(5) (KEITI issues the report certificate within 25 days, not counting time spent on corrections); art. 34(1) (banned words: non-toxic, environment- or nature-friendly, harmless, human- or animal-friendly, and similar expressions set by notice). law.go.kr. Read 31 Oct 2026.

4. Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment Notice No. 2026-215, "Designation of safety-confirmation consumer chemical products and their safety and labelling standards", in force from 1 Sep 2026, law.go.kr. Art. 5(6) (a product derived from a confirmed representative product is treated as meeting the standard), art. 5(8) (re-confirmation within 90 days before expiry counts from the day after expiry); annex 1 (the product list, including air fresheners, deodorizers and candles); annex 2 (scope of air fresheners and their four exclusions: cosmetics such as perfume, powder fragrance, scent sachets, cologne and body-odour products; medicines; ritual incense, dried petals and similar products with no fragrance artificially added; products worn on the body or attached to clothing such as patches and necklaces. Scope of deodorizers and their exclusion of products used directly on people or animals. Scope of candles, for light or for scent); annex 5 (23 label items, including country of manufacture and maker, importer, the safety-confirmation mark and the report number). Read 31 Oct 2026. The previous Notice 2025-31 gives the same scope wording.

5. Cosmetics Act, in force from 20 Oct 2026, art. 2(1) (a cosmetic is applied, rubbed or sprayed on the human body to clean, beautify or keep skin and hair healthy, with a mild action); Enforcement Rule of the Cosmetics Act, annex 3 (fragrance products: perfume, powder fragrance, scent sachet, cologne and other fragrance products). law.go.kr. Read 31 Oct 2026 (annex 3 read from the law.go.kr annex file).

6. MFDS answer of 12 Dec 2024 (from its 2024 cosmetics FAQ, published on law.go.kr as a first-instance ministry interpretation): whether something is a cosmetic depends on its purpose, method of use and effect taken together, and products applied to living spaces to give off scent or remove odour, such as air fresheners and deodorizers, are generally not cosmetics. Read 31 Oct 2026.

7. KEITI (Korea Environmental Industry and Technology Institute), "Consumer chemical products: confirmation and reporting Q&A" (Nov 2022) and "Safety-standard confirmation and reporting manual: air fresheners and candles" (Nov 2022), published on KEITI’s own site. Used for: derivative products (same use and form, no change in safety-standard substances, different name: reported without a new test); DIY kits are covered; a room spray also sold for the body must meet both laws; a scent bracelet is not an air freshener; a wickless wax for a warmer is an air freshener (heated type) and a wick candle used on a warmer is a candle; a foreign maker can enter its full formula directly into the reporting system; imports need an import-requirement number, usually issued within 3 days. These are agency guidance from 2022, older than the current notice; we checked each point against the 2026 texts where they speak to it.

8. Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment press release of 23 Sep 2026 on a survey of 2,213 consumer chemical products: of 189 overseas direct-purchase products found non-compliant, 75 were products that give off scent or remove odour (incense, aroma and scent oils, room and car fresheners, deodorizers); direct-purchase products are not subject to the domestic confirmation and report. Read 31 Oct 2026 from a partial capture of the ministry’s page (the full page later timed out).

The banned and limited substance tables, because they only mean something against a formula, in a laboratory. Biocidal products and claims, which follow a separate approval. Cosmetics ingredient rules and the Cosmetics Act label, covered on our sister sites. Laboratory fees and timings beyond the legal deadlines, which vary by laboratory. Other product-safety laws that may touch accessories, devices or aerosols.

We re-read every source each quarter and whenever the notice changes; it changed in November 2025 and again in September 2026. If you find a mistake, write to hello@go.milleuno.kr with the line and the text that contradicts it. We correct it and change the date at the foot of the page.