South Korea designates THB as a prohibited ingredient for cosmetic use.

On December 7, 2023, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS, Director Oh Yoo-kyung) announced that 1,2,4-trihydroxybenzenes (THB) will be designated as a prohibited raw material for use in cosmetics and that the regulation on cosmetic safety standards will be revised to include it in the prohibited list. 

The measure is based on the results of the safety verification conducted by the Cosmetic Raw Materials Safety Verification Committee in accordance with the recommendation for improvement made by the previous Regulatory Reform Committee. 

As a result of a comprehensive review of domestic and foreign toxicity data on THB, data submitted by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, and data submitted by the company, the verification committee concluded that the possibility of genetic toxicity of THB could not be excluded and submitted a stability verification report to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety.

Accordingly, the MFDS plans to announce an administrative notice on the revision of regulations on cosmetic safety standards, etc., and revise the notice after a regulatory review by the Regulatory Reform Committee, to add THB to the list of banned ingredients as a precautionary measure according to the potential genetic toxicity of THB. 

After the revision of the notice, THB cannot be used in the manufacture of cosmetics, but products already manufactured before the revision can be sold until October 1, 2024. 

The prohibition on the production and import of cosmetic items containing 1,2,4-THB will go into force on April 9, 2024.