South Korea Proposes Clearer Labeling Rules for Biocidal Products to Enhance Consumer Understanding

On July 30, 2025, South Korea notified the World Trade Organization (WTO) of a proposed revision to the “Labelling Standards for Biocidal Products” under the Consumer Chemical Products and Biocides Safety Control Act. This amendment aims to make safety and usage information more accessible and intuitive for consumers. The proposed changes are designed to simplify and organize labelling contents, improve readability and visual clarity and help consumers quickly grasp the product’s hazards, benefits, and safe usage instructions. 

Key Changes

1. Enhanced Readability for General Consumers

• Greater visibility of product type and safety-related information through clearer formatting.
• Grouping related content together to allow intuitive reading and understanding.

2. Improved Labeling Guidance for Manufacturers and Importers

• Consolidation of overly detailed or duplicate labeling elements.
• Labeling adjustments based on product size or packaging space, differentiating between on-product labels and supplementary documents.
• For dual-use products (both biocidal and consumer chemical products requiring safety verification), redundant labeling will be eliminated.

3. Additional Improvements

• To accommodate a broader range of future product types, approval number formatting will be updated (product type digits: 4 → 5; serial number digits: 4 → 3).
• Introduction of electronic labels (e.g., QR codes) is encouraged to offer extra safety and usage information.

Public Feedback

Individuals or organizations with opinions on the draft regulation may submit their feedback to the Ministry of Environment (Chemical Products Management Division) by June 17, 2025.