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South Korea’s Chemical Ministry of Environment (MoE) notified WTO on 12 September 2023 of the draft revision to the regulation - Designation of Consumer Chemical Products subject to Safety Verification, and Safety and Labeling Standards Thereof (hereinafter referred to as Regulation), a supporting document under K-BPR. The draft revision to the Regulation has been issued for public consultation in South Korea from September 6 to 27. According to the WTO Notification G/TBT/N/KOR/1168, the MoE intends to adopt it on 31 December 2023 and make it effective immediately.
Under the Regulation, 14 categories covering a total of 43 kinds of household chemical products have been regulated so far, including detergents, laundry products, coatings, adhesives, air fresheners, inks, disinfectants, insect repellents, preservative products, etc. (see here). Manufacturers and importers are obliged to provide accurate and clear information on product labels, including ingredients, warnings, and instructions for safe use, ensuring that consumers use these products safely. The draft revision proposed this time is to strengthen safety and labeling standards for household chemical products and reinforce 'container and packaging' safety management.
Highlights of proposed updates
Enhancing safety and labeling standards for prohibited substances and restricted substances in 20 kinds of household chemical products, including detergents, laundry products, etc. For example, the Draft Revision adds content limits for ten substances in laundry detergents (see figure below).
If target substances are used throughout the product manufacturing process, the specified content limits should be met. These proposed updates to such content limits are specified in Annex II ( II. 품목별 안전기준). They are expected to enter into force on January 1, 2025.
Introducing mandatory cautionary statements for specific products such as deodorants, bleach, beauty adhesives, and artificial snow sprays.
Expanding application scope of child-proof packaging requirements from capsule-type laundry detergents to capsule-type products.
Detailing definition for "humidifiers" to clarify the applicability of safety confirmation for related products (i.e., household chemical products for humidifiers).
Proposed definition:
Humidifier refers to an electrical or electronic product that has the function of supplying moisture to the air, regardless of the method such as evaporation or heating, or whether it has additional functions like air purification or dehumidification.Relaxing safety standards for methyl methacrylate in cosmetic adhesives, with the exclusion of methyl methacrylate prohibition and the establishment of restricted content criteria for products using poly(methyl methacrylate) as a raw material.
Adding preservatives permitted in 19 household chemical products, including detergents and removers.
Clarifying that the biodegradability criteria applies to surfactant-containing laundry detergents and fabric softeners, irrespective of their synthetic or natural origin.
The whole document (in Korean) can be accessed here, amendments are marked in blue.
