South Korea to revise chemical content standards for consumer chemical products, adding permitted preservative substances 
On September 6, 2023, the Ministry of Environment (MOE) of South Korea issued a notice of proposed amendment to the Designation of, and Safety and Labeling Standards for, Consumer Chemical Products Subject to Safety Verification (MOE Notice 2023-522). The proposed amendment introduced new substances that are prohibited or restricted to be used in 20 consumer chemical products subject to safety verification and expands the scope of products to which criteria for “packaging for protection of children" are applied. The proposal also adds new substances to the list of substances allowed to be used as preservatives in a total of 19 consumer products subject to safety verification.
In South Korea, as part of regulations for biocidal products (BPR, Biocidal Product Regulation), designates a total of 35 chemical products as “consumer chemical products subject to safety verification” such as printing inks and toners, insecticides, detergents, and adhesives, which are required to comply with relevant safety and labelling standards. For example, safety standards include the following:
- Designation of chemical substances that are prohibited for use in target products;
- Designation of chemical substances of which content in target products are restricted to certain levels and legislation of the permissible maximum levels; and
- Designation of substances that are allowed to be used as preservatives in target products
The major revision made by the proposed amendments are as follows.
