South Korea consults on labelling of biocidal and household chemical products
The new changes would place new requirements for various household and biocidal products
The Ministry of Environment launched a public consultation, on 30 May 2025, to amend a number of labelling requirements for biocidal products in Korea. The public comment period ends on 17 June 2025, and will impact all biocidal product types, including:
Disinfectants, algicides, rodenticides, insecticides, repellents;
Wood preservatives, vertebrate and invertebrate control substances;
Preservatives for product protection, surface treatment preservatives, textiles, and leather; and
Preservatives for building materials, materials and equipment, preservatives for animal specimens, and antifouling agents for ships and underwater facilities.
The draft regulation prescribes new requirements as well as providing further guidance for existing labelling requirements. Biocidal products must contain GHS labelling elements as well as other consumer product labelling requirements.
New biocidal products being placed on the market must now also contain:
Chemical substances (or ingredients) present in the product and their corresponding concentration (in % weight)
Precautionary statements and first aid information must also be specified
The names must be the same name that has been registered under the Chemical Substance Information System (NCIS). Where the product requires 7 or more applicable precautionary statements, companies may choose a minimum of 6 statements, based on the most severity, to be placed on the labels.
Biocidal approval number, which is a number provided after the product has been registered, must be placed on the bottom or on the side of the labels.
Additionally, certain information must be grouped together on the same label or be placed in specific locations on the label/ packaging. Product name, product ingredients, efficacy, target information and targeted users and usage information must be grouped together but could be listed in any order. Product’s hazards and risks, precautionary statements for use, first aid information, and storage and disposal information must also be displayed together. Child protection warnings should be put on the same side as the printed trademarks or logos. Net weight and package capacity, manufacturer/ importer information, and expiry and manufacturing date are permitted to be placed anywhere on the label.
The draft regulation also seeks to revise the information that must be included when the labels are too small to contain all labelling elements. When the package/ label display area is between 50 to 100 centimeter square, the following information must be included:
Biocidal product type
Chemical substances (ingredients) used in the products
Child resistant product warning
Hazard pictogram, signal words and hazard statements
Biocidal approval number
The phrase “ Be sure to check enclosed documents”
Product names
Where the product label’s area is less than 50 centimeter squared, chemicals other than the biocidal active ingredient may be placed on the attached document or on the packaging rather than on the main label.
Biocide product types now must include an additional zero (e.g. 009 instead of 09) to indicate the 15 biocidal product type codes.
Consultation for household chemicals
MOE also launched a separate consultation in early May that affects the labelling of household chemicals. The agency notified the WTO of its consultation that would prescribe new precautionary statements for combustion products such as air fresheners, scented candles. The regulation also prescribes specific warning texts must be placed on supplementary humidifiers. Finally, the consultation establishes labelling standards for products that meet the “children protection packaging conditions”. The draft regulation also changed language to reflect the fact that FDA is the regulator for tattoo ink. The changes, if analyzed, would commence on July 2026.
Implications for business
The new labelling regulation aims to provide additional clarity and guidance industry on how to label particular products. However, the changes will increase the cost for companies who must now incorporate these new labelling elements on their labels. The chemical disclosure requirement could be problematic for companies who are concerned about confidential business information or trade secrets.
Public comments can be sent via email to MOE. Public comments for biocidal products must be sent to namjkim05@korea.kr, while public comments for household chemical products must be sent to Ihb0502@korea.kr.
More information:
South Korea’s public consultation and supporting documents
WTO notification
South Korea’s draft consultation on household chemical products
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