The labeling standard for natural and organic cosmetics
From 2019, Korea's Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) defined these two labels under its "Regulation on Standards for Natural and Organic Cosmetics," which was repealed on August 1, 2025. Under that former rule, a natural ingredient was one sourced from plants, animals, or microorganisms and processed only through physical methods, such as water or heat. The Korea Cosmetic Industry Association guide that applies today uses the ISO 16128 definitions to decide what counts as natural origin and calculates content the same way.
| Label | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Natural cosmetic | At least 95% natural-origin ingredients by weight |
| Organic cosmetic | At least 10% organic ingredients, plus at least 95% natural ingredients (including the organic portion) |
| Calculation basis | Total product weight, including water |
The detail worth noting: "organic cosmetic" does not mean the whole formula is organic. A product can meet the standard with just 10% organic ingredients, as long as the rest is filled with natural (non-organic) ingredients that push the total natural content above 95%.
What fills the remaining margin
Natural ingredients alone are not always enough to keep a product stable and safe over its shelf life. For this reason, the repealed rule allowed synthetic ingredients that are necessary for preservation or stability, but hard to replace with a natural alternative, up to 5% of the formula. Within that 5%, it capped ingredients derived from petrochemical sources further, at no more than 2%. The current Korea Cosmetic Industry Association guide sets no such separate caps.
In other words, a natural cosmetic label does not mean the product contains no preservative at all. For why water-based formulas need preservation and what the common alternatives are, see our cosmetic preservatives guide.
August 2025: from government certification to a private standard
From 2019, MFDS-designated certification bodies reviewed and issued official marks to qualifying products. That changed when the Cosmetics Act was amended on January 31, 2025 (Act No. 20767), abolishing the government certification system effective August 1, 2025. The "Regulation on Standards for Natural and Organic Cosmetics" that held the certification criteria was repealed on the same day (MFDS Notice No. 2025-49). The related "Cosmetic Labeling and Advertising Management Guidance" was also revised on August 14 of that year.
Today, a brand can label a product "natural cosmetic" or "organic cosmetic" without government certification, as long as it meets the private standard set out in the Korea Cosmetic Industry Association's "Natural and Organic Cosmetics Labeling and Advertising Guide" and keeps supporting evidence on file. That guide's calculation method is based on the international ISO 16128 standard. The underlying thresholds, 95% natural and 10% organic, remain unchanged from before.
Products certified by the government before August 1, 2025 keep their certification until it expires, and applications already in progress on that date follow the previous rules. Separately from Korea's domestic standard, some products also carry well-known international private certifications, such as COSMOS.
Common misconceptions about "natural" and "organic" labels
Misconception 1: Natural is safe, chemical is dangerous. Plant-derived essential oils and extracts can cause contact allergies in some people. This is exactly why EU cosmetic regulation separately flags certain fragrance components common in essential oils, such as linalool and limonene, for mandatory labeling. The word "chemical" itself simply describes any substance, natural or synthetic. Whether an ingredient came from a plant matters less than whether it was used within an established safety limit.
Misconception 2: An organic cosmetic is made entirely of organic ingredients. As shown above, 10% organic content is enough to meet the standard. The rest can be non-organic natural ingredients or a small amount of synthetic ones.
Misconception 3: No certification mark means it is a fake natural cosmetic. Since August 2025, there is no government-issued mark to check in the first place, so its presence or absence can no longer be used to judge authenticity. What matters now is whether the brand discloses which standard it followed, typically on the label or its website, and whether that claim is backed by supporting data.
To see what a product's actual ingredient composition looks like behind the label claim, our ingredient list and the 1% rule guide covers how to read a full ingredient list.
