The Act on the Registration and Evaluation of Chemicals (Korea REACH) has been amended on 28th February 2018 by the South Korean National Assembly. The amended K-REACH entered into force on 1st January 2019 and implies new obligations for manufacturers and importers of cosmetics products in South Korea.
The Korean legislation has a lot of similarities with EU REACH and aims, through the action of the South Korean Ministry of Environment, at protecting public health and the environment through the registration of chemical substances.
According to the amended K-REACH, existing substances imported or manufactured in South Korea in a volume of 1 ton or above per year between 2016 and 2018 must be subject to a Pre-notification. This Pre-notification will allow manufacturers and importers to benefit from a period of grace for the corresponding registration.
Furthermore, according to K-REACH, non-existing substances (i.e new substances) must be registered before being manufactured or imported in South Korea.
The timeframe to complete the Pre-registration opened on 1st January 2019 and will close on 1st July 2019.
After this date, the manufacture, import or export to Korea of substances in volumes equivalent or exceeding 1 ton which will not have been pre-registered will be prohibited. In case of infringement of this new obligation imposed by K-REACH, the manufacturer or importer might be sentenced to 5 years of imprisonment.
If you would like to have more information on the Pre-registration of substances in South Korea or on K-REACH, please do not hesitate to contact us! With 30 years of experience, Obelis remains at your disposal to help you with any regulatory matter.
Manon Prado