Importers

Importing Korean cosmetics into Thailand: steps and documents from the manufacturer

9 min read · Updated 10 Nov 2026

An importer comparing unbranded serum bottles and ampoules with a document folder on an office desk

Korean cosmetics in Thailand: the same law, different pitfalls

To import Korean cosmetics to Thailand for sale you follow the same law as for cosmetics from anywhere else: the Cosmetic Act B.E. 2558 (2015) and the notifications issued under it. There is no special route for Korean products. The notifier must be a Thai national aged at least 20 or a juristic person registered in Thailand, and must already have import premises that meet the criteria. A Korean brand therefore cannot file itself; a Thai importer files on its behalf.

What makes Korean products different is their format and paperwork. Many come in ampoules or dropper vials, many product names use words Thailand will not accept, and some factory documents are in Korean. This guide covers those points. For import premises, record keeping and the general steps, see importing cosmetics to sell in Thailand and how to notify cosmetics with the Thai FDA.

Importing cosmetics from Korea: the steps in brief

Confirm the product meets the cosmetic definition: applied externally, with no claims about disease or body function.
Set up import and storage premises that pass inspection and obtain a premises code.
Obtain a Letter of Authorization from the Korean manufacturer or brand owner.
Request the full formula, factory standard evidence and quality documents, and check what language they are in.
Check the product name and pack wording against the list of words Thailand rejects.
Check whether the product needs label review, for example ampoules, vials or syringes.
File form Jor.Kor.1 through e-Submission and receive the certificate of notification before ordering.
Apply the Thai label within 30 days of customs release.

Steps 3 to 6 all depend on the Korean side. If you only start asking for documents after agreeing prices, you can lose a lot of time going back and forth. Send your document list to the manufacturer during negotiation.

Importing Korean cosmetics: six main steps

1
Confirm it is a cosmeticExternal use, no disease or body-function claims
2
Import and storage premises inspectedPremises code for the notification
3
Request documents from the Korean manufacturerLoA, full formula, factory standard, COA, process
4
Check language, name and pack formatThai translations, banned words, ampoule rules
5
File Jor.Kor.1Certificate of notification before ordering
6
Thai label within 30 daysFrom customs release

Source: Cosmetic Act B.E. 2558 (2015) and related notifications

Documents for Korean cosmetics import: what to request from the manufacturer

Combined from the notification on cosmetic notification, the production and import criteria, the notification on keeping cosmetic product information and the Thai FDA guidance on authorisation letters:

Document	What it must contain
Letter of Authorization	Issued by the manufacturer, product owner or an overseas agent with the right to sub-authorise (showing the chain of rights); states the relationship and the brand clearly; any address given must match the application
Formula	Issued by the manufacturer or owner, with every INCI name, CI numbers for colours, scientific name and plant part for natural ingredients, plus each ingredient's function and amount
Factory standard	Evidence that the factory meets the Thai criteria or an equivalent standard such as ISO 22716 or ASEAN Cosmetic GMP
COA and product specification	Kept in the Product Information File (PIF)
Manufacturing process and batch coding	The importer must show evidence from the manufacturer
Claim support	For claimed benefits and any wording that forms part of the name
Photos of the actual label on every side	Pack, carton and leaflet, where label review is required

If the brand owner is a Thai company that contracts a Korean factory, Thai FDA guidance uses the manufacturing contract instead of an authorisation letter. If you buy through a Korean distributor, the distributor must show it holds rights from the owner. See Letters of Authorization for wording, and have the whole set read by our import document checker, which flags a letter that does not name the importer and manufacturer names that differ between documents.

How to handle documents in Korean

All notification documents belong in the Product Information File. The 2017 notification on keeping cosmetic information allows the file in Thai or English, kept at the import premises and handed to officers on request.

The Thai FDA cosmetic notification Q&A (updated October 2024) says documents in a language other than English need a Thai translation from a credible government language institute. The Thai FDA guidance on ampoules, vials and syringes sets the same rule.

In practice, the cheapest route is to ask the manufacturer for English versions from the start, especially the formula, the authorisation letter and the factory certificate. If a document only exists in Korean, such as some test reports, plan early for translation by a qualifying body. Our import document checker warns when it finds Korean-language documents in a set.

Korean ampoule notification in Thailand: ampoules, vials and syringes

Many Korean products come in ampoules, vials or syringe-style packs. The Thai FDA notification guidance for these formats (revised September 2024) is detailed:

The product must not qualify as a drug or medical device, must not be used with medical devices such as mesotherapy, iontophoresis, microneedles or injection needles, and must not be intended for use after procedures such as laser.
Six leave-on categories can be notified, including face care, body care, eye-area care and hair and scalp care.
Syringes must not be prefilled or have a needle connector; ampoules that can be stored after opening need a cap in the box.
A manufacturer's letter must state that the product is for topical application only and is not for injection or use with medical devices.
Photos of the actual label on every side must show the Thai statement that it must not be injected or used with medical devices and is for external use only, on both the carton and the container.
An actual product sample, a statement on measures against misuse, a Certificate of Free Sale from the country of origin and a statement on whether the product is sterile must be attached.

The same guidance says products with the same name as an injectable or device-used product abroad will not be accepted. Before ordering, check whether the brand sells a clinic product under the same name. CFS criteria are covered in Certificates of Free Sale.

Two hands arranging unbranded glass ampoules in a cardboard box on a desk

Product-name words Thailand will not accept

The Thai FDA guidance on words that may not be used in cosmetic trade or product names (revised 22 August 2025, amended 4 December 2025) groups banned words into five types, the first split into four sub-groups. Many listed words are common on imported skincare.

Words implying disease treatment (type 1.1), such as CURE, HEAL, MEDICATED, MED, MEDICAL, DERMATOLOGICAL TEST, HYPOALLERGENIC and SAFE (some have exceptions by product type).
Words implying use with devices (type 1.3), such as MESO, LASER and HIFU.
Words implying a non-cosmetic product or use (type 1.4), such as NEEDLE, MICRONEEDLE, HYDRONEEDLE, INJECTION, BOTOX and COSMECEUTICAL.
Words implying a banned substance (type 2), such as STEM CELL, GROWTH FACTOR, EGF and EXOSOME (EXOSOME is allowed only as an INCI name in a cosmetic reference).
Words misleading about the product's nature (type 4), such as PLANT STEM CELL, PHYTO STEM CELL and GMP.

If the name contains one of these words, the system shows the application as not accepted. If you believe the word is not misleading, you can write to the Director of the Cosmetics and Hazardous Substances Control Division explaining why and ask for case-by-case review. The Thai FDA notification criteria also say a registered trademark is no exception. When a Korean product's main name contains a banned word, the usual solution is to agree a Thai-market name with the brand before the shipment lot is produced.

Examples of product-name words Thailand rejectsSome words have exceptions by product type, and case-by-case review can be requested in writing

GroupExamples

Implying disease treatmentCURE, HEAL, MEDICATED, HYPOALLERGENIC

Implying use with devicesMESO, LASER, HIFU

Implying a non-cosmetic productNEEDLE, MICRONEEDLE, INJECTION, BOTOX, COSMECEUTICAL

Implying a banned substanceSTEM CELL, GROWTH FACTOR, EGF, EXOSOME

Misleading about the productPLANT STEM CELL, PHYTO STEM CELL, GMP

Source: Thai FDA guidance on banned words in cosmetic names (revised 22 August 2025)

Check the formula and the original pack wording before ordering

A formula sold legally in Korea may contain substances Thailand bans or limits. Check the full formula against the Thai banned list and the lists of preservatives, colours, UV filters and substances allowed under conditions. Recent additions to the banned list are summarised in banned cosmetic ingredients in Thailand.

Products that often need extra checks:

Sunscreens. The 2017 Cosmetic Committee notification on sun protection labelling requires SPF to be shown from tests by an ISO or other accepted international method. UVA may be shown as PA+ to PA++++ under the JCIA standard, and without a test result the word SPF must not appear.
Nanomaterials. The 2019 cosmetic label notification requires (nano) after the ingredient name on the label.
CBD extracts. The Thai FDA criteria for cannabis and hemp in cosmetics (June 2022) require CBD-containing extracts to come from plants grown in Thailand, so they cannot be imported; seed oil and other plant parts fall under separate rules.
Microneedle patches and spicule serums. Two 2026 MOPH notifications (published in the Royal Gazette on 21 May 2026) ban the manufacture, import and sale of microneedle cosmetics, except dissolving microneedle patches with needles no longer than 100 micrometres for the face and body, and ban cosmetics containing small needle-shaped crystals (micro-spicules) unless made or imported for export only. Details are in which microneedle cosmetics are banned.

Our import readiness checker lists the ingredient lists and pre-filing checks that apply to the product type you choose. Use it as a starting list before a specialist reviews the formula in detail.

Thai labels for Korean cosmetics

Clause 4 of the Cosmetic Committee notification on cosmetic labels B.E. 2562 (2019) lets imported cosmetics clear customs without a Thai label, but a Thai label must be applied within 30 days of release. It must be clearly legible Thai, and Korean products have a few traps:

Ingredient names may be in Thai, transliterated or in English. Korean-script ingredient names on the original pack are not enough.
The importer's name and address and the country of manufacture must appear.
Month and year of expiry are required when shelf life is under 30 months, or the product contains hydrogen peroxide, or it is a sunscreen containing avobenzone.
Small containers with less than 20 square centimetres of label space, such as small ampoules, show certain items on the container and the rest on a leaflet or insert.
Label text must not be false, exaggerated or misleading, so wording translated from the original carton needs a review, not a literal translation.

Our foreign label to Thai label tool reads the original label and drafts Thai label text for you to check. All mandatory items are in Thai cosmetic labelling requirements.

Korean cosmetics importer duties after notification

Import exactly what was notified. A formula change needs a new notification, not an amendment, because a certificate can only be amended for containers and for premises details without relocation.
A notification number cannot be transferred. If the brand changes importer, the new importer must notify the product itself with its own authorisation letter.
Keep the Product Information File at the import premises, in Thai or English, and hand it over when officers ask.
Keep customs declarations for five years, the COA in the PIF and product samples at least until expiry.
Follow the notification on reporting adverse effects.
A certificate of notification lasts three years; renew on form Jor.Kor.2 within 180 days before expiry.

Korean brands often reformulate or repackage. Agree that the brand tells you about changes in advance, so you can check whether a new notification is needed before the next lot ships.

Checklist before your first Korean shipment

The product fits the cosmetic definition, with no disease or body-function claims.
Import and storage premises have passed inspection and have a premises code.
The authorisation letter states the relationship, the brand and, via a distributor, the chain of rights.
Full INCI formula with amounts, factory standard evidence, COA and manufacturing process.
Korean documents have a Thai translation from a qualifying body, or English versions are in hand.
The product name contains no word Thailand rejects.
For ampoules, vials or syringes: manufacturer's letter, label with the no-injection statement, CFS and an actual sample.
Certificate of notification issued before ordering, and a Thai label ready within 30 days of release.

Start with our import readiness checker, then run the manufacturer's documents through the import document checker. For help from premises to certificate of notification, see our import service.

Frequently asked questions

Can a Korean brand notify its products in Thailand itself?

No. The notifier must be a Thai national aged at least 20 or a juristic person registered in Thailand, with import premises that meet the criteria.

Can I file factory documents written in Korean?

Not as they are. Documents in a language other than English need a Thai translation from a credible government language institute, according to the Thai FDA Q&A.

What extra documents does a serum in ampoules need?

A manufacturer's letter that it is for topical use only, photos of every side of a label carrying the no-injection statement, an actual sample, a statement on misuse prevention, a CFS from the country of origin and a sterility statement.

Can a product named with STEM CELL or MICRONEEDLE be notified?

Both words are on the banned list, so the system will not accept the application. Change the name, or write to ask for case-by-case review.

Can a notification number move to a new importer?

No. The new importer must notify the product itself with its own authorisation letter from the brand.

Sources

MOPH notification on cosmetic notification and certificates of notification, 2018 · Open source · Search our archive
MOPH notification on criteria, methods and conditions for producing or importing cosmetics, 2018 · Open source · Search our archive
MOPH notification on keeping cosmetic product information for inspection, 2017 · Open source · Search our archive
Thai FDA guidance on authorisation letters for imported cosmetic notifications · Open source · Search our archive
Thai FDA Q&A on cosmetic notification (updated October 2024) · Open source · Search our archive
Thai FDA guidance on notifying cosmetics in ampoules, vials or syringes (revised September 2024) · Open source · Search our archive
Thai FDA public guide: cosmetic notification requiring label review · Open source · Search our archive
Thai FDA guidance on words banned from cosmetic trade and product names (revised 22 August 2025) · Open source · Search our archive
Thai FDA criteria for cosmetic notification (revised 2021) · Open source · Search our archive
Cosmetic Committee notification on sun protection labelling, 2017 · Open source · Search our archive
Thai FDA criteria for cannabis and hemp in cosmetics (June 2022) · Open source · Search our archive
Cosmetic Committee notification on cosmetic labels, 2019 · Open source · Search our archive
MOPH notification on characteristics of microneedle cosmetics that may not be manufactured, imported or sold, B.E. 2569 (2026) · Open source · Search our archive
MOPH notification on characteristics of cosmetics containing small needle-shaped crystalline structures that may not be manufactured, imported or sold, B.E. 2569 (2026) · Open source · Search our archive

This article is for general information. It is not a Thai FDA ruling or legal advice, and rules change — check the latest notification or ask an expert before filing or producing.