# Korean sunscreen rules: SPF50+, PA++++ and why K-sunscreens differ abroad

> How South Korea regulates sunscreens as functional cosmetics, what SPF50+ and PA++++ mean, and why a K-sunscreen is sold differently in the US, UK and EU.

- Canonical: https://thecastindex.com/guide/korean-sunscreen-rules-spf-pa
- Author: Kaiser Khan (Founder & Editor)
- Updated: 2026-10-22
- Category: Beauty

Korean sunscreens are some of the most talked-about products in beauty, but the rules behind the numbers on the tube are rarely explained. This guide sets out how South Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) regulates sunscreens, what SPF and PA labels mean there, and what changes when the same kind of product is sold in the US, the UK or the EU. Korean rules are cited as of October 2026.

## The short answer

In South Korea a sunscreen is a functional cosmetic. It needs an MFDS review or report, must say 기능성화장품 on the label, and shows SPF up to “SPF50+” and UVA protection as PA+ to PA++++. Many K-sunscreens use UV filters that the US does not list, which is why they can be sold in the UK and EU, where sunscreens are cosmetics with their own approved filters, but not as sunscreens in the US.

## At a glance

- **Status in Korea:** Functional cosmetic (기능성화장품)
- **Regulator:** MFDS
- **SPF label:** “SPF50+” from 50 upwards
- **UVA label:** PA+ to PA++++

## How does South Korea regulate sunscreens?

As functional cosmetics. Korea’s Cosmetics Act lists UV protection among the functions that make a cosmetic “functional”, and each such product must either pass an MFDS review of its safety and efficacy data or, if it matches a formula MFDS has already approved, be reported. The label must carry the words 기능성화장품.

The Enforcement Rule lists eleven functional categories, from whitening and wrinkle care to UV protection, hair dye and hair-loss relief. Hair dyes, depilatories, hair-loss and acne products moved into the list from quasi-drug status on 30 May 2017.

Applications are decided by the National Institute of Food and Drug Safety Evaluation, part of MFDS. A full review needs safety data (irritation, sensitisation, phototoxicity and a human patch test), efficacy data and, for sunscreens, the evidence behind the SPF and PA figures. Products made only for export, and not sold in Korea, are exempt from Korean review and labelling and may follow the importing country’s rules, so an export version can differ from the domestic one.

## What do SPF50+ and PA++++ mean on a Korean sunscreen?

The SPF is a whole number rounded down from the measured result and no more than 20% below it, and anything from 50 upwards is labelled SPF50+. PA grades UVA protection measured on at least ten volunteers: PA+ for a UVA protection factor of 2 to under 4, rising to PA++++ for 16 or more.

Water resistance is tested too. “Water resistant” (내수성) means the SPF is retested after two 20-minute immersions, and “long-lasting water resistant” (지속내수성) after four; the claim needs at least half the SPF retained on the statistical test MFDS sets.

PA++++ became available on 1 December 2016, MFDS announced. In August 2026 MFDS proposed accepting laboratory (in-vitro) SPF and PA tests; that proposal is a draft, not a rule.

| Korean label | UVA protection factor (PFA) |
| --- | --- |
| PA+ | 2 to under 4 |
| PA++ | 4 to under 8 |
| PA+++ | 8 to under 16 |
| PA++++ | 16 or more |

## Does South Korea ban animal testing for cosmetics?

Yes, with exceptions. Since February 2017 the Cosmetics Act has barred responsible sellers from distributing cosmetics that were animal-tested or that contain animal-tested ingredients. Exceptions include setting limits for restricted ingredients such as UV filters, cases with no recognised alternative method, and testing required by an export market’s law.

The ban was added by an amendment of February 2016 and took effect a year later, applying to testing, manufacture or import after that date.

## Why are many Korean sunscreens not sold as sunscreens in the US?

In the US a sunscreen is an over-the-counter drug and may only use active ingredients on the FDA’s list. On our comparison of the two official lists, about half of the 32 UV filters Korea permits are not on the US list, so a K-sunscreen using them would need FDA drug approval to be sold there as a sunscreen.

Filters Korea permits but the US list does not include are, for example, diethylamino hydroxybenzoyl hexyl benzoate (DHHB), ethylhexyl triazone, bisoctrizole and polysilicone-15. The FDA did add one newer filter, bemotrizinol, by final order on 10 June 2026.

US labels also work differently: the FDA uses “Broad Spectrum” rather than PA grades, water-resistance claims must state 40 or 80 minutes, and it says no sunscreen is “waterproof”. Its consumer advice for sunscreens bought abroad is to read the label for differences.

## Can you buy Korean sunscreen in the UK and EU?

Yes, from sellers that meet the rules. In the UK and EU sunscreens are cosmetics: every UV filter must be on the permitted list (Annex VI of Regulation 1223/2009, retained in Great Britain), and a responsible person based in the UK, or in the EU for EU sales, must notify the product before it goes on sale.

Labels differ, too. Under the EU’s 2006 recommendation, UVA protection should be at least one-third of the SPF, and “50+” needs a measured SPF of 60 or more, whereas Korea labels anything from 50 as SPF50+. The recommendation does not use PA grades.

A shop outside the EU that targets EU shoppers online is treated as selling on the EU market, so it is expected to have an EU responsible person. This is general information, not legal advice. For products available in the UK, see our best Korean sunscreens guide; this page does not rank products.

## How can you check a Korean functional cosmetic?

Search the MFDS database at nedrug.mfds.go.kr, under functional cosmetics (기능성화장품), by product name in Korean as registered, by company or by ingredient. Each record shows the product, company and review date, with the approved efficacy, directions and precautions to download.

The list held about 20,780 reviewed products when we checked on 22 October 2026. We could not confirm whether products that went through the report route appear there too, so a missing record is not by itself proof of a problem.

## Common questions

### Are Korean sunscreens regulated?

Yes. In South Korea sunscreens are functional cosmetics: each needs an MFDS review or report and must carry the words 기능성화장품 on the label, with SPF and PA figures backed by test data.

### What does PA++++ mean?

It is the highest Korean UVA grade: a UVA protection factor of 16 or more, measured on volunteers. PA+ is 2 to under 4, PA++ is 4 to under 8 and PA+++ is 8 to under 16.

### Why does my Korean sunscreen say SPF50+ rather than a higher number?

Korea labels any SPF of 50 or more as SPF50+. The number is rounded down from the measured result and may be up to 20% below it.

### Why can’t I buy some Korean sunscreens in the US?

US sunscreens are over-the-counter drugs limited to FDA-listed active ingredients. Many Korean formulas use UV filters, such as DHHB or ethylhexyl triazone, that are not on the US list, so they cannot be sold there as sunscreens without drug approval.

### Did the US approve bemotrizinol?

Yes. The FDA added bemotrizinol to its over-the-counter sunscreen monograph by final order on 10 June 2026.

## Sources

- [Korea Law Information Center — Cosmetics Act (화장품법), Act No. 22113, in force 20 October 2026](https://www.law.go.kr/법령/화장품법) (checked 22 Oct 2026)
- [Korea Legislation Research Institute — Cosmetics Act, English translation (April 2025)](https://elaw.klri.re.kr/kor_service/lawViewMultiContent.do?hseq=69925) (checked 22 Oct 2026)
- [Korea Law Information Center — Enforcement Rule of the Cosmetics Act (in force 2 April 2026)](https://www.law.go.kr/법령/화장품법시행규칙) (checked 22 Oct 2026)
- [MFDS — Regulation on the review of functional cosmetics, Notice 2025-88 (16 December 2025)](https://www.law.go.kr/행정규칙/기능성화장품심사에관한규정) (checked 22 Oct 2026)
- [MFDS — Cosmetics safety standards, including permitted UV filters (in force 18 March 2026)](https://www.law.go.kr/행정규칙/화장품안전기준등에관한규정) (checked 22 Oct 2026)
- [MFDS — PA++++ and the revised UVA test (8 September 2016)](https://www.mfds.go.kr/brd/m_100/view.do?seq=33335) (checked 22 Oct 2026)
- [MFDS — draft notice on in-vitro SPF and PA testing (18 August 2026)](https://www.mfds.go.kr/brd/m_209/view.do?seq=44290) (checked 22 Oct 2026)
- [MFDS — functional cosmetics database (nedrug)](https://nedrug.mfds.go.kr/pbp/CCBDB01) (checked 22 Oct 2026)
- [US FDA — questions and answers on over-the-counter sunscreen actions (current as of 10 September 2026)](https://www.fda.gov/drugs/understanding-over-counter-medicines/questions-and-answers-fdas-regulatory-actions-over-counter-sunscreen) (checked 22 Oct 2026)
- [US FDA — Sunscreen: how to help protect your skin from the sun](https://www.fda.gov/drugs/understanding-over-counter-medicines/sunscreen-how-help-protect-your-skin-sun) (checked 22 Oct 2026)
- [EUR-Lex — Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 on cosmetic products](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2009/1223/oj) (checked 22 Oct 2026)
- [EUR-Lex — Commission Recommendation 2006/647/EC on sunscreen efficacy and claims](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reco/2006/647/oj) (checked 22 Oct 2026)
- [EUR-Lex — Regulation (EU) 2019/1020 on market surveillance](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2019/1020/oj) (checked 22 Oct 2026)
- [legislation.gov.uk — Regulation 1223/2009 as it applies in Great Britain, Article 4](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eur/2009/1223/article/4) (checked 22 Oct 2026)
- [OPSS — making cosmetic products available to consumers in Great Britain](https://www.gov.uk/guidance/making-cosmetic-products-available-to-consumers-in-great-britain) (checked 22 Oct 2026)

## Related

- [Best Korean sunscreens in the UK](https://thecastindex.com/beauty/best/best-korean-sunscreens-uk)
- [K-beauty vs J-beauty vs UK glow](https://thecastindex.com/guide/k-beauty-vs-j-beauty-vs-uk-glow)
- [China’s cosmetics rules](https://thecastindex.com/guide/china-cosmetics-rules-nmpa)
- [Korean designers to know](https://thecastindex.com/houses/korean-designers)