Korean “whitening” skincare products might sound intimidating for consumers that are just starting to approach the world of Korean beauty. While the expression “whitening” is mostly associated with the dangerous practice of skin bleaching in the West, in Korea and many other parts of Asia, the term simply indicates products designed to even out skin tone. Then why aren’t these products simply called “brightening” like it happens in the rest of the world? The answer is not as simple as it may seem.

In this video I’ll answer the most common questions on Korean whitening cosmetics, including: are these products designed to bleach skin? Is skin bleaching legal in South Korea? Why are these products called “Whitening” instead of “Brightening”? How are whitening products regulated in Korea? and much more.

Plus, if you’d like to know my favourite products to treat all types of hyperpigmentation, make sure to tune in next Friday for the second part of this guide to Korean whitening cosmetics.

The video is available with English, Italian and Korean subtitles:

🇬🇧 Korean Whitening Products - The Truth About Korean Skin Brightening Cosmetics.
🇮🇹 [SUB ITA] Cosmetici coreani che sbiancano la pelle? Un’addetta ai lavori rivela tutto ciò da sapere.
🇰🇷 [한글자막] ✨미백화장품 알고 쓰기✨: 멜라닌을 파괴하는 미백 화장품은 없다!

#koreanskincare #whiteningskincare #koreanbeauty

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▌ RESOURCES

▪ Art. 2, Enforcement Rule of the Cosmetics Act (화장품법 시행규칙), Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. Last updated: 28 December 2021.
https://www.law.go.kr/법령/화장품법시행규칙/(20...

▪ Art. 2, Cosmetics Act (화장품법), Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. Last updated: 9 September 2021.
https://www.law.go.kr/법령/화장품법/(202109...

▪ Art. 6, Regulations on Cosmetic Safety Standards (화장품 안전기준 등에 관한 규정). Last updated: 25 February 2020.
https://www.law.go.kr/행정규칙/화장품안전기준등에관...

▪ Art. 6, Regulations on the Examination of Functional Cosmetics (기능성화장품 심사에 관한 규정), Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. Last updated: 30 June 2021.
https://www.law.go.kr/행정규칙/기능성화장품심사에관...

▪ Art. 6, Regulations on Cosmetic Safety Standards (화장품 안전기준 등에 관한 규정). Last updated: 25 February 2020.
https://www.law.go.kr/행정규칙/화장품안전기준등에관...

▪ ‘美白’, Naver Hanja Dictionary (네이버 한자사전).
https://hanja.dict.naver.com/#/search...

▪ '화이트닝 대신 브라이트닝' 아모레퍼시픽·LG생건, 글로벌 센스 '엄지척'. 길소연. 2020.07.28. 더구루.
https://theguru.co.kr/news/article.ht...

For my beloved cosmetic regulatory nerds out there: Azelaic Acid (officially “1,7-heptanecarboxylic acid, its salts and derivatives”) was banned for cosmetic use in June 2017, but the Korean Ministry of Food Drug Safety granted companies a transitional period until May 2019 to allow brands and importers to reformulate or discontinue products. During this transitional period, products with Azelaic Acid could still be sold and imported in Korea.

Hydroquinone was allowed in OTC drugs until October 2019, when it became prescription-only.

Details can be found in Art. 6 of Regulations on Cosmetic Safety Standards (화장품 안전기준 등에 관한 규정) linked above, but you can also find the original announcements on the website of the Korean Ministry of Food And Drug Safety below:

- Azelaic Acid https://www.mfds.go.kr/brd/m_207/view...
- Hydroquinone https://www.mfds.go.kr/brd/m_211/view...

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▌ TIMESTAMPS

0:00 - Intro
1:06 - Part 1: What Are Whitening Cosmetics
3:06 - Part 2: Whitening VS Brightening
7:01 - Part 3: Regulations on Whitening Cosmetics


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▌ DISCLAIMER

I translated all facts and contents in this video from original Korean sources, so I kindly ask you to credit my work if you’re planning to use any of the information included in the video.