South Korea forms a joint council to fight counterfeit K-beauty products
Personal Care Insights reported on 8 October that two ministries will coordinate against fakes; blocked online items rose from 160,000 in 2023 to 210,000.
Published
2 November 2026 — Personal Care Insights reported on 8 October that South Korea's Ministry of SMEs and Startups and its Ministry of Intellectual Property are forming a joint council to tackle fake K-beauty products as the category expands abroad.
What the report said
Data from the Korea Intellectual Property Protection Agency showed that fake Korean-brand products blocked on global online shopping platforms rose from 160,000 in 2023 to 210,000 in 2025. The two ministries will share intelligence on counterfeits and coordinate responses through overseas support centres, including 22 Global Business Centers across 14 countries, and the SMEs agency and the protection agency plan to sign a memorandum of understanding.
The report also noted that Korean cosmetic exports reached USD 7 billion in the first half of 2026, up 27.3 per cent from a year earlier, according to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety.
THE CAST shopping perspective
Counterfeit risk is a reason to know who is selling to you. Before ordering, look for an identified operator, a product page that names the exact item and a clear final price, and ask the seller directly if anything is unclear. THE CAST publishes its seller and operator details on its K-Beauty page. No store can promise that a fake will never reach a shopper, so keep your order confirmation and inspect parcels when they arrive.