How we check

“Verified” on this site has one meaning: we compared the listed ingredients with official records. It is not a laboratory test, a safety rating, a recommendation or proof that a product is authentic.

1. Ingredient records

We keep a copy of each regulator's published lists and link every rule to its source and the date we last checked it. Each ingredient has one record per jurisdiction rule. The record shows the status (prohibited, restricted, permitted UV filter, preservative or colorant), the maximum concentration and any conditions or required warnings.

2. Matching names

Labels write the same ingredient in many ways, for example “Water”, “Aqua” or “Water (Aqua/Eau)”, and Korean labels use Korean names. We match names to standard INCI names using the EU CosIng inventory, MFDS standard Korean names, CAS numbers and common trade names (for example Tinosorb S = Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine). Names we cannot match are marked not matched, and we do not guess.

3. Reading the results

• Prohibited — on that jurisdiction's list of substances not allowed in cosmetics.
• Restricted — allowed only within limits, such as a maximum concentration, certain product types or label warnings. A product listing a restricted ingredient is usually within the limit. Labels do not show concentrations, so we cannot tell.
• Not an FDA-listed sunscreen active — in the U.S., sunscreens are over-the-counter drugs. A UV filter that is not on the FDA's list cannot be the active ingredient in a sunscreen marketed in the U.S., even if Korea and the EU permit it.
• — (no record) — no specific rule in that jurisdiction's lists. This is not an approval. The U.S. names very few cosmetic ingredients in regulations.

4. Products

Product ingredient lists come from the sources named on each page. Formulas change, so check the label on the package you buy. When we link a product to a Korean MFDS functional-cosmetic record automatically, the page says the match is not yet confirmed.

5. Corrections

If you find an error, tell us with a link to the official source.