‘Subcutaneous Fat Decomposition’ Cosmetics?…MFDS Cracks Down on Such ‘Drug Misidentification’ SNS Advertisements

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety will conduct crackdowns from the 24th to the 28th on companies advertising cosmetics as medicines on online sales sites and social networking services (SNS), in collaboration with the Korea Cosmetic Association.

Cosmetics refer to products applied or sprayed on the human body, or used in similar ways, to maintain or enhance health by cleansing or beautifying a person's appearance. Among these, functional cosmetics are limited to products certified by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety as having effects such as wrinkle improvement or whitening. However, all cosmetics have mild effects on the human body. In contrast, medicines are substances intended to treat specific diseases and have both therapeutic effects and potential side effects.

Cosmetics

This is why advertising cosmetics in a way that may cause confusion with medicines is prohibited by law. Nevertheless, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety reports that there are still cases of advertising cosmetics as if they have efficacy or effects in preventing or treating obesity, such as "fat decomposition" or "weight loss," and advertisements that go beyond the scope of cosmetics, such as "removal of internal waste" or "reduction of face size."

The Ministry stated, "For companies or account holders of posts found during inspections, we will promptly request site blocking from the Korea Communications Standards Commission and impose strong sanctions such as administrative measures."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.