Seoul City Uncovers Gangnam Famous Hair Loss Center Mixing Illegal Ingredients in Cosmetics

Civil Group Uncovers Illegal Cosmetic Manufacturers and Sellers

A famous hair loss center in Gangnam was caught and sent to the prosecution for manufacturing and selling cosmetics mixed with illegal ingredients.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government's Civil Affairs Police Unit (Minsa-dan) announced on the 1st that they have booked and sent to the prosecution the owner, Mr. A, of a famous hair loss center in Gangnam for violating the Cosmetics Act by manufacturing hair loss care products (cosmetics) containing 'minoxidil,' which is not allowed for use in cosmetics, and selling them to customers.

Minsa-dan purchased products manufactured and sold at the hair loss center operated by the suspect multiple times and requested ingredient tests from the Seoul Institute of Health and Environment. As a result, a large amount of 'minoxidil,' a pharmaceutical ingredient not permitted for use in cosmetics, was detected.

The products were OEM-manufactured at a cosmetics manufacturing facility B located in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, and then delivered to a laboratory in Hongseong, Chungnam, where the suspect is the representative. The suspect opened the product lids and added 3 to 4 grams of minoxidil powder to manufacture the products, which were then shipped by courier to customers of the hair loss center.

The suspect illegally manufactured two types of cosmetics with minoxidil powder and sold them as a set including shampoo and essence for 240,000 KRW. From July 2019 to March last year, approximately 46,000 units worth a total of 3.9 billion KRW were sold. According to Articles 15 and 36 of the Cosmetics Act, anyone who sells, manufactures, imports, stores, or displays cosmetics using ingredients not permitted for use in cosmetics may face up to three years imprisonment or a fine of up to 30 million KRW.

The Civil Affairs Police Unit urged the public to actively report if they witness or find any suspicious circumstances related to various illegal activities. Seo Young-gwan, head of the Civil Affairs Police Unit, stated, “Seoul will continue to investigate and eradicate illegal activities in areas closely related to citizens' daily lives to ensure public safety.”

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