Korea's official list of sunscreen ingredients with a government monograph has 27 entries. They sit in Annex 4 of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) notice "Standards and Test Methods for Functional Cosmetics", and they range from the two mineral filters, zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, to organic filters such as avobenzone, octocrylene and homosalate. The full list, in the codex's own English names with the Korean beside each, is in the table below.
This page uses only primary legal text. The codex is MFDS Notice No. 2025-89, amended 16 December 2025, which calls itself the Korean Functional Cosmetics Codex (KFCC). The claim wording comes from Article 2 of the Enforcement Rule of the Cosmetics Act. Both were read in Korean from the annex files of the notice, with a check date of 12 October 2026. Korean statutes and government notices carry no copyright (Copyright Act, Article 7). No product or brand is named or ranked.
What is Annex 4 of the Korean codex?
Annex 4 is titled 자외선으로부터 피부를 보호하는 데 도움을 주는 기능성화장품 각조, "monographs for functional cosmetics that help protect the skin from ultraviolet light". Each entry is a monograph: a page that fixes the ingredient's identity, purity and test methods.
The codex states its own purpose in the first rule of Annex 1: it sets the range in which a company applying for functional cosmetic review may be excused from submitting standards and test methods. That is the key to reading the list correctly. The 27 entries are the UV ingredients whose tests the regulator has already written. The list does not say how much of each filter a sunscreen may contain; those limits sit in a different MFDS notice that this page does not cover.
The 27 UV ingredients in the Korean codex
Sorted alphabetically by the English name printed in the codex. The third column gives an alternative name only where the codex itself prints one.
The figures that follow are as printed in the MFDS Korean Functional Cosmetics Codex (KFCC, MFDS Notice No. 2025-89).
| # | Name in the codex (English) | Korean name | Other name given in the codex |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4-Methylbenzylidene Camphor | 4-메칠벤질리덴캠퍼 | |
| 2 | Benzophenone-3 | 벤조페논-3 | Oxybenzone |
| 3 | Benzophenone-4 | 벤조페논-4 | Sulisobenzone |
| 4 | Benzophenone-8 | 벤조페논-8 | Dioxybenzone |
| 5 | Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine | 비스-에칠헥실옥시페놀메톡시페닐트리아진 | |
| 6 | Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane | 부틸메톡시디벤조일메탄 | Avobenzone |
| 7 | Cinoxate | 시녹세이트 | |
| 8 | Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate | 디에칠아미노하이드록시벤조일헥실 벤조에이트 | |
| 9 | Diethylhexyl Butamido Triazone | 디에칠헥실부타미도트리아존 | |
| 10 | Digalloyl Trioleate | 디갈로일트리올리에이트 | |
| 11 | Dimethicodiethylbenzalmalonate | 디메치코디에칠벤잘말로네이트 | Polysilicone-15 |
| 12 | Disodium Phenyl Dibenzimidazole Tetrasulfonate | 디소듐페닐디벤즈이미다졸테트라설포네이트 | |
| 13 | Drometrizole | 드로메트리졸 | |
| 14 | Drometrizole Trisiloxane | 드로메트리졸트리실록산 | |
| 15 | Ethylhexyl Dimethyl PABA | 에칠헥실디메칠파바 | Octyl dimethyl PABA |
| 16 | Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate | 에칠헥실메톡시신나메이트 | Octyl methoxycinnamate |
| 17 | Ethylhexyl Salicylate | 에칠헥실살리실레이트 | Octyl salicylate |
| 18 | Ethylhexyl Triazone | 에칠헥실트리아존 | Octyl triazone |
| 19 | Homosalate | 호모살레이트 | Homomenthyl salicylate |
| 20 | Isoamyl p-Methoxycinnamate | 이소아밀 p-메톡시신나메이트 | |
| 21 | Menthyl Anthranilate | 멘틸안트라닐레이트 | Menthyl-o-aminobenzoate |
| 22 | Methylene Bis-Benzotriazolyl Tetramethylbutylphenol | 메칠렌비스-벤조트리아졸릴테트라메칠부틸페놀 | Also a 50% solution monograph |
| 23 | Octocrylene | 옥토크릴렌 | |
| 24 | Phenylbenzimidazole Sulfonic Acid | 페닐벤즈이미다졸설포닉애씨드 | |
| 25 | Terephthalylidene Dicamphor Sulfonic Acid | 테레프탈릴리덴디캠퍼설포닉애씨드 | Monograph is a 33% solution |
| 26 | Titanium Dioxide | 티타늄디옥사이드 | Titanium oxide |
| 27 | Zinc Oxide | 징크옥사이드 | 아연화 (zinc white) |
In the MFDS codex, two entries are monographs of a solution rather than the pure substance. Terephthalylidene dicamphor sulfonic acid is written up as a 33% aqueous solution (assay 32.6-35.1%). In the MFDS codex, methylene bis-benzotriazolyl tetramethylbutylphenol has both a raw monograph (98.5% or more when dried) and a separate 50% solution monograph (assay 48.0-52.0%, mixed with decyl glucoside, xanthan gum, propylene glycol and water).
What does the codex set for zinc oxide and titanium dioxide?
The two mineral filters are the ones most English-language readers ask about, so here are their monograph values side by side. These are quality limits on the raw powder; they do not describe particle size, coating or the amount used in a product.
Per the MFDS codex text:
| Item | Zinc oxide | Titanium dioxide |
|---|---|---|
| Formula and weight | ZnO, 81.38 | TiO2, 79.88 |
| Assay | 99.5% or more, after ignition | 90.0% or more, after drying |
| Description | White crystals or amorphous, very fine powder; no odour or taste | White fine powder; no odour or taste |
| Lead | 40 ppm or less | 50 ppm or less |
| Arsenic | 2 ppm or less | 10 ppm or less |
| Other limits | Water-soluble matter 0.1% or less; sulfate 0.096% or less; iron 0.02% or less | Water extract neutral; water-soluble residue 5 mg or less in the test |
| Loss on ignition / drying | Loss on ignition 1.0% or less | Loss on drying 2.5% or less |
The table shows a difference in the MFDS codex that is easy to miss. Zinc oxide is assayed after ignition and must reach 99.5%. In the MFDS codex, titanium dioxide is assayed after drying and must reach 90.0%. The arsenic limit for titanium dioxide (10 ppm) is five times the zinc oxide limit (2 ppm), and the lead limits differ too (50 ppm against 40 ppm).
How does Korea test zinc oxide and titanium dioxide in finished sunscreen?
The general test methods in Annex 10 include an "alternative content test for sunscreen agents" (자외선차단제 함량시험 대체시험법). It applies only to titanium dioxide and zinc oxide in sunscreen cosmetics distributed in Korea, whether made at home or abroad.
| Step in the alternative test | What Annex 10 states |
|---|---|
| Scope | Content test alternative for titanium dioxide and zinc oxide in sunscreen cosmetics sold in Korea, made in Korea or abroad |
| Instrument | SPF measuring device with a xenon arc lamp, 290-400 nm |
| Amount applied | 2.0 mg/cm2 or 2.0 µL/cm2 on a test tape |
| Wait | 15 minutes at room temperature before measuring |
| Reading | Average of 3 measurements |
| Standard | Set from the average of results tested 3 or more times per 3 lots |
Read this for what it is: a way to check content of the two mineral filters using an instrument reading. It is not Korea's rule for printing SPF or PA numbers on a label. Those labelling rules are in other MFDS notices, and this page does not report them.
Which claim may a Korean sunscreen make?
Two functional types in Article 2 of the Enforcement Rule deal with the sun. Item 5, the sunscreen type, reads:
자외선을 차단 또는 산란시켜 자외선으로부터 피부를 보호하는 기능을 가진 화장품
In English: a cosmetic with the function of blocking or scattering ultraviolet light and so protecting the skin from it. Item 4 is a separate type for tanning products: a cosmetic that shields against strong sun so the skin tans evenly (강한 햇볕을 방지하여 피부를 곱게 태워주는 기능을 가진 화장품).
Notice what the law wording does not include. It speaks of protecting the skin from UV, not of preventing any disease. Anything framed as medical prevention or treatment is drug language and sits outside the cosmetic claim types.
Sunscreen ingredient checklist
- Match each filter name on a label to the 27 codex names (or the alternative name the codex prints)
- Remember that ethylhexyl salicylate here is a UV filter, not the acne ingredient salicylic acid
- Read the list as monographs, not as permitted percentages
- Treat zinc oxide and titanium dioxide values as raw-powder purity, not product strength
- Keep the claim within block or scatter UV, protect the skin
Steps for checking a filter yourself
- Copy the filter name from the ingredient list on the pack.
- Find it in the table above, or under its alternative name.
- Open MFDS Notice 2025-89 on the Korean Law Information Center and go to Annex 4 for the monograph.
- For zinc oxide or titanium dioxide, see Annex 10, section II.2, for the alternative content test.
- For a maximum percentage or SPF labelling, look to other MFDS rules, not this codex.
Maximum concentrations of each filter. Not in this codex; they sit in another MFDS notice that we have not read for this page.
Other functional types and their ingredients are in our K-beauty functional ingredient index.
Sources and how to check
- 기능성화장품 기준 및 시험방법 (Standards and Test Methods for Functional Cosmetics, KFCC), MFDS Notice No. 2025-89, amended 16 December 2025: Annex 1 (general rules), Annex 4 (UV monographs), Annex 10 section II.2 (alternative content test). Korean Law Information Center: https://www.law.go.kr/LSW/admRulInfoP.do?admRulSeq=2100000269816&chrClsCd=010201
- 화장품법 시행규칙 제2조 (Enforcement Rule of the Cosmetics Act, Article 2), items 4 and 5 quoted above: https://www.law.go.kr/법령/화장품법%20시행규칙/제2조
- Checked as of 12 October 2026, against the annex files of the notice. Licence: unprotected works under Copyright Act Article 7.
Questions readers ask about Korean Sunscreen Ingredients List
How many sunscreen ingredients are in the Korean codex?
27. They are the UV monographs in Annex 4 of the MFDS functional cosmetics codex (Notice No. 2025-89), from 4-methylbenzylidene camphor to zinc oxide.
Does the Korean list set maximum percentages for UV filters?
No. The codex sets identity, purity and test methods. Maximum concentrations are in a different MFDS notice that this page does not cover.
What purity must zinc oxide and titanium dioxide have?
Zinc oxide 99.5% or more after ignition; titanium dioxide 90.0% or more after drying. Lead limits are 40 ppm and 50 ppm respectively.
Is avobenzone on the Korean list?
Yes, as butyl methoxydibenzoylmethane, with avobenzone printed in the codex as its other name. Oxybenzone appears as benzophenone-3.
What claim can a Korean sunscreen make?
Enforcement Rule Article 2 item 5: blocking or scattering ultraviolet light to protect the skin from it. Item 4 is a separate tanning type.