Korean CGMP for Cosmetics: What the MFDS Designation Means and How to Check It (2026)

In Korean cosmetics, CGMP means a manufacturing site that the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) has inspected and found to meet its manufacturing and quality control standard. It is voluntary, it belongs to a site rather than a company, and it can cover only part of the work.

Suppliers use “CGMP” and “GMP certified” loosely. This guide explains what the Korean designation is, what the public list does and doesn’t tell you, and how to check a claim before you sign.

Last reviewed October 14, 2026 · K-Beauty Database · All guides

1. What Korean CGMP is

The standard is MFDS Notice 2024-46, the Standards for Good Manufacturing and Quality Control of Cosmetics (우수화장품 제조 및 품질관리기준). A site that meets it is designated compliant, and that designation is what Korean suppliers mean by CGMP.

It is voluntary. Every cosmetics manufacturer must register with MFDS, but the CGMP standard is one that MFDS may recommend to manufacturers, not one it requires. A registered manufacturer without CGMP is not breaking the rules.

Despite the shared letters, it is not a US FDA certification. It is also not ISO 22716, the separate international guideline on cosmetics GMP. If a supplier says “GMP”, ask which one it means.

2. How a site is designated, and re-checked

A manufacturer applies to MFDS for either the full manufacturing process or part of it: bulk manufacturing, or filling and primary packaging. It submits a self-assessment, run at least three times against the standard, and documents on its organisation, facilities, manufacturing and quality control (Article 30 and Annex 1).
MFDS evaluates the documents and assesses the site in person. If the site passes, MFDS issues a certificate of compliance; for a site designated for only part of the process, the certificate names that part.
MFDS reassesses each designated site in person at least once every three years, and can order corrections or cancel the designation (Article 32).
A designated site may use the CGMP logo, and MFDS may exempt it from routine sampling and inspection (Article 31). The notice also recommends that companies contracting out their manufacturing use a designated site (Article 23).

3. What the public list shows

MFDS publishes the list of designated sites as open data. Each entry gives the company name and the city or district of the site; the version served through the data portal also carries the business registration number. It does not say which part of the process a site is designated for, or when. For that you need the certificate.

When we retrieved the list on October 14, 2026, it had 195 entries under 177 business registration numbers, because some companies have more than one designated site. The list changes: between late August and mid-October, one company left it. Check the current list, not a copy a supplier sent you earlier.

Few manufacturers are designated. Of the 3,983 registered manufacturers in K-Beauty Database, 174 were on the list at its last check (August 2026). Not holding it is not a violation, but if your brand or your retailer needs GMP evidence, it narrows the field quickly. You can filter the database to them. The filter reflects the list as of August 2026, not today’s, so confirm each company against the current list.

4. Checking a manufacturer’s CGMP claim

Match the company by business registration number. Names are often similar; the number is the reliable match, and it should be the same one as on the company’s MFDS manufacturing registration.
Match the site. Ask which site would make your product, and check that its city or district appears on the list under that company. A company with several sites may have designated only some of them.
Read the certificate. Ask for the MFDS certificate of compliance for that site, and check that it covers every step the site would do for you. A site designated only for filling and primary packaging has not been assessed for making the bulk.
Keep it in proportion. CGMP is about a site’s systems. It doesn’t test your formula, and it doesn’t replace checking samples or meeting the rules of the market you sell in. The guide to finding and verifying Korean cosmetics manufacturers covers the other checks.

5. Questions to ask

Is the certificate for the full process, or only bulk manufacturing or filling and primary packaging?
When was the site last assessed under the standard, and were any corrections ordered?
Does any step of our product happen at another site or a subcontractor, and is that site designated too?
When you say GMP, do you mean MFDS CGMP, an ISO 22716 certificate, or both? Who issued each?

Sources

The CGMP list figures are as retrieved on October 14, 2026; K-Beauty Database’s counts are from its current dataset, whose CGMP flags reflect the list at its last check (August 2026). This guide is general information, not legal or regulatory advice. Regulations change; confirm current requirements with the official sources or a qualified adviser before you rely on them.