Most cosmetic safety reports in 2025 were mild, food and drug safety ministry says

The food and drug safety ministry said Thursday that most of the 1,285 reports of adverse reactions to cosmetics it analysed for 2025 involved mild symptoms such as itching and dermatitis, with no serious cases recorded.

The figures come from 11,882 reported safety cases, of which 10,597 were excluded as simple complaints about fragrance, colour or texture, or as cases with unclear symptoms. Products for infants and toddlers accounted for 556 cases, or 43.2 percent of the analysed total, followed by basic skincare products with 475 cases, or 37.0 percent, and body cleansing products with 107 cases, or 8.3 percent.

The share of reports involving infant and toddler products rose to 43.2 percent in 2025 from 27.5 percent in 2022. The ministry attributed the increase to the greater sensitivity of young children's skin, combined with growth in the volume of such products in circulation. It advised consumers to check carefully for skin problems after using cosmetics on infants and young children.

Reports concerning basic skincare products were mostly cases of trouble, dermatitis and itching, a high number the ministry attributed to the category accounting for 57.5 percent of 2025 production. Body cleansing products were mainly linked to hives, itching and dermatitis, with the category's share of reports falling to 8.3 percent in 2025 from 10.2 percent a year earlier. Reports of eye irritation from products applied around the eyes declined to 49 cases from 58 in 2024.

Annual reported cases moved from 1,004 in 2022 to 1,014 in 2023, 1,298 in 2024 and 1,285 in 2025.

The ministry pointed to labeling rules introduced after earlier safety data. In 2023 it created a permanent eyelash wave category among eye makeup products and revised related regulations to require eye-irritation warnings on product containers, amending the rules on precautions for cosmetic use and the labeling of allergenic ingredients in September 2024.

It advised consumers to rinse cosmetics from the eyes immediately with water, to avoid using them on wounds or damaged skin, and to seek medical attention if symptoms persist or are severe. Cosmetics are not medicines and should not be used to treat or prevent disease, it added.

The ministry said it manages cosmetics so that precautions by product type and ingredient, along with all ingredients including major allergens, are displayed on products, and that it plans to keep analysing safety information and providing guidance so the public can use cosmetics more safely.