Printable buyer checklist
How to check Korean nail products
A visible-label and seller-information checklist for buyers and nail professionals. It helps you ask better questions, but it cannot replace the non-public product dossier or a regulatory assessment.
Choose the market first
European Union and Great Britain use different Responsible Person and notification arrangements. Northern Ireland is a separate route and should not be treated as Great Britain.
Compliance content review: AsCo Europe · Last reviewed: 4 September 2026
1. Match the exact product
- Record brand, product name, shade, size and batch or lot code.
- Check that the product, outer box and seller page describe the same item.
- Do not assume evidence for one shade, formula or packaging version covers another.
- If the formula or label changed, ask which version is currently being supplied.
2. Check the market and Responsible Person
- For the EU, look for the name and address of an EU-established Responsible Person.
- For Great Britain, look for the name and UK-established address of the GB Responsible Person.
- An EU-only address does not by itself establish the GB route; a GB-only address does not establish the EU route.
- For Northern Ireland, use the separate NI/EU-aligned guidance.
3. Read the complete label
- Check nominal content, durability or period after opening where applicable, batch identification and product function.
- Check the complete ingredient list and any product-specific warnings.
- Check that required information is legible and in the language required for the destination market.
- For imported cosmetics, check the required country-of-origin information.
4. Check nail-specific use and warnings
- Follow the stated professional-use status and curing instructions.
- Avoid contact between uncured gel and skin; stop use if irritation or sensitisation is suspected.
- In the EU, nail products containing HEMA or Di-HEMA TMHDC require professional-use and allergic-reaction warnings.
- In the EU, TPO has been prohibited in cosmetic products since 1 September 2025.
- “HEMA-free” or “TPO-free” does not mean allergen-free, risk-free or automatically compliant.
5. Understand the evidence behind the product
- EU: the exact product should be supported by an EU Responsible Person, CPSR, PIF and CPNP notification.
- Great Britain: the exact product should be supported by a UK-established Responsible Person, safety report/PIF and SCPN notification.
- These records are not normally public in full, so buyers should not demand confidential dossier copies.
- A credible supplier should still be able to explain the intended market and identify the accountable Responsible Person.
6. Red flags
- No batch identification, ingredients or Responsible Person address.
- Only a Korean domestic label on a product offered for the EU or GB market.
- One generic “EU/UK compliant” statement with no distinction between markets or product versions.
- Medical, guaranteed-allergy-free or other exaggerated claims.
- Seller cannot identify the intended market or which label/formula is being supplied.
- A product page or social post is presented as the only compliance evidence.
What this checklist cannot confirm
You cannot verify a complete safety assessment, notification or PIF merely by looking at a bottle or webshop. This checklist identifies visible signals and questions. Final market-readiness depends on the exact product documentation held by the Responsible Person.
Choose the correct compliance route