Korean hair salon and nail supplies wholesale: import guide

How do wholesalers import Korean salon and nail supplies?

Product rules and cautions for importers

Who is responsible for registration and labelling

Hair colour, perms, treatments, gel polish and removers are cosmetics in almost every market, and dryers, irons, clippers and nail lamps are regulated electrical goods. The importer of record is responsible for product registration or notification, labelling approval and any licences in the destination country. The exporter supplies the documents needed for those filings, such as full ingredient lists, safety data sheets, certificates of free sale and manufacturer details. No exporter can promise that a registration will be accepted. For retail skincare and make-up in the same order, see the K-beauty multi-brand sourcing guide.

European Union: hair dyes and perms

• Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 requires an EU-based responsible person, notification in the Cosmetic Products Notification Portal (CPNP) and a product safety report before a product is placed on the market.
• The European Commission lists 181 substances banned for use in hair dyes and 114 allowed only under restrictions. Korean formulas written for the domestic market must be checked ingredient by ingredient against Annexes II and III.
• Oxidative (permanent) hair dyes must carry the mixing ratio and set warnings: that hair colorants can cause severe allergic reactions, that the product is not intended for people under 16, that temporary black henna tattoos raise allergy risk, and when not to colour. Professional products add “For professional use only” and “Wear suitable gloves”.
• Perm and straightening actives and hydrogen peroxide developers are restricted substances with concentration limits and use conditions. Check the current Annex III entry for each active before ordering.

European Union: gel nail products

• TPO (trimethylbenzoyl diphenylphosphine oxide), a photoinitiator in many gel polishes, has been prohibited in cosmetics since 1 September 2025 under Regulation (EU) 2025/877. Before that date it was allowed at up to 5% in professional artificial nail systems.
• The Commission’s question-and-answer note says there is no sell-through period: products containing TPO may not be supplied, distributed or used by nail technicians after that date, including stock bought earlier.
• Legal commentary on the same regulation notes that dimethyl-p-toluidine, used in some nail systems, is prohibited as well.
• HEMA and Di-HEMA trimethylhexyl dicarbamate are allowed in nail products for professional use only, and the label must say “For professional use only” and “Can cause an allergic reaction” (Regulation (EU) 2020/1682).
• Ask for the full INCI list of every gel before buying. Older stock and lines made only for markets without a ban may still contain TPO.

United Kingdom

Great Britain requires a responsible person with a UK-established address and notification to the Office for Product Safety and Standards before sale, and the rules cover products used on the public by professionals. Trade press reported in September 2025 that the UK had not yet applied a TPO ban and that one was expected to follow; check the current position with your responsible person before importing gels.

United States

• Under MoCRA, manufacturing facilities register with the FDA and the responsible person named on the label lists each product and its ingredients. Serious adverse events must be reported within 15 business days. Small businesses have some exemptions, but not for products meant to alter appearance for more than 24 hours.
• FDA does not approve nail or hair products before sale, apart from colour additives. It notes that nail primers containing methacrylic acid need child-resistant packaging, and that professional-only products sold through salons do not need an ingredient list unless they are also sold at retail.
• FDA has no blanket ban on hair-smoothing products that release formaldehyde when heated, but it has acted against individual products, and professional products need safety data sheets that state the hazard. As of the checks for this guide, trade press reported no US action on TPO.

ASEAN and the Gulf

ASEAN countries follow the ASEAN Cosmetic Directive, which sets common lists of prohibited and restricted substances, and the local company that places the product on the market is legally responsible for safety and compliance. Thailand requires cosmetics to be authorised by the Thai FDA before import, and Indonesia requires an import identification number plus sector permits. In the UAE, cosmetics need registration and a certificate of conformity under the Emirates Conformity Assessment Scheme, and labels must be in Arabic.

Professional-use-only labelling

Korean salon products are often labelled for professionals in Korean only. For export, the professional-use statement, warnings, ingredient list and responsible-person details must appear in the language and wording the destination requires. Decide before ordering whether the maker will print export labels or whether the importer will over-label after arrival, and confirm that over-labelling is permitted in your market.

Dangerous goods in air and sea freight

• Nail polish, many gel products, removers and primers are usually flammable liquids (Class 3). The UN 1263 entry covers lacquers, enamels and polish. The classification in section 14 of the safety data sheet decides the entry.
• Hair sprays, mousses and spray colours in pressurised cans are UN 1950 aerosols, in Division 2.1 or 2.2 depending on flammability.
• Hydrogen peroxide developers are oxidisers once the solution reaches 8% hydrogen peroxide: UN 2984 (Division 5.1) covers solutions of at least 8% and less than 20%. For weaker developers, check the safety data sheet.
• Cordless clippers, trimmers and lamps contain lithium batteries. IATA allows them by air depending on configuration and watt-hour rating, and since January 2025 packages packed under the equipment packing instructions must pass a 3 m stack test.
• These goods need a dangerous goods declaration, UN-approved or limited-quantity packaging and a carrier that accepts them, under the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations by air and the IMDG Code by sea. Sea freight is usually the practical route for volume orders. Never mix undeclared dangerous goods into general cartons.

Electrical tools and nail lamps

• In the EU, mains-powered tools fall under the Low Voltage Directive 2014/35/EU (50 to 1000 V AC). The manufacturer carries out the conformity assessment and applies the CE mark; the importer must hold the technical file and declaration of conformity.
• Other markets have their own schemes and marks, and Korean certification does not replace them. Ask the maker which test reports exist for your market before paying for stock.
• Check voltage, frequency and plug type. Korean-market tools are built for 220 V and may not work, or may be unsafe, on 100 to 120 V supplies.
• UV/LED nail lamps have no single agreed tariff line. Depending on construction, customs may treat them as lamps under 8539 or as other electrical apparatus under 8543. In the US schedule, ultraviolet lamps (8539.49) are 2.4% and the residual line 8543.70.98 is 2.6%, both free under KORUS. Ask your broker for a ruling.

Devices that are not ordinary salon supplies

Scalp or hair-growth lasers, skin devices with medical claims and any prescription product are medical devices or drugs. They need device or drug licensing in both Korea and the destination country and are outside ordinary consolidation orders. For clinic-grade items see the Korean aesthetic clinic supplies guide.

News and recent developments

Items from the past year or so that change landed cost or what can legally be sold.

Frequently asked questions