What's in this?
You bought the Korean product and the back of the box is in Hangul, or the export label is a wall of INCI names you have never seen. Paste the list here. You get each ingredient's purpose, where it sits in the formula, and how Korean regulators classify it. No ratings, no scores, no verdict on the product itself.
How to read the result
| What you see | What it means |
|---|---|
| Position number | Where the ingredient sits on the label. Earlier means more of it, until you pass the one percent line and the order stops being meaningful |
| Functional (Korea) | On Korea's official list of actives recognized for brightening, wrinkles or sun protection. This is a regulatory status, not a promise of results |
| Fragrance allergen | One of the 25 fragrance materials Korea requires to be named on the label instead of hidden under fragrance |
| Sensitivity flag | Frequently cited as a variable for reactive skin. Not a claim that it is harmful |
| Active | An ingredient with a clear action and an adjustment period, like retinol or an exfoliating acid. Two or more of these is worth checking |
Hangul labels and INCI names
Products sold inside Korea list ingredients in Hangul using the Korean standard names, while export packaging carries INCI names. The two do not always line up the way you expect: 정제수 is Water, 병풀추출물 is Centella Asiatica Extract, and 나이아신아마이드 is Niacinamide. This tool holds both names for every ingredient it knows, so you can paste either one. That also means you can compare a domestic Korean product with an export version and see whether the formula is actually the same.
Hangul and INCI in the same result
Every ingredient in the dictionary carries both its Korean standard name and its INCI name, so pasting either produces the same reading. The result card shows the INCI name with the Korean name beside it, which turns any reading into a small bilingual reference.
That is useful in a specific situation: comparing a product bought inside Korea against the export version of the same product. Paste both lists, compare the marked-up results, and you can see whether the formula actually changed or only the language on the box did.
What this tool does not do
It does not score ingredients or rank products. Scoring ingredients leads to scoring products, and choosing products for you is not what this site is for. It also cannot tell you how a product will behave on your skin, because concentration, texture and your own tolerance never appear on an ingredient list. Ingredients we do not recognize are marked as unknown rather than guessed at. Patch test new products on a small area first, and if irritation keeps coming back, or if you are pregnant or nursing, take that to a dermatologist rather than a label reader.
- Regulation on the Review of Functional Cosmetics (Korea MFDS)
- Korean Cosmetic Ingredient Dictionary (Korea Cosmetic Association)
- CosIng database (European Commission)
Frequently asked
Where do I copy the ingredient list from?
The back of the box, or the ingredients section of the shopping page. Korean products sold domestically list ingredients in Hangul, and export packaging usually uses INCI names. This tool reads both, so paste whichever you have.
What do the position numbers mean?
Ingredients are listed in descending order of amount, so the ones near the front make up most of the formula. Below roughly one percent the order no longer has to follow the amount, which is why the back half of a list tells you less than the front.
Why don't you rate ingredients as good or bad?
Score the ingredients and you end up scoring the product, and ranking products is the one thing we don't do. Instead each ingredient gets its purpose and how regulators classify it. What to make of that is your call.
It says an ingredient isn't in the dictionary.
Cosmetics use tens of thousands of ingredients, so no dictionary covers all of them. We add the ones people actually paste in. Saying we don't know is more useful than guessing.
Why does it ask for a product name?
It's optional and the reading works without it. Names help us see which products people look up, so we know which ingredients and articles to add next.
If nothing is flagged, is the product safe for me?
An ingredient list tells you what is in a formula, not how your skin will respond to it. Concentration, texture and individual tolerance are not on the label. Patch test new products, and see a dermatologist if irritation repeats.