The Ministery of Food and Drug Safety said on the 16th it is conducting inspections of all lot numbers of six imported batches of Aekyung Industrial Co.'s "2080 Toothpaste," which were found to contain triclosan, an ingredient banned for use in toothpaste in Korea. The agency is also conducting an on-site inspection of the overseas (China) manufacturing facility that made the products.
According to the Ministery of Food and Drug Safety, among six imported 2080 Toothpaste products made at the China plant (Domy) since Feb. 2023 and brought into the country by Aekyung Industrial Co., the agency has collected and is testing all 870 lots that can be retrieved.
To address consumer concerns, domestically produced 2080 Toothpaste (128 types) made by Aekyung Industrial Co. is also being collected and tested.
In addition, an on-site inspection team has been dispatched to the China facility to investigate how triclosan came to be mixed into the toothpaste products. The Ministery of Food and Drug Safety's comprehensive test results will be announced as early as next week.
Triclosan is a highly effective antimicrobial ingredient that was widely used in oral care products in the past, but concerns about potential endocrine disruption and hormonal changes, among other health risks, have been continuously raised. In response, the Ministery of Food and Drug Safety fully banned the use of the ingredient in oral care products, including toothpaste, starting in Oct. 2016.
Some countries assess that toothpaste is safe if triclosan is used at 0.3% or less. The Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) in Europe and the Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) in the United States assessed that triclosan in toothpaste is safe at levels of 0.3% or less.
An official at the Ministery of Food and Drug Safety said, "We will strictly take measures, including administrative action, if violations of the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act and related regulations are confirmed after reviewing the test and on-site inspection results."