5 january 2026
Kolmar Korea becomes the first cosmetics manufacturer in South Korea to obtain international UV testing accreditation
Korean cosmetic giant Kolmar Korea has become the first manufacturing company in the Korean cosmetics industry to obtain accreditation from the Korea Laboratory Accreditation Scheme (KOLAS) to issue internationally recognised UV protection test reports.
What KOLAS accreditation means in practice
As Korea’s national laboratory accreditation body, KOLAS was established to develop Korea’s national laboratory standards system and to perform accreditation assessments of various testing institutions. Through this accreditation, laboratories are authorised to evaluate the safety and performance of products in accordance with established criteria and to certify the results through official test reports.
Because these laboratories are accredited by KOLAS in line with international standards, the test reports they issue are recognised and accepted internationally. In particular, test reports issued by KOLAS-accredited laboratories are officially recognised in more than 70 countries that are signatories to international agreements, including the APAC MRA (Asia-Pacific), ILAC MRA (International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation), and IAF MLA (International Accreditation Forum).
BIPEA proficiency testing
Prior to receiving KOLAS accreditation, Kolmar Korea successfully passed the international proficiency testing scheme for sunscreens, organised by BIPEA (Bureau Interprofessionnel d’Études Analytiques), which allowed the company to meet the accreditation requirements. BIPEA is the world’s only institution dedicated to verifying the accuracy of clinical evaluations of sun protection products, and Kolmar Korea was the first cosmetic manufacturer (as opposed to contract research organisations or third-party clinical trial labs) in the world to ever pass the test, confirming that its testing capabilities are comparable to those of specialised global clinical institutions.
A spokesperson from Kolmar Korea stated:
“Being recognised by KOLAS as an accredited testing laboratory demonstrates that Kolmar Korea’s sunscreen testing capabilities have reached an internationally recognised standard. We will continue to do our utmost to provide products that earn the trust of both domestic and global clients.”
Source: Kolmar Korea.
Words: © 2026 Odile Monod.
Visuals: Kolmar Korea.
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