Triclosan was detected in 754 out of 870 manufacturing lot numbers of 2080 toothpaste imported by Aekyung Industrial (018250.KS), accounting for 86.7% of all imported products. In contrast, none of the 128 types of toothpaste manufactured at domestic facilities contained the substance.
The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety announced on the 20th the results of triclosan testing on all manufacturing lot numbers of Aekyung Industrial's imported 2080 toothpaste and domestically manufactured toothpaste. The inspection covered six types of imported toothpaste produced at overseas manufacturing facilities and brought into Korea, as well as all domestically manufactured products.
Test results showed triclosan levels of up to 0.16% in imported toothpaste. Triclosan is a preservative used to prevent product spoilage, and the ministry banned its use in toothpaste starting in 2016.
The contamination was traced to manufacturing process management issues at overseas facilities. The investigation found that triclosan had been used to disinfect toothpaste manufacturing equipment since April 2023, and residual substances on the equipment became mixed into toothpaste products. Residual amounts varied across products due to differences in disinfectant usage among individual workers.
During on-site inspections of Aekyung Industrial, the ministry identified violations including delayed recall measures, inadequate import quality control of overseas manufacturing facilities, and domestic distribution of triclosan-contaminated imported toothpaste. The ministry plans to proceed with administrative sanctions against Aekyung Industrial.
However, the ministry noted that the likelihood of health hazards is low. Kim Gyu-bong, a professor at Dankook University's College of Pharmacy, said, "Triclosan is rapidly eliminated from the body, making accumulation unlikely," adding that "many countries overseas allow triclosan in toothpaste at levels below 0.3%."
The ministry plans to comprehensively strengthen the toothpaste safety management system following this incident. Going forward, importers must submit triclosan test certificates when first importing toothpaste. Self-quality inspections for each manufacturing lot number will become mandatory at the sales stage. At the distribution stage, annual comprehensive inspections for triclosan content will be conducted on all imported toothpaste. The ministry will also intensively inspect for contamination by substances banned for domestic use and shorten the monitoring cycle for potentially harmful substances in quasi-drugs including toothpaste from five years to three years. The ministry is also pursuing phased mandatory manufacturing and quality control standards for quasi-drugs, along with establishing a legal basis for imposing punitive fines for violations.