Aekyung Industrial, one of South Korea’s largest consumer goods companies, has announced a voluntary recall of six toothpaste products sold under its flagship 2080 brand after discovering trace amounts of triclosan, a preservative banned from oral care products under South Korean regulations.
The company said internal testing conducted last month found minimal contamination of triclosan in toothpaste manufactured in China and imported for sale in South Korea. Imports and distribution were immediately halted, and the recall was reported to the country’s drug safety authority, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety.
Triclosan, an antibacterial chemical once widely used in toothpaste and household hygiene products, has faced increasing regulatory restrictions over the past decade following studies suggesting potential links to endocrine disruption and hormone-related health risks. South Korea has prohibited its use in toothpaste since 2015, limiting the substance to certain cleansing products such as soaps and body washes.
The recall applies to six mass-market 2080 toothpaste variants, all manufactured by Domy and imported by Aekyung. The company said all affected products will be recalled regardless of manufacturing date, and consumers will receive full refunds without the need for receipts or proof of purchase.
Aekyung said the recall is limited to the China-made products and emphasized that all other toothpaste sold under the 2080 brand is produced domestically. The company added that it plans to strengthen oversight of its supply chain and quality-control processes to prevent similar incidents.
First introduced in 1998, 2080 is one of South Korea’s most widely used toothpaste brands, with cumulative production exceeding one billion units. Its household ubiquity has made the recall notable in a market where toothpaste is typically viewed as a low-risk, everyday consumer product.
The company has previously addressed ingredient safety concerns. In 2016, amid heightened public scrutiny following South Korea’s humidifier disinfectant scandal, Aekyung stated that it did not use controversial preservatives such as CMIT and MIT in its toothpaste and pledged to eliminate those substances entirely from its product lineup.
No health incidents have been reported in connection with the recalled products. The episode highlights how globalized manufacturing and legacy chemical ingredients continue to complicate quality control for consumer goods companies operating across multiple regulatory systems.
