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Nine of 10 iconic 2080 toothpaste products made in China contain banned substance, test reveals

Published: 20 Jan. 2026, 18:20 Updated: 20 Jan. 2026, 19:31

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety displays Aekyung Industrial’s 2080 toothpaste on Jan. 20, at the briefing room of the Seoul Regional Office in Yangcheon District, western Seoul. [NEWS1]

Almost nine out of 10 of Aekyung Industrial's iconic "2080" toothpaste products manufactured by a Chinese contractor have been found to contain a substance banned for use in Korea.

Triclosan was detected in 87 percent of tested manufacturing lot numbers for Chinese-made imported 2080 toothpaste products sold by Aekyung Industrial, according to test results released Tuesday by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. Triclosan was not found in any domestically manufactured products.

The findings were announced at the Seoul Regional Office of Food and Drug Safety in Yangcheon District, western Seoul. The tests covered six imported 2080 toothpaste products manufactured by the Chinese firm Domy from February 2023 and brought into Korea by Aekyung Industrial, as well as 128 domestically produced 2080 toothpaste products made by the company.

A total of 134 products were collected and tested after the controversy surfaced, according to the ministry. About 25 million units of the imported products were distributed in the market, according to Aekyung Industrial.

Tests found triclosan in products from 754 of 870 manufacturing lot numbers across the six imported items, with concentrations of up to 0.16 percent. No triclosan was detected in any of the 128 domestically manufactured products.

The contamination was traced to Domy’s use of triclosan from April 2023 in the disinfection and cleaning process for toothpaste manufacturing equipment, which left residues that were later mixed into products.

“Triclosan remaining on manufacturing equipment was confirmed to have been mixed into the toothpaste,” said Shin Joon-su, director-general of the Biopharmaceuticals and Herbal Medicine bureau. “Residue levels varied by product because workers differed in whether they used the disinfectant solution and in what amounts.”

Six toothpaste products under the 2080 brand voluntarily recalled by Aekyung Industrial [SCREEN CAPTURE]

An on-site inspection of Aekyung Industrial also found that the company failed to follow recall procedures in a timely manner, including delays in taking the steps needed for a recall. Under relevant regulations, importers of quasi-drug products must take immediate action to retrieve products in distribution once they become aware of a safety issue.

Administrative penalty procedures will be pursued against the company after shortcomings in the overseas manufacturer's import quality control and in the domestic distribution of the affected imported toothpaste were confirmed.

Triclosan is commonly used in cleaning and disinfecting agents and as a preservative. In Korea, toothpaste products were allowed to contain up to 0.3 percent triclosan before 2016, but its use in toothpaste has since been restricted to reduce consumer exposure and improve safety.

A ministry expert advisory panel assessed the detected level, up to 0.16 percent, as unlikely to pose significant harm to humans, citing that triclosan is rapidly excreted from the body and that some overseas jurisdictions consider levels below 0.3 percent to be within a safe range.

Oh Yu-kyoung, head of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, center, reviews the findings of the investigation into triclosan detected in Aekyung Industrial’s 2080 toothpaste. [MINISTRY OF FOOD AND DRUG SAFETY]

“Major research and regulatory authorities in Europe and the United States judge products with triclosan at 0.3 percent or below to be of low concern,” said Kim Kyu-bong, a professor at Dankook University’s College of Pharmacy. “The maximum detected level of 0.16 percent does not reach that threshold, so the likelihood of harm is low.”

Oversight of imported toothpaste products will be tightened to address public concerns, the ministry said. At the initial import and sales stages, triclosan test reports and self-quality testing for each manufacturing lot will be required. Annual full inspections of all imported toothpaste products for triclosan will also be conducted at the distribution stage.

Legal grounds will also be pursued to impose punitive surcharges to claw back economic gains obtained from manufacturing or importing harmful quasi-drug products.

“We will strengthen safety management of quasi-drug products such as toothpaste so the public can feel assured,” the ministry said.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY CHAE HYE-SEON [[email protected]]