In Korea, cosmetics are currently divided into two categories: general cosmetics and functional cosmetics. Functional cosmetics refer to products that aid in brightening the skin, improving wrinkles in skin, and protecting the skin from UV radiation, and are subject to more stringent evaluation than general cosmetics. Recently, the Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) has announced that the regulatory scope of functional cosmetics will include an extra 8 categories of products (“new” functional cosmetics). In this era of change, I will be making a talk on the “old” functional cosmetics which includes skin whitening, anti-aging and sun-protecting agents.