Riddle me this: A "K-Beauty royalty brand" that perfectly introduces the word 'Hangbang' to your K-Beauty vocabulary... Three words: BEAUTY OF JOSEON. Inspired by the regal beauty of women in the uppermost classes of the Korean Joseon Dynasty, BEAUTY OF JOSEON pours their heart into creating the perfect skin care regimen for women in their 20s to 40s. Luckily, we've spoken with Ms. Sumin Lee, the Manager of BEAUTY OF JOSEON, who has given us a glimpse into the brand's skincare journey!

The Story of BEAUTY OF JOSEON

Jobie: Hi Sumin, thanks for taking the time to join our VANA Chatroom. Could you walk us through how BEAUTY OF JOSEON was created in the first place?

Sumin: Herbal ingredients are quite expensive, and people endowed them with images of high-end products with flashy packaging. We created BEAUTY OF JOSEON because we want to make herbal medicinal skincare accessible and practical for everyone.

Jobie: What is the beauty philosophy or brand motto of BEAUTY OF JOSEON?

Sumin: The value that BEAUTY OF JOSEON ultimately pursues is ‘Beauty in Relief.’ Beyond just improving skin with our products, we hope customers sympathize with this value - to find relief in our skincare products - and therefore help customers find health and peace within themselves.

Courtesy of Korean Skincare Brand - BEAUTY OF JOSEON

Jobie: What is the first thing you want your customers to think of when they see BEAUTY OF JOSEON?

Sumin: As a skincare brand that puts their customers' skin health first, we want them to see us as "an older sibling" who wishes them ‘good luck’ (복 in Korean word), who cheers them on on their skincare journey.

Jobie: How does BEAUTY OF JOSEON fuse traditional ingredients with modern beauty technology?

Sumin: First, we determine the herbal ingredients that can help fight the skin condition that we are targeting based on our research on herbal medicine books. Once the herbal ingredients are selected, we select the modern active ingredients that can create the best synergy with the herbal ingredients. When the material selection is completed, the product is created through a process of blending to reduce irritation and enhance effectiveness.

The Products of BEAUTY OF JOSEON

Jobie: How beauty wisdom did Joseon women have that inspired these BEAUTY OF JOSEON product?

Sumin: Our skincare inspiration comes from a book called "Gyuhap chongseo" which is written by Yi Bingheogak, a female scholar of the Realist School of Confucianism from the Joseon Dynasty. She came from a noble family but wrote a book to teach women from poor social class how to do skincare.

BEAUTY OF JOSEON - Dynasty Cream

Courtesy of Korean Skincare Brand - BEAUTY OF JOSEON

Sumin: Based on the herbal ingredients mentioned in the book, we found out that the skincare formula used by women in the Joseon Dynasty, regardless of their status, are quite similar or used a lot in modern times, which is a great help in making BEAUTY OF JOSEON products.

Jobie: What is the most important feature / signature ingredient people should know from BEAUTY OF JOSEON products?

Sumin: All products are precious, but ‘ginseng’ is the most important ingredient. Research has shown that precious ginseng, called ‘the herb of immortality’ or ‘the herb by the gods,’ helps to strengthen immunity when consumed as food and has an excellent anti-aging effect when used as a skincare ingredient.

BEAUTY OF JOSEON - Ginseng Essence Water

Courtesy of Korean Skincare Brand - BEAUTY OF JOSEON

Jobie: How do BEAUTY OF JOSEON products help solve different skin concerns, like wrinkles and fine lines?

Sumin: For anti-wrinkle products, I definitely recommend ginseng products like our Ginseng Essence Water. Ginseng is a raw material that has been proven effective in improving wrinkles through numerous studies.

Jobie: What about hyperpigmentation and weakened skin barrier?

Sumin: For pigmentation, a combination of the BEAUTY OF JOSEON Bubble Toner and Glow Deep Serum is recommended. The Bubble Toner contains 3% of AHA to help remove old dead skin cells and helps form new skin cells. Intensive care is possible with applying the Glow Deep Serum containing 2% of arbutin, a brightening functional ingredient, and rice bran water to the smooth skin.

BEAUTY OF JOSEON - Bubble Toner : Green Plum + AHA

Courtesy of Korean Skincare Brand - BEAUTY OF JOSEON

Sumin: For strengthening skin barrier, I highly recommend our BEAUTY OF JOSEON Dynasty Cream. The most important thing for a strong skin barrier is oil and moisture balance and hydration, and our BEAUTY OF JOSEON Dynasty Cream focuses on these two points. The optimal combination of moisturizing ingredients including glycerin and 2% of Squalane will help build strong skin barriers regardless of the skin type.

Jobie: How does BEAUTY OF JOSEON formulate such good serums with the right ingredients?

Sumin: Thank you so much for saying that! I feel like I've been praised for being a wonderful teacher! So deciding which skin concern to tackle, we choose the best herbal ingredients by referring to various oriental medicine books and research. After some discussion among the team, we pick an active ingredient to create the best synergy with the selected herbal medicine ingredient and try to form a stable formulation. Sometimes, if the result or texture is not satisfactory, we will try three to four more times to improve the formula to get the result we want.

BEAUTY OF JOSEON - Glow Deep Serum : Rice + Arbutin

Courtesy of Korean Skincare Brand - BEAUTY OF JOSEON

Jobie: Does BEAUTY OF JOSEON update their formula of the same product from time to time to keep up with customers’ need / feedback?

Sumin: Thanks for asking! Customers' feedback is what we value the most, that's why BEAUTY OF JOSEON released so many renewals this year. For example, some customers expressed that the ingredients of the existing cream, cleansing balm, and peeling gel are irritating, so we have completely renewed the products with fragrance and phenoxyethanol-free formula.

BEAUTY OF JOSEON - Radiance Cleansing Balm

Courtesy of Korean Skincare Brand - BEAUTY OF JOSEON

Sumin: There were also requests for a vegan version of the BEAUTY OF JOSEON Calming Serum, so we have reformulated it to exclude the propolis extract. Also, we are currently in the process of changing the serum container to a PCR container so that we can grow into a responsible brand that does not burden the Earth. Please continue to send lots of comments, support, and things to improve in the future!

BEAUTY OF JOSEON - Calming Serum : Green tea + Panthenol

Courtesy of Korean Skincare Brand - BEAUTY OF JOSEON

The Future for BEAUTY OF JOSEON

Jobie: Should we expect anything new from BEAUTY OF JOSEON soon?

Sumin: There are so many new products we're preparing, but it's not easy to meet our standards!! It's hard to say right now, but I think there will be 3-4 more new products, including the low pH cleanser that you've been asking for a lot.

Jobie: Any short-term or long-term goal for BEAUTY OF JOSEO?

Sumin: In the short term, our primary goal is to grow up so that more people recognize our brand. Even if we make good products with a sense of mission, we can't convey our stories and missions if people don't know us.

BEAUTY OF JOSEON - Apricot Blossom Peeling Gel

Courtesy of Korean Skincare Brand - BEAUTY OF JOSEON

Sumin: Our long-term goal is to grow into a brand that provides “real” help to the healthy lives of our customers. From the beginning, our focus was not gaining popularity. We want to build a strong relationship with customers who can relate to our values and stories, share our daily lives with them, and get stronger together.

The Loyal Fans Want to Know...

Q: Are all BEAUTY OF JOSEON products suitable for sensitive skin?

Sumin: All of our products were created while keeping ultra-sensitive skin in mind. All BEAUTY OF JOSEON products are composed of ingredients and contents that are not excessive but meaningful, so when used consistently, it will keep the skin strong and improve little by little.

Q: Will BEAUTY OF JOSEON create bigger bottles for the serums and the ginseng essence, or make a mask out of it?

Sumin: We've also been receiving a lot of requests about increasing serum volume and releasing ginseng masks! Our product development team is seriously considering it, so I'll let you know as soon as possible if there is any news!

BEAUTY OF JOSEON - Glow Serum : Propolis + Niacinamide

Courtesy of Korean Skincare Brand - BEAUTY OF JOSEON

Q: Lastly, will BEAUTY OF JOSEON create a skincare product for acne containing AHA, BHA, and PHA?

Sumin: In fact, there are already products that target inflammatory skin problems such as acne including the BEAUTY OF JOSEON Bubble Toner with 3% of AHA and the Glow Serum with 0.5% of BHA. However, depending on the climate or skin type, I think there will be customers who do not like the existing products or want a different type of product. I will collect related opinions through Instagram soon! All suggestions are welcome.

Jobie: Thank you for your time, Sumin! We look forward to more new and exciting skincare moments with BEAUTY OF JOSEON and wish you all the success!

Explore BEAUTY OF JOSEON and its wide range of skincare products to upgrade your skincare routine! Follow us on Instagram and Facebook to get more instant product updates and skincare tips!