Beauty of Joseon describes itself in three short lines: "Inspired by Hanbang. Connected by Community. Created for Your Healthiest Skin." Hanbang is traditional Korean medicine based on natural ingredients with therapeutic properties, and it is still widely used in Korea today. The brand's Korean name, 조선미녀, literally means "a Joseon beauty". Joseon was a Korean dynasty, and the brand blends the dynasty's traditions with modern formulas. Beauty of Joseon's first product, Dynasty Cream, has been on sale since 2016. In 2019 the brand was bought by the Korean company Goodai Global, which also owns SKIN1004 and Round Lab. Beauty of Joseon does not test its products on animals.
Where the ingredients come from: Yi Bingheogak's book
Beauty of Joseon says it develops its products from the teachings recorded in the Gyuhap Chongseo, a Joseon-era encyclopedia written by the female scholar Yi Bingheogak. The book gathers everyday advice on skincare, clothing, farming, pregnancy, raising children and running a home. The brand describes it as the work of a woman who, some 200 years ago, wanted to improve the lives of other women, and calls it a great inspiration for the launch of Beauty of Joseon. All eight of the brand's key ingredients come from this book: rice, ginseng, red bean, mugwort, green plum, honey and propolis, green tea and Centella asiatica. The brand's product lines are built around these same ingredients.
Rice: from "beauty water" to Relief Sun
In the Joseon era, the brand tells us, the water left over from rinsing rice wasn't thrown away; it was used as a facial toner and called "beauty water". Both Relief Sun sunscreens, the classic cream and the lighter Aqua-Fresh, belong to the Rice Line. They use chemical filters, offer SPF50+ PA++++ (SPF is the rating for UVB protection, PA for UVA) and leave no white cast.
Relief Sun: Rice + Niacinamide is creamy yet lightweight, and the brand compares it to a moisturiser. Rice extract and niacinamide help moisturise and soothe the skin, the brand says, leaving it looking naturally radiant. If your skin is dry, dehydrated or normal, the brand suggests layering Relief Sun over Dynasty Cream or your favourite moisturiser; with combination skin, add a moisturiser if you need one. With oily skin, you can skip the moisturiser or swap Relief Sun for Aqua-Fresh. Relief Sun: Rice + Niacinamide used to be called Relief Sun: Rice + Probiotics. Only the name has changed; the formula, ingredients and size are the same, so the old packaging contains exactly the same sunscreen.
Relief Sun Aqua-Fresh: Rice + B5 is the version for anyone who found the classic Relief Sun a bit too rich. It is an ultra-lightweight fluid with rice seed water and panthenol (vitamin B5), which the brand says helps moisturise and soothe the skin. It absorbs without stickiness and leaves a subtle glow that won't turn greasy. The brand recommends it above all for oily and combination skin and calls Aqua-Fresh its best SPF for hot, humid weather.
Both are applied the same way: as the last step of your morning routine, generously and evenly over every area exposed to the sun. The brand advises reapplying at least every 2 hours, and using a water-resistant sunscreen if you are swimming or sweating. To compare sunscreens from other brands, see our sun protection section.
Ginseng, the "herb from god"
Ginseng is one of the eight Gyuhap Chongseo ingredients too, but when talking about it, the brand also turns to another Hanbang book of the same era, the Donguibogam, in which ginseng was called the "herb from god". In those days it was consumed as a health elixir.
Revive Eye Serum: Ginseng + Retinal has "Serum" in its name, yet the brand calls it an eye cream. It targets the look of wrinkles, eye bags and dullness, but has a light, fast-absorbing serum texture. Ginseng helps provide long-lasting hydration, while retinal, a member of the retinoid family, helps smooth the look of skin and visibly improve elasticity, according to the brand. Here the retinal is encapsulated in liposomes, tiny shells that, the brand says, keep it more stable and make it gentler on the thin skin around the eyes.
Use it morning and evening. Start with a single pump for both eyes (if that's not enough, add a second) and gently pat it in around the eyes with your ring finger. During the day, always follow it with sunscreen. If your skin is dry or sensitive and it stings, the brand suggests layering it over a gentle moisturiser. You can also use it all over your face, including the forehead, between the brows and around the mouth, as well as on your neck. The brand asks you not to use it if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, because it contains retinal, and advises against using it in the same routine as products with AHAs, BHAs or PHAs. For eye care from other brands, see our eye creams section.
Green plum: two ways to exfoliate
The brand prizes green plum, maesil in Korean, for its natural AHAs; the fruit gently exfoliates, smooths skin texture and unclogs pores. The Green Plum Line has two exfoliating products, and they work in different ways. One removes dead skin cells physically, as you massage; the other uses acids.
The acid one is Green Plum Refreshing Toner: AHA + BHA. It combines green plum water, mung bean extract, which hydrates and helps soothe the skin, and a mild blend of glycolic acid (an AHA) and salicylic acid (a BHA). The toner is made for daily use, morning and evening. After cleansing, press a few drops into your skin with your palms, or soak a cotton pad and sweep it from the centre of your face outwards. If your skin is dry or sensitive, the brand suggests using it less often: every other day or a few times a week, and only once on those days, in the morning or the evening. If you are using AHAs or BHAs for the first time, the brand suggests patch-testing the toner on a small area of skin first; with sensitive skin, wait 24 hours. AHAs can make skin more sensitive to the sun, so wear sunscreen during the day while you are using the toner and for a week after you stop. The formula contains ingredients the brand does not recommend during pregnancy or breastfeeding, so talk to your doctor first if this applies to you. Toners from other brands are in our toners and essences section.
The physical one is Apricot Blossom Peeling Gel, a gommage gel that the brand recommends for skin irritated by acids. It exfoliates with plant-based cellulose from cotton; as you massage, the gel pills up, taking dead skin cells with it. Behind the "apricot" in the name is Prunus mume, the same plant as in the toner: the gel contains water from its flowers, while the toner uses water from its fruit. Use the gel no more than once or twice a week, on the face and body. After cleansing, pat your skin dry, apply an amount about the size of a small coin, avoiding the eye area, massage gently for about 20 seconds and rinse thoroughly. For comparison, browse our peels and enzyme powders section.
Centella and a gentle vitamin C
The brand calls Centella asiatica a Hanbang staple that soothes, hydrates and strengthens the skin barrier. The Centella Asiatica Line includes Light On Serum: Centella + Vita C, a lightweight serum that is neither sticky nor greasy. As the brand describes it, the serum helps even out and brighten skin tone, smooth texture and calm the skin. Rather than pure vitamin C, it contains 10% of a vitamin C derivative, a form that is more stable than the pure vitamin. The brand recommends this serum for sensitive skin that needs a gentle vitamin C, and for dull and dry skin.
Apply it morning and evening after toner, to the face and neck, then follow with a moisturiser; in the morning, finish with sunscreen. As with Revive Eye Serum, the brand advises against using this serum in the same routine as products with AHAs, BHAs or PHAs, so the toner you apply before it should be acid-free. Vitamin C derivatives are explained in our guide to vitamin C, and serums from other brands are in our serums and ampoules section.
The brand's advice is to build your routine gradually: focus on one skin concern at a time and introduce new products one by one, so it's easier to tell which one is behind any irritation.
