ABIB: the Korean brand built on heartleaf from Mount Jiri, for sensitive skin

Pale aqua tubes, jars of translucent pads, masks that cling to your skin like a sticker: meet abib. This young Korean brand built its range around a plant that is still little known in the West, heartleaf, with skincare in very clean, minimal packaging.

In this guide, we explain where ABIB comes from, what’s inside its key products, how to find your way through its ranges (they have rather poetic names) and above all where to start for your skin. We finish with a complete routine, morning and evening.

The story of abib, a Korean brand born in 2016

ABIB was born in 2016. That year, in January, a small team founded the company Four Company (포컴퍼니) in Seoul and launched the brand right after. According to the Korean business daily Asia Economy, the co-founders came from very different backgrounds: video, design, chemistry and accounting. Their shared goal, described in the same interview: to make products that keep their promises, rather than “trendy” products.

Again according to Asia Economy, ABIB’s first key products were its Gummy masks, nicknamed “chewing-gum” masks (껌딱지팩) in Korea because they stick to the face like a sticker. The first one was made with milk (Collagen Milk), then the family grew with heartleaf, hyaluronic acid and madecassoside. You’ll find all these versions at our shop, by the way.

The brand then expanded to the whole routine: pads, toners, serums, creams, cleansers and sunscreens. Today, ABIB is still made by Four Company, based in the Gangnam district of Seoul. In 2026, the brand celebrates its tenth anniversary, and in mid-October 2026, its official website presents five main lines: heartleaf, glutathione, rose of Jericho, sedum and hyaluronic acid, alongside new PDRN products.

The ABIB philosophy: your skin’s first month

According to the brand, the name ABIB means “the first month” (첫 번째 달). Why a month? Because skin renews itself in cycles of about four weeks. ABIB sees itself as the starting point of that cycle: its goal is to help your skin get back to its natural state, at its best. Its slogan, on its Korean website: “Meet the first month. A new you begins the moment you meet ABIB.”

In practice, the brand commits to four things:

• The natural beauty of the skin.
• Raw materials with certified reliability.
• Formulas developed with experts: its lab’s motto is “the only path to perfection is endless experiments”.
• Only products of the highest quality and efficacy.

Alongside these commitments, the brand borrows a line from Antoine de Saint-Exupéry to explain its minimalist design: “perfection is achieved not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away”. Hence its simple bottles in soft colors.

ABIB’s key ingredients

At ABIB, each range is built around one ingredient, and its color lets you recognize it at a glance: green for heartleaf, orange for glutathione, beige for rose of Jericho, blue for hydration, pink for PDRN.

Heartleaf from Mount Jiri

Heartleaf (Houttuynia cordata, 어성초 in Korean) is a plant with heart-shaped leaves, known in K-beauty for soothing sensitive and blemish-prone skin. ABIB explains that its heartleaf comes from Mount Jiri (Jirisan), in the south of Korea, the mountain of the country’s very first national park. You’ll find it in the Heartleaf Calming toner, in the pads and in the Heartleaf TECA Capsule serum, which adds TECA (a concentrated centella extract) and niacinamide.

Rose of Jericho, the plant that “comes back to life”

In Korean, it’s called 부활초, the “resurrection plant”: it can dry out completely, then turn green again when it touches water. ABIB made it its firming and nourishing line, with richer textures. To start, the Resurrection Plant Nutrition cream is a comfortable cream for skin that feels tight.

Glutathione, for radiance

The orange line focuses on glutathione, an active widely used in Korea for a brighter, more even complexion. The brand calls it “Glutathiosome”. The Bright Force 13.0 serum goes further: according to ABIB, it combines 5% glutathione, 10% niacinamide, 3% tranexamic acid and vitamin B5.

Sedum and hyaluronic acid, for hydration

Sedum (수분초, literally “water herb”) is a small succulent that stores water in its leaves. ABIB pairs it with eight types of hyaluronic acid and very gentle PHAs in its Hyaluron Hydrating Touch pads. The Hyaluronic Boom range rounds it out with a serum and a cooling gel cream, enriched with ceramides, ectoin and panthenol.

PDRN, the newcomer

PDRN is an ingredient derived from salmon DNA. The PDRN Glow 4.0 serum contains 4% according to the brand, with six peptides, hyaluronic acid, panthenol and hydrolyzed collagen, for skin that looks brighter and bouncier.

The ABIB ranges to know

Which ABIB for your skin?

We sorted by need: for each one, our favorite product in big, and two others to round it out.

A complete ABIB routine, morning and evening

Morning

1. CleanseLukewarm water is often enough in the morning. If your skin is oily, a small amount of Deep Clean Hyaluron foam.
2. ToneThe Heartleaf Calming toner, patted in with your hands.
3. SerumThe glutathione serum for radiance, or the Hyaluronic Boom serum if your skin is thirsty.
4. MoisturizeThe light Heartleaf Calming cream, or the Hyaluronic Boom cream.
5. ProtectThe Hyaluron Sun Serum sunscreen SPF50+, in a generous amount, and reapplied during the day.

Evening

1. Remove makeupThe Heartleaf Oil Wash oil on dry skin, then emulsify with a little water.
2. CleanseThe Deep Clean foam, or the clay cleanser once or twice a week.
3. ToneA Heartleaf pad over the whole face, textured side on areas with pores.
4. SerumThe PDRN Glow 4.0 serum, or the Heartleaf TECA serum if your skin is irritated.
5. NourishThe PDRN 1.5 cream, and a heartleaf patch on any spot that pops up.

Our tips for using ABIB well

• One new product at a time: wait one to two weeks before adding another, and test it first on a small area, for example behind your ear.
• Follow the colors: products of the same color (green, blue, orange, beige, pink) are made to go together. It’s the easiest way to build your routine.
• Use both sides of the pads: the textured side smooths skin texture, the smooth side soothes. You can also leave a pad on a hot area for two minutes.
• Go easy on the radiance actives: glutathione, niacinamide and tranexamic acid work well in the morning, but always with sunscreen right after.
• The Gummy mask is 15 to 20 minutes: no longer, so it doesn’t dry on your skin. Then pat in the leftover essence instead of rinsing.
• The sun stick is for touch-ups: glide it several times over each area to apply enough, and reapply during the day, even over makeup.

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Jihyun, team Ma Petite Corée