Beauty of Joseon

Beauty of Joseon, or 조선미녀 in Korean, is a skincare brand from South Korea. The name literally means "the beauty of Joseon" and points to the Joseon dynasty, a long chapter of Korean history that the brand says shapes its ingredients and its philosophy. Today Beauty of Joseon is run by Goodai Global (구다이글로벌), a Seoul-based company led by Cheon Ju-hyeok. On its Korean website, the brand sums up its idea in one line: combine local Korean ingredients in a modern way and share them with the world. If you are wondering where Beauty of Joseon comes from, here is the short version: Korean heritage, up-to-date formulas and everyday skincare.

On its international site, Beauty of Joseon groups its products by key ingredient. Rice shows up everywhere: in the Relief Sun Rice Sun Cream, the Glow Replenishing Rice Milk, the Rice Bran Water Clear Serum: Rice Bran Water + Alpha-Arbutin, the Radiance Cleansing Balm and the Dynasty Cream. Ginseng is the second big family, with the Ginseng Cleansing Oil, the Ginseng Essence Water, the Ginseng Snail Serum and the ginseng + retinal duo for the eye area. Propolis gives you the Glow Propolis Serum, green tea the Calming Serum Green Tea + Panthenol. Red Bean targets pores, Green Plum handles gentle exfoliation, and centella asiatica soothes.

• Sunscreens: Relief Sun, Matte Sun Stick, Ginseng Moist Sun Serum, Daily Tinted Fluid, Tinted Mineral Dayscreen, Stay Fresh Tone-Up.
• Ginseng: cleansing, toner, serum and eye care.
• Rice: makeup removal, toner, serum, mask and cream.
• Red Bean, Green Plum, Propolis & Green Tea, Centella: targeted care for pores, glow and soothing.

Oily or combination skin: start with the Green Plum Refreshing Toner AHA + BHA and the Red Bean Refreshing Pore Mask, then protect with the Matte Sun Stick. Dry skin: reach for the Dynasty Cream, the Glow Replenishing Rice Milk and the Ground Rice and Honey Glow Mask. Sensitive skin: the Calming Serum Green Tea + Panthenol and the Centella Asiatica Calming Mask are made to soothe. Mature skin or anti-aging goals: the Ginseng Snail Serum, the Revive Eye Serum and the Ginseng Essence Water lean on ginseng. Dull skin or dark spots: the Rice Bran Water Clear Serum: Rice Bran Water + Alpha-Arbutin and the Light On Serum Centella+ Vita C are all about radiance. Whatever your skin type, finish your morning routine with sunscreen.

To round out your routine, browse our Korean sunscreens, serums, cleansers, toners and eye care. Combination skin? Check out our combination skin picks. If you love ginseng skincare, you might also like Sulwhasoo and Hanyul, or look at SKIN1004 and Round Lab for more gentle Korean basics.

Beauty of Joseon builds on hanbang, the Korean tradition of plant-based and natural ingredients, but without the formal feel of luxury hanbang brands. After Goodai Global took over, the brand looked abroad, especially to the United States. The turning point was a rice sunscreen, Relief Sun, which climbed to number one in Amazon's sunscreen category. That success put the rest of the line on the map: serums with short ingredient lists, toners, masks and eye care. On commitments, the brand says it does not test its products on animals. It is not fully vegan, since a few formulas contain propolis, honey or snail mucin.

At Ma Petite Coree, the Beauty of Joseon product people have picked most in recent months is the Revive Eye Serum, followed by the Dynasty Cream. The sunscreens are still essentials: the fresher Relief Sun Aqua Fresh SPF50+ PA++++, the Ginseng Moist Sun Serum and the Relief Sun Rice Sun Cream. New arrivals are catching up fast, like the Ginseng Retinal Elasticity Eye Patch and the Rice Bran Water Clear Serum: Rice Bran Water + Alpha-Arbutin. For a healthy-looking glow, the Daily Tinted Fluid Sunscreen works as an everyday tinted sunscreen, and the Red Bean PDRN Pore Firming Serum pairs red bean, PDRN and peptides for the look of your pores.