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By Adam HurlyAdam Hurly
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Amazon, Sulwhasoo
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Korean beauty and grooming products are known for their innovation; the rest of the world turns to Seoul for the next trend or skin care tech breakthrough. But that’s not all they’re known for; Korean products are also famously affordable. The nation’s citizens may build out 10-step regimens, but they aren’t exactly breaking the bank to do so.
So what happens when you step up to the luxury tier of the country’s advanced products? I was able to spend a few weeks traveling through Seoul and other Korean cities earlier this year, and got my hands (and hairs) wet with the best offerings on the market. Fortunately, you don’t have to get on a plane to sample the great-smelling, highly effective products below.
AP Beauty
This label once shared a name with its parent company, AmorePacific, but the newly rebranded AP Beauty is aiming for even higher ground than its sibling brands. (The parent company owns Sulwhasoo, CosRx, innisfree, Laneige, Aestura, and more.)
Contained within AP Beauty are three lineups: Prime Reserve (a comprehensive anti-aging regimen), MD Line (which aims to replace in-office procedures), and AO Line (advanced antioxidants to boost your skin’s defenses). One thing that struck me is that AmorePacific often sources ingredients for its many labels from the same places—green tea from Jeju Island, for example—but the cream of the crop goes to AP Beauty first. These products seem to last forever, too—it took me and my partner two months to go through them.
The Whoo
The Whoo connects ancient rituals with modern technology, and its vessels stand out for their artistry. That’s no surprise, considering the South Korean government commissioned LG to start the brand to distill the nation’s history and innovation into a product you can buy. Many of its SKUs rely on ginseng—it’s an ingredient repeated throughout this list of anti-aging superheroes, thanks to its reparative and firming abilities. Watch for more products from The Whoo to hit the U.S. market soon—though the below Imperial Youth products are the perfect place to start.
Sulwhasoo
A Sulwhasoo Spa visit is a must for any visit to South Korea, for the best facial of your life. Not to mention, their stores are each a masterclass in retail design. (My personal is the Bukchon flagship store; save it to your maps.)
The products themselves offer a roster of firming products that smell as soothing as they feel on the skin. I suggest getting the Activating Serum, which will fortify your skin’s barrier and boost its ability to absorb and utilize the next steps in your routine.
Donginbi
Another Korean spa staple is Donginbi—the label behind Spa 1899 in Seoul and Busan. And it harnesses (you guessed it) ginseng, ginseng, and more ginseng to deliver firmness, radiance, and suppleness to the skin. Specifically, it combines three elements of 6-year-old red ginseng (oil, juice, and extract) to help your skin look and feel younger.
Buy Now on Amazon: $74.99
Purcell
Purcell is a weirdo, in the best way. Its hero products are a trio of shiny-bottled serums that target the skin’s microbiome, firmness, and discoloration—and some of its assortment even smells like eggnog. But the high-powered formulas generate real, near-immediate results. This is no entry-level stuff; you can expect quick results from this eye-catching, effective formula.
Buy Now on Amazon: $42
Ayunche
AmorePacific’s in-house hair care label is a go-to in most Korean salons—and is now making a name for itself overseas. There’s something for every hair density, pattern, and scalp sensitivity (no “one size fits all” BS here). If you’re concerned about keeping your locks, turn to the Rebalancing Line, which also helps target scalp flaking and irritation. My favorite for frizz-prone and damaged hair is the Enrich line, including the below bonding mask that helps strengthen and smooth.
Buy Now on Amazon: $43.64
O HUI
Botanical blends meet biotechnology in this luxe label from LG (yes, that LG—its cosmetics line includes the aforementioned The Whoo as well as numerous accessible labels like Physiogel, belif, and Dr. Groot.) Whether you’re looking for more moisture, a radiant complexion, or an anti-aging supercharge, O HUI has an assortment for you. I highly recommend its Miracle Toning glow line. Trust me, you’ll get compliments on how healthy your skin looks at every angle.
Buy Now on Amazon: $75
Rejuran
Rejuran is all the rage in South Korea, especially as an injectable. I can speak firsthand for its significant radiance-boosting results—and collagen-stimulating abilities, thanks to polynucleotides derived from salmon sperm. This hero ingredient is called PDRN. (Rejuran is the name brand behind the big PDRN craze.) And since you can’t get those injections stateside, a topical version of Rejuran will have to suffice. That’s hardly a compromise, since it’s a best seller in Korea as well; I suggest this eye cream in particular since that’s where the first signs of aging typically show up.
Buy Now on Amazon: $69
Odyssey
Odyssey is one of AmorePacific’s in-house labels dedicated to men. These weighty vessels stand statuesque in your bathroom. Each smells lush and you can tailor it to your skin’s oil levels, between a lightweight and heavier lineup, both of them minimalist in nature. The ultimate aim is “slow aging” with these antioxidant-packed formulas.
Borntostandout
This give-no-fucks fragrance house is a globally beloved bad boy, and if you find yourself in Seoul, don’t miss their irreverent boutique (where you’ll be greeted by an animatronic middle finger). While many of the other labels on this list offer artistry and meticulousness, BTSO launches new scents willynilly, but each feels like a collectible time capsule, a “blink and you’ll miss it” event—and don’t expect the brand to feel sorry for you when their products sell out. From “Nuts” to “Fig Porn”, to “Dirty Musk” to “Naked Lunch”, it’s hard to pick a favorite. But I’ll land on “Indecent Cherry” for its sweet-and-sour spectrum, peppered with patchouli and musk.
Authors
Adam Hurly
Adam is a South Dakota native living in Lisbon (and previously San Francisco, New York, and Berlin). Adam writes about grooming and travel for numerous publications, and in 2024 launched Blue Print…
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