My Beauty of Joseon Routine: Traditional Ingredients for Modern Skin

Did you know that Beauty of Joseon is officially now available in the Philippines in SM Beauty and Watsons? We initially missed the memo, but let us make it up to you with this review! Now, Korean skincare is renowned for its innovation, but that doesn't mean we should forget about the timeless ingredients and routines of the past. Enter Beauty of Joseon, a brand that masterfully blends Hanbang, a traditional Korean medicine approach, with modern ingredients. I recently tried into their toner, serum, moisturizer, and sunscreen, eager to see how these products harmonize tradition and innovation in my skincare routine. Let’s see how they performed!

The Beauty of Joseon Green Plum Refreshing Toner AHA +BHA (P1,050/150ml) is my first venture into the brand, and I couldn't be more excited. This lightweight exfoliating toner is designed to remove dead skin cells with 2% Glycolic Acid (AHA) and 0.5% Salicylic Acid (BHA). It's also enriched with Prunus Mume Fruit (Plum) Water and Mung Bean Extract to help smooth skin texture.

The brand suggests using this toner both morning and night with a cotton pad, but patting it on with your hands is also an option. I've experimented with both methods and personally prefer using a cotton pad since my hands are quite dry these days, and I want to avoid any unintentional exfoliation. Despite its exfoliating properties, the Beauty of Joseon Refreshing Toner is gentle enough for daily use. However, I stick to using it once a day and skip it on days when I apply retinol or other exfoliators to prevent irritation. It doesn’t feel like it strips my skin; instead, it serves as an effective follow-up to ensure any lingering residue from my cleansing routine is thoroughly removed.

The next step in my routine is the Beauty of Joseon Glow Deep Serum: Rice + Alpha-Arbutin(P850/30ml), which targets dull skin tone and pigmentation. This serum boasts 68% Rice Bran Water and 2% Alpha-Arbutin, both known for their brightening properties and ability to improve skin pigmentation. A few drops, about 2-3, are sufficient for both morning and evening applications. However, it’s important to patch test first and adjust usage frequency if you have sensitive skin.

I love using this serum in the morning, especially on days when my skin looks a bit lackluster. Beauty of Joseon offers a variety of serums tailored to different needs, whether you’re looking for something calming or revitalizing. If you're keen on exploring more, they offer the Beauty of Joseon Hanbang Serum Discovery Kit, which includes four different serums to suit various skin concerns.

The Beauty of Joseon Red Bean Water Gel (P1,050/100ml) sounds like a kind of jelly when I first read the name out loud but it's actually a moisturizer. Aside from its use in food, Red Bean is also a traditional skincare ingredient and this moisturizer contains Haenam Red Bean Extract 44% plus Peptide Complex to create a lightweight gel for oily skin types. I was quite curious on how it would work on my dry skin type. Surprisingly, this is effective during the daytime. It might be due to the excessive heat so the fact that it’s lightweight with enough moisture is a welcome change from my usual preference for creamy moisturizers.

No skincare routine is complete without sunscreen, so I was thrilled to try a sample of the Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun: Rice + Probiotics SPF50+ PA++++ (P780/50ml Lazada). They market it as an organic sunscreen, which works by absorbing UV rays into the skin and converting them into harmless heat through a chemical reaction. Essentially, it functions as a chemical sunscreen with key ingredients like Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate and Ethylhexyl Triazone.

The texture is light yet moisturizing, leaving no white cast thanks to 30% Rice Extract and Probiotics from Grain Fermented Extracts. It’s suitable for all skin types, though those with oily skin might find they don’t need an additional moisturizer. Personally, I use it over their Red Bean Water Gel, which has been perfect for this weather. The sunscreen feels incredibly light on the skin, and I like to set it with a bit of powder if I’m skipping base makeup.

Overall, these four products offer a solid introduction to Beauty of Joseon, especially if you have oily skin. They’ve certainly piqued my interest, and I’m excited to explore more from the brand.

Beauty of Joseon has other products like cleansers and other types of serums, toners, and moisturizers for different skin concerns. You can check them out online at Lazada, Shopee, and Watsons, and at Watsons Powerplant Mall and Greenbelt.

Beauty of Joseon Green Plum Refreshing Toner AHA +BHA Ingredients:

Water, Prunus Mume Fruit Water, Dipropylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Tromethamine, Glycolic Acid, Phaseolus Radiatus Seed Extract, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran Water, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Salicylic Acid, Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract, Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract, Fructose, Tocopherol, Glucose, Sodium PCA, Triethylhexanoin, Diphenyl Dimethicone, C12-14, Pareth-12, Ethylhexylglycerin, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Polyglyceryl-10 Oleate, Tetrasodium EDTA

Beauty of Joseon Glow Deep Serum: Rice + Alpha-Arbutin Ingredients:

Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran Water (68.6%) Water, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Dipropylene Glycol, Alpha-Arbutin (2%), Niacinamide,Methyl Gluceth-20, Panthenol, Polyglycerin-3, Trehalose, Glyceryl Glucoside, Hydrolyzed Jojoba Esters, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Ethylhexylglycerin, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Xanthan Gum, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Arginine, Disodium EDTA, Coptis Japonica Root Extract, Sorbitan Isostearate, Glucose, Coix Lacryma-Jobi Ma-Yuen Seed Extract, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Seed Extract, Hordeum Distichon (Barley) Extract, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Extract, Sesamum Indicum (Sesame) Seed Extract, Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Seed Extract, Vigna Radiata Seed Extract, Zea Mays (Corn) Kernel Extract

Beauty of Joseon Red Bean Water Gel Ingredients:

Phaseolus angularis seed extract, water, butylene glycol, glycerin, 1,2-hexanediol, methyl trimethicone, acrylates/c10-30 alkyl acrylate crosspolymer, tromethamine, glyceryl glucoside, c12-14 alketh-12, maltodextrin, ammonium acryloyldimethyltaurate/vp copolymer, dimethicone/vinyl dimethicone crosspolymer, dimethicone crosspolymer, ethylhexylglycerin, betaine, panthenol, allantoin, dipotassium glycyrrhizate, polyquaternium-51, xanthan gum, disodium edta, glyceryl acrylate/acrylic acid copolymer, dioscorea japonica root extract, glucose, sodium citrate, beta-glucan, hydrolyzed corn starch, citric acid, sucrose, caprylyl glycol, helianthus annuus (sunflower) seed oil, tocopherol, cyanocobalamin, glycine, serine, glutamic acid, magnesium ascorbyl phosphate, aspartic acid, leucine, acetyl hexapeptide-8, alanine, lysine, arginine, tyrosine, phenylalanine, proline, threonine, valine, isoleucine, histidine, cysteine, methionine, sh-oligopeptide-1, sh-oligopeptide-2, sh-polypeptide-1

Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun: Rice + Probiotics SPF50+ PA++++ Ingredients:

Water, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Extract (30%), Dibutyl Adipate, Propanediol, Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Ethylhexyl Triazone, Niacinamide, Methylene Bis-benzotriazolyl Tetramethylbutylphenol, Coco-caprylate/Caprate, Caprylyl Methicone, Diethylhexyl Butamido Triazone, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Germ Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Lactobacillus/Pumpkin Ferment Extract, Bacillus/Soybean Ferment Extract, Saccharum Officinarum (Sugarcane) Extract, Macrocystis Pyrifera (Kelp) Extract, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Fruit Extract, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Monascus/Rice Ferment, Pentylene Glycol, Behenyl Alcohol, Poly C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate, Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate, Decyl Glucoside, Tromethamine, Carbomer, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, 1,2-Hexanediol,Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, Ethylhexylglycerin, Adenosine, Xanthan Gum, Tocopherol, Lactobacillus/Rice Ferment, Aspergillus Ferment, Saccharomyces/Rice Ferment Filtrate