This is a long overdue post about my dive (well, more of a toe-dip by any standards, to be honest) into the world of much talked about trend of Korean skincare and beauty. If you have followed my blog for a while, you will know that I am a bit of a sucker for good skincare and, whilst being a creature of habit most of the time, I am perpetually curious and really enjoy discovering new things! So here is an account of my introduction to Korean skincare and my first impressions of the products I bought and received in the post last month.

I have heard of a few Korean brands from my favourite beauty gurus’ blogs and YouTube channels (here’s the post from Caroline Hirons about the famous Korean brand Dr. Jart+ and their Dr. Jart+ Ceramidine cream which I am yet to try!), so I have been wanting to give some of the products a go. At first, I thought it would be hard to get hold of Korean skincare here in the UK but, as it turns out, after some research, there are plenty of options to shop for Asian skincare from the comfort of your home. Talk about the wonders of the 21st century where distance is no object!

I am really glad that Selfridges carry most, if not all, Dr. Jart+ products (noted for the future!), but I have managed to find some other brands that use fermented botanicals in their products I have been wanting to try: SU:M37 and Whamisa in particular, on the Beauty&Seoul UK website. Besides, I have to pace myself, and only buy products I need…. hmmm, like that’s even possible.

So, here is the package I received from the Beauty & Seoul, and Maree has added a generous selection of samples for me to try!

My parcel from the Beauty & Seoul UK

Gotta love samples, they are the best way to experience new products! This is exactly how I found some of my favourite products, and I have already fallen in love with some from this little selection, and they are now on my shopping list! Also, it has to be noted that I do love the personal touch (handwritten card) and the attention to detail with the packaging of the parcel.

Samples from the Beauty & Seoul UK

My main two products were neatly packed in the white wrapping paper and, instead of ripping it apart to reveal the contents, like any good blogger I showed some restraint and have taken pictures first!

Neat little package from the Beauty & Seoul UK

And then the contents of the white wrapper has been revealed: the gorgeous SU:M37 Miracle Rose Cleansing Stick and Whamisa Organic Flowers Deep Rich Toner are finally here for me to enjoy!

The two full size products and samples from the Beauty & Seoul UK

I am very impressed by the packaging of both the cleansing stick and the toner: they sure look pretty and tasteful. Of course, much writing on the packaging is in Korean but instructions in English are also included.

My order of Korean skincare products from Beauty & Seoul UK

SU:M37 Miracle Rose Cleansing Stick is a product that claims to be a gentle yet effective cleanser, full of botanical extracts (it is mainly composed of natural fruit extracts and fermented botanical herbs) with the low pH level – it is mild,  therefore offers skin cleansing without irritating it. My sensitive skin would most definitely love it, and that is exactly why I decided to buy it.

I am by no means a skincare expert, but I think cleansing is the step in any skincare routine that impacts skin the most: harsh cleansing can irritate and strip skin of its barrier. It is very important to find the type of cleanser that suits your skin type and is effective in removing excess sebum, pollutants, dead skin cells, makeup and other grime that collects on the skin surface. Good cleansing encourages skin hydration and prevents the production of excess oils.

SU:M37 Miracle Rose Cleansing Stick

The SU:M37 Miracle Rose Cleansing Stick comes in a handy twist-to-expose giant lipstick-like format and contains 80 grams of product. It is so travel-friendly!

I love that the real rose petals are dispersed throughout the stick, they almost act like gentle exfoliators and massage the skin on application. The product contains fermented rose flower extracts which help calm the skin plus has a low pH that helps to keep skin acidic hence preventing the growth of harmful bacteria. And, needless to say, it smells of roses! The added bonus is the price of it: £24 on Beauty & Seoul UK website is pretty reasonable, I would say. YesStyle.com lists it for as low as £15.88!

According to Beauty & Seoul UK website, the list of ingredients in the SU:M37 Miracle Rose Cleansing Stick is as follows:

Glycerol, Water, Orange Peel Oil, Lime Peel Oil, Lemon Peel Oil, Green Tea Seed Oil, Coconut Oil, Basil Oil, Ylang Ylang Flower Oil, Marjoram Oil, Fermented Damask Rose Extract, Apricot Seed Oil, Olive Oil, Sunflower Oil, Betaine, Stearic Acid, Lauric Acid, Camellia Oil, Tocopherol, Rose Flower Water, Potassium Hydroxide, Lauryl Betaine

SU:M37 Miracle Rose Cleansing Stick

Whamisa Organic Flowers Toner Deep Rich is indeed a rich, slightly gloopy toner which I find is perfect for applying to the freshly washed skin for that extra layer of hydration before I apply my “treatment” layers such as retinol serum and facial oil and moisturiser. I have to say, this toner smells divine, and it is thanks to the array of botanical ingredients such as argan oil, dandelion, hibiscus, aloe, chrysanthemum and other

I have found the definitive list of ingredients of the toner on Whamisa website:  *Aloe Maculata Leaf Extract, Galactomyces Ferment Filtrate, *Glycerin, *Chrysanthemum Morifolium Flower Extract, *Avena Sativa (Oat) Kernel Extract, *Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil, *Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, ***Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, ***Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Hibiscus Sabdariffa Flower Extract, ***Paeonia Suffruticosa Root Extract, Lithospermum Erythrorhizon Root Extract, *Helichrysum Arenarium Flower Extract, Xanthan Gum, *Brassica Oleracea Italica (Broccoli) Extract,*Lactobacillus/Chrysanthemum Sinense Flower Ferment Filtrate, *Lactobacillus/ Nelumbo Nucifera Flower Ferment Filtrate, *Lactobacillus/ Taraxacum Officinale (Dandelion) Rhizome/Root Ferment Filtrate, Aniba Rosaeodora (Rosewood) Wood Oil, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia (Bergamot) Fruit Oil, Cymbopogon Schoenanthus Oil, **Fragrance, d-Limonene, Linalol

*Certified Organically Grown **Natural Origin ***Natural Preservative / Bergamot Oil Bergaptene Free

Whamisa Organic Flowers Toner Deep Rich

I love that there is no water in this toner: the biggest part of it is Aloe Vera leaf juice (or, most likely, gel as it seems to give the slightly gloopy, gel-like consistency to the toner) and the fermented Galactomyces extract. Water is, of course, a useful ingredient, but is also widely available and cheap. This baby has none of it, so the price of £33.90 is OK with me as I know I am paying for a product jam-packed with great ingredients.

I have never heard of Galactomyces before so was pleasantly surprised to learn it is a fungus! The good old Wikipedia says that:

“Galactomyces Ferment Filtrate is a star ingredient in many Korean skincare products and is a nutrient dense byproduct of the fermentation process which works to benefit the skin at a cellular level by increasing your skin’s absorption. It has a variety of skin care benefits, such as balancing uneven skin tone, fighting against acne-causing bacteria, and helping to reduce the appearance of pore size, and refining the skin’s overall texture.“

I was intrigued – I sure do like that!

Whamisa Organic Flowers Toner Deep Rich

I have been using both the cleanser and the toner for around a month now and I am very impressed so far! I cannot wait to discover other Korean (or Asian) skincare and possibly even makeup products!

Have you tried these wonderful Korean skincare products? Do you like any others and would recommend any for me to try next? I would love to hear from you, I am a little obsessed as you can probably tell, so please do share your thoughts in the Comments section below!

I hope this post was interesting and useful to you. Thanks for reading!