Beauty of Joseon
A dynasty of skin rituals, rewritten for a modern shelf.
One small Korean brand took a 200-year-old beauty manuscript, paired it with clean modern formulas, and quietly became one of the most recognized names in global K-beauty. This is the story of how hanbang tradition, a viral sunscreen, and a few honest serums built a following that now spans continents.
Introduction
How a quiet heritage brand became a K-beauty household name
Walk into almost any conversation about Korean skincare and Beauty of Joseon comes up within minutes. Not because of celebrity ambassadors or loud marketing, but because the products tend to do exactly what they promise at a price that feels almost too fair.
The brand sits in an unusual spot. It is rooted in centuries of Korean herbal tradition, yet it reads as thoroughly modern: clean bottles, short ingredient stories, formulas that respect a sensitive skin barrier. That balance is the whole point. Beauty of Joseon was built to make traditional Korean beauty wisdom feel like something you would happily keep on an open shelf and recommend to a friend.
What follows is the full picture. Where the brand came from, the manuscript that inspired it, the hanbang ingredients at its core, the products that turned casual shoppers into loyalists, and where a heritage-first brand goes next in a category that reinvents itself every season.
Ginseng Essence Water: pairing time-tested herbs with modern formulation.
Origins and Founders
A 19th-century manuscript, reopened for modern skin
Beauty of Joseon was founded in 2016 by Sumin Lee, who built the brand around a simple, slightly romantic idea: what if the beauty knowledge of the Joseon dynasty could be turned into skincare people wanted to carry everywhere and show their friends?
The reference point is real and specific. The brand draws on the Gyuhap Chongseo, an encyclopedia of household and beauty knowledge compiled around 1809 by the female scholar Yi Bingheogak. That text gathered the everyday wisdom of Joseon-era women, including the herbal preparations and skincare rituals practiced at the time. It is one of the clearest written windows into how Korean women cared for their skin two centuries ago.
From that source, Beauty of Joseon pulled a working philosophy rather than a museum piece. The Joseon dynasty, which ran from 1392 to 1897, prized self-care and a natural, luminous complexion. The herbal system behind those routines is called hanbang, traditional Korean medicine built on botanicals chosen for their soothing and restorative qualities. The founding bet was that these ingredients, reformulated with current cosmetic science, could feel relevant to a global audience rather than nostalgic.
It helps to picture the world that book described. During the Joseon dynasty, a clear, even complexion was treated as a sign of health and good living, and care of the skin was a daily ritual rather than an occasional treat. Women relied on what nature offered, rice water saved from the kitchen, ginseng valued for centuries, honey, mugwort and green tea, turning ordinary ingredients into a considered routine. Beauty of Joseon takes that mindset and pours it into formats a modern shopper recognizes.
The first product to carry that idea to market was the Dynasty Cream, a heritage-minded moisturizer that signaled the whole approach in one jar. From there the line grew steadily, one well-considered launch at a time. Instead of chasing every trend, the brand expanded around a small number of ingredients it understood deeply, which is part of why the range feels coherent rather than scattered.
The Dynasty Cream, the brand's first product and a direct nod to its Joseon-era heritage.
What if we took the history of hanbang and turned it into skincare you would want to show every beauty-obsessed friend?
The brand launches
Beauty of Joseon debuts with a heritage-first concept and the Dynasty Cream, its first hanbang-inspired moisturizer.
Serums find an audience
Glow-focused serums built on propolis, rice and ginseng begin earning word-of-mouth in online K-beauty communities.
The Relief Sun moment
The Rice and Probiotics sunscreen becomes a genuine phenomenon, praised for a weightless finish and no white cast.
A global staple
The line now reaches shoppers across Asia, Europe and the Americas, available at curated retailers including ProtoClinical.
Dates reflect the brand's publicly described milestones and the rise of its bestsellers. Exact regional launch timing varies by market.
Mission and Philosophy
Heritage as a starting point, not a costume
Plenty of brands borrow a heritage story for the label. Beauty of Joseon treats hanbang as a working framework, choosing herbs with a long record of soothing skin and then asking modern formulation to make them perform.
Tradition, reinterpreted
Each formula starts from a hanbang herb with a documented history of use, then balances it with current cosmetic science.
Gentle by design
The brand leans toward calm, barrier-friendly textures that suit a wide range of skin types rather than aggressive quick fixes.
Honest pricing
Accessibility is part of the mission. Thoughtful Korean skincare should not require a luxury budget.
Cruelty-free practice
Products are developed without animal testing, in line with the brand's stated values around responsible beauty.
The philosophy also shows up in restraint. Beauty of Joseon keeps its ingredient narratives short and legible. A propolis serum is about propolis. A rice and arbutin serum is about a brighter, more even-looking complexion. There is no attempt to promise everything in a single bottle, which is part of why the range earns trust.
Within ProtoClinical's clinical, minimal point of view, that fit is natural. Both favor formulas you can understand, packaging that stays out of the way, and results framed as care for the appearance of skin rather than medical claims.
Hero Ingredients and Technologies
The hanbang shortlist that powers the line
Beauty of Joseon repeatedly returns to a core set of botanicals, many drawn directly from the brand's reading of the Gyuhap Chongseo. Here is what they are and why they matter.
Ginseng
A revered Korean root rich in antioxidants, used to help skin look revitalized, firmer and more radiant.
Rice
A staple of Korean beauty rituals, rice water and extracts support a softer, brighter, more hydrated-looking surface.
Propolis
A honey-derived ingredient prized for comfort and glow, often paired with niacinamide for a dewy, even finish.
Green tea and mugwort
Classic soothing botanicals that help calm the look of stressed or sensitized skin.
Niacinamide
A modern multitasker that supports a brighter, more even tone and a comfortable barrier feel.
Alpha-arbutin
A targeted brightening active used to help reduce the look of dark spots and uneven patches over time.
Two ingredients carry the brand more than any others: ginseng and rice. Both have centuries of use in Korea, and both translate well into textures that feel light rather than heavy. The newer actives, niacinamide, alpha-arbutin, panthenol and broad-spectrum UV filters, are the modern half of the promise.
Ginseng is the ingredient most associated with the brand. It has been used in Korea for thousands of years, prized as a tonic long before it ever appeared in a serum. In skincare it brings a high concentration of antioxidants, which is why Beauty of Joseon leans on it for products meant to make tired, dull-looking skin appear revived. The Ginseng Essence Water and the Ginseng Cleansing Oil both put it front and center.
Rice plays the supporting role that often steals the show. As rice water and rice extract, it shows up in the Relief Sun sunscreen and the Glow Deep Serum, adding a soft, hydrated, slightly luminous quality that pairs naturally with brightening actives like alpha-arbutin. Propolis rounds out the lineup with comfort and a dewy finish, working in quiet partnership with niacinamide to even out the look of the complexion.
Star Products
The pieces that built the following
These are the Beauty of Joseon products carried at ProtoClinical that best tell the brand story, from the sunscreen that went viral to the heritage cream that started it all.
Relief Sun: Rice + Probiotics SPF50+ PA++++
The product that made the brand a global name. A daily chemical sunscreen with a famously light, almost serum-like feel and no heavy white cast, built on rice extract and probiotic ferments.
- Broad-spectrum SPF50+ PA++++ for everyday wear
- Lightweight, comfortable finish under makeup
- Rice and probiotic ingredients for a soft, hydrated look
Glow Serum: Propolis + Niacinamide
A honey-like serum that pairs propolis with niacinamide for comfort and a dewy, lit-from-within glow. A long-running favorite behind the brand's reputation for radiance.
- Propolis and niacinamide for a dewy, even finish
- Lightweight honey-like texture that layers well
- Helps skin feel bouncy and hydrated
Glow Deep Serum: Rice + Alpha-Arbutin
The brand's brightening workhorse. Rice extract meets alpha-arbutin to help soften the appearance of dark spots and bring a more uniform glow to dull-looking skin.
- Rice and alpha-arbutin to target uneven tone
- Helps improve the appearance of dark spots over time
- Comfortable daily-use texture for most skin types
Ginseng Essence Water
A hydrating essence that puts the brand's signature ginseng front and center. A simple, layerable step that helps replenish moisture and prep skin for the rest of a routine.
- Ginseng-forward formula for a revitalized look
- Helps address dryness and dullness
- Watery essence texture that absorbs quickly
Dynasty Cream
The product that started it all. A heritage-minded moisturizer with a tighter, film-forming texture, named for the era that inspired the whole brand.
- The brand's original launch product
- Rich, moisture-sealing cream texture
- Helps skin look and feel supple
Ginseng Cleansing Oil
The first-cleanse step in many BOJ routines. A gentle oil that melts away sunscreen and makeup while keeping skin from feeling stripped.
- Dissolves sunscreen, makeup and daily buildup
- Emulsifies cleanly without a tight after-feel
- Ginseng-infused to keep the routine on-theme
Market Impact and Growth
From niche favorite to global shelf staple
Beauty of Joseon grew the way the most durable brands tend to: slowly, then all at once. The turning point was the Relief Sun sunscreen.
Sunscreen is one of the hardest categories to win. Shoppers are picky about texture, finish and the dreaded white cast. When the Rice and Probiotics formula started circulating in beauty communities and short-form video, it solved enough of those complaints at once that it became a default recommendation. That single product pulled a wave of new shoppers toward the rest of the catalog.
The serums did the quiet work of keeping them. Once someone trusted the sunscreen, the Glow Serum and Glow Deep Serum were easy, low-risk additions at prices that rarely caused hesitation. That ladder, a viral entry point feeding a deep and affordable range, is the engine behind the brand's reach today.
Beauty of Joseon now appears at curated K-beauty retailers around the world, ProtoClinical included, and remains one of the most searched names when people look for an introduction to Korean skincare. Honest reviews from everyday users, rather than polished campaigns, did the heavy lifting, and that kind of trust tends to last.
Year the brand was founded in Korea
Core hanbang ingredients from the Gyuhap Chongseo
Protection level of the viral Relief Sun
Availability across Asia, Europe and the Americas
Values in Action
What the brand puts into practice
A heritage story is easy to print and hard to live up to. A few choices show where Beauty of Joseon puts its values into the products themselves.
Accessibility over exclusivity
The pricing is deliberate. By keeping its hero products well under the cost of comparable Western serums and sunscreens, the brand makes a daily Korean routine realistic for students, first-time buyers and longtime enthusiasts alike.
Gentle, cruelty-free formulation
Products are developed without animal testing, and the formulas lean toward soothing, barrier-respecting textures. The repeated use of calming botanicals like green tea, mugwort and Centella reflects a preference for comfort over harsh, fast-acting approaches.
Clarity as a courtesy
Short, legible ingredient stories are themselves a value. When a serum is named for its two key ingredients, shoppers can make an informed choice without decoding marketing language.
Accessible, gentle, and clearly named: three commitments that show up in the bottle.
What's Next
Where a heritage brand goes from here
Predicting any beauty brand is risky, but the direction of travel is readable from what Beauty of Joseon already does well.
Expect more on sun care. The Relief Sun family has already expanded into sticks, tone-up versions and aqua-fresh textures, and sun protection is where the brand has the strongest permission to keep innovating.
Expect the hanbang library to widen. With eight signature ingredients from the Gyuhap Chongseo and only some fully built out into hero products, there is room to spotlight underused botanicals like green plum or red bean in fresh formulas.
And expect the modern half of the promise to keep advancing. As ingredients like peptides, ferments and gentle exfoliating actives mature, a brand that pairs tradition with current science has every reason to fold them in, as long as the result stays gentle and affordable.
Frequently Asked Questions
Beauty of Joseon, answered
Who founded Beauty of Joseon and when?
Beauty of Joseon was founded in 2016 by Sumin Lee, built around turning traditional Korean beauty wisdom into modern, accessible skincare, with direct inspiration from a Joseon-era encyclopedia of women's knowledge.
What does "hanbang" mean?
Hanbang refers to traditional Korean herbal medicine, built on natural botanicals chosen for soothing and restorative properties. Beauty of Joseon uses hanbang ingredients such as ginseng, rice and propolis, then balances them with modern cosmetic actives.
What is the brand's most famous product?
The Relief Sun: Rice + Probiotics SPF50+ PA++++ sunscreen is the breakout hit, widely praised for a lightweight, comfortable finish without a heavy white cast.
Is Beauty of Joseon good for sensitive skin?
The line generally favors gentle, barrier-friendly formulas. As with any skincare, patch test first, and speak to a doctor or dermatologist about anything persistent or concerning, since these are cosmetics rather than medical treatments.
Glow Serum vs Glow Deep Serum?
The Glow Serum centers on propolis and niacinamide for comfort and a dewy radiance. The Glow Deep Serum pairs rice with alpha-arbutin, aimed more at the appearance of dark spots and uneven tone.
Is the brand cruelty-free?
Yes. Beauty of Joseon states that its products are developed without animal testing.
Where can I buy Beauty of Joseon?
The range is available at curated K-beauty retailers worldwide, including ProtoClinical, where you can find the Relief Sun, the Glow and Glow Deep serums, the Ginseng Essence Water, the Dynasty Cream and more.
In Closing
A small idea, carried carefully
Beauty of Joseon is proof that a brand does not need noise to travel. It needed a real idea, a respect for where that idea came from, and the discipline to keep its formulas gentle, legible and fair.
If you have been curious about hanbang skincare, this is a sensible place to start. The entry price is low, the formulas are kind to skin, and each product carries a little piece of the story.
Discover Beauty of Joseon at ProtoClinical
From the cult Relief Sun sunscreen to the ginseng and propolis classics, explore the heritage hanbang range.
Shop the collectionBeauty of Joseon products are cosmetics designed to care for the appearance and feel of skin. They are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any condition. For persistent or concerning skin issues, please consult a doctor or dermatologist. Product names, prices, links and images reflect the ProtoClinical store at the time of writing and may change.