New Loves: Indie Korean Beauty

Personally, I hate the texture of most makeup. Almost all foundation and concealers I've tried feel like I'm clogging my pores and eventually would start breaking out. Even though I'm Korean, I really didn't get into the "10-step Korean skincare routine" until 4 years ago. Fortunately, I've inherited naturally clear, resilient skin and did not suffer from teenage acne. For a long time, I thought great skin was limited to the elite. Living in Korea showed me that high quality skincare can be accessible to all ages and reasonable price points. Korean skincare is also years ahead of the rest of the world as Koreans tend to be the most discerning early adopters of the latest skincare innovations. (This is why big cosmetics companies test their products in Korea before rolling them out worldwide.)

Recently, a lot of smaller indie skincare labels began cropping up in Korea. They focus on using natural or organic ingredients. In many cases, they make them in small batches or have only a few products. This starkly contrasts with the Korean juggernauts like Amore Pacific or LG with multiple brands and product SKUs in their portfolios. Here are some of my favorite Korean indie skincare brands. They're not available in the US yet; however, one already is being stocked by Memebox! Let me know if you end up getting your hands on them. I'm still waiting for the day to go back to Korea to restock my Avery Hydrating line.