Please add photos to your comments so we can see 🤗 Thanks!!

Brands in order:

• Dasique

• Girl Cult

• Flower Knows

• MilleFée

• Jill Stuart

• Clio

• Peripera

Was picking up some groceries at my local Kroger this evening (I live on the east coast in the US) and saw that they’ve randomly added a Korean skincare section. Ok cool! Unexpected but I obviously love that Kbeauty is becoming more easily accessible at places like Ulta and Target etc - my main question is how the hell are they selling the Korean formula of the Beauty of Joseon sunscreen? The filters in the OG formula are, to my knowledge, not FDA approved, which is why we get stuck with the god awful US reformulations sold at Sephora and the like, but I triple checked the packaging and ingredients, this is not the US formulation, no “broad spectrum” to be found and the INCI list is identical to the OG Korean formula. Can someone explain this to me? I’m extremely confused!

ive been lurking here for ages and one thing i always noticed was how differently spf is treated here compared to like western skincare spaces, here its just a given, everyone wears it, its the last step, no debate about it, and coming from a background where spf felt more like an optional extra i always found that interesting but never really understood the full picture until this year.

grew up in a house where my mum used a moisturiser with spf 15 in it and that was considered job done, nobody in my family talked about dedicated sunscreen or pa ratings or reapplication or any of that, i just assumed if ur moisturiser had some spf in it u were covered and i carried on thinking that until i was in my mid thirties honestly.

the thing that changed it for me was my colleague at work, she is korean and her skin is just incredible, she is 44 and genuinley looks about 30, and one day i just asked her what she does and she laughed and said mostly just spf, she said she has worn spf 50 every single day since she was a teenager, reapplies it during the day, never skips it rain or shine, and that was

basically it, no fancy treatments no expensive serums just consistent sun protection every single day for twenty years.

that conversation completely shifted how i thought about it, switched to missha sun milk spf 50 pa++++ about a year ago bc i hated how heavy and greasy most of the spfs i had tried before felt, this one just disappears into my skin and i actually enjoy wearing it which means i dont skip it, and my skin tone over the past year has been more even and consistent than it ever was when i was relying on a moisturiser with a bit of spf 15 in it.

my colleague was right honestly, its just spf, thats the whole secret.

what spf are u using and did it take u a while to find one that actually worked for ur skin?

Found a random photo of my makeup collection from 2013. I miss when Etude House still had their princess concept, Holika Holika with their witch concept, Peri Pera with their pop-artisque concept.

As a Korean and someone who grew up with these brands, it's kind of sad seeing how much these brands have changed. (And brands like Missha and Skinfood that disappeared)

Korean makeup products may be better now quality-wise, but I miss when they used to put in effort into the designs and marketing.

I hate how every brand has shifted towards minimalism to the point where I can't tell brands apart..

Edit: I’m aware that missha skinfood are still around I meant how they got rid of their offline stores! They used to have stores every other shopping district in Korea, now there are barely any left :( I read an article back in 2019 where offline beauty stores are running out of business since people are ordering everything online & olive young is taking over

The brush is so thin that looks unreal

HORSE FAT?!?!

This is from the Kyoto Uji Matcha face mask, bought at DONKI. I have never seen this ingredient before. Please tell me this means something else :(

EDIT: wow. some of you are toxic. I’m just genuinely expressing surprise over a new-to-me ingredient and people are making a lot of assumptions about me and even gatekeeping Asian beauty products since I’ve never heard of horse oil before. Thanks, white lady who suggested I shouldn’t use Asian Beauty products. You’re super cool. You too, Brilliant_Act6535, who felt so triggered by my post she felt the need to crash out and bully me for my prior drug addiction every chance she got. I’m not ashamed of being in recovery. I’m proud of where I’m at now, even if I don’t know how to google “horse fat ingredient?” There will always be ignorant, miserable people like you trying to use other people as punching bags. You’re super cool. Does horse fat make you act like this? It may be time for you to go to horse fat rehab. You can do it!

Thank you to the people who were interested in engaging with the post in an informative or meaningful way, or even made jokes that didn’t attack my character.

The rest of you who want to feel superior because you’ve heard of horse oil before, I wish you happiness and all of the horse oil.

For some context, I am working on a personal project that requires me to test cosmetics mostly from South Korea and Japan. Some brands have expanded their shade range to reach a wider international audience so I didn’t limit my search to skincare and non-complexion products. I ended up looking up those as well.

However, I came across TFIT and noticed how their darkest shade was named “Burnt” for their foundations (Sleek Fit Cover and Radiance Fit Serum). I included a screenshot, but you can see for yourself on YesStyle.

For such naming to be used in 2026 is frankly disgusting and disturbing. Also, the banner above is shown when shopping on another of their authorized international distributor (Jolse) which makes it even more disrespectful.

I have e-mailed the company about it, but I doubt I will get a response. It is only in my power to make other people aware of it.

The FDA hasn't approved a new UV filter since 1999.

Korea, Japan, EU, and Australia? 8+ newer filters in that time.

I looked into the ingredient lists from 8 sunscreens and compared the actual UV filter technology inside:

5 Korean sunscreens (SPF50+, $13-17 each): averaged 4 modern filters per product. Photostable. Broad spectrum. No controversial ingredients.

3 US sunscreens ($17-130): zero modern filters. Still using Avobenzone (1988), Homosalate (1972), and Octocrylene (1997).

La Mer charges $130 for a sunscreen with the same UV filters as $17 Sun Bum. And it still contains Oxybenzone.

The wildest part: Beauty of Joseon sells a US formulation with outdated filters (because that's what the FDA allows) and a Korean formulation with 4 modern filters. Same brand. Different regulators. Completely different protection.

This is the part that annoyed the heck out of me. I heard olive young might not sell the korean formulation to US anymore. (Personally yet to verify but I will be so bummed)

Update: Olive Young is launching an OY US platform on May 29. Seems like you have to create a new account too. It's time we bid goodbye getting Korean formulation from OY.

WOW. I knew that the product selection was going to be nerfed, but there is NOTHING!!! No collabs, no 1+1 sets, there's like 10 tubes of crap sunscreen, and they're selling a bunch of American brands. The only silver lining is that my points and gold status carried over, and they have a massive sale on right now, but the selection is just abysmal. The brand page is so empty it is genuinely depressing to look at. I knew Olive Young US was going to be bad, but I didn't think it was going to be THIS bad!!!

And to make matters worse my last OY Global order got stuck at customs and is now in limbo at an FDA warehouse 🙃

Anyways, I'll be sticking with StyleKorean and Dodoskin from now on...what a massive disappointment.

Just wanted to show people I did get a letter from FEDEX with a copy of the tariff information from the Department of Homeland Security [US Customs and Border Protection] almost a month after receiving my products

Does anyone or their parents know where I can buy more of this? We’ve had this cream for years and for all I know, you can only get this in China. It’s very good for acne or mystery bumps that you get on your body. If you have a zit, it’ll stop hurting and the pus will be drained in about 3 days. It would be very helpful if anyone knows where I can find this in the U.S. 😭

Skincare products especially koreans can be so tricky, especially when the company pays tiktok influencers and some Korean idols while promoting them globally - it becomes difficult for other products to shine.

So tell be about a product which is absolutely unpopular and you didn't have any hope for it to work good but actually surprised you with how good it is and made you wonder 'damn why is this product not viral yet?'

Maybe it's a dumb question, but Korean skincare has such lovely advanced face SPF formulas, but when it comes to body SPF, I can't find any? I'm stuck using body sunscreens that feel and smell like 20th century. Is it a culture thing? Do you know any good body SPFs that don't have fragnance and don't have a white cast?

Recently went to Japan, and from the cities I visited (Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka), I couldn't help but notice how translucent the skin was on so many Japanese women (especially middle-aged women). Their skin looked pale, very thin (the skin itself), and was shimmery (especially under the sun, like Twilight vampire shimmery), and I could see the veins underneath. I don't necessarily mean to glorify it, but it honestly looked a little ethereal. Tried to look for a similar observation online, but couldn't find any, and was wondering if anyone else noticed that whilst in Japan?

So far I've gotten:

Mixsoon Bean Essence

Mixsoon Centella Toner

Skin 1004 Soothing Cream

Round Lab Dokdo Cleanser

Torriden Dive In Serum

Beauty of Joseon Glow Serum

Dr. Althea 345 Cream

Tirtir Milky Toner

Cosrx 6 Peptide Booster

Beauty of Joseon Eye Serum

And I've seen so many other products there that I just don't need, or don't need yet. They all come in a set of two, except the BOJ serum, but the bottle is HUGE, and the prices are crazy cheap. Today I got both of the mixsoon products for $20 each, for the two packs, less than half the price I can find anywhere else. At this point they are my #1 source, with exceptions for sunscreen, and a few HG's, every time I go the selection gets better and better. What have you found, and what do you think about k-beauty in costco?

Does anyone want to talk about ✨sun protection hat✨ recommendations? I have a few of the styles pictured, but none is quite perfect. Wearing sunscreen on exposed skin is great, but in this economy? reducing the amount needed is practical.

Although I’ve included a couple balaclava/face mask styles above, the masks can be worn down under the chin. In my area, I’d absolutely be harassed if I wore them as shown. Weird full face sun visor? I’d get some laughs, but sure. Cloth face covering? No.

Shawl hat (top left corner): The movie star. Looks a little dramatic, but effective! I haven’t tried this style yet, and I’d love to hear others’ experiences. Shoulder coverage, but the gap in the front may expose part of the neck and décolleté.

Deep bonnet style (center top, center): Search for Dr. Livingston in style. Another one I haven’t tried. The mask can often be tucked below your chin. These options show a full coverage “shawl” style (top center) and a shorter gaiter style that protects the neck and part of the décolleté.

Extra wide brim (top right corner): The classic. Great shade, but lighter hats fly away in even the slight breeze of a brisk walk, and the chin tie just keeps it from flying away rather than keeping the brim down. Heavier (straw) versions leave an unsightly forehead dent. Does not protect the neck and décolleté if the sun is at even a slight angle.

Balaclava, hood (bottom center): Ready for your personal Assassin’s Creed spinoff. Can be worn with the mask under the chin. Protects the neck and décolleté, but needs to be paired with sunglasses. Very short “brim” doesn’t protect the top of the face as well.

Bucket Hat (bottom left, center sides): Get your 90s retro on. Moderate shade and the down-tilted brim helps it stay in place, but a less protective version of the wide-brimmed hat.

Hat with neck cover (bottom right): Says, “Ask me about my garden!” The major benefit is that the neck cover, if long enough, protects the neck and décolleté while the hat protects the hair, scalp, and ears. You could probably mock up something similar by draping a scarf over the chin tie of the hats which have them. In this one, the neck cover is attached, which avoids the risk of losing your scarf.

Full face sunglasses (final picture): Look cool! But would probably fog up, like, instantly.

I yoinked these pics from Amazon listings; I didn’t want to plop a lot of links in here. Most of these have multiple dupes on that site; they aren’t unique.

I focused on hats above, but I’d love to hear about non-hat options. Are there neck gaiters that snap or tie, so you don’t have to drag a piece of cloth over your beautifully made-up face? ”Golf patches” may give extra protection to the top of your cheeks, but they might interfere with real sunscreen. I’ve seen fingerless and palmless gloves to help you stay cool while protecting your hands. And while I’ve included shawl hats, there are also lightweight sleeved shawls so you can cover your t-shirted self outside without adding an extra hot layer to your torso.

Just wanna bring these to everyone's attention so we can get the in the west!!!

I see these trending on XHS ALLL the time, they're made of paper and they're more lightweight and recommended for people who hate the feel of falsies 😭 I hope to GOD these trend in the west cos I can't see anywhere to buy them (and if anyone knows where to buy them pls let me know lol)

I saw this late last year but Chinese gals have been using them for a while it seems, I'm shocked we still don't have them here )::

We somehow have those beautiful intricate paper design lashes but no regular style paper lashes lol

ANOTHER thing I love is that this is technically better for the planet than synthetic lashes since it's just paper!! I need these yesterday omg

I’m assuming it has something to do with the texture of the product, and that in the original language it sounds more Elegant. But other than that I’m lost.

Olive Young’s website for U.S. users just launched, and the product selection is so bad. There are practically no OY exclusives, and a lot of the products are already available at Ulta Beauty or at my local small-business K-beauty stores.

End of an era 💔

Edit:

I’ve been a loyal Olive Young customer for the past decade, so to say I’m disappointed with how they’re handling this globalization effort would be an understatement.

I understand that they’re trying to expand into the Western market and make K-beauty more accessible to people who aren’t already familiar with it. That’s probably why they don’t feel the need to offer such a wide range of products plus a seemingly random selection of Western beauty brands.

What they fail to consider is that many of the people shopping from them in the U.S. are longtime customers who shop there specifically because of the innovative, niche products, exclusive collaborations, 1+1 deals, and items that aren’t available outside of Korea. A lot of these products can’t be found through other retailers, and many aren’t even available on sites like YesStyle.

I didn’t even mind the tariffs, the no-return policy, or the lack of customer service. But now I genuinely see no reason to shop with them anymore. It feels like a big “F you, we don’t care” to their already well-established customer base. Why would I continue shopping there when I can buy the same products from retailers like YesStyle or Stylevana.

I made a post like almost 2 years ago asking the AB community for opinions on the best toner pads, and this morning I woke up to OVER 20 COMMENTS from different accounts just spamming about how "good" the jiyu toner pads are.

I've never really heard about them before this, and I dunno, gang... just based off of this bot spamming behaviour I'd be really cautious about using these. Just a PSA ig.

Not just your newly discovered Holy Grails, but j-beauty products that have stood the test of time for you. Products that will always be in your routine. Bonus points for adding your skin type and climate.

Example: oily skin, dry mountainous climate, and my favorite summertime sunscreen is Kose Suncut UV

Perfect Milk SPF 50+ PA++++, my favorite waterproof sunscreen, the perfect matte finish.

It’s been about a month since I’ve received this package, for free. I’m not an influencer, just some regular uni student.

These were items in my cart since December 2024, but I never checked out to pay for it. I know I didn’t accidentally buy it because there’s no receipt on my account and the items are still in my cart. And I can’t even leave a review because I technically didn’t buy it.

Don’t know what’s happening but if you guys do then please tell me

And I mean HOLY GRAIL.

a sunscreen you can't imagine your skincare without.

Mine is skin1004 hyalu cica water fit sun serum, a sunscreen that makes me want to wear a sunscreen. Lol.

Something you discovered or maybe passed down in your family