Walk into any K-beauty conversation on Reddit, TikTok, or your group chat, and Beauty of Joseon comes up within about three messages. It's the rare brand that managed to feel both ancient and viral at the same time. So when people ask me "is Beauty of Joseon good," I get why the question keeps coming up. The packaging looks like a small Joseon-dynasty apothecary jar. The price is shockingly low. The claims lean on hanbang (traditional Korean herbal medicine). And the internet has decided it's holy.
I've used Beauty of Joseon products for over a year now, on and off, layered into my routine alongside other brands. Here's my honest answer to is Beauty of Joseon good, before we dig in : yes, for most skin types, with a couple of caveats around the sunscreens and the propolis serum that nobody wants to discuss. It's not a perfect brand. It's just unusually fair-priced for what it does.
About the Brand : What "Beauty of Joseon" Actually Means
The brand name references the Joseon Dynasty, the Korean kingdom that ran from 1392 to 1897 and gave us the most prolific medical text in Korean history : the Dongui Bogam, written by physician Heo Jun. That text catalogued thousands of herbal remedies, many of which Beauty of Joseon now weaves into modern formulations.
Beauty of Joseon, the modern version, was relaunched in 2019 by Sumin Lee and a small team that acquired the original 2016 brand and rebuilt it almost completely. Lee studied at NYU and worked in beauty in the US before going back to Korea to revive the brand. The relaunch is what put Beauty of Joseon on the global map, particularly through US TikTok and the r/AsianBeauty subreddit, somewhat ironically before the brand was even a top seller in Korea itself.
The brand's positioning is "traditional Korean ingredients, modern formulation, Sephora-tier accessible price." That's a hard combo to pull off, and they mostly nail it.
What They're Known For
Three products carry the brand. If you've heard of Beauty of Joseon, you've heard of these :
- Glow Serum (Propolis + Niacinamide) : 60% propolis extract with 2% niacinamide. The hero product. Lightweight, slightly tacky, brightening over time. Find it here.
- Relief Sun: Rice + Probiotics SPF 50+ : the chemical sunscreen that started the "rice water sunscreen" trend. Cult favorite for a reason. Relief Sun page.
- Dynasty Cream : a thicker night moisturizer with ginseng and orchid extract, marketed as a "wrinkle plumping" cream. Dynasty Cream.
- Revive Serum (Ginseng + Snail Mucin) : the more emollient, anti-aging cousin to the Glow Serum.
The Beauty of Joseon collection on Mirai has the full range plus the Calming Toner and Repair Eye Serum, which are quietly excellent and under-discussed.
My Honest Take After Testing
Let me lead with what bothers me, because the brand is so universally praised that the small issues get buried.
The Relief Sun contains alcohol denat as one of its top ingredients. It's what gives the sunscreen its silky, no-white-cast finish, and it's why the sunscreen absorbs in literally five seconds. But if your skin barrier is compromised, or if you have rosacea or seborrheic dermatitis, alcohol denat that high in the ingredient list can sting and dehydrate. I love the cosmetic feel. I won't pretend the alcohol isn't there.
The Glow Serum is tacky. Not as bad as the medicube Quick Stick, but enough that you have to wait two to three minutes before layering anything else, and you definitely can't put it under a thick cream without pilling. The 60% propolis is what does it. Propolis is a beeswax-adjacent ingredient bees produce to seal their hives, and it brings antibacterial and antioxidant benefits. Also tackiness. Welcome to the tradeoff.
Now, what's good. The Glow Serum genuinely brightens. After about six weeks of consistent use, my post-acne marks from a bad jawline cycle in January faded faster than they would have on their own. Niacinamide at 2% is well dosed (anything higher and some people get flushing), and propolis adds a gentle antibacterial layer that helps if you're acne-prone.
The Relief Sun, alcohol caveat aside, is one of the best-feeling chemical sunscreens I've ever used. It's reef-friendly, fragrance-free in the latest reformulation, and the texture means I actually reapply during the day instead of skipping. A sunscreen you reapply is worth ten you don't.
The Dynasty Cream is criminally underrated. It's the closest thing in K-beauty to a fancy department-store night cream at a third of the price. Ginseng saponins improve microcirculation, which is part of why the skin looks plumper in the morning. The orchid extract is more decorative than functional, but the formula as a whole works.
Best For / Skip If
- Best for normal, combination, and mildly dry skin looking for an entry point into Korean skincare without dropping $50 per bottle.
- Best for acne-prone skin that needs brightening but can't tolerate harsh actives. The propolis + niacinamide combo is gentle.
- Best for "I want clean simple routines" people. The product names tell you what's in them. No weird marketing names hiding the formulation.
- Skip if you have rosacea or a damaged barrier. The Relief Sun's alcohol denat is a problem, and the actives across the line, while gentle, can add up.
- Skip if you have a propolis or bee product allergy. Obvious, but a non-trivial number of people don't realize propolis can trigger the same allergies as honey or beeswax.
- Skip if you want fragrance-free across the board. The Calming Toner has a soft botanical scent that's barely there but technically present.
Common Complaints from r/AsianBeauty
The most common honest complaints I see on the K-beauty subreddits :
- The Relief Sun has alcohol denat high in the ingredient list. This is the loudest legitimate concern. People with sensitive skin or fungal acne sometimes react. The newer "Rice Probiotics" version is better-formulated than the original Rice version, but the alcohol is still there.
- The Glow Serum pills under sunscreen. Especially under thicker mineral sunscreens. You need to wait a full two to three minutes, sometimes apply less, and choose your sunscreen carefully.
- The Revive Serum can be greasy. The snail mucin and ginseng combo is heavier than the Glow Serum, and oily skin types often hate it. It's a night-only product for most people.
What I think is overblown : "it broke me out." The brand is mostly low-comedogenic. If you broke out, look at whether the propolis is the culprit (test it on your jaw for two weeks alone) or whether something else in your routine changed.
How Beauty of Joseon Compares
vs COSRX : COSRX is the older sibling, more clinical, less "vibe." Beauty of Joseon's packaging and storytelling pull more emotion. Both deliver similar results on similar budgets. COSRX wins on barrier repair, Beauty of Joseon wins on brightening and overall aesthetic.
vs Anua : Anua is gentler still, more redness-focused, and the heartleaf serum competes directly with Beauty of Joseon's Calming Toner. For very reactive skin, Anua. For glow and brightening, Beauty of Joseon. Our Beauty of Joseon vs Anua comparison breaks down which to pick.
Where to Buy Beauty of Joseon
The Beauty of Joseon collection on Mirai carries the Glow Serum, both Relief Sun variants, the Dynasty Cream, and the Calming Toner. If you're new to the brand, I'd start with the Glow Serum and the Relief Sun as a two-product trial. Add Dynasty Cream at night once you confirm you like the feel.
If you're stacking it into a full routine, the brand layers beautifully with COSRX snail mucin essence and any centella moisturizer. Our glass skin routine guide has Beauty of Joseon in the middle of every layered routine variant.
The Ingredient Stories Behind the Hero Products
Part of what makes Beauty of Joseon's marketing work is that the heritage angle isn't entirely manufactured. There are real ingredients pulled from real traditional Korean medicine, formulated alongside modern actives. Worth knowing what they actually do :
Propolis (60% in the Glow Serum). Propolis is a resin bees collect from tree buds to seal their hives. It's naturally rich in flavonoids (particularly chrysin and pinocembrin), which have antibacterial and antioxidant properties. For acne-prone skin, propolis provides a gentle antibacterial layer without the irritation of stronger antimicrobials. The tradeoff is the texture, propolis is naturally tacky.
Niacinamide (2%) in the Glow Serum. At this concentration, niacinamide modulates melanin transfer from melanocytes to keratinocytes, which is the mechanism behind its brightening effect. It also strengthens the lipid barrier and reduces transepidermal water loss.
Rice extract in the Relief Sun. Rice has been used in traditional Korean and Japanese skincare for centuries for its starch content, which provides a soft-focus, slightly mattifying effect. The probiotic-derived ferments in the newer Relief Sun formulation also support a healthy skin microbiome.
Ginseng in the Dynasty Cream and Revive Serum. Ginseng saponins (ginsenosides) improve microcirculation in the upper dermis, which is part of why the cream produces a visible plumping effect overnight. It's not magic, it's just blood flow improvement showing up as visible plumpness.
Snail mucin in the Revive Serum. Snail filtrate contains glycoproteins, hyaluronic acid, and growth factor analogs. It's an excellent humectant and barrier-support ingredient, but heavier than pure hyaluronic acid, which is why oily skin types sometimes find it too rich.
How to Layer Beauty of Joseon Into a Full Routine
The brand layers well, both within its own line and with other K-beauty brands. Here's the sequence I'd recommend for someone building a full routine around Beauty of Joseon :
Morning : gentle cleanser, Calming Toner, Glow Serum (wait two to three minutes for it to settle), light moisturizer (the Dynasty Cream is too heavy for daytime under sunscreen), Relief Sun Rice + Probiotics.
Night : double cleanse, Calming Toner, Revive Serum or Glow Serum depending on whether you want richness or brightness, Dynasty Cream as the final step.
Twice a week, swap the Glow Serum for a retinol or retinal from another brand. Beauty of Joseon doesn't make a serious retinoid, and your routine should include one if anti-aging is on your radar. Our best Korean retinol guide covers options that layer well with this brand.
Final Verdict : Is Beauty of Joseon Good?
Yes. Strong recommend. Beauty of Joseon is one of the best entry points into Korean skincare on the market, and the Glow Serum and Dynasty Cream in particular punch well above their price.
The brand isn't perfect. The Relief Sun's alcohol issue is real, the Glow Serum's tackiness is real, and the marketing leans heavier on heritage than the formulations strictly require. But for normal-to-combination skin looking for affordable, well-formulated K-beauty with a brightening focus, this is the answer.
If your skin is very sensitive, look at SKIN1004 first. If your skin is very oily, look at medicube. For everyone in the middle, Beauty of Joseon is the safer recommendation, and the better starting point.
