“How Can You Buy It If You Don’t Know It?”: Underrated Korean Skincare

Some of the best products in Korea sell badly because nobody hears about them. Korean skincare creator Jamti calls these underrated Korean skincare brands and products well made but poorly marketed. He goes through a “day retinol,” a gentle cushion, a face-and-body lotion, a soothing cream, an aloe alternative, a sunscreen and a liquid mask. Here is his list.

Original video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIhuDAWc61U
Original title: 모르는데 어떻게 사요?

Can You Use Retinol in the Daytime? 00:06–01:25

Today’s topic is products that are made well but marketed badly. First up is Isa Knox’s Daytinol and Nightinol. Retinol you put on in the daytime? I honestly can’t follow that. And it’s not only this product. Lately retinol is even going into sunscreens, and that makes no sense to me.

Retinoids can irritate your skin, which is one reason people say not to wear them in the day. But there’s more. Under UV light, retinol and other retinoids break down and form irritating byproducts, including free radicals. That’s exactly why I say don’t use retinol in the daytime. So why is this one on my recommendation list? That’s the strange part.

Bakuchiol vs Retinol: What Is a “Day Retinol” Really? 01:25–02:58

This isn’t really a daytime retinol. It’s a wrinkle-improving, whitening functional cosmetic, and the wrinkle claim was approved with bakuchiol. The government lists ingredients like adenosine at 0.04%, and products using them get approved by simple notification. The hard route is the review type, where you prove with clinical data that it truly works. This one passed it with bakuchiol, and as far as I know, nothing else in Korea has.

Yet they advertise it as a day retinol, and the retinol is only 1.5 ppm. What’s crazier is that LG has already made a real Daytinol: an HPR-type ingredient that doesn’t break down in light and works far better than retinol. If you’re going to say retinol, put in 500 IU at least. If they had put that in and called it Daytinol, I’d be fine with the name. My guess, and I’m not sure, is that marketing said retinol sells, so they sprinkled some in. Bakuchiol is a famous retinol alternative, so promote that. Hiding your strength? I really don’t get it.

Is Primera’s Gentle Cushion Worth Trying? 02:58–04:14

Next is Primera, from Amorepacific. Did you even know Primera makes a cushion? I didn’t. Instagram is full of “regeneration” BBs you can supposedly sleep in, but many are packed with sunscreen filters or harsh ingredients. This cushion really is gentle. The ingredient list looks like it has nothing irritating.

Those “regeneration” products usually spread badly and float around on your face, and nobody expects them to cling. This one spreads well and feels just like a regular cushion, only the ingredients are incredibly mild. I can’t use it because there are only two shades, and none match my shade. A man can’t use it. But women who find their shade can wear it even after a procedure. And nobody knows it exists.

Can You Use Illiyoon Lotion on Your Face? 04:14–05:34

I just want you to know the brand Illiyoon. Almost nothing beats its value. Body products come in much bigger sizes, must have face-level ingredients to sell, cost more to ship, and still have to be cheaper. Brands that make them aren’t really in it for the money. People see Illiyoon lotion and assume it’s only for the body, but it’s a face-and-body product, so use it on your face.

If I had no interest in skin and just wanted the best value, I’d slather only Illiyoon on my face. It’s an open secret that Illiyoon is the budget version of Aestura, which is famous for barrier care. It took the strengths of every line. Its Red Itch line even earned a functional certification for improving the skin barrier and easing itchiness, and that’s hard to get. Yet they don’t advertise it.

Aloe Gel vs Beta-Sitosterol Cream for Irritated Skin 05:34–07:41

Dermafactory is mostly fine, with a few duds. My favorite is the beta-sitosterol cream. It has ceramide too. That sesame-oil-smelling burn study used beta-sitosterol at 0.5% and 5%, and this has 3%. More soothing ingredient isn’t automatically better, but I recommend it for the high dose. It’s not better than an ointment, it’s an ointment-grade cream.

For irritated skin, I’d rather use that cream than an aloe gel, since many gels have no aloe leaf, just aloe leaf water. Skip the Daiso aloe and get On the Body Soothing Gel, with panthenol and beta-glucan, both anti-inflammatory. Winter radish tastes better than summer radish, so ingredients change with the season. I’d only trust aloe if a brand stated its acemannan or aloesin content, and none do.

Which Korean Brand Makes the Best Sunscreen? 07:41–08:57

I keep saying LG’s problem is marketing. They don’t seem to know what they’re good at, and they seem to think they’re good at marketing. Those water-like sunscreens that sit well under makeup? LG started them. When I praised LG in a Short, commenters said LG sunscreen is too thick and sticky, which shows nobody knows.

LG’s watery sunscreen was even discontinued, though it was sold under several brands, including OHUI, Su:m37, The Face Shop and CNP. Why? It didn’t sell. Even if you pull down a star for people and hand it over, they won’t know without advertising. As I said before, LG makes the best sunscreen. Do some marketing and make the filters a bit trendier, and nobody could beat them.

Is Mamonde Peony Liquid Mask Good for Oily Skin? 08:57–09:29

Last is Mamonde’s liquid mask, which is fairly famous. I mean the purple Peony one, not the pink. It’s a total gem. I don’t recommend exfoliating every time, and the pink one exfoliates so skin feels plump. The Peony has niacinamide and zinc PCA, of course. I heard from a researcher that it also has really good sebum-control ingredients, though I can’t say more. Makeup sits well, and I’d use it as an oily-skin essence. But nobody knows.

Takeaway 09:29–09:55

I don’t know if hiding technology the researchers can’t even talk about suits this era. If you built it well, find a way to express it. Why keep hiding it? They’re probably working on it, but let’s try a little harder. Are they really trying?