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Skin, K-beauty, Korea trips and the beauty industry — ask and share
Starting a beauty brand abroad with a Korean manufacturer: private label vs custom formula
Many founders outside Korea work with Korean ODMs. The first decision is how custom you go.
0 1Galleria Department Store Luxury Hall
Galleria Department Store Luxury Hall is a luxury department store located in the center of Apgujeong Rodeo Street, the fashion district, and the Gallery Street in Cheongdam-dong. It is divided into EAST and WEST accordi
0 0Are the "skin-nourishing" shots Korean clinics promote really just fillers?
On Taiwan's PTT forum (facelift board), someone who had been drawn in by Korean clinic ads looked closer at the "skin-nourishing injections" many Gangnam dermatology clinics were pushing. The listed products turned out t
0 0What app do you tell foreign friends to download first?
When a friend visiting Korea for the first time asks what apps they should download, what do you all say? Maps, taxis, translation, payments… Recommendations vary from person to person, so I’d like to put them together a
Poll
The app you tell them to download first
Pick one to see the results
0 2Writing your first formula brief for a Korean ODM: what to include
A clear brief saves weeks of back-and-forth. Manufacturers see many vague briefs ("like product X but better"), so a structured one stands out.
0 1Things to Prepare Before Your First Cosmetics Brand OEM/ODM Meeting
When you’re preparing to launch your first brand, the most daunting question is, “What should I bring to the manufacturer?” To keep the meeting moving quickly, it’s better to come prepared with numbers rather than concep
0 3To start a cosmetics brand, you need to register as a “responsible cosmetics distributor” — how this differs from manufacturing
To distribute cosmetics under your own brand in Korea, you need to register as a responsible cosmetics distributor. This also applies if you outsource manufacturing instead of making the products yourself.
0 1First solo trip to Seoul as a woman who speaks no Korean: what did others say?
A woman planning her first solo trip asked on the Tripadvisor Seoul forum: will Seoul be hard to get around without Korean? She planned a taxi from the airport and organised day tours, and wanted to know which area to st
0 0Early flight home from Incheon: move hotels the last night, or not?
A question that pops up again and again: your flight leaves early in the morning, and your hotel is in the middle of Seoul. Do you switch hotels for the final night? The options people usually weigh Stay put and leave ve
0 02023 Seoul Hallyu Travel Guide “Person:able Seoul”
When deciding to travel and choosing a destination, the most common next step is gathering information about the place. Travelers search for what kind of city it is, must-see attractions, foods, and shopping items. Thoug
0 0Gloshell Arrives at ANZ Pharmacy in Seongsu
Gloshell now has an offline stop in Seongsu. The Squalane Melt Lip Balm and 3 Second Skinbooster Serum are available to see at ANZ Pharmacy, so you can check the products in person instead of relying only on product page
0 0Why Your Face Feels Tight Just Minutes After Cleansing (When You Feel Dehydrated Skin)
Your face feels refreshed the moment you pat it dry with a towel after cleansing. But by the time you’ve dried your hair, gone to your room, and started your skincare routine, your face already feels tight. Your skin loo
0 0Can an influencer's beauty brand beat a big lab's products?
On Blind, a Korean workplace forum, someone asked a blunt question. Plenty of influencers expand into cosmetics or supplements. Can a personal brand really outdo products from a big company with hundreds of researchers?
0 1Staying in Jongno: Jongno 3-ga or 5-ga, and would you book a Korean motel?
A first-timer on the Tripadvisor Seoul forum had settled on Jongno and was choosing between two private-room stays, one near Jongno 3-ga station and one near Jongno 5-ga. The second had the nicer room, but they had read
0 0Apgujeong Rodeo Street: how to shop Seoul's original luxury-fashion beauty district
Across the street from Galleria Department Store's Luxury Hall runs an L-shaped strip about 422 meters long: Apgujeong Rodeo Street. It got its name from Beverly Hills' Rodeo Drive, and it became Korea's first real fashi
0 0Going in just for a haircut: should you wash your hair first?
A small but surprisingly divisive question came up in DCInside's hairstyle gallery. The poster had washed their hair right before bed, so it shouldn't smell. Can they just get up, go for a cut and wash afterwards? Isn't
0 0Why does my fringe come out S-shaped after a round-brush blow-dry?
A question from DCInside's hairstyle gallery: the poster used to round-brush their fringe and it would fall nice and straight, but lately it keeps kinking into an S shape. Should they start blow-drying while it's wetter?
0 0How to Choose a Hydrating Serum, and How Is It Different from a Hydrating Ampoule?
Serums, ampoules, essences. They have different names, but they all come in similar bottles, and they all say “hydrating.” It’s only natural to be confused about what to buy. To get straight to the point, the full ingred
0 0Haus Nowhere Dosan (formerly Haus Dosan): Gentle Monster, Tamburins and Nudake in one building
Right next to Dosan Park stands a five-story, board-formed concrete building known as Haus Nowhere Dosan. It used to be called simply "Haus Dosan," but once sister locations opened in Shanghai, Shenzhen, Seoul's Seongsu-
0 0Is Live Commerce Still Worth It for New Beauty Brands?
As more cases of generating sales in one go through live broadcasts have become widely known, many teams are considering livestreams from their very first product. However, there’s more to prepare than you might expect.
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