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Seasonal redness: Do the “Centella Asiatica (CICA)” products commonly used by Koreans actually work?
CICA refers to ingredients related to Centella Asiatica, which are very common in Korean skincare products and often appear in soothing and repairing products. On ingredient lists, you’ll see things like Centella Asiatic
0 3What is CICA? A roundup of Centella asiatica-derived ingredients
“CICA,” familiar from Korean cosmetics, is used as a general term for ingredients derived from Centella asiatica.
0 1Panthenol and madecassoside: the quiet workhorses in K-beauty "repair" creams
Look at the back of many Korean "repair," "cica" or "barrier" creams and two names show up again and again: panthenol and madecassoside. They're less flashy than PDRN, but they're everywhere for a reason. Panthenol (pro-
0 0"No white cast," they said. Why Anessa still turns some faces ashy
A frustrated post in r/AsianBeauty: after reading that the Anessa Perfect UV Skincare Milk was a holy grail, and even hunting down creators with deeper skin tones who said it left no cast, the poster ordered one straight
0 1Summer's over: a sunscreen post-mortem from a Japanese forum
Every September, Japan's Girls Channel forum gets a "sunscreen reflection meeting" thread. The 2024 edition piled up hundreds of comments grading the summer's sunscreens, and some clear patterns emerged. Here's the round
0 0Not Myeongdong or Hongdae: Tourists Are Heading to CU in Seongsu
CU, the Korean convenience-store chain, has recently become a new must-visit spot for overseas tourists. Located in Seongsu-dong, Seoul, the ‘CU Seongsu Dessert Park Store’ opened in February this year and quickly drew a
0 0Bukchon Hunters’ Curated Souvenir Shopping Playlist
Bukchon is a neighborhood where the atmosphere of old alleys and the individuality of small business owners coexist. Only after meeting the small shops filled with Bukchon’s own craftsmanship, taste, and stories can you
0 0K-Beauty at Its Finest: Flagship Stores
K-beauty refers to Korean cosmetics and Korean makeup methods. Driven by the K-beauty wave, Korea’s cosmetics industry recorded the world’s third-largest exports after France and the United States. The endless appeal of
0 0How to Choose a Highly Moisturizing Lip Balm: Check Just Three Things in the Ingredients List
When you stand in front of the lip balm section, they all say “highly moisturizing” or “hydrating.” It’s hard to tell the difference from the claims on the packaging. In that case, turn the box over and check the ingredi
0 0Seoul Through the Lens of Hollywood Stars
The second installment of the sci-fi series Dune, Dune: Part Two, recently premiered in Korea and quickly became a major hit. With the film’s release, the Dune cast also came to Korea and drew considerable attention. Tim
0 040% beta-glucan or 0.016%? What one serum's label change says about ppm claims
A thread in r/KoreanBeauty that turned into a label-reading lesson. The poster noticed that IUNIK's Beta-Glucan Power Moisture Serum, in its new blue packaging, listed beta-glucan at 160,000 ppb instead of the old 400,00
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