Is Beauty of Joseon Actually Worth The Hype?

The Brand That TikTok Made

If you have spent any time on the skincare side of TikTok between 2023 and 2026, you have seen a small white bottle of Relief Sun: Rice + Probiotics SPF50+ pass across your feed at least 50 times. The hashtag for Beauty of Joseon has accumulated 1.7 billion views on TikTok. The brand's products feature in 16 of the top 20 sunscreen videos on the platform. The Relief Sun has become the most-recommended Korean SPF among British twenty-somethings.

In 2020, the brand generated $83,000 in revenue. In 2023, that figure was $116.7 million. In 2024, the projection was $250 million. That is roughly a three-thousand-fold increase in revenue in four years. Beauty businesses do not usually grow at that velocity. Beauty of Joseon did, and most of the growth came from outside Korea.

The brand sits at a curious intersection. It markets itself with Korean dynastic heritage (the name "조선미녀" translates roughly to "Beauty of Joseon"; the Joseon Dynasty ruled Korea from 1392 to 1897; and the brand cites the Donguibogam, a historic Joseon-era medical text, as inspiration for its hanbang-ingredient formulations). It charges accessible mid-affordable prices (most products on Sephora UK are £11 to £18). It is mostly plant-based but not strictly vegan. And it is owned by Goodai Global (a Korean K-beauty holding company) since January 2019.

This is the honest UK review of where Beauty of Joseon sits in 2026, what is genuinely worth buying, and what gets quietly elided in the heritage marketing.

Where Beauty of Joseon Came From (And Where It Sits Now)

Beauty of Joseon launched in 2010 in South Korea with a small range of hanbang-influenced products inspired by Korean traditional medicine. For most of its first decade, the brand was a quiet, niche K-beauty player. Sales were modest. International recognition was minimal.

In January 2019, the brand was acquired by Goodai Global, a K-beauty export and distribution company started in 2017 by Juhyuck Cheun, who is described in some sources as a Beauty of Joseon co-founder. Beauty of Joseon was Goodai's first acquisition. The acquisition was effectively a vehicle to professionalise the brand's international distribution and reformulate the product range for export markets.

Following the acquisition, Beauty of Joseon was reformulated, repackaged, and relaunched. The current product range (the Relief Sun, the Glow Serum, the Calming Serum, the Dynasty Cream, and the rest of what is currently on the Sephora UK shelf) dates from this post-2019 relaunch period. The brand that went viral on TikTok is, in product terms, a different brand from the one that quietly existed from 2010 to 2018.

Goodai Global has since acquired several other Korean beauty brands: TirTir (June 2024, the viral cushion makeup brand), Serin Company, and Skinfood (the legacy Korean skincare brand from 1957). Goodai's reported revenue for 2024 was ₩330.9 billion (~$225 million), with approximately 90% generated overseas. Goodai has signalled IPO ambitions amid the K-beauty stock rally on the Korean KOSPI in 2025-2026.

The current public face of Beauty of Joseon is Sumin Lee, who has appeared on the Glossy podcast and in Business of Fashion coverage as the brand's spokesperson and operational lead.

What this means in practical 2026 terms: Beauty of Joseon is not an indie brand. It is a flagship subsidiary of an acquisitive K-beauty holding company with multi-brand portfolio ambitions and IPO planning underway. The "small Korean heritage brand drawing on dynastic medical wisdom" marketing story is true historically. It is not what the corporate structure looks like in 2026.

What Beauty of Joseon Actually Is

The brand sells roughly 18 products on Sephora UK, currently all on a 20% off promotional discount at the time of writing. The full range across the brand's own website and other UK retailers (Boots, Cult Beauty, Lookfantastic) is somewhat larger. The product structure is organised around a small number of recurring lines anchored by Korean traditional ingredients.

The major lines:

- Relief Sun (SPF range): Rice + Probiotics SPF50+ (£12.80 on Sephora UK), Aqua-Fresh Rice + B5 SPF50+ (£12.80), Daily Tinted Fluid Sunscreen SPF30 PA+++ (£13.60, 12 shade options), Dayscreen Moisturizer SPF 30 (£17.60), Matte Sun Stick: Mugwort + Camellia (£15.60). The SPF range is the brand's commercial engine.
- Glow Serums: Glow Serum (Propolis + Niacinamide, £11.20, "Hot On Social" badge), Glow Deep Serum (Rice + Alpha Arbutin, £14.40). The Glow Serum is the most-loved non-SPF product in the range.
- Revive (anti-ageing) range: Revive Serum (Ginseng + Snail Mucin, £11.20), Revive Eye Serum (Ginseng + Retinal, £13.60), Revive Under Eye Patches (Ginseng + Retinal, £13.60). Note the snail mucin in the Revive Serum.
- Calming Serum (Green Tea + Panthenol, £11.20). The third "essential" alongside Glow Serum and Relief Sun in most starter routines.
- Hanbang heritage products: Dynasty Cream (£17.60), Ginseng Essence Water (£16), Ginseng Cleansing Oil (£16, the cult cleanser), Red Bean Refreshing Pore Mask (£10.40), Red Bean Water Gel (£16), Ground Rice and Honey Glow Mask (£13.60).

The pricing is the most accessible of any brand we have reviewed in this magazine. Most products are £10 to £18. A complete Beauty of Joseon skincare routine (cleanser, serum, moisturiser, SPF) lands at roughly £40 to £60 even before any promotional discounting. By comparison, a comparable COSRX routine is around £75 to £100, and a Korean-American Glow Recipe routine is around £100 to £130.

What Beauty of Joseon Gets Right

1. The Relief Sun deserves the cult status. The Rice + Probiotics SPF50+ is, on its own merits, a genuinely well-formulated Korean chemical sunscreen. It delivers SPF50+ PA++++ (the highest UVA rating, four pluses). It absorbs without leaving a white cast on most skin tones. It feels lightweight enough to wear all day under makeup. It contains rice extract and probiotic-fermented ingredients that contribute mild brightening and barrier-supportive benefits. At £12.80 on a 20% off promotion (£16 regular), it is one of the best price-to-performance daily SPF buys on Sephora UK. The cult is justified.

2. The accessibility tier is genuinely accessible. Most products are under £18. This is the cheapest premium-feeling K-beauty range on Sephora UK by some margin. The packaging design is consistently good. The Korean calligraphy branding feels intentional rather than cheap. For shoppers who want K-beauty heritage at an accessible price, this is the most viable option in the category.

3. The Glow Serum (Propolis + Niacinamide) is competent at £11.20. The combination of bee propolis (anti-inflammatory, mildly antibacterial) and 2% niacinamide (oil-control, brightening) is a sensible morning serum. At £11.20, it is competitive with The INKEY List Niacinamide and undercut on price only by The Ordinary's 10% Niacinamide at £5. As a starter brightening serum, it earns its place.

4. The shade range on the Daily Tinted Fluid Sunscreen is unexpectedly strong. Twelve shade options across an SPF30 tinted product is more inclusive than most Korean brands, where SPF tinted formulas have historically been limited to two or three light-medium shade options. This matters for British shoppers across the full skin tone spectrum.

5. The Matte Sun Stick is genuinely useful. The Mugwort + Camellia stick formula at £15.60 is convenient for top-up SPF over makeup, on-the-go, or for sensitive eye and lip area. The "non-greasy" claim is broadly accurate.

6. The Ginseng Cleansing Oil is a quietly cult product. At £16 for 210ml, the cleansing oil is a strong-value first cleanse for double cleansers. The texture is light, the rinse-off is clean, and the ginseng infusion is mild rather than strong-smelling.

What Beauty of Joseon Gets Wrong (Or At Least Complicated)

1. The Goodai Global ownership undermines the heritage indie marketing. Beauty of Joseon's 2010 origin story and Donguibogam-inspired hanbang philosophy are real. The brand that exists in 2026 is a flagship subsidiary of a K-beauty conglomerate with IPO ambitions and ₩330.9 billion in annual group revenue. The "small heritage Korean indie" framing is no longer accurate. Whether this matters to you is your call.

2. The Revive Serum contains snail mucin. The brand is mostly plant-based but not strictly vegan. The Revive Serum (Ginseng + Snail Mucin) contains animal-derived snail secretion filtrate. Shoppers buying Beauty of Joseon specifically as a vegan alternative to COSRX should pick the Glow Serum, Calming Serum, Glow Deep Serum, and Relief Sun lines, and skip the Revive range. The brand's marketing does not always make this distinction obvious.

3. The Donguibogam heritage marketing deserves a critical eye. The Donguibogam is a real, UNESCO-recognised 17th-century Korean medical text. Most Beauty of Joseon formulations are modern Korean cosmetic chemistry with rice extract, propolis, ginseng, mugwort, and niacinamide as the main actives. The hanbang philosophy is more aesthetic and ingredient-naming convention than literal medical formulation. This is fine. It is also less mystical than the marketing suggests.

4. The Revive (retinol/anti-ageing) range is underwhelming. The Ginseng + Retinal Eye Serum and Under Eye Patches use retinal (retinaldehyde) at unspecified concentrations. For users serious about retinoid use, Paula's Choice Retinol or The INKEY List Retinol Serum are better-formulated and more transparent on percentages.

5. The Dynasty Cream is the line's most overpriced product. At £17.60 (£22 regular), it is the most expensive item in the range and arguably the least differentiated from generic Korean rich moisturisers at half the price. If you want a single moisturiser from the brand, the Red Bean Water Gel (£16) is the better-value pick for combination skin, and the Calming Serum + a basic moisturiser from elsewhere outperforms Dynasty Cream for sensitive skin.

6. The "Hot On Social" badging is real but slightly cynical. Sephora UK's "Hot On Social" tags appear on Glow Serum, Relief Sun, and Revive Eye Serum. These are genuinely the most-discussed products on TikTok. The badging is also a self-fulfilling prophecy that pushes more first-time shoppers toward the same three SKUs, which then accumulate further social proof. The brand has a much wider product range than the social tags suggest.

A Realistic UK Routine With Beauty of Joseon

For most British shoppers building an accessible, mid-affordable K-beauty skincare routine, Beauty of Joseon is the best entry-level option on Sephora UK in 2026. A sensible starter routine:

- First cleanse: Ginseng Cleansing Oil at £16 (210ml). Strong value, clean rinse.
- Morning serum: Glow Serum (Propolis + Niacinamide) at £11.20. Brightening, lightweight, well-formulated for the price.
- Optional second serum: Calming Serum (Green Tea + Panthenol) at £11.20 if your skin is sensitised or reactive.
- Sunscreen: Relief Sun: Rice + Probiotics SPF50+ at £12.80. The cult product. Wear it daily.

Total starter routine: roughly £50 for four products. With 20% off promotional discounting (currently active on Sephora UK), this drops to closer to £40.

Skip:

- The Revive (snail mucin / retinal) range: better retinoids exist elsewhere, and the snail mucin contradicts the otherwise plant-based positioning
- The Dynasty Cream: overpriced for what it delivers
- The Daily Tinted Fluid Sunscreen: fine, but use the regular Relief Sun unless you specifically want a tinted SPF
- The Red Bean Pore Mask: £10.40 is honest, but the differentiation is minor
- The Matte Sun Stick: useful for top-ups, not essential as a daily SPF

A focused Beauty of Joseon routine (cleansing oil, two serums, SPF) at £40-£50 is the most affordable complete K-beauty routine on Sephora UK shelves.

The Honest Pitch

Beauty of Joseon is, on the products themselves, the most-cult, best-value, most-accessible Korean skincare brand stocked on Sephora UK in 2026. The Relief Sun deserves the viral status. The Glow Serum is genuinely competent at £11.20. The Cleansing Oil is one of the best double-cleanse first steps in its tier. The accessibility-tier pricing across the whole range makes K-beauty viable for British shoppers who would not spend £30 on a Glow Recipe niacinamide serum.

The brand's marketing story of a small heritage Korean indie drawing on dynastic medical wisdom is partial truth. Beauty of Joseon is, in 2026, a flagship subsidiary of Goodai Global, a K-beauty holding company with TirTir, Skinfood, Serin, and IPO ambitions. The product is honest. The corporate framing in the marketing is aspirational rather than literal.

The right move for most British shoppers is to buy three or four Beauty of Joseon heroes (Relief Sun, Glow Serum, Calming Serum, Cleansing Oil) and skip the Revive range and the Dynasty Cream. The brand earns its position on a Sephora UK shelf. The hanbang heritage marketing is something to read with a slightly critical eye.

That, on balance, is the honest verdict.