Ginseng
06 March 2025
Even since Korean BB-creams emerged in the global market in 2011, the Korean has grown to become a powerhouse in the global beauty industry1,2. According to South Korea’s ministry, South Korea was the third largest exporter of cosmetics after France and the United States in 20232. The exports of cosmetics from South Korea topped 10 trillion won in 2021 and 2022; and the growth of Korea’s beauty industry K-beauty looks poised to continue in 2024 and beyond3.
Update March 2025: Besides Olive Young and K-beauty pop ups, pharmacies in South Korea are becoming THE place for coveted, doctor-approved, OTC skincare viral on on TikTok. Read all about them in Viral Korean Pharmacy Skincare Review.
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What makes K-beauty so popular globally? Could it be the fun and trendy packaging of Korean cosmetics, their elegant textures and the soft power of its hallyu wave? The answer is likely to be a combination of all these factors and the use of new and traditional active ingredients, advanced by innovative formulas and ongoing research and development. Case in point: AmorePacific, South Korea’s largest beauty conglomerate, has R&D centers in Seoul and around the world to harness innovation from new and traditional Korean medicinal ingredients such as ginseng and green tea. AmorePacific also has ongoing collaboration with researchers from around the world including Singapore’s A*STAR and Johns Hopkins Department of Dermatology in the US.
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With so many Korean skincare and makeup products trending right now, it can be challenging to discern what would work for your skin. Here’s a review of the most popular and commonly used active ingredients in K-beauty that will help you discern the skincare products for your skin.
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One ingredient that is growing steadily in popularity in Korea skincare is heartleaf. Heartleaf toners, serums and toner pads from K-beauty brands like Abib, Anua and Mixsoon were among the most popular releases in Korea in 2023.
Long before heartleaf became trendy in skincare, the herb was already used in Asian medicine for treating a variety of ailments in the lungs, liver and kidneys4. Heartleaf is also known as Houttuynia cordata; and is also called fish mint because of its fishy scent4,5.
Heartleaf extract contains flavonoids, polyphenols, and other bioactive compounds which confer diverse benefits5. Some of the mentioned benefits of heartleaf skincare include antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and oil control benefits.
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Another herb that is still sprouting up in K-beauty is mugwort. This plant is native to many Asian and European countries. Like heartleaf, mugwort also has a long medicinal history in Korea and Asia. Mugwort is often consumed as tea in Korea to ease period cramps; and its use has been modernised with mugwort lattes and desserts.
Mugwort is from the Artemisia family of plants; which contain a number of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effect6,7. Cell studies indicate that mugwort may be useful for users with dry skin and eczema8. Based on its pharmacology, mugwort may also be useful in soothing irritated skin and providing antioxidant benefits. Some mugwort skincare brands also claim that mugwort strengthens skin barrier function.
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Some of the popular mugwort skincare currently are Round Lab Mugwort Calming Moisturizer, I’m From Mugwort Essence and Isntree Mugwort Calming Ampoule.
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Rice water’s popularity skyrocketed in 2023; after several videos by TikTok creators claiming that “rice water hack” gave them instant glass skin went viral. Not to be confused with the famed Pitera, the postbiotic filtrate from fermented rice that is proprietary to Japanese skincare brand, SK-II; rice water is regarded as the fluid obtained from soaking or boiling rice that is often discarded during the cooking process.
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In most skincare products, you’ll find that “rice water” is commonly listed as “Oryza sativa (rice) extract”. Rice bran, or the outer hull of rice, contains a number of bioactive compounds including essential lipids such as phytosterols, policosanol, γ-linolenic, linoleic, and oleic acids9. These ingredients may offer moisturising and barrier strengthening benefits to the skin. In-vitro studies have also found that rice bran extracts can inhibit hair loss; hence their popularity as rinse in Asian cultures9.
Clinical trials evaluating the dermatological benefits of rice bran are scarce, but that has not deterred rice bran skincare from becoming K-beauty chart toppers. Some of the popular rice water skincare products include Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun: Rice + Probiotics sunscreen, I’m From – Rice Toner, Haruharu WONDER Black Rice Hyaluronic Toner and Thank You Farmer Rice Pure Essential Toner.
A perennial favourite of hanbang skincare for treating wrinkles and dark spots is ginseng. Ginseng is also a superfood that is used commonly in herbal soups (ginseng chicken soup, anyone?), supplements for a wide range of health benefits.
The biological effects of ginseng are due to several active ingredients in the root such as ginsenosides, polysaccharides, peptides, phytosterols10,11. Of these active ingredients, ginsenosides are the major bioactive component12. Ginsenosides have been shownt o increase collagen levels and lighten hyperpigmentation to resist the skin’s natural aging processes10,13-16. The fruits of ginseng, ginseng berries, also contain ginsenosides and other active compounds such as vitamin E, and syringaresinol17. Syringaresinol has been found to lighten hyperpigmentation and provide antioxidant benefits to the skin; making the fruit another promising ingredient for anti-aging skincare17.
One Korean skincare brand that is well known for its ginseng skincare as well as its commitment towards research and development of traditional Korean ingredients is Sulwhasoo. The brand also has a dedicated ginseng lineup called the Ginseng Renewing for fans of ginseng. My personal favourite from Sulwhasoo is the First Care Activating Serum- BlackPink fans will know that Rose has fronted the campaign for this product. I like that my skin felt smoother after using it; and it layered with the rest of my skincare without any issues. Sulwhasoo’s Ultimate S Cream, also contains ginsengosides and syringoresinol from ginseng berries; and the brand has said to increase the concentration of syringaresinol its products through Sulwhasoo’s proprietary incubating process.
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If the propolis does not sound familiar to you, then “bee glue” as propolis is colloquially known might ring a bell. Propolis is the thick, sticky substance that holds bee hives together; and is also another popular ingredient that features frequently in Korean skincare.
Propolis contains at least 300 active ingredients including phenolic acids, flavonoids, minerals, vitamins and enzymes18-22. Thanks to these components, propolis has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and wound healing benefits23. Propolis also has been found to protect against UV rays and are great pairings with sunscreens24. Some of the popular propolis containing K-beauty skincare include CNP Laboratory Propolis Energy Ampule, COSRX Full Fit Propolis Light Ampoule and Beauty of Joseon Glow Serum : Propolis + Niacinamide.
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References:
1. Meltzer M. South Korea Exports Its Glow. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/30/fashion/skin-care-products-from-south-korea-catch-on-in-united-states.html?
2. South Korea – Country Commercial Guide. https://www.trade.gov/country-commercial-guides/south-korea-cosmetics
3. Value of cosmetics exported from South Korea from 2014 to 2022. Statistica. https://www.statista.com/statistics/781147/south-korea-cosmetics-export-value/
4. Houttuynia cordata Thunb: An Ethnopharmacological Review. Wu et al. Front Pharmacol. 2021; 12: 714694.
5. Bioactive alkaloids from the aerial parts of Houttuynia cordata. Ma et al. J Ethnopharmacol. 2017 Jan 4:195:166-172.
6. Chemopreventive effects of standardized ethanol extract from the aerial parts of Artemisia princeps Pampanini cv. Sajabal via NF-κB inactivation on colitis-associated colon tumorigenesis in mice. Chung et al. Food Chem Toxicol. 2015 Jan:75:14-23.
7. Antioxidant and anticancer activity of Artemisia princeps var. orientalis extract in HepG2 and Hep3B hepatocellular carcinoma cells. Choi et al. Chin J Cancer Res. 2013 Oct;25(5):536-43.
8. Antioxidant Artemisia princeps Extract Enhances the Expression of Filaggrin and Loricrin via the AHR/OVOL1 Pathway. Hirano et al. Int J Mol Sci. 2017 Sep; 18(9): 1948.
9. A Systematic Review: Application of Rice Products for Hair Growth. Hashemi et al. J Drugs Dermatol.. 2022 Feb 1;21(2):177-185.
10. Panax ginseng pharmacology: a nitric oxide link. Gillis. Biochem Pharmacol. 1997 Jul 1;54(1):1-8.
11. Ginseng pharmacology: multiple constituents and multiple actions. Attele et al. Biochem Pharmacol. 1999 Dec 1;58(11):1685-93.
12. Proof of the mysterious efficacy of ginseng: basic and clinical trials: metabolic activation of ginsenoside: deglycosylation by intestinal bacteria and esterification with fatty acid. Hasegawa. J Pharmacol Sci. 2004 Jun;95(2):153-7.
13. Syringaresinol Reverses Age-Related Skin Atrophy by Suppressing FoxO3a-Mediated Matrix Metalloproteinase-2 Activation in Copper/Zinc Superoxide Dismutase-Deficient Mice. Kim et al. J Invest Dermatol. 2019 Mar;139(3):648-655.
14. Experimental study on anti-aging effect of Ginsenosides on skin of the aging model mice induced by D-galactose. Wang et al. Academic Journal of Guangdong College of Pharmacy, 01 Jan 2003, 9(1):25-27
15. Effects of Red Ginseng extract on ultraviolet B-irradiated skin change in C57BL mice. Kim et al. Phytother Res. 2008 Nov;22(11):1423-7.
16. Enzyme-modified Panax ginseng inhibits UVB-induced skin aging through the regulation of procollagen type I and MMP-1 expression. Hwang et al. Food Funct. 2014 Feb;5(2):265-74.
17. Effects of Korean ginseng berry on skin antipigmentation and antiaging via FoxO3a activation. Kim et al. J Ginseng Res. 2017 Jul; 41(3): 277–283.
18. Biological and pharmacological activities. Therapeutic uses of this bee-product. Castro. ARBS Ann. Rev. Biomed. Sci. 2001;3:49–83.
19. Antiviral activity and mode of action of propolis extracts and selected compounds. Schnitzler Phytother. Res. 2010;24:20–28.
20. Structure and antioxidant activity of polyphenols derived from propolis. Kurek-Górecka. Molecules. 2013;19:78–101.
21. Free radical scavenging activity of drops and spray containing propolis—An EPR examination. Molecules. 2017;22:128.
22. Important developments in Romanian propolis research. Mărghitaş. Evid. Based Compl. Altern. Med. 2013
23. Bee Products in Dermatology and Skin Care. Kurek-Górecka et al. Molecules. 2020 Feb; 25(3): 556.
24. Natural products as photoprotection. Nisakorn. J. Cosmet. Dermatol. 2015;14:47–63.
