Mangosteen & Cream

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Korean Cosmetic Culture

Between the two of us, we’ve done a lot of traveling. As you’ve read in our About Us page, we love observing what beauty means around the world. One of the most fascinating skin care regimens we have seen is in Korea. We marvel at the women’s smooth, flawless, porcelain skin. Our curiosity about their skin care routine was one of our driving factors into starting Mangosteen and Cream. So it only feels natural that our first blog post will delve into a short history of Korean beauty.

No K-Pop star sighting in Gangnam, but Lyn and Stellla are PSYched about
growing the Mangosteen & Cream community with you all!



In traditional Korean society, cosmetics were used for both inner and outer purposes. Koreans used to believe that their outward appearance could affect one’s inner self. This dedication to cosmetics and skin care created a unique culture of cosmetics.

In ancient times, Korean beauty products were made from natural ingredients like apricot and peach oils, with fragrances added from plants and grains. Similar to today, Koreans were all about the brows. They made eye ink from plant ash and soot, used to draw various shapes. Korean skin care products are seen as high-tech products by pretty much all cosmetics experts. Korean women have arguably the most extensive skin-care regimen in the world, applying between 10 and 18 products a day. We have Korean media and entertainment to thank for the breakthrough of Korean beauty products in the US. Korean media icons like Psy (“Gangnam Style”) and the Korean television drama “My Love From Another Star” have catalyzed hallyu, the “Korean Wave” — basically Korean culture crashing over the rest of the world, giving the country a wider opportunity to sell and export its products.

The Korean government is a strong supporter and backer of the beauty industry. This means that we’ll see more innovative beauty trends and products coming out of Korea in the next few years. We’re so excited to watch these trends seep into the customs of Western skin care, and that we’re able to be at the forefront of this movement, sharing these products with our community!

Stella and Lyn
Mangosteen & Cream