Review: Beauty of Joseon Dynasty Cream versus Red Bean Water Gel

For the uninitiated, Beauty of Joseon is a skincare brand from South Korea that uses traditional Hanbang or herbal ingredients for its products. Hanbang has a very important role in traditional Korean medicine (TKM), or Oriental Medicine. Simply put, Korea has TKM and we have Ayurveda, both focussing on holistic healing. I can go on and on about this, but let’s just focus on product review!

 

Beauty of Joseon Dynasty Cream

(50 ml for $24; price varies from Rs 1300 to Rs 1800 in India)

The Dynasty cream was apparently the first product from Beauty of Joseon and probably their highest selling product till now. It’s a simple, no-fuss moisturiser but packs a punch when it comes to ingredients, with 29% rice bran water, 5% ginseng root water, 2% niacinamide, 2% squalane. It also contains oils for all the required occlusiveness, if you are prone to transepidermal water loss.

Ingredients

Water, Oryza Sativa (rice) Bran Water, Glycerin, Panax Ginseng Root Water, Hydrogenated polydecene, 1,2-Hexanediol, Niacinamide, Squalane, Butylene glycol, Propanediol, Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, Cetearyl Olivate, Sorbitan Olivate, Ammonium acryloyldimethyltaurate/VP Copolymer, Xanthan Gum, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Tromethamine, Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower) Seed Oil, Hydrogenated Coconut Oil, Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer, Ethylhexylglycerin, Adenosine, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Disodium EDTA, Hyaluronic Acid, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate, Honey Extract, Ceramide NP, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Coptis Japonica Root Extract, Raphanus Sativus (Radish) Seed Extract, Lycium Chinense Fruit Extract, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Extract, Phellinus Linteus Extract, Dextrin, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract

(Essential oil free, fragrance free, cruelty free)

This comes in a frosted glass jar, minimal and chic, with its own little spatula (that I never use 😊). The Dynasty cream is pretty light when it comes to consistency, almost in a cream-gel form. Despite being this light, it is highly moisturising and hydrating. You need only a little as it spreads easily bursting into water. It almost glides on your skin! If you have used those Korean water creams, you will know.

Now, if you have dry or oily skin, you will love it. It can be a very good night cream for oily skin people in winters. Dry skin people will need something to layer it with, but it will work beautifully. It absorbs wonderfully, although it does feel a little sticky for the first few minutes after application.

But if you have combo skin, I don’t think you are going to enjoy it much as in summers, it will be too oily for you, specially if you happen to live in a place that is hot and humid. In winters, it won’t give you enough moisture. Also, if your skin doesn’t respond well to coconut oil, this may give you acne, as happened in my case. Although I love this cream for its consistency and quality ingredients, this just doesn’t work for me, irrespective of the seasons I use this in. The T-zone just gets oily way too quickly with this. I just wish they had come out with a gel version of the Dynasty cream.

Beauty of Joseon Red Bean Gel

(100 ml for $18, from Rs 1100 to Rs 1500 in India)

This is a comparatively newer addition to their moisturiser range. This was developed specially for oily skin folks targeting sebum secretion. The ingredient list is pretty impressive, with 44% Haenam red bean extract and peptide complex.

Ingredients

Phaseolus angularis seed extract (441,000 ppm), water, butylene glycol, glycerin, 1,2-hexanediol, methyl trimethicone, acrylates/c10-30 alkyl acrylate crosspolymer, tromethamine, glyceryl glucoside, c12-14 alketh-12, maltodextrin, ammonium acryloyldimethyltaurate/vp copolymer, dimethicone/vinyl dimethicone crosspolymer, dimethicone crosspolymer, ethylhexylglycerin, betaine, panthenol, allantoin, dipotassium glycyrrhizate, polyquaternium-51, xanthan gum, disodium edta, glyceryl acrylate/acrylic acid copolymer, dioscorea japonica root extract, glucose, sodium citrate, beta-glucan, hydrolyzed corn starch, citric acid, sucrose, caprylyl glycol, helianthus annuus (sunflower) seed oil, tocopherol, cyanocobalamin, glycine, serine, glutamic acid, magnesium ascorbyl phosphate, aspartic acid, leucine, acetyl hexapeptide-8, alanine, lysine, arginine, tyrosine, phenylalanine, proline, threonine, valine, isoleucine, histidine, cysteine, methionine, sh-oligopeptide-1, sh-oligopeptide-2, sh-polypeptide-1

(Essential oil free, fragrance free, cruelty free)

left: red bean water gel; right: dynasty cream

Now this is something that people with all skin types are going to love! A combination skin dream, this gel cream, comes in a pretty pink fliptop tube. Beauty of Joseon packaging is always aesthetically pleasing, I must say. The texture is light, absorbs quickly and completely, and leaves no sticky residue. About the sebum control claim, I definitely see less clogged pores on my nose. My t-zone becomes an oil-producing factory in summers, so I can’t put the blame on a moisturiser!

Ingredient-wise, it majorly consists of red bean extract. Red bean extract is known to absorb oil and act as a natural exfoliant. Saponins present in red beans have antioxidant effects and protect the skin from UV damage.

Apart from the red bean extract, it has some amazing ingredients. Panthenol, beta-glucan, magnesium ascorbyl phosphate (a form of vitamin C), amino acids, etc. make this a stunning skincare product. The addition of polypeptides takes this formulation to another level as we also have acetyl hexapeptide-8, often called botox in a jar, and sh-oligopeptide-1, sh-oligopeptide-2, sh-polypeptide-1 that stimulate cell proliferation and wound healing.

If I compare the Dynasty Cream and Red Bean Water Gel, I like the red bean gel better for all the good reasons: the price, effective ingredients, no unnecessary fillers, a light gel, but not too light that your skin needs added moisture.

Also, for me, Red Bean Gel is a versatile product that I can use in a number of ways: as a quick cooling pack, as a primer (it’s great under makeup), adding a couple of drops of oil to make it more moisturising, and so on.

It's a complete winner for me!