Charlotte Cho spends at least one third of the year in Seoul, South Korea researching trends and beauty products for Soko Glam, an e-commerce website curating the best in K-Beauty. Founded in 2012 with husband David K. Choi, the New York-based Soko Glam has transformed into one of the best-known e-retailers of Korean beauty brands in the U.S. Cho’s keen eye for spotting trends and wealth of knowledge (she’s also a licensed aesthetician, FYI) makes her the perfect person to tap into for the best K-beauty intel. Fresh off a recent trip to Seoul, she shares her top beauty stopovers in the city.
What to buy: Sheet masks! There are so many to choose from and you can never have enough.
Treatments to try: When going to Korea, you should definitely look into receiving traditional therapies such as cupping, steamed herbal wrapping and acupuncture to promote circulation in your body. Your skin will actually reap the benefits of better circulation, since it is your largest organ.
Favourite new beauty brand: Tambourins is a new beauty brand by Gentle Monster that launched this year. The packaging is beautiful and I love how they tell the story of their brand through art, music and dance. I consider it a sophisticated brand that fuses beauty and design together so tastefully. They only have a hand cream and a moisturizer for now, but I look forward to seeing what and how they will launch future products.
Favourite spa: A popular all-women’s Korean bathhouse I frequent is called Spa Lei. I get a body scrub. I feel 10 pounds lighter and my skin feels baby smooth after my whole body is exfoliated.
Dermatologist: I frequently visit Oracle Clinic, a dermatology clinic in Seoul. There are about 40 locations in Seoul, and they also are expanding in Asia. I love coming here because it’s where the locals frequent! It’s usually packed every day of the week with men and women who care about the health of their skin. In the U.S, you typically visit a dermatologist for a major issue or skin concern. In Korea, getting a checkup or assessment at a clinic such as Oracle is a common occurrence, even when there isn’t something you’re looking to “fix.” Similar to how you schedule a regular teeth cleaning at the dentist!
Makeup artist: My favourite makeup artists are Son Dae Sik and Park Tae Yun. They’re well-known makeup artists in Korea who’ve worked with every A-list celebrity in Korea and popularized the no-makeup, makeup look.
Manicurist: I’m sure you’ve heard of Park Eun Kyung, the Korean nail artist who is known for popularizing the latest nail design trends such as bracelet nails and glass nails. She has a salon in Cheungdamn, Seoul called Unistella that everyone must visit! Everything she offers is out of the ordinary and very unique. The last time I was at her salon, I got a massive teal jewel on my thumb with complimentary matte gel polish and I received compliments for weeks!
Hair salon: If you want unicorn hair like the ultra-chic Korean model Irene Kim, I highly recommend visiting her stylist, Sunwoo Kim. He’s been colouring her hair since the beginning and she’s had beautiful, vibrant colours as a result. He just opened up his very first salon called Woosun. I’ve gotten my hair coloured and cut by Sunwoo several times, and he’s a genius colourist! For a quick, inexpensive cut and blow-out, I recommend visiting the popular hair chain called Juno. A cut and blowout won’t be more than $50 (USD).
Fragrance: Korea is not really well-known for its fragrances. It has a lot of the international, Western brands such as Jo Malone. However, I’m noting that more brands such as Innisfree are offering more fragrance options. I picked up a fragrance called Hallabong from Innisfree a few years ago that I still use today.
Where to shop: You can’t shop in Seoul without stopping by multi-branded beauty retailers such as Olive Young or LOHBS. They carry a wide variety of popular and up-and-coming beauty products from international and Korean brands. I love how you can shop by category (cleansing, moisturizing, sunscreen, etc) and also by brand. There are so many free samples, deals and discounts that you’ll leave the store with much more than you expected!
There are also tons of beauty shops in Garosugil, nestled between all the chic coffee shops and clothing boutiques. In Garosugil, you can check out concept shops for Skinfood, 3CE, Dr. Jart and more. In Myeongdong, another beauty mecca of Seoul, you can check out the Etude House Color Factory, and the Innisfree and Olive Young flagship.
