Korean Fermented Skincare: A Guide for Australians
Fermented skincare is skincare made with ingredients that have been fermented: broken down by yeasts or bacteria, the same way cabbage becomes kimchi or soybeans become doenjang. It is one of the oldest ideas in Korean beauty, and it comes straight out of the Korean kitchen.
What is fermented skincare?
An ingredient is fermented when microorganisms (usually lactic acid bacteria or yeast) are allowed to work on it for a set time. In skincare that ingredient might be a plant, a grain, or the microorganisms’ own culture broth. On an ingredient list it usually shows up with the word “Ferment” in its name, for example Bifida Ferment Filtrate, Lactobacillus Ferment or Galactomyces Ferment Filtrate. How to read those label names.
Why does fermented skincare come from Korea?
Fermentation is part of everyday Korean life. Kimchi is made every winter in a household ritual called kimjang, which UNESCO added to its list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2013. Soy sauce (ganjang), soybean paste (doenjang) and chilli paste (gochujang) are traditionally aged in earthenware jars called onggi, set out on a stone platform in the yard. Rice wine (makgeolli) is fermented with a grain starter called nuruk. Korean skincare brands borrowed the same patience and the same ingredients.
Is fermented skincare the same as probiotic skincare?
Not quite. “Fermented” describes how an ingredient was made; “probiotic” and “postbiotic” describe what kind of microorganism material is in the product. The three terms, explained.
Which independent Korean brands make fermented skincare?
Three independent Korean brands on jinjja.shop build their products around fermentation, each in a different way.
Roséel: botanicals fermented for 180 days in earthenware jars
Roséel is made by EUNMI Co., Ltd. in Gangneung, Gangwon. Its base is fermented naturally for 180 days in blue earthenware jars, using nine Korean medicinal botanicals (goji berry, honeysuckle, licorice, angelica, gardenia and purslane among them) together with Jeju mugwort. The brand states the fermented complex is patented. The RE+ range on jinjja.shop is a foaming cleanser (A$14.99), toner (A$20.99), serum (A$29.99), cream (A$29.99), eye cream (A$33.00) and a gift-wrapped 4-step set (A$120).
ABELTY: probiotics cultured from temple kimchi
ABELTY’s K-Probiotics Soothing Relief Cream (80 ml, A$30; 2-pack A$55) uses 13 probiotic strains cultured from Korean temple kimchi, a slow ferment made without garlic, onion or fish sauce, including Weissella cibaria extract. What that means.
Dr. Oasis Lab: 81% Bifida Ferment Filtrate
Dr. Oasis Lab’s Supergen Triple Glow Gel Mist (A$39) is 81% Bifida Ferment Filtrate, with T3 Reallagen® and 1% third-generation Biome PDRN. It is a hydrogel spray that settles on the skin as a veil instead of evaporating.
Where can I buy Korean fermented skincare in Australia?
All of the products above are sold in Australian dollars on jinjja.shop, a Brisbane-based marketplace for independent Korean brands. Orders ship from Korea in about 10 to 14 days. Shipping is a flat A$9.90 per order and is free on any order that includes Roséel. Skincare carries a 30-day money-back guarantee.
More on Korean fermentation
- Kimchi in skincare: what “temple kimchi probiotics” means
- Temple kimchi: why Korean Buddhist kimchi has no garlic
- Onggi: the Korean earthenware fermentation jar
- What “Bifida Ferment Filtrate” means on a label
- Fermented vs probiotic vs postbiotic skincare
- Jeju mugwort (ssuk) in Korean skincare
- How long is skincare fermented?
- A fermented skincare gift for Christmas, in Australia
Every fact about a brand on this page comes from that brand’s own material. These are cosmetic products, and nothing on this page is a therapeutic claim.