Ingredient Encyclopedia

INCI name: Oryza Sativa (Rice) Extract

The grain at the centre of Korean daily life, and the source of rice-derived cosmetic ingredients.

INCI name: Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran Extract

The layer around the rice grain, and the source of rice bran oil and rice bran extract.

INCI name: Hordeum Vulgare Extract

The grain of Korean agriculture and everyday cooking, and a source of barley-derived cosmetic ingredients.

INCI name: Coix Lacryma-Jobi Ma-Yuen Seed Extract

The bead-like grain used in East Asian food and herbal traditions, and in some skincare products.

INCI name: Fagopyrum Esculentum Seed Extract

A Korean grain used in food and traditionally in household bedding, whose rutin content is investigated, included for its documented cultural place rather than for a proven cosmetic effect.

INCI name: Glycine Max (Soybean) Seed Extract

The legume at the centre of Korean food culture, and the source of soy-derived cosmetic ingredients.

INCI name: Phaseolus Angularis Seed Extract

The small red bean of Korean food culture, and a source of cleansing and exfoliating ingredients.

INCI name: Panax Ginseng Root Extract

The root herb at the centre of Korean herbal tradition, and a studied cosmetic ingredient.

INCI name: Artemisia Princeps Leaf Extract

A Korean herb associated with food and household care, and used in selected cosmetic extracts.

INCI name: Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract

The root used in Korean herbal medicine, and the source of licorice-derived cosmetic ingredients.

INCI name: Centella Asiatica Extract

A soothing herb recorded in Korean herbal practice, and one of the most familiar calming botanicals in Korean skincare formulation.

INCI name: Houttuynia Cordata Extract

A Korean herbal plant traditionally taken as a tea and applied to troubled, oily-feeling skin, now a common soothing botanical in Korean skincare.

INCI name: Diospyros Kaki Leaf Extract

The leaf of the Korean persimmon tree, long drunk as a tea and now used in Korean skincare for its leaf polyphenols.

INCI name: Nelumbo Nucifera Flower Extract

A plant woven through Korean culture and cooking, whose flower, leaf and root are now also used in modern Korean skincare.

INCI name: Platycodon Grandiflorus Root Extract

A Korean food and tea root whose saponins have been investigated in the laboratory, included for its documented place in Korean daily life rather than for a proven cosmetic effect.

INCI name: Zingiber Officinale (Ginger) Root Extract

A warming Korean kitchen and tea staple whose pungent compounds have been investigated, included for its documented place in Korean daily life rather than for a proven cosmetic effect.

INCI name: Pinus Densiflora Leaf Extract

A pine whose needles have a documented place in Korean household practice, including hair washing, and which carries a real resin-allergy caution.

INCI name: Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract

The tea leaf of Korean daily life, and a studied antioxidant cosmetic ingredient.

INCI name: Ziziphus Jujuba Fruit Extract

A small red date that is a familiar Korean tea and food ingredient, included for its documented cultural place rather than for an established cosmetic effect.

INCI name: Citrus Junos Fruit Extract

A Korean citrus used for tea and household preparations, with a documented culinary tradition and a real handling caution because its peel oils can photosensitise skin.

INCI name: Chrysanthemum Morifolium Flower Extract

A Korean tea flower with a long documented household tradition and a genuine allergy caution, because chrysanthemum belongs to a family of well-known contact allergens.

INCI name: Morus Alba Leaf Extract

A Korean tea and food leaf whose constituents are being investigated for tone-related cosmetic application, recorded for its documented cultural place rather than as an established lightening ingredient.

INCI name: Camellia Japonica Seed Oil

The seed oil of the camellia, associated with East Asian hair and skin practice, including Korea.

INCI name: Perilla Frutescens Seed Oil

A pressed Korean household oil from perilla seeds, long used in cooking and kept at home as a softening oil for skin and hair.

INCI name: Sesamum Indicum (Sesame) Seed Oil

A pressed seed oil that is a Korean kitchen staple and also a documented household hair and skin oil, with the allergy caution its seed genuinely carries.

INCI name: Honey

The bee product used in Korean food and household preparations, and a humectant in cosmetics.

INCI name: Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract

A water-rich fruit extract with a long cosmetic association that is not specifically Korean: classified here as a modern ingredient, not as Korean heritage.

INCI name: Propolis Extract

A bee-made resin used widely in modern skincare and well known as a contact allergen, included as a modern ingredient with that caution stated plainly.

INCI name: Sodium Hyaluronate

A water-binding humectant and one of the best characterised moisturising materials in modern formulation, though its visible plumping effect is temporary.

INCI name: Glycerin

The most widely used humectant in cosmetics and one of the best characterised: it binds water, and its moisturising role is established rather than promised.

INCI name: Beta-Glucan

A polysaccharide used for its calming and water-holding feel, whose evidence comes mostly from other applications rather than from cosmetic skin trials.

INCI name: Sodium Polyglutamate

A fermentation-derived polypeptide humectant that holds water on the surface in a light film, with promising rather than established evidence for its cosmetic role.

INCI name: Trehalose

A small sugar humectant with an excellent scientific record in preserving cells, which is a different claim from hydrating skin, so its cosmetic positions are kept modest.

INCI name: Ceramide NP

Skin-identical barrier lipids and the best-evidenced barrier ingredient class in modern formulation, usually presented in a lipid blend rather than alone.

INCI name: Squalane

A stable, skin-compatible emollient that softens the skin and reduces water loss, widely used in contemporary Korean skincare and makeup.

INCI name: Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter

A rich plant butter that is one of the best characterised emollients, widely used in creams and balms, and best understood as a softening and water-loss-limiting material rather than a treatment.

INCI name: Niacinamide

Vitamin B3: one of the most widely used cosmetic actives in contemporary Korean formulation, with the strongest human evidence behind its barrier support.

INCI name: Panthenol

Provitamin B5, a well-established moisturising and calming ingredient that appears throughout contemporary Korean skincare.

INCI name: Tocopherol

Vitamin E: an emollient and a formulation antioxidant whose role is well characterised, but whose reputation as a wrinkle treatment is not supported by the evidence.

INCI name: 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid

A stabilised vitamin C derivative used for tone-focused routines, with a promising rather than established position because the evidence belongs to this specific derivative.

The peptide class of modern cosmetic ingredients: short chains of amino acids used in formulations focused on firmness, fine lines and the skin barrier.

INCI name: Allantoin

A modern soothing ingredient: a single defined substance used in formulations for skin that feels sensitive or reactive.

INCI name: Adenosine

A modern nucleoside used in formulations positioned for fine lines and firmness, and recognised in Korea as a functional cosmetic ingredient for wrinkle care.

INCI name: Snail Secretion Filtrate

A filtered secretion from snails, used in Korean formulations for moisture and skin comfort, and a material of animal origin with no heritage claim.