Grain · 한국 전통 뷰티 성분 백과사전
율무yulmu
Job's Tears
The bead-like grain used in East Asian food and herbal traditions, and in some skincare products.
Scientific identification
Coix lacryma-jobi
INCI name: Coix Lacryma-Jobi Ma-Yuen Seed Extract
Korean heritage ingredient
This classification records the context the ingredient is documented in, not where it comes from: a Korean heritage ingredient is one with documented use in Korean practice, while a modern cosmetic ingredient carries no heritage claim. Neither label states that the ingredient originated in Korea.
Skin concerns this profile is offered for
A browsing aid and a statement of cosmetic intent only: it diagnoses nothing and promises no result.
Korean Heritage
Job's tears has associations with East Asian food and herbal traditions. In Korea it is eaten as yulmu rice and drunk as a roasted grain tea, and it is remembered both as a food and as a household remedy.
Traditional uses
- Job's tears eaten as a grain and drunk as a roasted tea
- Job's tears used in household herbal preparations
References
- Coix Lacryma-Jobi Ma-Yuen Seed Extract — labelling name and declared cosmetic function · European Commission CosIng cosmetic ingredient database · https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/
- The cosmetic safety and claims framework this profile is written under · Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 on cosmetic products, consolidated text · https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2009/1223/oj
- Job’s tears (율무) as a recorded Korean materia medica entry and a daily tea · UNESCO Memory of the World register — Donguibogam, the Korean medical text · https://www.unesco.org/en/memory-world
- The botanical and constituent records for Coix lacryma-jobi · PubChem compound database, US National Library of Medicine · https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/#query=Coix%20lacryma-jobi
- Indexed literature on Coix seed extract and skin — the basis for the ratings shown here, not proof that it removes pigmentation · PubMed, US National Library of Medicine · https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Coix%20lacryma-jobi%20extract%20skin
Modern Cosmetic Science
Modern cosmetic applications
- Coix-derived extracts appear in some skincare products
- Job's tears extract is used in skin-conditioning formulations
Coix extracts have been studied in laboratory and food-science work, including work on antioxidant activity. Very few studies apply a Coix extract to human skin, so no cosmetic effect can be established from them.
Benefits & Limitations
Evidence by claim
Every rating applies to ONE claimed benefit. An ingredient is never given a single overall effectiveness score.
Skin-conditioning support in a cosmetic formulation
TraditionalRating approved by an authorized reviewerRating reviewed: the traditional use is documented while direct clinical evidence for this claim is limited, which is what this rating records.
Antioxidant activity studied in Coix-derived extracts
PromisingRating approved by an authorized reviewerRating reviewed: preliminary scientific evidence exists for this cosmetic expectation, which is stated as an expectation rather than a measured result.
What is not claimed
Applying Job's tears does not remove pigmentation and does not cure a skin condition, and no such claim is made here.
Safety & Allergies
- Job's tears is a grain: anyone with a known allergy to it, or to a related grain, should avoid it
- Cosmetic Coix extracts are generally well tolerated; a formulated product should still be patch-tested
Allergens this recipe can carryJob's tears
Related Beauty Rituals
No related beauty ritual is recorded for this ingredient yet.
Professionally formulated products
No professionally formulated product is listed for this ingredient yet.
Job's tears has a documented place in East Asian food and herbal tradition. That association is not evidence that a preparation of it produces a measured change in the skin.
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