Review: Beauty of Joseon Calming Serum (Green Tea+Panthenol) 

Just like Pyunkang Yul, Beauty of Joseon is another K-Beauty skincare brand that is all about hanbang (한방). For those that are not familiar with the term, hanbang stands for Korean traditional medicine. These brands formulate their products by combining traditional herbal medicine ingredients with more modern ingredients and technologies. You’ve probably come across the 3 serums from Beauty of Joseon on social media as the bottles are so aesthetically pleasing. I wanted to try them all, but thought to buy the Calming Serum first and then decide whether I’d like to try the other 2 – The Glow Serum: Propolis+Niacinamide and the Repair Serum : Ginseng+Snail Mucin. They sound so good, right?

What is the Beauty of Joseon Calming Serum?

The Beauty of Joseon Calming Serum is a lightweight serum aiming to help with skin calming, soothing, moisturizing and brightening. The formula contains Green Tea Leaf Water 76.49% + Panthenol 2%, as well as Centella asiatica extract, Artemisia vulgaris (mugwort) extract and Sodium hyaluronate. It comes in a 30 ml plastic dropper bottle.

Application

Apply 3-4 drops of the serum after cleansing or your toner step and lightly massage it into the skin until fully absorbed. I personally layer a toner under it for added hydration.

Consistency

The texture is very light, but has a bit of viscosity which helps it spread and apply easily.

Performance

The serum is on the watery side, but has a beautiful slip to it and I really enjoy applying this on my face. Afterwards, it feels sticky for about 30 seconds or 1 minute max, depending on how much you have applied. I’ve noticed that most products containing Centella Asiatica have this tacky finish once applied, but it goes away quickly. It then becomes soft and the serum is almost undetectable on the skin. The glow it leaves is very subtle and skin looks healthy, overall. Therefore, I think oily skin types will enjoy using it and it will be great during summer, as well. The good thing is it won’t interfere with your makeup!

I didn’t feel much hydration when my skin was particularly dehydrated, but using it at the serum step was completely fine. That’s the beauty of layering! To clarify, when I try a new product I always test it on its own after cleansing a couple of times. I do this to see whether they’ll break me out or how they sit on the skin. The Be Plain Cicaful Ampoule feels more hydrating than this serum, but I feel like the Calming Serum soothes my skin a bit better.

Because it reduces the redness on my skin and inflammation, my face appears more even toned. It’s supposed to also brighten the skin and although I didn’t notice any significant brightening, there is a subtle difference after consistent use. I’m still halfway through the bottle as I write this review so I hope to get better results when it’s emptied. Not expecting a miracle, but considering the ingredients (green tea) it sounds promising in this regard.

I love that this contains 76.49% green tea leaf water, which provides anti-ageing, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits! Catechins which are a family of phenolic antioxidants are abundant in green tea and protect the skin against attack from UV radiation-induced free radicals. Panthenol 2% (pro-Vitamin B5) as a humectant to help moisturize and maintain a healthy skin barrier (one of the goodies included in the Round Lab 1025 Dokdo Toner that I reviewed a few weeks ago). Centella Asiatica and Mugwort are also included in this formula to offer skin calming & soothing properties.

The serum has a faint green tea scent which I like. It didn’t break me out or irritate my skin. As the consistency is so light it didn’t affect my makeup in any way.

Ingredients

The Calming Serum contains Green tea leaf water 76.49% + Panthenol 2%.
Artemisia Vulgaris Extract (Mugwort), Centella Asiatica Extract, Propolis Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate (Hyaluronic Acid) and more.

The formula is alcohol-free, fragrance & essential oil-free.

Camellia Sinensis Leaf Water, Water, Methylpropanediol, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Centella Asiatica Extract, Panthenol, Pentylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Chondrus Crispus Extract, Saccharum Officinarum (Sugarcane) Extract, Artemisia Vulgaris Extract, Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, MeliaAzadirachta Flower Extract, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Extract, Propolis Extract, Diethoxyethyl lSuccinate, Betaine, Octanediol, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Allantoin, Sodium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Tromethamine, Ethylhexylglycerin, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Polyquaternium-51, Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer, Sodium Phytate, Dextrin, Tocopherol

Final Verdict

This is a really lightweight serum that you can use morning and night to calm and soothe your skin. Great for oily skin types as it doesn’t make the skin greasy and won’t affect your makeup. The formula is made up of so many goodies and it leaves out potential irritants like alcohol, fragrance & essential oils for those that can be sensitive to them. As I mentioned, it won’t be enough if you’re looking for a hydrating serum, depending on how dry your skin is. Now I’d like to try the other two serums: the Glow Serum and the Repair Serum as I love niacinamide and snail mucin. But, I’m more intrigued by the Repair Serum, so I’d love to get this one next.

Where to buy: If you’re interested in purchasing the Calming Serum, you can find it at Yesstyle* currently for $14.90, but it’s also often on sale at Stylevana* and Jolse* for even less.

Have you tried any of the serums from Beauty of Joseon? Please let me know in the comments~!

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