Get smitten by Charmzone, the latest Korean skincare brand to hit Manila
If it’s South Korean flawlessness that you’re after — starting with a rosy-white, plump complexion with no visible pores — just the usual cleanse, tone, moisturize won’t do. Essences, control creams, and snail mucus may be strange phrases to the uninitiated, but to Korean beauty disciples both new and loyal, adding these makes all the difference. In Seoul, where there are more beauty brands and stores than there are convenience stores, how do you know what actually works?
“We will not make it if it is not different,” Charmzone founder, chairman, and award-winning patent-developing pharmacologist Kwang-Seok Kim says of their products. Kim graced the brand’s recent launch in Manila at the Makati Shangri-La Hotel.
Charmzone Cosmetics is no new kid on the beauty block. It is a 32-year-old Korean skincare brand that started out as a dermatological pharmacy called Pibo Pharmacy located in Jung-gu, Seoul. During Pibo Pharmacy’s prior 20-year operation, Kim analyzed treatment data of over 300,000 patients, which has served as the foundation upon which Charmzone established itself.
Korean Cultural Center director Choong-Suk Oh spoke on the growth of the Korean wave in the Philippines, especially in cosmetics, supporting Charmzone’s reason for expansion to the Philippines. So far, Charmzone is distributed in Japan, China, and Korean Air’s in-flight duty free shopping.
“No plans yet in malls, we’re keeping the standalone style first located in BF Homes Parañaque as well as the direct-selling type of business,” says the brand’s Philippines manager Jin Youp Kim.
Girl group ASHA graced the launch with a song-and-dance performance of their debut single Mr. Liar, as well covers of the latest K-pop hits.
The typical Seoulite can have as many as 10 steps in her regimen for that porcelain white complexion Koreans are known for. Under Charmzone are complete skincare ranges for every concern, from whitening to acne to anti-aging, from toners to eye creams or serums.
First is the Dr. Frog line, which remedies skin conditions, anchored on the technology behind its patented Tocovita-C, a combination of vitamins C and E and extracts from the Totara tree — a tree that lives for thousands of years, its regenerative properties harnessed into a compound called Totarol.
Tocovita-C is also in the Charm in Cell line for more targeted skin restoration. For mature skin is the Pleasium line containing L-Procera, harnessed from woodland mushrooms. They also have a Manuka honey line containing New Zealand’s miracle ingredient, enriched with royal jelly. W8 line targets whitening with flower extracts. Gingko Natural contains gingko leaves extract, hibiscus bark, persimmon leaves to calm and strengthen irritated, breakout-prone skin.
DeAGE is a line that aims to control the effects of stress through CRD-2, a red-wine component that is twice as effective as resveratrol, as well as antioxidants found in “red foods” such as tomato, pomegranate, and mulberry. Snail Wrinkle Recover uses filtered snail mucus, excreted by the land-inhabiting mollusk as a protective barrier that can also work on human complexions against pollutants. Protect your progress with the Albatross sunscreen range with SPF levels from 35 to 50 in a natural or powdery finish.
Each line has a cleansing cream or foam product, but to ensure proper removal, Charmzone has a cleansing water that the brand pioneered in 1988, when cleansing products were only oils or creams. Instead of abrasive scrubs, try the Control Cream as a thrice-a-week habit to lift dead skin cells stuck in your pores while you massage your face.
While most Western brands encourage you to use each item from the same product range for the best results, Korean beauty allows you to combine items from different lines so your multi-step routine actually targets your every skin concern to help you achieve a goal that’s universal: healthy, youthful, and flawless skin.
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Charmzone is at 225 Aguirre Avenue, Palacio Grande Building, BF Homes, Parañaque City.
