Michelle Lee, a former beauty editor and current beauty expert, recently traveled to Seoul, Korea in partnership with Sulwhasoo, to better understand the cultural significance of ginseng—specifically how Sulwhasoo, the Korean beauty brand, has been researching the power of ginseng for over 60 years and has harnessed that power in its Concentrated Ginseng Rejuvenating Cream.
"I grew up seeing ginseng floating in glass containers at stores in Chinatown or seeing ginseng supplements in relatives' houses," she says. "It's a fairly common thing to see in many East Asian households. I knew of it more as an ingestible medicinal root and less as a skincare ingredient growing up."
In this Root Route video series, we join Lee on her journey.
Korean Ginseng's Historical and Cultural Imprint
Often called "the root of the gods," ginseng has been a cherished ingredient in Korean culture for centuries. Revered for its antioxidant properties that help reduce inflammation, boost energy, and preserve vitality, the root has long been used in Korean cuisine, beverages, supplements, and skincare. Access to ginseng, whether in medicine, cuisine, or skincare, has long been highly prized because of the exceptional benefits people believe it offers, which is what makes it such a precious and prestigious plant.
Today, ginseng is used in everyday comfort food such as samgyetang, a traditional Korean chicken soup infused with ginseng. Once in Seoul, Lee met up with her friend Sang Eun Kim, Marie Claire Korea's beauty director, to enjoy a bowl of samgyetang and better understand the value of ginseng, which is highly valued for its perceived benefits. “When I was younger, my mom would [make me] food with ginseng," she says. "It wasn’t just about the ginseng itself. It meant I [love you] and I care about you."
In her conversation with Kim, Lee also learned the story of Hwang Jini, a respected 16th-century kisaeng—a female professional entertainer accomplished in the arts of dance, poetry, conversation, and music. Hwang Jini was the Joseon Dynasty's most celebrated beauty, lauded for her intelligence and charisma and known to have used ginseng in her beauty ritual. Most notably, she would infuse her bath water with ginseng roots.
"We sometimes forget how young a country the U.S. is and how old Asian cultures are in comparison," Lee says. So she visited a traditional market, where a vendor showed her how to source the best root: one with a long body and many legs. The practice of judging a ginseng root by its character, balance, and shape has been passed down through generations. According to one vendor, "American and Korean ginseng are different. The key compound in ginseng is called saponin, and Korean 'goryeo' ginseng contains much more of it."
"It was so fascinating to see the variety of ginseng roots—the size, shape, and color differences and to find out from the vendors what they look for," Lee recalls. "It's not all about size. You want one that feels heavy and has a lot of those hair-like smaller roots on it, which hold a lot of the powerful ginsenosides."
Inspired by all she learned about ginseng's reputation, Lee purchased a ginseng root at the market, made some insam-jeonggwa—a traditional chewy, dried dessert once enjoyed by royals—and drew herself a ginseng-infused bath. "It feels almost like you're being steeped in a cup of warm tea," she says about the bath. "There's just something quite luxurious [about] knowing how powerful ginseng is for your health and your skin—and that you're soaking in it."
Korean Ginseng's Significance in Modern Skincare
No skincare brand understands the power of soaking in ginseng better than Sulwhasoo. The brand has been researching and utilizing ginseng in its skincare products for 60 years. Its research team has analyzed ginseng's root, stem, leaves, flower, and fruit and found a wide variety of active compounds—the saponins. To learn more about how Sulwhasoo has harnessed ginseng so effectively, Lee visited Amorepacific R&I Center, the research lab behind the brand's formulas.
"Scientists do an incredible amount of work to try to figure out the best ways to extract the most potency from natural ingredients," Lee says.
Sulwhasoo's Ginsenomics™ is a proprietary patented technology used to convert and concentrate a specific rare ginseng saponin into biologically active molecules, allowing the ginseng to be more readily recognized and absorbed. In other words, the formula is concentrated to provide visible firmness and to help reduce the appearance of wrinkles.
According to Michelle Shieh, the brand's scientific communications associate director, Sulwhasoo's ginseng "undergoes more safety testing than food-grade ginseng, with over 300 individual tests performed. This uncompromising approach means that only a small fraction of ginseng meets the high standards, ensuring the highest quality for Sulwhasoo's ginseng ingredients."
This dedication to research has led to today's sixth-generation Concentrated Ginseng Rejuvenating Cream, the number one anti-aging cream in Korea for over 10 years.* The cream was clinically proven to improve the appearance of wrinkles and visible plumpness in 100% of participants who used the product for six weeks, and it also improved the appearance of skin texture, hydration, visible firmness, and visible plumpness in over 80% of users after seven days of use.
"The texture [of the cream] is like nothing I've ever used before. It's so silky and so lovely," Lee attests after being treated to the Sulwhasoo Concentrated Ginseng Rejuvenating line at Seoul's Sulwhasoo Spa. "It's really hydrating and moisturizing and melts right into your skin. My skin is visibly firmer. It's such a plumping moisturizer and helps to improve the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. When I use it, it feels like a total skin reset."
The Takeaways
In Korean culture, inner and outer beauty are intrinsically connected. "Eastern beauty has long been built around the idea of true care and nourishment," Lee says, "so the concept of inner and outer beauty being linked has been understood for a long time."
More than a skincare ingredient or status indicator, ginseng is a symbol of love and affection (two key components of inner beauty, in our opinion). Its rarity, historical significance, and health benefits have earned it an important role in Korean culture. Gifting someone ginseng—whether that's making a friend a bowl of traditional ginseng chicken soup, passing on a ginseng-infused skincare product, or brewing a cup of ginseng tea for a family member—is a way to show how much you care.
It's this sentiment that drives Sulwhasoo's commitment to studying and honoring Korea's most prized ingredient. By continuing to research and utilize ginseng, Sulwhasoo is building on centuries of cultural significance—and proving that it understands the importance behind this revered ingredient.
Through 60 years of research and innovation, Sulwhasoo has created beauty crafted in time, and that’s apparent in its sixth-generation Concentrated Ginseng Rejuvenating Cream.
"True magic happens when science meets nature," says Lee, "how you can take a cherished natural ingredient and, through decades of research, continue to improve upon not only how we understand it but also how we use it."
*Based on sales value of Sulwhasoo Concentrated Ginseng Rejuvenating Cream (all skin types) in Korea's Department Stores and Boutiques prestige market, "Skincare / Creams / Anti-Aging" segment, among participating brands, CY2015–2025. Sulwhasoo calculation based in part on Beauté Research SAS data, Jan. 2026. Copyright ©2026 Beauté Research SAS.
This article was originally published on Who What Wear.
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