Sulwhasoo's own timeline begins in 1932, with Madam Yun Dok-jeong's camellia oil. Wikipedia traces the company that became Amorepacific to that same camellia oil business in the 1930s. One woman, one plant oil, and a business that kept growing. Almost a century later that thread leads to Laneige, Sulwhasoo, innisfree and COSRX, all under one roof.

That is my way into korean skincare brands: two families that look different and behave differently. The heritage houses have archives. Sulwhasoo says it has studied Korean ginseng since 1964 and released its ABC Ginseng Cream in 1966. Laneige launched in September 1994, and its name is French for snow. Innisfree builds its story around Jeju green tea, grown on land the brand says was so rough that local farmers walked away. Then there are the indie hits, COSRX, Beauty of Joseon, Round Lab, Anua and Torriden, that found an audience one bottle at a time.

The trick is to begin with the step every brand makes well, which is the cleanser. Laneige's Water Bank Cleansing Foam and Sulwhasoo's Gentle Cleansing Foam are the heritage pair, and they suit anyone who wants a soft, familiar lather in the morning. innisfree's Jeju Green Tea Amino Acid Cleansing Foam is sulfate-free and a good everyday one. COSRX's Low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanser is the gentle gel one, named for the morning.

Torriden's DIVE IN 8D and Anua's PDRN Hyaluronic Acid foams are both built around hyaluronic acid, belif's Aqua Bomb is a bouncy jelly, and Biodance's Collagen Mask to Foam Cleanser is the novelty I enjoyed most, since it starts as a mask and ends as a foam.

Start with a simple test: pat a toner onto one cheek, wait a minute, and see if your skin feels comfortable or tight. In Korean routines the toner is not a stinging astringent. It is a first layer of water, and the good ones feel like it.

Beauty of Joseon has two here. Glow Replenishing Rice Milk Toner is for dry, dull skin, and the Green Plum Refreshing Toner with AHA and BHA is the lighter one for days when your pores need attention. Laneige's Cream Skin Milky Toner and Anua's Rice 70 Glow Milky Toner both sit in the milky camp, which is the texture I would give to a friend with dry skin. Sulwhasoo's Essential Revitalizing Water is the heritage one, a water-thin first step from the house that has studied ginseng since 1964.

belif's Aqua Bomb Hydrating Toner with Hyaluronic Acid is watery and light. ISNTREE's Green Tea Fresh Toner is the green tea one for warm weather, and medicube's Triple Collagen Toner is the collagen one.

A pairing I like: a milky toner in winter, a watery one in summer, and the same cleanser all year. The toner is where the season shows.

What I would skip: using an AHA and BHA toner and a strong exfoliant on the same night. One acid at a time.

One rule for serums: give each one a job. A brightener, a firmer, a soother. If you are asking one bottle to do all three, you will end up disappointed in the bottle.

Sulwhasoo's Concentrated Ginseng Rejuvenating Serum for Anti-Aging is the heritage pick, built on the ingredient the brand has spent decades on. Its Lumiwise Brightening Ampoule Serum is the brightening one. Laneige has two: the Bouncy & Firm Radiance Boosting Serum with peony and collagen, and Perfect Renew 3x Signature Serum Advanced. MISSHA's Time Revolution Night Repair Ampoule 5X is a night ampoule with a following, and Beauty of Joseon's Pore Firming Serum with Red Bean PDRN & Peptides is the one for visible pores.

Torriden's BALANCEFUL 5D Cica Complex Redness Reducing Serum is for skin that goes pink when it is unhappy, and COSRX's The Niacinamide 15 Serum with Acetyl Glucosamine + Zinc PCA is strong. It is meant for skin that already tolerates niacinamide, and I would start it every other night.

A pairing I like: a soothing serum in the morning and a brightening or firming one at night. That way each gets its own hours.

What I would skip: two new serums in one week. When your face reacts, you will not know which one it was.

A habit worth borrowing: put sunscreen first on your list, not last. Korean brands treat it as a daily basic, and the textures are so light that you have no excuse.

Round Lab is the brand to know here. Its Birch Juice Moisturizing Cream uses birch sap from the forests of Inje, according to the brand, and the Birch Juice Moisturizing UVLOCK SPF 45 is the sunscreen to wear in the morning. ISNTREE's Hyaluronic Acid Daily Sun Gel SPF 30 is a gel, light and easy under makeup. Dr. Jart+'s Every Sun Day Mineral Korean Sunscreen SPF 50+ is the mineral choice, Anua's Zero-Cast Moisturizing Finish Sunscreen promises no white cast in its name, and COSRX's Vitamin E Vitalizing Sunscreen SPF 50+ and Sulwhasoo's UV Daily Cream SPF 40 round out the range. Rejuran's Moisture Cream c-PDRN Moisturizer is the night cream of the group.

A pairing I like: the Round Lab cream at night, the Round Lab sunscreen in the morning. Same ingredient story, two jobs.

What I would skip: a thick cream under sunscreen on a humid morning. Reach for the ISNTREE gel and let it sit alone.

I think the best way to shop korean skincare brands is to pick one from each family. One heritage house for the cleanser or serum, and one indie brand for the toner or sunscreen. You get the archive and the newcomer in the same bathroom.

I would start with Laneige or Sulwhasoo for a foam, Beauty of Joseon for a toner, and Round Lab for sun. Keep everything else simple. A woman in 1932 sold camellia oil, and a lot of bottles have followed. Yours only needs to be the next one that fits on your shelf. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together Skincare Brands Built by Doctors, Facialists and Founders With a Story and Skincare Staples.