When Dave and I decided to start Soko Glam in 2012, it was a simple passion project. We wanted to give American women access to a curated selection of the best products Korean beauty had to offer.
Fast-forward four years later, and I’m sitting in a Seoul cafe, writing about Korean beauty from a very different place. Korean beauty is exploding in the US and worldwide. It’s not “having a moment.” It’s a movement.
And that’s because Korean beauty is not about one brand or one product—it’s an entire lifestyle and philosophy for skincare and beauty. It’s a philosophy that we are adopting, embracing, and constantly trying to learn more about.
This is why the team and I decided to do something totally different. We collectively agreed that Korean beauty is more than what’s on Soko Glam’s shelves. We felt we were limiting the conversation about K-beauty as a whole—what was new, what was trending, what was cutting-edge tech. The Korean beauty industry innovates and changes at a rapid pace, but the process of bringing a brand onto Soko Glam can take months or years. Frankly, we can’t wait that long. When we find something great, we want to talk about it—now. Because K-beauty is much, much bigger than any one company, brand or product.
So we decided that The Klog will start a new life at a new address, a bit further away from Soko Glam (now go ahead and bookmark https://theklog.co)!
The team of editors and I will be focusing on delivering the most up-to-date news and insider tips from Seoul. With a third of the year spent in Seoul, I realized that my meetings with the top makeup artists in Korea were a treasure trove of tips and insights. A trip to the salon or nail artist provided access to the latest trends. Afternoons with R&D specialists and speaking with brands working on products that haven’t even hit the shelves in Korea are experiences that shouldn’t be taken for granted—it should be shared!
We’ll continue to provide in-depth reviews of products that Korean women love, no matter if Soko Glam carries them or not. None of our reviews will be sponsored. With our responsibility to share K-beauty with the world, it’s important to us to keep it real, like we’ve done from the beginning.
And because there is no beauty without culture, we’ll also feature real talk from Korean women (and men!) on the streets of Seoul, and you’ll get a peek into the world of what influences them too.
Soko Glam was started as way to give you access to the products Korean women use. Now, The Klog gives you their stories.
As we embark on this new journey, I want to thank you all for the incredible support you’ve given us from the start. We look forward to pouring our heart into these stories about Korean beauty just for you.
Charlotte Cho
Editor-in-chief
