Soko Glam curator and co-founder Charlotte Cho obviously has a lot of favorite products on the site, but only nine made her list of what to gift this holiday season.
Considering she’s constantly testing products to be featured on Soko Glam, coming up with formulations for her own line Then I Met You, and the fact that she’s a licensed aesthetician, Charlotte Cho is definitely someone you’d want to receive a skin care gift from. The second best thing for those that don’t know her IRL? To be gifted one of her personal picks.
Charlotte chose her favorite Korean skin care products of the year as part of her very own Soko Glam gift guide. Learn more about some of her top picks below and why they’re perfect for everyone on her – and your! – list.
Mamonde Pore Clean Toner
“For anyone in your life blessed with large pores like me, they’ll love the effectiveness of this dual-layer formula that contains a purifying mud powder to mattify and absorb excess oil,” Charlotte says of this vegan toner from Mamonde. It features the herb Eusengcho (AKA Heartleaf) and “West Coast” mud to deep clean your pores and regulate oil, but without stripping your skin.
“When you’re oily or have a lot of blackheads, you really want something that’ll help mattify but still hydrate,” Charlotte says in the Soko Glam April Curations video. “This does that.”
Then I Met You Living Cleansing Balm
This cleansing balm comes from Charlotte’s very own line Then I Met You, but she’s not the only one that speaks highly of the award-winning product.
“It’s literally the most luxurious, silky cleansing balm, with an Allure Best of Beauty stamp of approval. It is probably on your best friend’s wish list, too,” she says.
RELATED: How Charlotte Created Then I Met You’s Cleansing Balm
Charlotte has spoken on her Instagram of the process that she went through to create the Living Cleansing Balm, which included “testing every single cleansing balm and oil I could get my hands on” to upgrade the double cleansing experience. “The balm will deep cleanse makeup, sunscreen, and impurities from the skin,” she says. “The creamy formulation doesn’t sting your eyes and cocoons your face with nourishing oils and them emulsifies easily with a bit of water.”
Mediheal Tea Tree Essential Blemish Control Sheet Mask
“This mask is such an effective way to hydrate, but also calm the skin and prevent breakouts,” Charlotte says. “It’s truly an essential sheet mask experience from the #1 sheet mask brand in Korea!”
In the July Curations video, Charlotte explains that she has used Mediheal sheet masks for years now, but she loves this one in particular because of its many beneficial ingredients. “It contains tea tree oil, herbal extracts, and willow bark that are all good for cleaning your pores – it also contains chamomile.”
Danahan Ginseng Seed Secret Essence
“Perfect for the winter, this is such a powerfully formulated essence made with ginseng seed extracts that will noticeably smooth out lines and plump up skin with antioxidants,” Charlotte tells us. This essence is so unique because it uses the ginseng seed extracts, which is about 2-3 times stronger than the ginseng root that is normally used in ginseng-infused products. According to Charlotte, it contains over 80% of the ginseng seed base, making it that much more powerful.
“It is a gamechanger, especially for those who have dry, rough skin or people who feel that they’ve lost a lot of elasticity,” she says in the September Curations video.
