This is a sponsored post with affiliate links. All opinions are my own.
I often miss the initial excitement of being new to kbeauty - so many new brands, products, and routine steps! It was a great time, but also a confusing one. People just starting with Korean skincare today have a lot more accessible and even local / US-based options, such as THE ONION SKIN K-BEAUTY BOX, a family owned small business located in California. Save on your order with my code LUCY20.
THE ONION SKIN was born out of necessity - like many of us, the owners were overwhelmed by the plethora of skincare steps and brands. Each of them, including their two teens, had unique skin challenges that required lots of effort and research. They figured it out and are now helping the rest of us do the same. The shop has something for everyone, from busy working moms to teens with acne and dads with dry, neglected skin. It’s truly a one stop shop for the whole family.
The site is user friendly and easy to navigate with all ingredients lists available in English (a HUGE win and not something that’s typically the case). Scrolling through the Shop section, I saw all of my favorite brands like Cosrx, Jumiso, and SKIN1004, plus harder to find items such as 107 global and Dr.Ato.
What’s behind the name of the store? From the About section of the website:
“Here's where it gets a little whimsical. Did you know that "onion" in English can be heard as "annyoung" which means "hello" in Korean? And in the magical realm of "Konglish," it translates to "Annyoung Skin." How cool is that!? Which is why we chose the name ONION SKIN – because we want to say "hello" to your skin and bring out its inner beauty.”
While it’s typically tricky for small shops to compete based on price, THE ONION SKIN offers fair prices and deep discounts. They also donate 5% of profits to charitable causes, including Breast Cancer Research Foundation and National Alliance on Mental Illness.
My experience
Over the last seven years of blogging, I’ve gotten hundreds of packages - both from PR and my own purchases. THE ONION SKIN stood out - the box itself was very neat and clean, filled with items packaged with love and care. Every product was tenderly wrapped in recyclable paper, then placed in the box. It looked like a perfect game of Tetris. A postcard outlining routine steps was a nice touch and a valuable tool for someone just starting out or needing a refresher.
One of the things I run into with small shops is lack of variety, but that’s not the case with THE ONION SKIN. I could easily find all of my favorite must-have items, plus some of the popular products I haven’t tried yet, like the TIRTIR line.
Here are the products I chose for my combination skin:
TIRTIR Ceramic Cream - promises intense and lasting nourishment. I’m currently low on moisturizers and have been seeing TIRTIR all over social media, so I had to try it. I already started using this cream and I love it for my evening routine.
TIRTIR Ceramic Milk Ampoule - TIRTIR fomo (fear of missing out) is real. Stay tuned for a review. The bottle is absolutely gorgeous and slightly iridescent!
TIRTIR Milk Skin Toner - the weather changes from t-shirts to snow are giving me whiplash, and my skin definitely needs extra hydration and care.
Goodal Green Tangerine Vita C Dark Circle Eye Cream - I love Goodal and have tried several of their green tangerine products, but not this one yet. So glad to see THE ONION SKIN carries it!
Dr.ato Triple-Hyaluron Moisture Lotion - a new to me brand. I’ve been trying to care for my body skin and not just the face, which is why I grabbed this lotion.
ETUDE SoonJung pH 6.5 Whip Cleanser - one of the most gentle lines for sensitive skin. I’ve had their cream and sunscreen, but not the cleanser.
Shopping the site, I was pleasantly surprised by both the prices and product selections. I wish I had access to something like this when I was first starting with kbeauty - the Routine Boxes alone are priceless and feature many of my favorite, tried and true products in combinations that make sense. I had to test tons of things before figuring out what was good and what wasn’t, but THE ONION SKIN did a lot of the work for their customers!
In summary, here’s why I personally love THE ONION SKIN and decided to work with them:
Small business with passionate, responsive owners
Authentic products sourced directly from South Korea and shipped from the USA - the best of both worlds!
Good selection, including Essentials Kits that make getting started easy
Instructions and ingredients lists in English
Free shipping on all routine boxes and purchases over $39
Extreme care in packaging - 0 damage in transit
Adorable onion comics - check them out here
We all have choices when shopping, and I hope you choose THE ONION SKIN next time you are in need of some kbeauty!
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