Beauty of Joseon Firming Moisturizer Review – The Real Results of Fermented Retinol?

✔ Best for: Gentle hydration, Oily skin & Fine Lines
✔ Texture: Incredibly lightweight, fast-absorbing
✔ Results timeline: 7–14 days
✔ Not for: very dry, damaged skin
✔ Our verdict: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ (4.8/5)

Beauty of Joseon is a long-standing K-Beauty brand that delivers incredibly gentle skincare, using traditional ingredients in a unique way. They are inspired by the Gyuhap Chongseo (규합총서), which was a book written during the Joseon era which helped inspire women to live better lives with knowledge and beauty. Beauty of Joseon has started to expand their old-school range, however, by targeting the use of retinol and trying to make it as gentle as possible. 

They were already highly successful with their Revive Eye Serum, which gave the greatest effects whilst being incredibly gentle for a retinal formula. Now, they’ve included this formula into hydrogel eye patches and now a rich moisturizer. So, have Beauty of Joseon retained their soothing reputation? And does fermenting retinol really make it more kind to your skin? 

One of the key selling points of the new Firming Moisturizer is that it contains ‘fermented retinol.’ Fermented retinol is produced using probiotic bacteria, which ferment ingredients to create small doses of retinol. There’s no scientific evidence of it being different than lab-created retinol, but the presence of probiotics is a bonus to your skin health. This moisturizer contains 1.0% fermented retinol, which translates to about 0.01% purified retinol. This does mean that the chance of irritation is much, much lower – but it is less likely to have the full benefits of a medicinal retinol. 

So, can this form of retinol help relieve fine lines, improve skin elasticity all without the burn? Let’s put it to the test! 

Camellia seed oil: this rich emollient helps provide deep hydration to skin and helps reduce redness and irritation to boost sensitive skin. 

Allantoin: refreshing molecule that helps improve skin healing, whilst helping strengthen the skin barrier. Also gently exfoliates dead skin cells for clearer, softer skin texture. 

Cocoa extract: brightening and refreshing extract that helps improve fine lines and enhance natural skin elasticity for firmer, glowing skin. 

Adenosine: restorative extract that helps reduce wrinkle depth, stimulate collagen production from within skin cells and preventing new formation of fine lines. 

Ceramide NP: plumping molecule that helps seal cracks within the skin barrier, preventing moisture loss and keeping skin hydrated and firm. Beauty of Joseon extracts these from ginseng root. 

Phytosphingosine: natural molecule that helps improve ceramide formation in the skin, helping to strengthen skin barrier and natural hydration of skin layers. 

Fermented Retinol (1.0%): retinol produced by probiotic bacteria, creating a gentle and low-dose formulation of retinol. In Beauty of Joseon’s in-house testing it has been evaluated to be gentle and kind to skin, with very low risk of retinol irritation. 

Ginseng root extract: traditional skincare ingredient that helps revitalize fine lines, improve skin firmness and hydration and reduce appearance of blemishes for clear, glassy skin texture. 

Vitamin E: this nourishing antioxidant helps improve skin barrier function, improve natural hydration and provides gentle protection against environmental stressors. A great addition for sensitive skin types. 

Probiotics (Candida bombicola): this fermentation cocktail of probiotics helps provide richer ingredients and vitamins for skin benefits (including fermented retinol). Probiotics help strengthen and provide protection to your skin barrier. 

This gentle, hydrating moisturizer is designed to be compatible and suited for a variety of skin types. It helps balance and refresh oily skin (reducing pore size) and absorbs quickly so as to not feel sticky or irritating. It has a sensitive formulation, so safe to use in sensitive skin types and is designed not to aggravate or trigger acne.

It is not optimal for very dry skin types, who likely need a more intensive boost to hydration and skin glow. It's also not recommended in individuals who are sensitive to any of the main ingredients.

Typically high-dose retinol products are not recommended to be used in your morning/AM routine as they thin the skin and increase UV radiation risk. This moisturizer, however, is very gentle and low dose - so can be used (if combined with a lightweight sunscreen).

It absorbs quickly and well, so can be used easily in layering products and slips perfectly underneath make-up. Also, you typically aren't supposed to combine retinoid products, but this moisturizer is designed to be combined quite easily with the other Beauty of Joseon retinol products. There is still a retinol burn risk with other products, so always start slow, patch test and use with caution.

I have sensitive skin and acne (always), so finding a gentle moisturizer that does not contribute to breakouts is always the goal. I started adding this moisturizer to my PM/evening routine, to help improve moisturize as the weather was getting colder. Beauty of Joseon can be a bit hit-or-miss for my skin type, as I get incredibly sensitive to essential oils and high-dose concentration - but this moisturizer is incredibly simple and refreshing.

Minutes after you apply it, it absorbs quickly into your skin barrier and leaves no sticky residue. It didn't trigger my acne at all, provided deep hydration and helped balance oils on my skin to reduce pores. It's melts into your skin so well it can be used flawlessly under make-up and creates a good base for your primer.

In just two weeks of use, it helped improve my skin moisture, reduced appearance of pores and tighten skin texture. It is a lovely, silky moisturizer to use - however due to the lower dose of retinol it does have less effect to fine lines and skin firming. 

If you are looking for a more gentle retinol product that helps improve your skin gently, refreshes texture and helps balance oily skin and acne this is a great choice. Especially, if you tend to have more sensitive skin and need an option with a lighter touch. 

If you have dry skin, you aren't likely to get the deeper hydration you need from this kind of moisturizer - but if you want a gentle form of retinol to slowly improve texture and fine lines, this is a solid choice.

Beauty of Joseon has succeeded in their goal of making a gentle moisturizer that utilizes retinol and ginseng, whilst also being beneficial for sensitive skin types. This rich moisturizer is a beneficial addition to even acne-prone and irritated skin, whilst delivering soft action and improvement over time. 

Excited to upgrade your K-Beauty routine? Check out our amazing new skincare releases on Arktastic. From traditional Korean beauty products to the newest technology, we love it all and are excited to share it with you too!

Want to know more about Beauty of Joseon? Check out our blog about their origins and where their inspiration started. Or check out our review of their Revive Eye Serum:

Is the Beauty of Joseon Firming Moisturizer effective? 
If you are looking for a gentle, soothing moisturizer that will help refresh fine lines, whilst providing delicate hydration (with absolutely minimal irritation), this is a great addition to your routine. It helps seal in moisture, improve fine lines (with low dose fermented retinol) and is compatible with sensitive and acne-prone skin. 

You are not likely to see fast results, however, but it is a very pleasant and restorative moisturizer for a variety of routines. 

What skin type is the Beauty of Joseon Firming Moisturizer for? 
It’s designed to be useful in a variety of skin types, but you’ll likely see the best benefits in sensitive, oily and acne-prone skin. This is because the refreshing and lightweight formula helps balance oils on your face, is not irritating to sensitive skin and acne and will help even skin texture. 

Does it contain real retinol? 
Beauty of Joseon has developed plant-based retinol that comes out of a fermentation process. This means that it is not lab-produced and tends to have a gentler effect on the skin. It contains 0.1% of fermented retinol which is equivalent to 0.01% traditional retinol. 

Can beginners use the Beauty of Joseon Firming Moisturizer? 
Absolutely, it’s a perfect starting space for beginner’s as it has skin healing agents, but nothing that can be irritating or damage the skin. If you are new to Korean beauty, have a minimalist routine or tend to have sensitive skin, this moisturizer is a refreshing and gentle formula that will likely suit you.