The Best of Purito Seoul | Brand Story & Top Products

Purito Seoul was created in 2017, forged within the rise of Korean Beauty on an international stage. At first, it was only “Purito” - derived of the world Pure and ‘To’ meaning soil or earth. They wanted to create a soothing, vegan and gentle brand that fit well with what was already popular and beloved in K-Beauty.

They weren’t created by a single individual, but rather a collective that could see the popularity of K-Beauty and the clear benefits of starting a clean, cosmetics line of the era. The team got started on formulating their first product and created a moisturizer that contained South Korea’s absolute favourite skincare ingredient of the time... cica. 

Their first and strongest line that launched them into recognition was the integration of centella asciatica, whose popularity was at its strongest at the time. South Korea was in love with centella and the wide benefits that came with it – so a new, fresh and clean centella line was an immediate success. It was originally known as ‘Centella Green’ but now is best known as their ‘Wonder Releaf’ line. Centella asciatica was becoming a dearly beloved skincare ingredient – due to its ability to calm acne-prone skin, as well as hydrate and strengthen the skin barrier. 

Purito released both ‘scented’ and ‘unscented’ versions of their products – better catering to sensitive skin types, which helped solidify it as a beloved of the skincare world. It provided a gentle product that could hydrate and protect skin, regardless of irritation and redness. From their Wonder Releaf Eye Cream, Toner and Sun Lotion - they created their own space in the Korean cosmetic world, with a loyal base of fans. 

Purito went from perfecting the role of centella in a variety of sensitive skincare products, into formulating a hydrating BB cream enriched with centella. Their Wonder Releaf BB range created a massive hype for users (originally their Cica Clearing BB range) – especially those with acne-prone skin. Having a hydrating and soothing BB cream that cares for acne as well as providing high-quality make-up coverage was a boon to Purito’s line-up and was a quick buy for many people.

They reformulated the BB cream in 2025 – which caused dismay among many users, but involved removing a more dangerous sun filter (octinoxate), which was noted to be dangerous to sea creatures and cause abnormal growths – making it a much safer and people-friendly formula. 

Remember we mentioned that sun lotion that people really liked? Well, its predecessor was met with great scandal and has since disappeared entirely from cosmetic shelves (Purito Centella Green Level Unscented Sun sunscreen). The massive scandal rocked the world of K-Beauty in 2020 that had companies rapidly pulling this sunscreen from the shelves. A rival brand sent the beloved sun lotion to two labs for testing and found that the advertised SPF+50 came back instead at SPF+19. 

SPF is an imperfect science (to be absolutely sure), but there should not have been such a massive discrepancy, especially from a trusted brand. Purito did everything they could to respond; pulling sunscreen, offering refunds going 6 months back from the scandal break. It was an international response (outrage, boycotts and a deep suspicion on all sunscreen SPF+ ratings globally) and it was an overwhelming space for Purito Seoul fans to be in. 

As an aside; there should be a far more scientific test of sunscreen in 2025, rather than coating volunteers, placing them in sun and waiting to see them turn red (yes, that’s really how SPF+ is calculated). But it did teach us an ongoing lesson, we can’t always trust the bottle and what it tells us – especially when it’s something as important as our health and wellbeing (so be careful and always be wary if your skin is looking pink in the sun!) 

Being internationally embarrassed by their poor SPF rating, Purito was rocked. Even sellers (such as us) had pulled the old Purito from shelves and the distrust was rife. So, Purito had to sit back and think on where they wanted to be next. And thus, Purito Seoul was born. Purito went back to its roots and founded a re-branding that showcased love for the city it was located in. The slogan for Seoul, South Korea is “Seoul, My Soul” a play on the love and collective that forms the city. Purito plays on this idea with the slogan “Touch Your (Seoul)” - trying to create a balance between nature and urban living.

All of their packaging was updated, some formulas tweaked where needed and they were released back into the world with a variety of exciting new lines – determined to bring back the confidence of clean, effective skincare. 

You won’t recognize any of the old Purito products in their new line-up. As we’ve mentioned above – all of their old lines had been completely rebranded. Their first break-out star was their Mighty Bamboo Panthenol Cream, tailored specially for sensitive skin types. It was light, moisturizing and deeply soothing – to help calm red, irritated and acne-prone skin. Purito Seoul had maintained their love of calming irritated and damaged skin; with natural, effective skincare. 

Their other half to the Mighty Bamboo line was the Oat-In Calming Gel Cream, which launched to massive success. Designed around the refreshing, healing benefits of oat extract, it is a light gel cream that helps cool and refresh even oily skin types – with a boost of natural moisture.  

Purito Seoul, under its new moniker, has launched a variety of exciting new skincare products! With their Timeless Bloom Retinol Spot Cream and Serum, they are pushing new boundaries and new ingredients into clean, effective skincare. This month, they’ve launched their vibrant new dual serums – one a classic TXA/Niacinamide combination and the other an Azelaic Acid + Tea tree blend. Already sold out in South Korea – they look to be promising additions to Purito Seoul’s new and growing range. 

One thing's for sure, Purito Seoul is taking their skincare into exciting new places - so be sure to keep a look out for their brand new products on the market, or try out some of their new classics.

Looking for exciting, gentle skincare for sensitive skin? Check out the Purito Seoul range, available on Arktastic! From gentle serums, to refreshing moisturizers - we have it all!

Looking for more reads? Check out our blog on the history of Skin1004. Or check out our review of the famous Purito Seoul Oat-In Calming Gel Cream!

History of Skin1004 

Purito Seoul Oat-In Calming Gel Cream Review