Some By Mi | A History of Beauty

Although it was registered as an idea in 2016, Some By Mi did not hit the market until 2018. It was founded by two lifelong friends (Michelle Kwan and Sarah Choi), who wanted to create products they were unable to find in the mainstream market. With a vision of what products were needed to fill the gap (i.e. a true acne-treatment skincare line), they began work. Now headed by CEO Lee Ji Eun, Some By Mi has continued for 7 years, developing innovative new skincare lines that walked the path of natural and effective. 

They named their company ‘Some By Mi’ a pun on their slogan “Something of A Miracle” with the Korean word ‘Mi’ for beauty. As Some By Mi has grown, they have improved and tested and learnt from previous skincare lines. Their new products have been exciting to see and try, with expansions of all their best product lines driving exciting new routines.  

Some By Mi might be an obscure company if they didn’t grab our attention with their headliner – Clear Skin in 30 Days. It didn’t seem possible and was an instant grab for those struggling with acne. How Some By Mi changed acne care was, rather than focus on a single active agent, creating a blend of botanical extracts that boosted acne care along with exfoliating agents for pore care. Some By Mi is famous for their use of essential oils; which provide a valuable, nourishing treatment to skin (when used correctly).  

Although the 30 Days Miracle line doesn’t work for all skin types (especially those with sensitive skin), it has provided valuable acne treatment to millions of users and has retained its legendary status almost 7 years later. 

Following on their success with their 30 Days line, Some By Mi created a gentle and nourishing skincare line that combined two of the hottest ingredients in K-Beauty at the time (snail mucin and centella asciatica). Both are amazing ingredients for sensitive and acne-prone skin alike, creating light and gentle skincare products that were useful for almost all skin types. 

The healing and protective quality of snail mucin worked synergistically with the calming and moisturizing cica extract, creating their second most successful skincare line. It's still a favourite today, and one users often turn to for a light and gentle touch. 

Some By Mi didn’t just stick to skincare; they also released a light and refreshing haircare line. Designed to reduce hair loss, as well as treat the scalp – it provides a peptide-rich formula blended with Biotin, menthol to cool and cica to moisturize. It’s received really positive reviews over the years for thickening and helping reduce hair shedding. Its light formula is carefully formulated to strengthen and protect hair and leaves a natural, herbal scent to calm.

Some By Mi’s release of their Yuja line started at a time where dark spot treatments were just starting to hit the main market. Formulated with vitamin-C rich yuja, it helped brighten skin and improve texture. Rich in antioxidants, it helped boost youthful glow, improve protection from UV radiation and provided a natural shine to skin that people still love to this day. A pop of yuja in a routine helps bring skin to life and helped showcase a traditional herbal remedy.

Some By Mi’s release of their Yuja line started at a time where dark spot treatments were just starting to hit the main market. Formulated with vitamin-C rich yuja, it helped brighten skin and improve texture. Rich in antioxidants, it helped boost youthful glow, improve protection from UV radiation and provided a natural shine to skin that people still love to this day. A pop of yuja in a routine helps bring skin to life and helped showcase a traditional herbal remedy.

This is my personal favourite of the Some By Mi skincare line, due to its unparalleled results and use of retinol in a gentle, refreshing way. Some By Mi’s famous eye cream has an iconic violet packaging (and retinol is still branded ‘purple’ by various other brands), which led to their famous retinol serum. Some By Mi embraced the versatility of retinol, not just as a treatment for fine lines and improving youthful radiance – but also as an acne treatment. 

Their brand-new products from this line include the Retinol Bakuchiol Dual Cream and Bubble Toner; which helps reduce acne, gently exfoliate and hydrate in a way that benefits both fine lines and acne-prone skin (which is truly rare). Both are amazing additions to an acne-care routine (we tested the bubble toner and had amazing results), with a refreshing background of lavender that reduces acne-causing bacteria and boosts skin healing. 

If their new releases are anything to sit on, it’s going to be very exciting to see where Some By Mi goes next. They’ve always created reliably great skincare products that you can chose for quality care in your routine. We're excited to see what’s coming next from them and as high-level cosmetic fans, we’re refreshing their Insta with bated breath.

Looking for more Some By Mi products? Check out the whole range, available on Arktastic. From new releases to old classics, we're a fan of it all!

Looking for more K-Beauty reads? Check out our guide to the history of Dr Althea. Or check out our review of the new Some By Mi Retinol Bakuchiol Bubble Toner.

The History of Dr Althea 
Some By Mi Retinol Bakuchiol Bubble Toner Review