Gounjae is a revered Korean traditional soap brand originating from Korea’s botanical-rich Jeju Island. It approaches soapmaking with the same obsession as vintners do winemaking. Using time-honored techniques, Gounjae obsesses over optimal temperature and timing to unlock ingredients at their most optimal state. Soaps are steamed three times and then aged 500 days to ripen before being wrapped in traditional Korean hanji paper that allows the soaps to “breathe.”
The soaps are egg-shaped and I can almost see the wizened old hands that crafted each single bar. The brand’s Green Farm soap contains persimmon leaves to lighten freckles and pigmentation, pine leaves to purge pores, and nutrient-rich mulberry leaves for amino acids.
Because it’s a natural soap, it doesn’t have abundant lather, but the soap works more effectively when applied directly to the face. The texture is gently exfoliating and the shape makes it effective as a facial massager as you cleanse.
Gounjae Green Farm Handcrafted Soap, $12, available at Shop Rescue Spa.
Via Refinery29