The History of Whoo Gongjinhyang: Seol Brightening Cleansing Foam
Posted on: October 29, 2011
The History of Whoo or simply Whoo (后，meaning empress), is top niche cosmetics brand by LG Korea. Although Sulwhasoo is being the “No.1” in Korea but Whoo has gained her big pie among Korea cosmetics market too. I have this 40ml deluxe sample size as part of my gift set purchase, it retails for KRW38000/160ml in Korea. I think this is a good size for traveling, so I mostly reserved it for trip and stick with my gentle Japanese cleansers for daily care.
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I thought this is going to be another high-end soap-based cleanser similar to Kose Sekkisei Supreme and Shiseido White Lucent, which normally foam up every well and could be drying for easily dehydrated skin. Apparently, they are alike. In reality, they are not quite alike.
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Here is what I found them alike. First, they all are brightening/whitening cleanser. Secondly, they all have strong floral scent. Third, they all give refreshing, squeaky skin after wash which sometimes could be drying to non-oily skin. Last, they all have rich and creamy texture. As shown in above picture, the content of this Whoo cleansing foam quickly melted by my body heat, therefore I could only take picture of the melted form – more cream alike.
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From the sense of texture I supposed it should be lathering generously, however it didn’t lather much as you’ve seen in the above picture. Since I don’t have its English ingredient list so I won’t be able to know what surfactant used in its formula but my experience with various cleansers just told me that it can actually foam up very well, hence I performed a test and it proved itself that can really foam up very well! It just needs a tool to assist the foaming.
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Taking a small amount on a foaming ball, then adding a little bit of water and squeezing the ball……
Rich, dense, resilience!
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That may be a good idea having a foaming ball/net/sponge in the bathroom but normally I lack of this 1-minute diligence, in fact I’m actually fine without the rich foam. With or without rich foam, this brightening cleansing foam felt creamy on skin.
Between Whoo Seol, Kose Sekkisei Supreme and Shiseido White Lucent cleansers, I have mentioned they are not quite alike. I found Whoo Seol’s cleanser seemed to have milder cleansing power. After checking back my simple cleansing test of Kose’s and Shiseido’s, notably Whoo’s Seol Brightening Cleansing Foam didn’t cleanse the same lipstick as well as Kose’s and Shiseido’s did.
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**@** Cleansing Power Indicator **@**
Click the picture to enlarge
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As a whole, I would say this is pleasant to use because I like foaming cleanser and its texture. Among the three cleansers I commented in this post, I might be choosing this Whoo cleanser over the other two because of its milder cleansing power, despite I liked the scent of Shiseido White Lucent most. Nevertheless I’m also picky and wouldn’t consider purchasing without knowing its full ingredient list, after all I really think all I need for normal cleansing is a mild (and foaming) cleanser and I do see the difference in long run – less sensitive skin.
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6 Responses to "The History of Whoo Gongjinhyang: Seol Brightening Cleansing Foam"
November 1, 2011 at 10:22 pm
Hi, I’m glad to have come across your blog! I am 30 years old, and was wondering does the in yang (gongjinhyang) line have anti aging properties? I’ve been using the History of Whoo Whitening Lotion, which has given me dramatic results in just ONE use! After using the whitening line, I need to switch to a good anti aging line appropriate for my age. I heard the Jinyul line is for 40+, and In Yang is for ages (30-40). Do you know if Hwa Hyun is any good for anti aging + overall?
November 2, 2011 at 11:35 am
Hi Euni,
Thank you for dropping by and Glad to know Whoo whitening had worked wonderfully for you too. (“v)
The Gongjinhyang formula is oriental concept which aims to restore balanced skin and promote skin self-strengthening, and address the skin problem experienced during aging instead of fixing specific skin problem (such as retinol for wrinkle, BHA for acne, Vitamin C for brightening etc). The basic line Gongjinhyang is created for women in 30s so I think it does help.
Yes, Jinyul line is for 40+ because it contain plant hormone to encourage skin cell growth and regeneration when skin elasticity depleted in faster pace in 40s, this is what I had gotten from a Whoo beauty consultant.
As LG claims that Hwa Hyun can make you look 10 years younger hence I personally think it would be more suitable for mature women although LG doesn’t mention age limit for their luxurious line. The line uses most precious (and most $$$) oriental herbs and has very limited production throughout the year, ideal for women who desire extravagant elegant skincare experience. It seems to have similar position like Chanel Sublimage, EL Re-Nutriv, SKII LXP and Dior L’Or de vie. (“v)
November 2, 2011 at 11:28 pm
Thanks, you’ve been very helpful! My mom has used EL Re Nutriv.. and it also gave outstanding results. It only lasts during use, though.. once she stopped using it the sagging and lines came back 😦 The one thing I read about Western skincare is that it gives temporary results, whereas Korean brands help change the inner surface of your skin.
I finally have a clear explanation of what line to use, thanks again! 🙂
November 3, 2011 at 12:13 pm
Hi Euni,
Thanks for your kind comment.
I believe all cosmetics companies are trying to scientifically tackle the network structure underneath the skin since there is where the our skin started losing its firmness (‘_~). It just western and oriental skincare have different approach to the problem. For instance, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is doing analysis of the entire internal body system whereas western medicine tends to focus on particular symptoms, they both have their strong point and weakness. I personally favor oriental approach for normal care but also take the goodness of western skincare. (“v)
Beautyknot ~ My Skin Care Diary 
October 29, 2011 at 9:58 pm
I use this cleanser and I really love it. (Although the smell of it takes some getting used to :P) It was expensive but I think it was worth it; Its nice and creamy and leaves my skin clean without feeling tight and uncomfortable, and best of all it does actually brighten as it claims. Also I can’t believe how foamy the net made it- I can never get it that foamy 😮
The ingredient of this cleanser are: Purified Water, Myristic Acid, Glycerin, Potassium Cocoyl Glycinate, Butylene Glycol, Mitain CA, KOH, Stearic Acid, Lauric Acid, Sodium Methylcocoyltaurate, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Ethylene Glycol Stearates, Cholesterol, Ceramide, Cholesteryl Hydroxystearate, C12-20 Alkyl Glucoside, Hydrogenated Polydecene, Portulaca Oleracea L. Extract, Poncirus Trifoliata Extract, Diospyros Kaki Folium Extract, Cinnamon Extract, Artemisia Argyi Lev. et Vant. Extract, Chrysanthemum Indicum L. Extract, Mespilus Germanica Extract, Green Tea Extract, Japanese Cornlian Cherry Extract, Schizandra Extract, a Chinese Matrimony Vine Extract, Mulberry Root Extract, Rubus Coreanus Fruit Extract, Korean Pine Seed Extract, Mandarin Orange Extract, Fennel Extract, Sandalwood, Papaver Rhoeas L. (source: http://sulwhasoo-sulwhasoo.blogspot.com/2010/12/history-of-whoo-seol-whitening-line.html)
Hope that helps ^^
October 30, 2011 at 4:25 pm
Thanks a lot Catherine!
You are so helpful and thanks for being sweet to post the ingredient list and the link here. You mentioned it does brighten your skin and I can tell you that I have the same result! I even took a picture and compared the result with other normal cleanser! However I remember vaguely some other whitening cleansers have this effect too so I chose not to mention in my review and I’m waiting a good opportunity to compare this with others. (“D)
Foaming Tips: If you’re using foaming ball, try this. Taking a small amount of this cleanser and add little bit of water, then rubbing the ball “up-and-down” on palm (like washing clothes on washing board), add extra water (drops) when necessary. (‘ ^ .)