Brand Comparison

Hera vs Papa Recipe

A head-to-head comparison of two popular K-beauty brands. Which one is right for your skin?

Our Pick

Hera

Higher editor rating (9 vs 8.6)

Hera Papa Recipe

Rating9/108.6/10

Price RangePremium ($$$)Budget ($)

Founded19952014

OriginSouth KoreaSeoul, South Korea

Products43

Best Forluxury skincare, Mature, K-prestige, giftingDry, normal, Mature, Sensitive

PhilosophyAmorePacific's luxury skincare-meets-color-cosmetics house — Black Cushion icon, Sensual Powder Matte Lipstick, and serious skincare.The K-beauty family brand that turned a single honey mask into a global category — warm, unpretentious, and genuinely well-formulated.

Hera

Hera is the AmorePacific-owned Korean luxury house that has produced one of the most photographed cushion compacts in beauty history (the Black Cushion) and a quietly excellent skincare lineup that doesn't get the same Sephora-front-row coverage as Sulwhasoo or Whoo. Premium pricing, Korean luxury heritage, formulations that earn their place at the top of any K-prestige routine.

Pros

✓ AmorePacific-backed luxury
✓ Black Cushion is iconic
✓ Strong skincare lineup beyond cushions
✓ Premium texture quality

Cons

✗ Luxury pricing across the board
✗ Less Western distribution
✗ Branding can feel formal

Papa Recipe

Papa Recipe is the quiet Korean family-run brand behind the Bombee Honey Mask Pack — the sheet mask your friend brought back from Seoul in 2016 that made you reconsider what a sheet mask could be. The lineup leans on manuka honey, propolis, and royal jelly; the packaging is unfussy; the masks genuinely work. Not the flashiest brand on the shelf, but the one your Korean aunt actually uses.

Pros