Brand Comparison
Meishoku vs Beauty of Joseon
A head-to-head comparison of two popular K-beauty brands. Which one is right for your skin?
Our Pick
Beauty of Joseon
Higher editor rating (9 vs 8.2)
Meishoku
Meishoku Brilliant Colors Inc. has been making Japanese drugstore skincare since 1885, and the line is exactly what you'd expect from a 140-year-old company: quietly reliable, conservatively packaged, and consistently undervalued internationally. The Ceracolla Perfect Gel is the brand's hero — a multifunctional ceramide-and-collagen gel similar in concept to the Rosette Ceramide Gel, also under $15. The Detclear Bright & Peel Peeling Jelly is a gentle gommage-style exfoliating gel that became a J-beauty TikTok favorite around 2022. Both products are sub-$15 and work better than they have any right to. As with Rosette, the limitation is distribution — international availability requires going through Japanese-import retailers. But for the patient bargain-hunter, the brand is a quiet J-beauty value pick.
Pros
- ✓ 140-year heritage with consistent formulation discipline
- ✓ Ceracolla Perfect Gel and Detclear Peeling Jelly are genuine value buys
- ✓ ceramide + collagen formulations at drugstore pricing
- ✓ trusted by Japanese consumers for over a century
Cons
- ✗ very limited international distribution
- ✗ packaging is dated drugstore-Japanese
- ✗ fragrance present in many products
- ✗ small product range outside Japan
Beauty of Joseon
Beauty of Joseon has quietly become one of the most impressive value propositions in K-beauty. Their Relief Sun is arguably the best budget sunscreen globally, and the Glow Serum delivers genuine results at a price that undercuts competitors by half. The hanbang angle could be gimmicky, but they back it with solid formulation science.
Pros
