Brand Comparison

The Beauty Chef vs The History of Whoo

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

Our Pick

The History of Whoo

Higher editor rating (8.8 vs 7.7)

The Beauty Chef The History of Whoo

Rating7.7/108.8/10

Price RangePremium ($$$)Premium ($$$)

Founded20092003

OriginAustraliaSouth Korea

Products25

Best Fornormal, Combo, SensitiveMature, Dry

PhilosophyInner-beauty powders that cross over into topical skincare — the ingestible-first school.Royal-court hanbang for the woman who wants her anti-aging to feel ceremonial.

The Beauty Chef

The Beauty Chef's Glow Inner Beauty Powder was one of the first ingestible skincare products to get serious press in the Anglo world. The topical range expanded from there, and the Probiotic Skin Refiner is a legitimately interesting fermented-actives serum. Not everyone buys into the ingestible thesis, but the topical SKUs hold up on their own.

Pros

✓ Interesting fermented-actives
✓ Ingestible-beauty pioneer
✓ Strong Australian sourcing

Cons

✗ Polarizing ingestibles category
✗ Premium pricing
✗ Smaller topical range

The History of Whoo

Price tags that make you wince and packaging that belongs in a palace museum — but the Bichup Self-Generating Anti-Aging Essence is legitimately good, and the Gongjinhyang:Seol brightening line has receipts. You're paying for the ritual as much as the results, which is either the point or the problem, depending on who you are.

Pros