Editorial policy
This page explains how articles on The K-Beauty Review are made, what we will and will not say, and how to get something corrected. It is written for readers, and it is also the rulebook our own publishing system is checked against.
Where our information comes from
Each article starts from the product’s own listing at Olive Young in Korea: the full ingredient list (INCI), the price in Korean won, size, category, the brand’s stated claims, and the listing’s review count and rating. We record this information on the day the product appears. We do not use the retailer’s photographs.
We do not test products in a lab, and unless an article says otherwise in the first person, we have not used the product. Our analysis is desk analysis of the ingredient list and the brand’s own statements, and we say so plainly when something cannot be judged that way (texture, scent, how a formula performs over weeks).
How articles are written
Our editorial team uses AI-assisted drafting. Structured product data and our ingredient reference are turned into a first draft by a language model working under rules set by the editor. Every draft then passes an automated check before publication that enforces the rules below, and drafts that fail are held rather than published. The editor reviews held drafts, reader corrections and a sample of published articles each week, writes the Sunday Editor’s Desk column personally, and is responsible for everything published here.
We tell you this because we think you should know how what you read was made. We also think the method is the point: it lets us cover the new shelf every week, in English, with the ingredient list in front of us, which no human team writing from press releases can do.
What we will not say
- We do not make medical claims. Cosmetics do not cure, treat or heal conditions. We write “formulated for”, “may help with the look of”, “suits”.
- We do not say a product is clinically proven, dermatologist-recommended or approved by a regulator unless the brand’s listing says so, and we attribute it when it does.
- We do not describe at-home beauty devices as replacements for clinical treatment or claim that they lift or tighten skin.
- We do not write in the first person outside the Editor’s Desk column, because we have not used the product.
- We do not invent prices, percentages, awards or test results. Every Korean won figure in an article is the listed price on the day we recorded it.
Independence and disclosure
No brand pays for coverage, placement or ranking. We do not take samples in exchange for articles.
We earn a commission when readers buy through some retailer links. That never changes which products we cover or what we say about them.
Our Editor-in-Chief, Yiyoon Choi, is the exclusive distributor of CELLVISION at-home beauty devices. Articles that mention those devices carry a disclosure at the top. Device articles are limited to one in every two weeks, and the products they recommend pairing with the device are chosen by the same ingredient rules as every other article.
Ingredients and skin types
Our ingredient explanations draw on the published INCI name, the ingredient’s generally accepted cosmetic function, and the position of the ingredient on the list (ingredients are listed in descending order of concentration down to 1%). “Best for” judgments weigh the first ten ingredients more heavily. We flag fragrance, alcohol and common sensitizers for readers who avoid them. These are editorial judgments, not dermatological advice. If you have a skin condition, ask a doctor.
Corrections
If we got a price, ingredient or claim wrong, tell us through the contact page. We correct factual errors in the article and note the correction at the bottom. Formulas change; the box in your hand is the final authority on what is in a product.
Last updated: 2026-10-06