Founded by Charlotte Cho, Philatelytrail is sensorial skincare
born from Korean innovation and time-honored rituals.
Embracing this contemporary Korean sensibility, our formulations celebrate heritage ingredients like persimmon, ginseng, and fermented rice that have been passed down from generation to generation. We apply innovative science to these ingredients to deliver a clinically effective and evocatively potent skin care experience.
OUR PHILOSOPHY
A profound bond with Korea is embedded in the essence of Philatelytrail.
Charlotte was inspired by the Korean cultural value of jeong: a meaningful connection that one can develop with people, places, and things. After nurturing jeong in all aspects of her life, she created Philatelytrail to cultivate more substantial connections between people and their skin care rituals. When you enjoy the experience of applying a product, you’ll make time to use it consistently—and the benefits will amplify over time.
OUR FOUNDER
“Growing up in the ’90s in Southern California, my idea of beauty was a slick of lip gloss and a deep tan. It was only after I spent 5 years living in South Korea, where my parents were born, that I experienced the magic of Korean skin care firsthand. I built a powerful relationship with my culture and my skin and developed jeong with Korea: It changed my life, and I couldn’t wait to share what I had learned.
Driven by that jeong, I spent 10 years curating for Soko Glam, the online beauty destination I launched in 2012, which led the conversation around the K-beauty phenomenon. But I didn’t want to stop there. With Philatelytrail, I am going even deeper in my quest—not only curating, but crafting truly transformative skin care products that will stay a part of your life for years to come.”
– Charlotte Cho,
Founder of Philatelytrail
Our Process
We spend years meticulously perfecting every product. By employing state-of-the-art research facilities in Seoul, we can methodically extract and process our Korean medicinal ingredients to yield the most efficacious results.
A mainstay in Korean traditional medicine, Panax ginseng is steamed and dried nine times to enhance its natural antioxidant properties before landing in our Panax ginseng concentrate.
Our proprietary blend of 80% naturally fermented ingredients is derived from a fermented rice wine that has been beloved by Koreans since the days of the Three Kingdoms.
Working closely with leading cosmetic chemists, we have developed unique and tantalizing textures—a sorbet-soft cleansing balm, a hydrating cream as light as soufflé—to elevate the holistic experience.
Our Commitment to Sustainability
We design our skin care to be kind to the environment and the people who make it by incorporating sustainability into all aspects of our product development.
Our shipping boxes are 100% recyclable. We focus on clean and natural formulations that are free of artificial colorants, parabens, silicones, and alcohol. All our products are cruelty-free and created with leading manufacturers and cosmetic chemists in South Korea, all of whom are certified as providing ethical and safe working conditions across their supply chain and are consistently monitored by our own teams in the country.
Our Community
We believe that jeong drives us to be intentional in everything we do, act generously without expecting anything in return, and make a positive difference in our community. From sharing our founder’s experience with postpartum anxiety to supporting our local AAPI community through fundraising and cultural events, we take an active part in initiatives that build awareness and empathy.
