In the skincare business, nothing travels faster than gossip and product recommendations. I swear, sometimes the latest skincare trend will travel faster than sound (which travels at 300,000 kilometers per second).
When Korean beauty products completely overtook the industry, it was like a switch was turned on. Suddenly, everyone became obsessed with skincare products—and Korea has produced some of the best products for the skin.
What’s great about Korean products is that you can see how cultural they are and how closely they hold traditions to their hearts. They use traditional ingredients that have been tested and proven for centuries.
One of those traditional ingredients is Artemisia, or more specifically, a plant from the genus Artemisia princep/vulgaris—Mugwort.
What’s Mugwort?
You can find the common Mugwort in Asia, North America, and Northern Europe. It’s a plant commonly used to make medicine. The roots can be used to make tonics that can help boost your energy, and the plant itself can help with stomach or intestinal problems.
Mugwort is a multifunctional ingredient. Its tonics can promote blood circulation; the medicine made from it can even help convulsions in children. And for women, it can fix irregular periods and other menstrual problems.
Is there anything this plant CAN’T do? Because I was kind of hoping it could solve some of my life problems…
Anyway, let’s get back on topic! The Mugwort surely sounds like an amazing little plant.
Even though its name sounds like something a goblin would say—or a magic spell from a world-famous book series—its health benefits are nothing to scoff at. This herb has the power to soothe and heal your skin with its antibacterial, antifungal, and anti-inflammatory properties. It can treat redness, eczema, psoriasis, and other skin sensitivities. What a godsend for sensitive skin!
Mugwort also stimulates the collagen in your skin, reducing the appearance of fine lines on your face. This results in a younger, brighter, and more radiant skin. Who wouldn’t want that? It’s no wonder it’s an ingredient that has surpassed the trials of time.
The 2 Magical Benefits of Mugworts
If skincare was a K-drama, then the Mugwort is the main character. As the Korean legend goes, the Mugwort helped pave the way to the foundation of Korea. A tiger and a bear were living in a cave, and both wanted to become humans. So, they prayed to Hwan-woong, a Divine King. Hwan-woong then gave them cloves of garlic and some sacred mugwort and told them that if they stay in the cave with only garlic and Mugwort for food for 100 days, he will grant their wish.
The tiger gave up after 20 days, but the bear persevered. The Divine King turned the bear into a beautiful woman, who will eventually give birth to the Founding Father of Korea.
I just love legends like that. There’s no proof that it’s true, but can you imagine if it was? Maybe if we used products with Mugwort for 100 days straight, we can attain beauty that can start a whole new era.
We won’t know unless we try!
Let’s set aside the amazing benefits of Mugwort for a while and talk about its bad sides. Because of the fact that it is technically a weed, it may cause allergic reactions. It is a part of the Asteraceae and Compositae family, so if you’re allergic to plants such as chrysanthemums and daisies, it would be best if you stayed away from mugworts. If you see your skin reacting negatively to the product, you can try to lessen its usage or stop using it entirely.
I know most people tend to lean more towards natural ingredients, but natural products are not always safe! And when we’re dealing with an ingredient like Mugwort, it’s important to take into consideration your skin’s sensitivities and the product’s formulation.
If your skin agrees with Mugwort, then you’re in luck! This ingredient is not only perfect for sensitive skin—it is also wonderful for acne-prone and dry skin.
It has cleansing and soothing properties.
Mugwort has a cleansing property that can remove dirt and oil that is sitting deep in your pores. It’s great as a toner because it’s an astringent and won’t dry out your skin. Instead, it will soothe it, and your skin will noticeably clear up from using this product. And did you know that Mugwort is often used for a nice, relaxing soak in hot springs? Your skin will be at its clearest and most relaxed state.
Antimicrobial and can prevent acne and fade acne scars:
Its antimicrobial properties are sure to take care of your acne problems. The Mugwort will prevent the growth of bacteria and fungi and such so your skin can heal and recover from inflammation and regenerate new skin cells. This also means that acne scars will fade faster due to the absence of unwanted microorganisms and dirt on the skin.
Some Great Mugwort Products to Try!
Now that we have a good idea of what Mugwort is. Let’s look at a few skincare products that primarily use it as an ingredient.
Brands such as Hanyul and TONYMOLY took advantage of mugwort extracts and perfectly packaged them as effective essences. TONYMOLY’s From Ganghwa Pure Artemisia First Essence uses Artemisia that’s been fermented for three whole years that can take care of the skin’s moisture and also smoothen and brighten the skin. The Hanyul Artemisia Miracle Relief Essence also uses Artemisia fermented for three years with a high concentration of 100%! The Mugwort is its only ingredient, and it’s unbelievably efficient in getting rid of redness.
Then we have the Manefit Beauty Planner Mugwort Sheet Mask and the ISNTREE Spot Saver Mugwort Gauze Mask as the ultimate saviors for dry skin. Manefit’s sheet mask can hydrate your skin with the Mugwort and also exfoliate your skin with salicylic acid, while ISNTREE’s gauze mask is made specifically for sensitive skin. It has ten essential ingredients, with Mugwort as its main ingredient, making it a soothing mask that will result in hydrated and relaxed skin—putting it on after a long, stressful day sounds like heaven to me!
We’re going to highlight a specific Korean cosmetics brand specializing in using natural ingredients in their products. That brand is I’M FROM. They promise three things in their skincare items: ingredient transparency, honest materials, and no harmful additives. They typically use ingredients like honey, ginseng, rice, and of course, our now-favorite ingredient—Mugwort.
They have a number of products that make use of mugworts’ benefits to the skin. They have a whole line of it—essence, cream, mask, and gel! Your skincare routine will turn into a mugwort regime. When it comes to natural ingredients like Mugwort, I’M FROM is definitely one of the top skincare brands to choose from.
Conclusion
For decades, the Mugwort has proven itself a useful ingredient in medicine, food, and cosmetics. It is a fool-proof, flexible product that’s suited for sensitive, acne-prone, dry, and dull skin.
If you don’t have any particular allergies to Artemisia, go ahead and get yourself a mugwort product! Trying out new products is one of the best parts of being a skincare fanatic—there is a whole world of possibilities out there, and your skincare holy grail is somewhere waiting for you. Give it a chance to work its miracle, and you’ll come out as a radiant, hydrated, relaxed, clear-skinned champion like the bear from the legend.
