K-beauty built its reputation on 12-step routines stacked with toners, serums, exfoliators and mists. Sumin Lee, co-founder of Beauty of Joseon, wants shoppers to consider a different approach with her new brand Depthi, whose tagline reads "Fewer Steps, but Better Ones."
Depthi debuted this week with two products: the Blue Peptide Eye Patches at $15 and the Bonding Barrier Cream at $27, both sold at depthiskin.com. Last month, pop star Zara Larsson posted TikTok videos wearing an unreleased version of the dolphin-shaped eye patches. Lee had gifted them to Larsson, and the singer posted the videos on her own, tying the patches' shape to her signature "dolphin" pose.
Lee says that moment wasn't the plan behind the launch. "In such an incredibly crowded market, I want Depthi to be a brand that encourages a more thoughtful conversation about what makes a product truly valuable," she says. "What does it actually mean to discover something worth bringing into the world?"
She says she's fine if that approach skips the flashiest marketing. "My goal isn't to compete with other K-beauty brands for attention or to stand out for the sake of standing out," Lee says. "It's to serve people who care about their skin and their well-being, and create products that are worth their time, money and trust."
The Bonding Barrier Cream combines a Nano Lipid Complex, a bonding peptide and panthenol to support the skin barrier and collagen. It adds urea, sodium PCA and hyaluronic acid for hydration, plus aqua ectoin, madecassoside and allantoin to calm irritation. Lee calls it her "proudest creation in 10 years in beauty."
The Blue Peptide Eye Patches list a dual peptide complex for firming, caffeine, erythritol and magnesium for a cooling effect, and hyaluronic acid, sodium PCA and algae for hydration.
Lee spent close to a decade building Beauty of Joseon into one of Korea's best-known export brands, often through single-ingredient formulas like its rice or ginseng lines. With Depthi, she says she wanted to start from a narrower product list rather than a trending ingredient. "Depthi wasn't created to follow a market opportunity or a particular trend," she says. "It came from a personal desire to explore skin care more deeply and build something with a different perspective."
Lee set the prices with accessibility as a stated goal and plans to expand Depthi into retail over time. For now, the eye patches and barrier cream remain available only through the Depthi site.
