Shopping In NYC’s Koreatown

Since I left New York City about 20 years ago, Koreatown went from one street near West 45 St. to a entire district primarily in the West 30s. When we arrived in NYC, I was surprised to discover that our hotel, Hotel Stanford, was located in the heart of Koreatown.

H-Mart was right across the street from the hotel, and the fabulous French-inspired Korean bakery, Tous Les Jours, was about 4 doors down.

Our hotel was manned primarily by young Koreans who were very friendly and professional. I almost felt like we were in Korea!

Importantly for me at least, was Kosette Beauty Market, a retailer that sold K-Beauty products, primarily skincare, located 3 doors from Hotel Stanford. How convenient!

I repurchased two products from TonyMoly’s Green Tea collection (you can see them at the bottom of the above photo) that I knew I loved, especially for summer:

• TonyMoly Chok Chok Green Tea Watery Skin Toner: this hydrating water toner made from 100% green tea extract feels so good especially on the hots days of summer. Love this stuff!
• TonyMoly Chok Chok Green Tea Watery Essence: this lightweight, hydrating, calming, fast absorbing, white serum also feels wonderful on dry skin. On a very hot day, I can wear this instead of a moisturizer.

Another thing I love about TonyMoly is that the products are very affordable! I reviewed them on NSDB in the past here and here. Unless you’re in New York, the two TonyMoly Chok Chok products that I bought for around $15 each are sold out on the Kosette Beauty Market website. Boo! They are available on Amazon, at Macy’s, and on the TonyMoly.US website, but for a few dollars more than at Kosette.

K-Beauty Mineral Sunscreens

While I was browsing, I decided to look at SPF 50 mineral sunscreens from Korea. There was a sign pasted on the front door of the shop that Joseon sunscreen was sold out. I believe they were referring to Beauty of Joseon Daily Tinted Fluid Sunscreen SPF 40, an FDA-compliant sunscreen that uses Zinc Oxide as its active ingredient. It has created quite a sensation on Tik Tok, so I was disappointed that it was unavailable. It is supposed to be amazingly lightweight for a mineral sunscreen that uses Zinc Oxide. I will try to see if I can find it somewhere else because I am very curious about it. Here’s what Glamour says about it on its website:

“Beauty of Joseon’s famous Relief Sun might be TikTok’s most viral Korean sunscreen. While that formula is no longer available in the US, the brand recently launched the FDA-compliant Beauty of Joseon Daily Tinted Fluid Sunscreen, which uses zinc oxide for its SPF 40 broad-spectrum protection. It feels surprisingly lightweight and fast-absorbing for a mineral sunscreen, and comes in 12 sheer tints made to double as your daily tinted base. Wu loves the formula, which she says feels much lighter than her other mineral sunscreens. “Going off the texture alone, I would never guess that this is a zinc oxide formula,” she says. “It feels so fluid and weightless, and I’m obsessed with the natural finish it leaves. This tinted sunscreen is sheer and forgiving—more like a blurring filter for your skin than a full-on foundation. On days when I don’t feel like wearing makeup but still want to even out my skin tone and give it a beautiful glow, I always reach for this.”

• SPF rating: 40
• FDA-approved filters: Yes (zinc oxide)
• Key ingredients: Olive lipids, artemisia capillaris extract
• Highlights: Fast-absorbing texture, easy to blend, 12 sheer shades for a wide range of skin tones”

Instead, I looked at several of the mineral sunscreens in stock, and there were many to choose from. I tried a few mineral sunscreens on my hand from the testers because I didn’t want a completely blind buy. Nevertheless, testing on the back of the hand isn’t the same as trying a sample at home on my face. I ended up choosing Cell Fusion C Laser Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 50, a water-resistant sunscreen for up to 80 minutes.

The active sunscreen ingredients are the same ingredients that we would find in any mineral sunscreen in the U.S.: 

• Homosalate 7.5%
• Octosalate 4.5%
• Titanium Dioxide 2.2%
• Zinc Oxide 12.7%

Cell Fusion C isn’t heavy at all even though it is a mineral sunscreen with quite a high percentage of Zinc Oxide which is typically a thick substance. It is quite amazing especially when used on its own.

Not surprisingly, when I apply Cell Fusion C, it initially leaves a white cast on my face. But as I rub it in, it absorbs and the white cast disappears – probably in about 1-2 minutes. It leaves a very slight glow on the skin.

I have worn my usual Cover FX Cream Foundation over it without pilling. However, when I wear several layers of toner, essence, serum, Cell Fusion C, followed by foundation, pilling can result. So in the summer, lighter – meaning using fewer skincare products – is better when wearing foundation.

In addition to the sunscreen ingredients, Cell Fusion C has a long list of traditional skincare moisturizing and anti-aging ingredients in it, e.g. dimethicone, glycerin, ceramide, collagen, peptides, vitamin E, and quite a few other ingredients including Lavender Oil in case you can’t tolerate lavender. It has a slight scent of lavender, so those of you like Marcia who are sensitive to fragrance will want to avoid this. Fortunately, I like lavender, plus I have discovered that I can use this as a sunscreen and moisturizer in one.

In sum, Cell Fusion C Laser Sunscreen SPF 50 that comes in a plastic tube containing 1.69 fl. oz. for $20 at Kosette Beauty Market was well worth buying for me. On Amazon, it’s currently discounted at $18.