The History of Whoo
Hwanyu Imperial Youth line
Hwanyu (ํ์ ) is The History of Whooโs luxury anti-aging skincare line designed to offer a complete rejuvenating treatment to address complex signs of aging. The line is powered by Natural Wild Ginseng protoplasts and a core of 70 herbal ingredients that include some of the most precious ingredients available in Oriental Medicine.
The name โHwanyu” (ํ์ , ้ๅนผ) translates to “returning to youth” and is derived from the following Hanja characters:
Disclaimer: I personally translated the majority of facts and contents in this article from original Korean sources, so I kindly ask you to credit my work if youโre planning to use any of the information included in this guide.
Many concepts mentioned in this guide are based on Oriental Medicine principles, for a better understanding please refer to the introduction to Traditional Korean Medicine on this website. Itโs important to stress out that there is no correspondence between Oriental Medicine organs and Western anatomy so capitalised names in this article shouldnโt be interpreted in the Western medical sense.
โฌฅ Recommended for:
Main Ingredients
โฌฅ Imperial Youth Complexโข
At the heart of The History of Whoo’s “Hwanyu” line is Imperial Youth Complexโข, a potent blend of ingredients that has been developed over the course of 19 years of Wild Ginseng research.
composition & properties:
Designed to address a range of skin concerns, Imperial Youth Complexโข has been shown to help improve skin elasticity, reduce the appearance of wrinkles, provide soothing and moisturising effects, and strengthen the skin’s natural protective barrier.
Imperial Youth Complexโข combines powerful anti-aging ingredients with protoplasts derived from Natural Wild Ginseng, extremely rare botanical compounds renowned for their extraordinary restorative and rejuvenating properties. Besides Wild Ginseng protoplasts, The History of Whoo’s Imperial Youth Complexโข includes four ingredients protected by patents, including two ingredients that help refine skin texture, one that increases skin moisture levels, and one that fortifies the skin’s natural protective barrier1.
Imperial Youth Complexโข appears in ingredient lists as:
2,3-Butanediol, Adenosine, Arginine, Betaine, Ferulic Acid, Oryzanol, Panax Ginseng Root Protoplasts, Phloretin, Pyridoxine HCl, Serine, Tranexamic Acid, Trehalose.
Cell Bio Technology:
The secret to Imperial Youth Complexโข lies in the brand’s innovative “Cell Bio Technologyโ, a proprietary extraction method that preserves the integrity and potency of the ginseng protoplasts. Unlike traditional extraction processes that often rely on heat, pressure, or harsh solvents, this innovative technology allows the protoplasts within the ginseng to remain intact, preserving their full potency and rejuvenating properties.
Wild Ginseng Jeoncho:
The Wild Ginseng protoplasts used in the Imperial Youth Complexโข are derived from the whole ginseng plant, known in Korean as Jeoncho (์ ์ด, ๅ จ่). Traditionally Ginseng has been mainly valued for its roots, as they are known to contain the highest concentration of Ginseng saponins, whereas โJeonchoโ (์ ์ด, ๅ จ่) refers to the entire ginseng plant, including its roots, leaves, and stems. โGinseng Jeonchoโ is highly valued in Oriental Medicine because it includes a broader range of bioactive components in addition to just ginseng saponins.
By incorporating the entire ginseng plant, the Imperial Youth Complexโข offers a synergistic blend of potent anti-aging ingredients.
To increase the potency of this complex, The History of Whoo used โImperial Ginseng 30โ, Natural Wild Ginseng plants that have thrived for 30 years in their natural environment without human interference, developing unparalleled strength and resilience.
To ensure the highest quality, The History of Whoo harvests only a limited number of these Wild Ginseng plants during the months of May to September, the time of the year when Yang Qi reaches its peak. This precise timing allows each plant to develop a rich concentration of bioactive compounds, maximising the effectiveness of Imperial Youth Complexโข.
โฌฅ Wild Ginseng Ginsenosideโข
WildโฏGinsengโฏGinsenosideโข is a proprietary ingredient developed by The History of Whoo to effectively target the skin’s aging factors, providing superior anti-aging and skin-firming benefits.
Derived from Wild Ginseng, WildโฏGinsengโฏGinsenosideโข is naturally rich ginsenosides, the active ingredients of Panax Ginseng. In particular, the ingredient is packed with unique wildโginseng ginsenosides (CโMc1) that are usually not present in other varieties of ginseng and that have been shown to offer exceptional collagenโboosting effects.
WildโฏGinsengโฏGinsenosideโข was developed by extracting, isolating and purifying the ginsenoside components from the adventitious roots of โtissue-cultured Wild Ginsengโ grown through cell culture using cells originally sourced from Wild Ginseng. Ginseng tissue culture allows rare ginsenosides typically found only in Wild Ginseng to be easily reproduced in a controlled environment with high purity, consistency, and enhanced biological activity.
โฌฅ Seno-Forceโข
Seno-Forceโข (also marketed under the name of Senofenceโข in the US) is a stabilised blend of Quercetin, Resveratrol and Kaempferol, three compounds identified through research into Wild Ginseng Jeoncho (์ ์ด, ๅ จ่). The ingredient is designed to enhance the skinโs natural resilience and vitality.
โฌฅ Aging-RX Technologyโข
Aging-RX Technologyโข is an exclusive technology developed by The History of Whoo to visibly reduce the appearance of wrinkles. The ingredient works by targeting retinoid X receptors (RXR), which play a key role in maintaining collagen and skin elasticity, to deliver firmer, smoother and healthier-looking skin without irritating the skin.
โฌฅ Imperial Ginseng 30 (์ฒ์ข ์ฐ์ผ์ ์ด, ๅคฉ็จฎๅฑฑ่ๅ จ่)
Panax Ginseng, often referred to as โShinchoโ (์ ์ด, ็ฅ่) or โGodโs Herb,โ is one of the most valuable Hanbang herbs. In the context of Oriental Medicine, it is frequently used to replenish Qi (โtonify Qiโ) across the Five Organs (์ค์ฅ, ไบ่)10.
There are significant differences between Wild Ginseng (Panax Ginseng Meyer cv. Silvatica) and Cultivated Ginseng, particularly regarding market value, physical characteristics, and overall properties. Research has shown that Wild Ginseng contains at least ten times the amount of active compounds found in Cultivated Ginseng2. This greater potency, combined with its natural scarcity and limited availability, makes Wild Ginseng one of the most valued herbal remedies in Oriental medicine.
Different morphological characteristics of Wild Ginseng (sx) and Cultivated Ginseng (dx). (source: YTN)
Due to the natural scarcity of the plant, many Wild Ginseng plants found on the market are produced through human intervention. This variety, known as “Wild-Simulated Ginseng,” is created by planting ginseng seeds in environments that closely resemble the natural habitats of Wild Ginseng, and subsequently allowing the plants to develop as naturally as possible.
Wild-Simulated Ginseng is recognised for having a higher concentration of active ingredients than Cultivated Ginseng, though not as much as authentic Wild Ginseng, which contributes to its relatively more accessible market price5.
A gift from nature:
The History of Whoo’s “Hwanyu” line is formulated using โImperial Ginseng 30โ, commonly known as โNatural Cheonjong Wild Ginseng Jeonchoโ, the most precious variety of Wild Ginseng: plants that grow without any human intervention in an optimal natural environment for at least 5 generations3.
In Oriental Medicine, โDaodiโ is a term that indicates medicinal herbs with the highest pharmacological properties, grown in specific geographical areas with specific natural conditions and being harvested and processed following specific standards. โNatural Cheonjong Wild Ginsengโ describes Korean Wild Ginseng grown in a Daodi region for at least 5 generations.
In particular, the Ginseng used in the “Hwanyu” line is a 30 year old root that grows in the steep valleys of Gangwon-do, a Korean province renowned for its high mountains.
In order to guarantee the highest quality standards, The History of Whoo carefully harvests only a limited number of these Wild Ginseng plants during the months of May to September, the time of the year when Yang Qi reaches its peak. In Oriental Medicine, Yang Qi (์๊ธฐ, ้ฝๆฐฃ) is a vital energy or driving force that governs the body’s biological activities, and it is associated with qualities such as active, warm, and expansive. In nature, Yang Qi is responsible for processes involving growth, expansion, and transformation, including the flourishing of plants.
Among all varieties of Panax Ginseng, โNatural Cheonjong Wild Ginsengโ is the one with the highest concentration of active principles and the best medicinal efficacy4. To maximise the benefits of this precious ingredient, The History of Whoo incorporated the whole body of the plant in the “Hwanyu” line, from leaves to roots.
Baekjung Gobeop and the Wisdom of patience:
In addition, the plant was processed following the traditional Baekjung Gobeop method (๋ฐฑ์ฆ๊ณ ๋ฒ, ็พ่ธ่ๆณ) to maximise the concentration of its bioactive components. Baekjung Gobeop is a decoction technique which consists of meticulously simmering the whole body of a plant for 100 hours inside a PU-RE earthenware pot (ํธ๋ ๋๊ธฐ), a traditional Korean ceramic vessel historically reserved for members of the royal court. This process transforms the plant into herbal pills (ํ์ , ไธธๅ) made of finely powdered ginseng, ensuring the preservation of its efficacy and therapeutic properties.
The term ‘PU-RE’ originates from the Korean word for “bluish” (ํธ๋ฅด์ค๋ฆํ, “pu-reu-seu-reum-han”)6, alluding to the material’s distinctive bluish hue. The porous nature of the earthenware facilitates the natural circulation of air, creating an optimal environment for food storage and fermentation. In addition to its breathable properties, PU-RE pottery is renowned for its waterproof, preservative and purifying functions, making it an ideal choice for long-term storage and fermentation of foods and ingredients.
Unlike conventional pottery, PU-RE cannot be fired through stacking. Each piece is fired individually over an 80-hour period in a firewood kiln, reaching temperatures of 1250~1300โ. No glaze is applied during this process, allowing the natural qualities of the clay to shine through. As the kiln reaches a temperature of 1280 degrees, Cheonilyeom (์ฒ์ผ์ผ, ๅคฉๆฅ้นฝ traditional Korean sun-dried sea salt) is sprinkled onto the vessel to enhance its preservative properties. The kiln is then sealed to complete the process.
The vaporisation of the salt results in the release of black smoke (carbon), which permeates the porous structure of the vessel. The ash from the salt and the firewood naturally sticks to the vessel, melding with its surface and giving it the unique bluish tint that is characteristic of PU-RE pottery5.
PU-RE production process (source: Korea Craft & Design Foundation)
โฌฅ 70+ Hanbang herbs
All products in the “Hwanyu” line contain an active core composed of over 70 Hanbang herbal ingredients combined in accordance with the Gunsinjwasa principle (๊ตฐ์ ์ข์ฌ, ๅ่ฃไฝไฝฟ), which is the fundamental formulation principle of Oriental Medicine. This principle, also referred to as the “Monarch, Minister, Assistant and Envoy”, outlines a sophisticated hierarchy of ingredients designed to address all aspects of a certain health condition.
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Some simple prescriptions can contain only the main principles (Gun Yak and Sin Yak) or a substance can serve more than one function within the same formula.
A 2015 study by a Korean research team led by Professor Lee Sang Yup from the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at KAIST, found that not only prescriptions formulated following the Gunsinjwasa principle had a synergistic mechanism, but they also shared significant structural similarities to human metabolites, especially when compared to Western medicinal prescriptions7.
Below is an overview of how the principle was applied to the key ingredients in the “Hwanyu” line:
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the five phases:
Furthermore, the formula also exhibits the characteristics of the Five Phases (์คํ, ไบ่ก) to provide a complete anti-aging treatment.
The Five Phases is the philosophical notion that all changes in the universe happen in a pattern of five stages. The five stages correspond to five natural elements:
As part of nature, the internal organs of the human body are also believed to correlate with the Five Phases according to their behaviour and function in the body.
Like all health conditions, in Oriental Medicine the process of skin aging can be traced back to deficiencies of the Five Organs / Phases. According to this theory:
For this reason, the “Hwanyu” line was developed to target all five types of imbalances and provide a holistic skincare treatment.
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Boncho Baewiron:
In addition, the efficacy of the main active ingredients (also known as the Monarch ingredients) was enhanced following the theory of Boncho Baewiron (๋ณธ์ด ๋ฐฐ์๋ก , ๆฌ่ ้ ไฝ่ซ). Boncho Baewiron is a traditional principle of Oriental Medicine in which two ingredients with complimentary properties are combined together in a decoction to double their efficacy.
In the “Hwanyu” line, the main active ingredients have been combined with Cordyceps Millitaris.
Cordyceps Militaris is a parasitic fungus renowned in Oriental Medicine for its wide range of pharmacological effects, which encompass anti-tumour, immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, and reinvigorating properties. Similar to Wild Ginseng, it is a naturally rare ingredient, which has contributed to its status as the world’s most expensive fungus, with prices soaring as high as $140,000 per kilogram8.
The resulting ingredients are:
These three core ingredients were developed to replenish the main vital fluids that decline with age: Qi (๊ธฐ,ๆฐฃ), Blood (ํ, ่ก) and Essence (์ , ็ฒพ), so their combined action is referred to as Gihyeoljeong (๊ธฐํ์ , ๆฐฃ่ก็ฒพ), literally Qi + Blood + Essence.
โฌฅ Andrographis Paniculata Extract (์นผ๋ฉ๊ทธ์ถ์ถ๋ฌผ, ็ฉฟๅฟ่ฒ)
Andrographis Paniculata, commonly known as ‘king of bitters, is a herbal remedy known for its extraordinary ability to alleviate internal heat and dampness, and dispel toxins. In Oriental Medicine, the herb has been traditionally used to treat a variety of health conditions, from respiratory infections and fevers to digestive issues and boosting the immune system.
The primary active component of Andrographis Paniculata, Andrographolide, exhibits anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antitumor, antidiabetic, antimalarial, and hepatoprotective properties10.
Beyond its traditional medicinal applications, Andrographis Paniculata’s anti-inflammatory and antibacterial qualities also make it a compelling ingredient for addressing various skin concerns. Studies have also suggested its potential in combating signs of aging, such as improving skin hydration, dermal density, and reducing wrinkling and sagging10.
For its “Hwanyu” line, The History of Whoo used a meticulous five-step process to extract and concentrate Andrographis Paniculata. This process consists of extraction, concentration, purification, filtration, and drying, resulting in an extraxt in which the content of Andrographolide is concentrated to 120 times its original strength.
โฌฅ Perennial Fallopia Multiflora (์ฅ์ํ์์ค, ้ท็ไฝ้ฆ็)
Perennial Fallopia Multiflora (Polygonum Multiflorum) has long been valued in Oriental Medicine for its role in addressing age-related health concerns. The herb is renowned for its ability to boost Kidney and Liver function, replenishing vital energy and promoting longevity.
Hailed as the โCure to Old Ageโ, Perennial Fallopia Multiflora is commonly used to combat premature aging symptoms like greying hair, fatigue, and reduced vitality. While the standard Fallopia Multiflora variety takes about four years to be ready for harvesting, its perennial counterpart can thrive for over fifty years, allowing it to accumulate more nutrients from the soil.
โฌฅ Imperial Ginseniumโข (์ํ๋ฆฌ์ผ ์ง์ธ๋์โข)
Imperial Ginseniumโข is an innovative anti-aging ingredient discovered by the Whoo Oriental Medicine Skin Science Research Center after 15 years of research on the properties of Wild Ginseng. Imperial Ginseniumโข (์ํ๋ฆฌ์ผ ์ง์ธ๋์โข), also known as Weizmannia Ginsengihumi or Bacillus Ginsengihumi, is a novel bacterial strain isolated from the roots of 30-year-old Natural Wild Ginseng.
This bacterial strain has been shown to secrete phytohormone indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), as well as increase bioavailability of numerous low-molecular-weight ginsenosides, including Rg2(R), Rg4, Rg6, Rg3(S), Rg3(R), Rk1, Rg5, Rh1(R), Rk3, and Rh4, offering a wide range of skin benefits9.
Imperial Ginseniumโข facilitates the delivery of active ingredients while simultaneously nourishing and rebalancing the skin from within. In addition, by fortifying the skin’s natural defences, Imperial Ginseniumโข effectively combats environmental challenges and external stressors, preventing the acceleration of skin aging.
The ingredient is protected by a patent in Korea (patent number 1020210057293) and has been deposited at the Korea Collection for Type Cultures (KCTC) under the Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB), with the deposit number KCTC 14462BP.
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โฌฅ Recommended order of use
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Notes
1. ๋ํ. (2024). “5์๊ธฐํ”. LG์ํ๊ฑด๊ฐ.
2. Jeong H. (2009) ์ธ์ผใ์ฐ์์ผใ์์ฐ์ฐ ์ฐ์ผ์ ginsenoside ํจ๋ ๋ถ์ ๋ฐ ํ์ผํ ํ ์ฑ๋ถ๋ณํ ๋น๊ต. ์์ง๋ํ๊ต ํ์ ์ ๋ณด์. ์ด๋ช
๋. (2006). โ์ฐ์ผ์ ์ข
๋ฅ์ ๋ณต์ฉ๋ฒ.โ
3. ๊ฒฝ๋จ์ผ๋ณด. (2018). โ[๋์
์ด์ผ๊ธฐ]์ฒ์ข
์ฐ์ผ(ๅคฉ็จฎๅฑฑ่)์ฅ์ํธ(๊ฒฝ๋จ๋๋์
๊ธฐ์ ์ ์ฝ์ฉ์์์ฐ๊ตฌ์์ฅ).โ ๊ฒฝ๋จ์ผ๋ณด
4. ์ฐ๋ฆฌ์๋๋ช
์ธ โ ์ฐ๋ฆฌ์๋ ๋ง์ง๋ง ํธ๋ ์น๊ธฐ ์ฅ์ธ ๋ฐฐ์์ญ์จ. ๋์ฐ๋์ด์ฌ๋จ. (n.d.).
5. ๊ฒ๊ณ ํธ๋ฅธ ์น๊ธฐ โํธ๋ ๋๊ธฐโ ์๊ฐ 4์ธ ์ด๋์ . ์๋ถ์ ๋ฌธ. (2014, September 22).
6. Kim, H., Ryu, J., Lee, J. et al. (2015). A systems approach to traditional oriental medicine. Nat Biotechnol.
7. Hou, David Anderson, Chia-Yi. (2021). โThe Worldโs Most Valuable Parasite, Caterpillar Fungus, Can Cost up to $63,000 per Pound.โ Business Insider.
8. Kwon, M., Lee, H., Lee, S. Y., & Jin, M. H. (2022). Characterization of weizmannia ginsengihumi LGHNH from wild-ginseng and anti-aging effects of its cultured product. Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters, 50(3), 414โ421. https://doi.org/10.48022/mbl.2204.04007
9. You, J., Roh, K. B., Li, Z., Liu, G., Tang, J., Shin, S., Park, D., & Jung, E. (2015). The Antiaging Properties of Andrographis paniculata by Activation Epidermal Cell Stemness. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland), 20(9), 17557โ17569. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules200917557
10. Dharmananda, Subhuti. (2002). โThe Nature of Ginseng.โ Herbalgram (Number 54), the Journal of the American Botanical Council.
