The History of Whoo
Make-up line
The History of Whoo’s make-up line (formerly known as “Gongjinhyang Mi”, 공진향:미) is a luxury make-up line with added skincare benefits. The products are inspired by Traditional Oriental Medicine remedies and beauty secrets.
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 you’re 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. It’s important to stress out that there is no correspondence between Oriental Medicine organs and Western anatomy so capitalised names in this article shouldn’t be interpreted in the Western medical sense.
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Main Ingredients
⬥ Gong Jin Solution™
All products from The History of Whoo contain “Gong Jin Solution™” (공진솔루션™), a proprietary herbal complex that constitutes the brand’s signature ingredient. This complex represents an evolution of “Gongjinbidan” (공진비단, 供辰秘丹), which was previously the representative ingredient of the brand.
Gong Jin Solution™ is the result of The History of Whoo’s extensive integrative medicine research. The brand began by identifying and isolating the key skin-firming active ingredients found in Gongjinbidan: Glycoproteins, Arginine, and Glutamic Acid. These three active ingredients, known as “Gongjinbidan Active“, were then combined with Gongjinbidan, The History of Whoo’s original signature ingredient, to obtain the more potent Gong Jin Solution™.
Gongjinbidan (공진비단, 供辰秘丹):
The History of Whoo’s “Gongjinbidan” is based on “Gongjindan” (공진단, 拱辰丹), a traditional Oriental medicine prescription originally created by Chinese physician Wei Yilin. According to the classical text or Oriental Medicine “Efficacious Remedies of the Physicians” (세의득효방, 世醫得效方), “Gongjindan” was a remedy exclusively reserved for emperors and for this reason, it earned the name of “Emperor’s Medicine”1.
[source: 백록담한의원]
“Gongjindan” appears in many traditional medical texts from China and Korea and it’s described as a remedy that strengthens the body’s immune defences and brings back the natural balance between its organs.
The Donguibogam (the most representative text of Traditional Korean Medicine) describes “Gongjindan” as follows:
“If a man is sickly even after growing up, he is constitutionally weak. In such a case, body fluids should be increased but body heat should be cooled down. Other medicines are inefficacious against it, but this medicine is effective to harmonize internal organs with each other and to prevent various diseases.”
DONGUIBOGAM (1613)
To this day, “Gongjindan” is a vital tonic that is still commonly used in many Asian countries to combat chronic fatigue, weak constitution and deteriorated immunity.
Through the integration of modern science, LG Household & Health Care developed a cosmetic ingredient based on the original prescription for “Gongjindan”: “Gongjinbidan” (공진비단, 供辰秘丹).
Active Tracking Technology:
At the heart of the new “Gong Jin Solution™ is The History of Whoo’s Active Tracking Technology, an innovative Hanbang Bio-Po Jae technology that effectively delivers the skin-firming properties of Gongjinbidan to the skin.
The term Po Jae (포제, 炮制) refers to traditional methods from Korean medicine used to prepare herbs for medicinal use. These techniques are designed to enhance or modify specific qualities of the herbs to prepare them for specific therapeutic effects. (For further details, please consult the guide on Traditional Korean Medicine available on this website, specifically section 3.3, which covers “Herb preparation and processing methods”).
The History of Whoo combined traditional Po Jae techniques with cutting-edge biotechnology to enhance the skin-firming properties of its signature ingredient, Gongjinbidan.
Key Ingredients of Gong Jin Solution™
The History of Whoo’s new “Gong Jin Solution™ appears in ingredient lists as:
1,2-Hexanediol, Angelica Gigas Root Extract, Arginine, Asparagus Cochinchinensis Root Extract, Butylene Glycol, Cornus Officinalis Fruit Extract, Ethylhexylglycerin, Ganoderma Lucidum (Mushroom) Extract, Glutamic Acid, Glycoproteins, Thymus Vulgaris (Thyme) Extract, Water.
In particular, the ingredient includes with five traditional herbal remedies:
Overall, the ingredient promises to increase energy flow, while also rebalancing and reinvigorating skin to enhance the skin’s intrinsic energy and elasticity.
Gong Jin Solution™ combines four different patented technologies: patent no. 10-2168532, 10-216853, 10-222362 and 10-2411385.
Products
Click on a product to learn more about its features
Gongjinhyang Mi Luxury Luminous Powder
Gongjinhyang Mi Luxury Two Way Pact
Gongjinhyang Mi Color Pact
Gongjinhyang Mi Velvet Powder Pact SPF30/PA++
Gongjinhyang Mi Luxury Golden Base
Gongjinhyang Mi Luxury Cream Foundation SPF25/PA++
Gongjinhyang Mi Velvet Foundation Pact SPF35/PA++
Gongjinhyang Mi Essential Primer Base
Gongjinhyang Mi Essential Skin CC SPF30/PA++
Gongjinhyang Mi Essential Foundation SPF30/PA++
Gongjinhyang Mi Essential Sun Base SPF50+/PA+++
Gongjinhyang Mi Luxury BB Cream SPF20/PA++
Gongjinhyang Mi Velvet Primer Base
Gongjinhyang Mi Velvet Foundation SPF30/PA++
Gongjinhyang Mi Eyebrow Pencil
Gongjinhyang Mi Velvet Lip Rouge
Gongjinhyang Mi Velvet Liquid Lip Rouge
Gongjinhyang Mi Luxury Lipstick
Gongjinhyang Mi Luxury Lip Rouge
Gongjinhyang Mi Royal Lip Balm
Shop the line
⬥ International retailers
⬥ South Korean retailers
Make sure to check out the Discount & Coupons page to access exclusive offers for major Korean skincare retailers.
Notes
1. 김은진. (2003). “나도 한번쯤 써보고 싶다! 피부 보약, 한방 화장품.” 레이디경향.
2. 나누리. (2023, February). 천문동[天門冬]의 효능과 섭취방법 알아보기. 나누리 블로그.
