Annyeonghaseyo! That’s how we say hello here in South Korea. And by “we” I mean the two bruisey-faced tourists who each took 700+ shots of salmon-sperrrmy Rejuran this week in pursuit of firm glowy skin.

And by “say” I mean, “mutter under our breath” since we really can’t stick the landing on these words. I also constantly mix up the above word with “gamsahabnida”, which is “thank you”. So at any given time I am butchering one of these terms out of proper context, saying “thank you” during a greeting, barking “hello” in gratitude, and murdering one or the other for every possible need and interaction—in place of “excuse me”, “I’ll have the bulgogi” or “do you take Apple Pay”?.

Mostly, I pin all hopes that a smile and hand gestures accomplish the rest. The global language!

(Giveaway at the very end—scroll down to win luxury fragrances, dear Blue Prince!)

Highlights from Korea, Week 1

This week, we visited the Sulwhasoo flagship spa in Gangnam for the Ultimate-S Treatment. I could feel my jetlag melt away as they knocked on my soles like blacksmiths and popped my head off the neck like a little lego man, only to wring my stress away as if my brain was a sponge. And that’s saying nothing of the luxe facial itself.

May this zenful post-treatment collage speak for itself.

Soon I’ll have more about the Rejuran treatment we both received here in Seoul on Friday. We did it with every editors’ fav, Dr. Wonuk Hwang—if any of you beauty journos visit Seoul, I can happily put you in touch.

I’ve been posting stories about the treatment and recovery on my personal Instagram this week, but will have a YouTube summary as well as visuals on both of our procedures. In short, though, it involves polynucleotides extracted from salmon sperm, injected ever so superficially like 700x around the face. Benefits include brilliance, firmness, cellular rejuvenation, etc. And it HURTS like hell, at least for me it did, even with the generous numbing cream.

Until then, here are a couple fun images from the day (and yes, the bumps subside quickly, though bruising/dark spots can linger a bit).

That’s my recovery mask after the treatment. For André they even sealed off his mouth, lol.

2025: The year photo collages make a comeback!

The week ahead brings lots of brand meetings across AmorePacific (think Sulwhasoo, CosRX, Dr.Jart, Laneige, Innisfree, Aestura, etc), LG (Dr. Groot, Belif, O HUI), as well as Beauty of Joseon, Medicube, House of Dowha, Skin1004, and Purcell. I am determined to be a better advocate of this market, especially since so many are widely available at US retailers.

We’re staying in some primo hotels for their spa programs, across Seoul, Busan, and Jeju in the two weeks ahead, too, then onwards to Japan through February. Watch here for the highlights, of course.

Just Launched: 3 Mostly Notable Scents

I want to call out three new scents that launched from core fashion houses in this first week of the year. I LOVE two of them, and I kind of like one of them.

Dior Homme Parfum (2025) (←link)

This is the one I’m only “so-so” on. As a standalone scent, it’s perfectly nice. Powdery, pathchouli-y… but because it lives in the massive shadows of past Dior Homme Parfums, 2025 must be compared to those others (especially in their retirement/ extinction).

And the consensus is: This one is a shell of those. I agree it isn’t nearly as special, but if you go in smelling only the 2025 version, you might like it as it is, unbothered by the history. It is a 4-star scent, but far from perfect.

Dior, you had better not touch the Homme EDT 2017, ever. Begging you.

Issey Miyake Le Sel d’Issey EDT (←link)

This launched on New Years Day in the US, and I included it in my Best Grooming Products of 2024 roundup last week because it was readily available worldwide for the homestretch of ‘24. It is the last scent that Issey worked on before passing, and its mineraly, seaweedy, mossy notes make it so superbly wearable. I hope it becomes a mainstay for the label.

Gucci The Alchemist’s Garden Fiori di Neroli EDP (←link)

This is one-third of a new collection under Gucci’s “The Alchemist’s Garden”, and it was my mainstay for Q4 last year after I received my tester. Full disclosure, neroli is my favorite note in fragrance—it’s the easiest “yes” for me, so it started with an advantage. And while this one is undeniably floral, it really gives you this levity and softness, if you want to make an amicable and approachable impression. Perfection.

And Rogaine Launches Its 2-in-1 Thickening Shampoo-Conditioner

Another newbie: Rogaine’s 2-in-1 shampoo-conditioner, which signals a changing tide for the originator of minoxidil.

It’s their first-ever SKU outside of actual minoxidil, decades into their existence as a household name. They are owned by Johnson & Johnson, so, sky’s the limit on where this launch takes them next. Perhaps you also foresaw this months ago, when they started shilling out cash to promote with the industry’s top influencers (derms, barbers, YouTubers).

If you want my assessment on the ‘pooditioner, you can watch this YouTube overview that I just posted. But remember, no shampoo can help you regrow your hair (not that Rogaine is suggesting as much; they make it very clear that this is purely hair care, not clinical-grade intervention).

LuxSB Giveaway - Newsletter Exclusive

The year’s first giveaway is nigh! It is with an all-time favorite of mine, THE scent discovery platform LuxSB (FKA Luxury Scent Box). They’ve helped me discover tons of new favorites over the past many years—founder Leila Zagwolsky will send me sample vials overseas just to “keep me in the know”, especially as new brands sign on with them. (Recently they sent a trio of Andrea Maack scents from Iceland—Jest being a standout—plus a new personal favorite scent, Juliette Has a Gun Ex Vetiver.)

And now is your chance to build out a mini fragrance wardrobe, or to discover a new favorite or few from LuxSB’s insane lineup of brands.

The 3 winners of this contest will receive:

• 6 months’ supply of men’s scents (6 separate vials, to be received all at once—enough for daily application across 180 days)

• 1 full-size bottle of an Ormonde Jayne fragrance (exact scent tbd but let me tell ya what—they do no wrong over at OJ).

Click here to enter the contest.

You have until January 17 (a Friday) to send in a response, and winners will be announced by January 18 (Saturday). Must be 18+ in the contiguous 48 US states/DC to win. Read all terms that govern our newsletter giveaways here.

Ormonde Jayne is not affiliated with this giveaway; all prizes are courtesy of LuxSB. (And with that, THANK YOU to LuxSB).

And from snowy Seoul, it is over and out for me. I leave you with this friendly greeting we received at the wonderfully irreverent BORNTOSTANDOUT fragrance shop (native to Korea):

Yes, it is animatronic and unfurls itself as you enter the shop. Perfect.