Versus

Beauty of Joseon Ginseng Essence Water Versus RNW Shining Toner

Essence
Toner
Korean Brand South Korea
Korean Brand South Korea

Updated on June 28, 2024

Overview

What they are

These products are both vegan and reef safe . They have a total of 11 ingredients in common

Cool Features

They both contain hyaluronic acid and niacinamide

Suited For

They're both likely to be good for fighting acne, anti aging, dry skin, brightening skin, sensitive skin, oily skin, reducing pores, scar healing and dark spots

Free From

They both do not contain any harsh alcohols, common allergens, oils, parabens or sulfates

We independently verify ingredients, and our claims are backed by peer-reviewed research. Spot a product that needs an update? Let us know.

Ingredient Info

Click any item below to learn more and see relevant ingredients

About this product

About this product

At a glance

Click on any of the items below to learn more

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

found in both products
Shining Toner

Water

Skin Conditioning

Butylene Glycol

Humectant
1 / 0 Helps hydrate Dry Skin Icon

Methylpropanediol

Solvent

Glycerin

Humectant
0 / 0 Helps hydrate Dry Skin IconHelps brighten skin Icon

Niacinamide

Smoothing
Niacinamide IconGood for Oily Skin IconHelps reduce Skin Redness IconHelps reduce irritation IconGood for Minimizing Pores IconHelps with Anti-Aging IconGood for Dark Spots IconGood for Scar Healing IconHelps fight Acne IconHelps brighten skin Icon

1,2-Hexanediol

Skin Conditioning

Glycereth-25 PCA Isostearate

Emulsifying
Not safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Diglycerin

Humectant

Panthenol

Skin Conditioning
0 / 0 Helps hydrate Dry Skin IconHelps reduce Skin Redness IconHelps reduce irritation Icon

Caprylyl Glycol

Emollient

Diphenyl Dimethicone

Emollient
Silicon Icon

Triethylhexanoin

Masking

Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer

Emulsion Stabilising

Ethylhexylglycerin

Skin Conditioning

Tromethamine

Buffering

Carbomer

Emulsion Stabilising
1 / 0

Adenosine

Skin Conditioning
Good for Minimizing Pores IconGood for Scar Healing Icon

Polyglyceryl-10 Oleate

Skin Conditioning
Not safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Hydrogenated Lecithin

Emulsifying

Xanthan Gum

Emulsifying

Phenylethyl Resorcinol

Antioxidant
Antioxidant Icon

Palmitoyl Glycine

Cleansing
Not safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Ectoin

Skin Conditioning
Helps hydrate Dry Skin IconHelps reduce irritation Icon

Ascorbyl Glucoside

Antioxidant
Vitamin C IconAntioxidant IconHelps reduce Skin Redness IconGood for Skin Texture IconGood for Minimizing Pores IconHelps brighten skin Icon

Tranexamic Acid

Astringent
Good for Dark Spots IconGood for Scar Healing Icon

Thioctic Acid

Antioxidant
Antioxidant Icon

Dipropylene Glycol

Masking

Sodium Palmitoyl Proline

Skin Conditioning

Malt Extract

Skin Protecting

Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract

Bleaching
Good for Dark Spots Icon

Linum Usitatissimum Seed Extract

Perfuming
Fragrance Icon

Zea Mays Kernel Extract

Polyglyceryl-10 Stearate

Skin Conditioning
Not safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Acetyl Glucosamine

Skin Conditioning

Solanum Lycopersicum Fruit/Leaf/Stem Extract

Astringent

Sodium Hyaluronate

Humectant
0 / 0 Hyaluronic Acid Icon

Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate

Antioxidant
Vitamin C IconAntioxidant IconHelps reduce Skin Redness IconGood for Skin Texture IconGood for Minimizing Pores IconHelps brighten skin Icon

Hydroxypropyl Cyclodextrin

Masking

Nymphaea Alba Flower Extract

Skin Conditioning

Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate

Skin Conditioning

Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid

Humectant
Hyaluronic Acid IconHelps with Anti-Aging IconGood for Scar Healing IconHelps brighten skin Icon

Glutathione

Good for Dark Spots Icon

Disodium EDTA

Pyridoxine

Skin Conditioning

Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate

Folic Acid

Skin Conditioning

Biotin

Antiseborrhoeic

Magnesium PCA

Humectant
Helps hydrate Dry Skin Icon

Copper Tripeptide-1

Skin Conditioning
Peptide IconGood for Skin Texture IconHelps with Anti-Aging Icon

Tocopherol

Antioxidant
0-3 / 0-3 Vitamin E IconAntioxidant IconHelps hydrate Dry Skin IconHelps with Anti-Aging IconGood for Scar Healing Icon

Cyanocobalamin

Skin Conditioning

Serine

Masking

Sucrose

Humectant

Glycine

Buffering
Helps hydrate Dry Skin Icon

Calcium Chloride

Astringent

Sea Salt

Abrasive
Exfoliant IconCan worsen Dry Skin IconMay cause irritation IconMay worsen Eczema IconMay worsen Rosacea Icon

Alanine

Masking

Magnesium Chloride

Threonine

Histidine

Humectant

Aspartic Acid

Masking

Valine

Masking

Thiamine Hcl

Masking

Riboflavin

Cosmetic Colorant

Linoleic Acid

Cleansing
Helps hydrate Dry Skin IconMay worsen Oily Skin IconBad for Acne Prone Skin IconNot safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Inositol

Humectant

Beta-Carotene

Skin Conditioning

Proline

Skin Conditioning

Dipotassium Phosphate

Buffering

Lysine

Skin Conditioning

Leucine

Skin Conditioning

Tyrosine

Masking

Isoleucine

Skin Conditioning

Magnesium Citrate

Skin Conditioning

Glucosamine Hcl

Phenylalanine

Masking

Glutamic Acid

Humectant

Arginine

Masking
Good for Scar Healing IconNot safe for Fungal Acne Icon

1-Methylhydantoin-2-Imide

Skin Conditioning

Asparagine

Masking

Citrulline

Skin Conditioning

Methionine

Skin Conditioning

Taurine

Buffering

Tryptophan

Masking

Formic Acid

Preservative
Preservative Icon

Glutamine

Skin Conditioning

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.

Humectant, Masking, Skin Conditioning

Butylene Glycol (or BG) is used within cosmetic products for a few different reasons:

  • It is a solvent, meaning that it helps to dissolve other ingredients. This also enhances the absorption of the product into one's skin.
  • It is a humectant, which means that it helps attract moisture into the skin.
  • It helps improve product application.
  • It has mild preservative properties.

Overall, Butylene Glycol is a safe and well-rounded ingredient that works well with other ingredients.

Humectant, Skin Conditioning, Skin Protecting

Glycerin is already naturally found in your skin. It helps moisturize and protect your skin.

A study from 2016 found glycerin to be more effective as a humectant than AHAs and hyaluronic acid.

As a humectant, it helps the skin stay hydrated by pulling moisture to your skin. The low molecular weight of glycerin allows it to pull moisture into the deeper layers of your skin.

Hydrated skin improves your skin barrier; Your skin barrier helps protect against irritants and bacteria.

Glycerin has also been found to have antimicrobial and antiviral properties. Due to these properties, glycerin is often used in wound and burn treatments.

In cosmetics, glycerin is usually derived from plants such as soybean or palm. However, it can also be sourced from animals, such as tallow or animal fat.

This ingredient is organic, colorless, odorless, and non-toxic.

Glycerin is the name for this ingredient in American English. British English uses Glycerol/Glycerine.

Learn more about Glycerin
Smoothing

Niacinamide has emerged as an all-star ingredient due to its many benefits.

It is known to treat acne by reducing inflammation. It also helps fade dark-spots and strengthen the skin by promoting the growth of the ceramide barrier.

Other benefits include smoothing wrinkles and minimizing redness.

The cherry on top? Niacinamide can also help build keratin, a protein that keeps skin firm.

When incorporating niacinamide into your routine, look out for concentration amounts. Typically, 5% niacinamide provides benefits such as fading dark spots. However, if you have sensitive skin, it is better to begin with a smaller concentration.

Niacinamide can be mixed with other ingredients to boost benefits. For instance, it has shown to be effective when used with copper, folic acid, and zinc to treat acne.

Learn more about Niacinamide
Skin Conditioning, Solvent

1,2-Hexanediol is a synthetic liquid and another multi-functional powerhouse. 

It is a:

  • Humectant, drawing moisture into the skin
  • Emollient, helping to soften skin
  • Solvent, dispersing and stabilizing formulas
  • Preservative booster, enhancing the antimicrobial activity of other preservatives 
Skin Conditioning, Solvent

Water. It's the most common cosmetic ingredient of all. You'll usually see it at the top of ingredient lists, meaning that it makes up the largest part of the product.

So why is it so popular? Water most often acts as a solvent - this means that it helps dissolve other ingredients into the formulation.

You'll also recognize water as that liquid we all need to stay alive. If you see this, drink a glass of water. Stay hydrated!

Learn more about Water
Emulsifying, Emulsion Stabilising, Gel Forming

Xanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.

On the technical side of things, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide - a combination consisting of multiple sugar molecules bonded together.

Xanthan gum is a pretty common and great ingredient. It is a natural, non-toxic, non-irritating ingredient that is also commonly used in food products.

Learn more about Xanthan Gum
Skin Conditioning

Panthenol is a common ingredient that helps hydrate and soothe the skin. It is found naturally in our skin and hair.

There are two forms of panthenol: D and L.

D-panthenol is also known as dexpanthenol. Most cosmetics use dexpanthenol or a mixture of D and L-panthenol.

Panthenol is famous due to its ability to go deeper into the skin's layers. Using this ingredient has numerous pros (and no cons):

Like hyaluronic acid, panthenol is a humectant. Humectants are able to bind and hold large amounts of water to keep skin hydrated.

This ingredient works well for wound healing. It works by increasing tissue in the wound and helps close open wounds.

Once oxidized, panthenol converts to pantothenic acid. Panthothenic acid is found in all living cells.

This ingredient is also referred to as pro-vitamin B5.

Learn more about Panthenol
Skin Conditioning

Adenosine is in every living organism. It is one of four components in nucleic acids that helps store our DNA.

Adenosine has many benefits when used. These benefits include hydrating the skin, smoothing skin, and reducing wrinkles. Once applied, adenosine increases collagen production. It also helps with improving firmness and tissue repair.

Studies have found adenosine may also help with wound healing.

In skincare products, Adenosine is usually derived from yeast.

Learn more about Adenosine
Humectant, Skin Conditioning

Sodium Hyaluronate is hyaluronic acid's salt form. It is commonly derived from the sodium salt of hyaluronic acid.

Like hyaluronic acid, it is great at holding water and acts as a humectant. This makes it a great skin hydrating ingredient.

Sodium Hyaluronate is naturally occurring in our bodies and is mostly found in eye fluid and joints.

These are some other common types of Hyaluronic Acid:

Learn more about Sodium Hyaluronate
Skin Conditioning

Ethylhexylglycerin (we can't pronounce this either) is commonly used as a preservative and skin softener. It is derived from glyceryl.

You might see Ethylhexylglycerin often paired with other preservatives such as phenoxyethanol. Ethylhexylglycerin has been found to increase the effectiveness of these other preservatives.

Disodium EDTA plays a role in making products more stable by aiding other preservatives.

It is a chelating agent, meaning it neutralizes metal ions that may be found in a product.

Disodium EDTA is a salt of edetic acid and is found to be safe in cosmetic ingredients.

Learn more about Disodium EDTA

When to use

5,179 Routines
51% use in am
49% use in pm
96% use every day
When to use See routines that use it ->
13 Routines
54% use in am
46% use in pm
100% use every day

Reviews

Here's what our community thinks

Beauty of Joseon Ginseng Essence Water 24 ingredients

4.1 /5
from 93 ratings
Hydrating (49) Light (41) Absorbs Well (38)
laila.21's avatar

Laila

1 year ago
Review

It gives a nice hydrating boost but I didn't see much difference, so I'm still stuck with the first bottle after 4 months.
It stings sometimes so I wouldn't repurchase it again.
🎀Update: I gave this product another chance to see if it works since the ingredients were too good, so I used it as a toner for 15 days and I loved it.
Not only did it hydrate my skin, but it brightened my old acne Show more

#hydrating
#light
#light scent
#doesn't work
rachaelolivia's avatar

rachael

1 year ago
Review

love this!!! <3 i got this about a year ago and it helped my skin a lot, it’s so hydrating for me and gives me a nice glow without being oily. it also has great ingredients! i have very oily + blemished skin but also sensitive and can get dry patches and this never breaks me out. i stopped using this after a while and tried other things but have gone back to this as it’s the best for my skin. it Show more

#great value
#hydrating
#light
#absorbs well

RNW Shining Toner 86 ingredients

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