Company records indicate the brand launched in 2006, followed by the introduction of Power 10 Formula in 2007 and Prestige Creme d’Escargot in 2009.[2]

2006: Launch

It’s skin debuted in South Korea in February 2006 as a cosmeceutical-oriented skincare brand associated with Hanbul Cosmetics. IT’S HANBUL describes this period as the beginning of an R&D-centred phase for the label.[3] The founding concept combined cosmetic products with a scientific, problem-solving methodology. Rather than marketing skincare solely as a lifestyle or aesthetic product, It’s skin positioned itself around understanding individual skin conditions and developing formulations for particular concerns.[4]

2007: Power 10 Formula

One of the brand’s earliest commercial successes was the Power 10 Formula line. In 2007, Maeil Business Newspaper selected it as a hit product, marking a significant early milestone.[5] The collection subsequently became one of the defining product families for It’s skin, built around various active ingredients intended to provide distinct skincare solutions.[6]

2009: Prestige Creme d’Escargot

In 2009, It’s skin introduced Prestige Creme d’Escargot, a skincare product based on snail mucin. This item eventually became one of the company’s signature offerings and helped establish the brand internationally during the rapid global expansion of K-beauty.[7]

2011: Overseas expansion

By 2011, It’s skin had expanded beyond domestic borders, entering overseas roadside retail shops and department stores. This marked a pivotal stage in transforming the company from a primarily Korean cosmetics brand into an international K-beauty player.[8]

2014–2019: International recognition

Prestige Creme d’Escargot began receiving Grand Gold awards at Monde Selection in 2014. According to IT’S HANBUL’s corporate history, the product achieved this distinction for six consecutive years through 2019.[7]

In 2015, the company established It’S SKIN China Co. and listed on Korea’s securities market. China subsequently became a vital export market for the brand.[8]

2017: Merger with Hanbul Cosmetics

A significant corporate restructuring occurred in 2017 when It’s skin merged with Hanbul Cosmetics to create the integrated company IT’S HANBUL. Corporate records identify this merger as the establishment point of the current IT’S HANBUL structure.[9] Consequently, It’s skin remains the consumer-facing brand, while IT’S HANBUL serves as the corporate entity.

The central tenet of It’s skin is summarised by the phrase “It’s my skin.” The company emphasises that skin conditions vary significantly between individuals, necessitating skincare adapted to personal needs rather than uniform treatments.[10]

Current brand philosophy rests on two primary concepts:

Clinical Skin Solution

It’s skin describes its methodology as a “Clinical Skin Solution.” The brand posits that skin changes continuously due to factors such as age, season, and time of day, requiring different solutions at various points.[11]

Personalised skincare

The second major concept is personalisation. Instead of defining beauty through uniformity, It’s skin promotes maintaining healthy skin while allowing individual characteristics to remain visible.[12]

In simplified terms, the operational philosophy follows this progression: research leads to identifying a skin concern, which informs the development of a targeted formula, resulting in an accessible skincare solution.

It’s skin occupies a space between traditional K-beauty skincare and cosmeceutical or dermatology-inspired categories. While historically described as a cosmeceutical brand, current branding focuses more broadly on clinical skincare solutions.[13]

Key characteristics include:

• Ingredient-focused formulas
• Targeted skincare applications
• Multiple product variants addressing different concerns
• Emphasis on research and formulation
• Accessible K-beauty price positioning
• Combination of skincare and cosmetic products

The brand is not positioned as an ultra-luxury house; its identity aligns more closely with research-driven, accessible functional skincare.

Power 10 Formula

Power 10 Formula is arguably the product line most closely associated with It’s skin. The concept involves providing distinct formulas centred on specific active ingredients and corresponding skin concerns. The brand describes the line as containing concentrated actives designed for customised solutions.[14]

Variants have addressed concerns including:

• Hydration
• Dullness
• Sebum control
• Skin texture
• Firmness
• Radiance
• Barrier support

Product lineups evolve over time, so current offerings may differ from earlier versions.

Prestige d’Escargot

The Prestige d’Escargot family is another signature range. The flagship product, Prestige Creme d’Escargot, launched in 2009 using snail secretion filtrate as a key ingredient. It is positioned to moisturise, nourish, and improve skin texture appearance.[15] This line was instrumental in establishing the brand’s international identity during the rise of snail-based K-beauty. Yonhap News Agency described it as the company’s hot-selling snail slime cream when reporting on international expansion in 2016.[16]

Tiger Cica

Tiger Cica is a newer skincare line focused on soothing and calming. The official description characterises it as a gentle, basic skincare range containing Centella asiatica extract and piroctone olamine, designed for troubled or irritated-feeling skin.[17] This reflects the brand’s adaptation to modern K-beauty trends surrounding cica, skin calming, and barrier-oriented care.

TINCY

Expanding beyond traditional skincare, It’s skin introduced TINCY, described as “Tinted Juicy.” This tinted makeup line focuses on delivering vivid colour while maintaining a natural appearance.[18] This demonstrates that the portfolio extends beyond facial skincare.

A critical chapter in the brand’s history is its contribution to the popularity of snail-mucin skincare. When Prestige Creme d’Escargot launched in 2009, snail-based products were still a distinctive concept for many international consumers. It’s skin subsequently made this ingredient a signature technology.[19]

While international awards and popularity strengthened the association between It’s skin and snail skincare, it is inaccurate to characterise the entire brand solely as a “snail skincare brand.” Snail products represent one major pillar of identity, alongside Power 10 Formula and other targeted ranges.

Research is central to the identity of It’s skin. Parent company history describes the brand’s 2000s development as an R&D-centred stage, and the company maintains research and formulation capabilities as part of its business.[19]

Brand philosophy specifically emphasises:

• Skin research
• Active ingredients
• Formulation technology
• Targeted efficacy
• Individual skin differences
• Clinical-style solutions

Historically, the term “cosmeceutical” was used to describe this positioning. However, this is a marketing and industry term rather than a universally recognised regulatory category, and should not be interpreted as indicating medical treatment status for every product.

A major achievement for the brand is the performance of Prestige Creme d’Escargot at Monde Selection. According to IT’S HANBUL’s official history, the product received:

• 2014: Grand Gold
• 2015: Grand Gold
• 2016: Grand Gold
• 2017: Grand Gold and Special Jury Prize
• 2018: Grand Gold
• 2019: Grand Gold

This represents six consecutive years of Grand Gold recognition.[7] Additionally, It’s skin received the Korean First Brand Grand Award in 2017.[8]

It’s skin emerged as part of the broader international K-beauty boom. Expansion into overseas retail markets began in 2011, followed by the establishment of a Chinese subsidiary in 2015.[8]

China proved particularly significant. In a 2016 interview, Yonhap reported that China had become the largest export market for It’s skin at that time, with the company pursuing a two-track strategy for the region.[4] The brand has also maintained distribution and dedicated retail presence in various Asian and international markets.

Understanding the distinction between the brand and the parent company is essential.

It’s skin

The consumer-facing cosmetics brand.

IT’S HANBUL

The Korean cosmetics company that currently operates the brand. Official history states the name changed to IT’S HANBUL in May 2017 following the merger of It’s skin and Hanbul Cosmetics.[9] The company lists its headquarters at 311 Hakdong-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea, with Lim Jin Sung as representative.[18]

Visually, It’s skin has traditionally occupied a space between clinical skincare and youth-oriented K-beauty. Packaging and naming conventions often make individual ingredients or skin concerns easily identifiable, making the brand approachable for consumers selecting skincare based on specific problems rather than purchasing comprehensive luxury regimens.

Branding can be summarised as scientifically credible enough to feel functional, yet accessible enough to align with mainstream K-beauty. This combination contributed significantly to recognition outside Korea.

It’s skin belongs to the first major generation of internationally recognisable K-beauty brands. Its rise occurred during the 2000s and early 2010s, preceding the current era of global mainstream acceptance for Korean skincare. The brand benefited from concurrent trends including growing interest in Korean cosmetics, ingredient-focused skincare, overseas retail expansion, novel ingredients, and online K-beauty shopping.

Power 10 Formula established the ingredient-focused aspect of its identity, while Prestige Creme d’Escargot provided a distinctive international signature.

Five primary characteristics define the brand:

1. Targeted skincare: Products are frequently designed around particular concerns or active ingredients.
2. Research-oriented identity: Emphasis lies on skin research, formulation, and efficacy rather than purely aesthetic beauty.
3. Accessible K-beauty: Historically, It’s skin occupied a more accessible market position than luxury Korean skincare houses.
4. Signature snail products: Prestige d’Escargot became a defining international success.
5. Power 10 Formula: This concept became a recognisable example of ingredient-centred K-beauty skincare.[6]

• 1989: Hanbul’s broader corporate history begins.[19]
• 2006: It’s skin launches in Korea.[2]
• 2007: Power 10 Formula gains recognition as a hit product.[5]
• 2009: Prestige Creme d’Escargot launches.[7]
• 2011: Expansion into overseas roadside stores and department stores.[8]
• 2014: Prestige Creme d’Escargot receives first Monde Selection Grand Gold.[7]
• 2015: It’S SKIN China Co. established; company becomes publicly listed.[8]
• 2017: Merger with Hanbul Cosmetics creates IT’S HANBUL.[9]
• 2017–2019: Prestige Creme d’Escargot continues consecutive Grand Gold run.[7]
• Present: It’s skin continues as a skincare and cosmetics brand under IT’S HANBUL, offering newer lines like Tiger Cica and TINCY alongside established ranges such as Power 10 Formula and d’Escargot.[18]

1. ItS SKIN BEAUTY
2. ItS SKIN BEAUTY
3. It’S SKIN
4. (Yonhap Interview) It’s Skin adopts ‘two-track’ strategy for Chinese cosmetic market | Yonhap News Agency
5. It’s Skin – Wikidata
6. เกี่ยวกับเรา – It’s Skin
7. It’S Skin Malaysia – Shop Korean Skincare
8. It’S Skin South Korea – Shop Korean Skincare
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11. ItS SKIN BEAUTY
12. It’S SKIN
13. It’S SKIN
14. It’S SKIN
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18. ItS SKIN BEAUTY
19. 伊思介绍_伊思品牌故事「It’s Skin」-太平洋时尚网化妆品库