Fall Skincare Tips: How to Revive Tired Skin
Why rice and red bean are the Hanbang pairing you need
By the time September arrives, you’re ready for a reset and a fall skincare routine refresh. Weeks of sun exposure, long afternoons spent outdoors, and hot, humid nights take their toll. Even the most diligent sunscreen wearer can notice signs of seasonal stress like dehydration, dullness, or hyperpigmentation. As the warm months wind down, it’s time to make some smart skincare swaps to get your glow back.
When it comes to reviving tired skin, we look to time-honored rituals to guide our routines. Two precious ingredients, rice water and red bean, have been used to purify and renew skin for centuries. Discover their powerful benefits below, then learn how to modernize them to bring a touch of heritage to your modern-day routine.
Hanbang History: The Benefits of Rice Extract for Skin
To brighten post-summer dullness and give your complexion a gentle reset, rice is the ultimate radiance booster. During the Joseon Dynasty, women relied on “beauty water” to purify and refine their skin. After washing rice, they saved the nutrient-rich water to use as a Joseon-era facial toner for naturally soft, luminous complexions.
Rice is a natural ingredient rich in amino acids, minerals, and antioxidants. It helps gently brighten dull skin, improve texture, and deeply hydrate—all without irritating even sensitive skin types. When your skin feels stressed from beach days and summer weather, it’s the perfect choice for adding a glow boost without harshness.
Even today, rice water remains one of our skincare staples year-round. But to unlock its true potential, go one step further and pair it with its purifying Hanbang counterpart, red bean.
Hanbang History: The Benefits of Red Bean for Skin
As colder weather takes a toll on your skin’s natural moisture barrier and dry patches appear, you may find yourself wanting to exfoliate more. Before you pick up your strongest summer scrubs and peels, start with a gentler approach. You can still smooth out your skin, but reach for red beans instead: an unsung hero for clearing impurities and leaving skin soft, not stripped.
Long before facial peels and clarifying masks, red beans were the holy grail of deep-cleansing and exfoliation. During the Joseon Dynasty, dried red beans were roasted and ground into a superfine powder, then mixed with water to create a detoxifying and gently exfoliating cleanser. According to Hanbang tradition, red beans purified skin and reduced puffiness for an even-looking, bright complexion.
Just like rice water, red beans are naturally rich in essential compounds for your skin. They contain a high level of saponins, which are essential for maintaining skin’s moisture level. Even hundreds of years ago, this traditional face wash gave real results, balancing oiliness and clarifying pores.
These properties continue to make red beans an ideal ingredient to care for skin that’s out of balance. But we don’t have time to roast and finely mill red beans for our skincare routines this autumn (even if we wished we did). So here’s how to pair this duo of Hanbang ingredients the modern way.
Fall Skincare Tips: How to Revive Tired Skin With Rice and Red Bean
Resetting your routine for fall is simple with some help from rice water and red bean. We’ve reimagined these traditional practices into modern formulas perfect for chilly weather and a little less time in the sun. In two steps, you’ll see brighter, softer skin free from irritation and excess sebum.
For gentle, non-drying exfoliation, Red Bean Refreshing Pore Mask is the reset your skin is craving. This multitasking MVP is our top fall pick for absorbing excess sebum, calming skin, and evening texture. Powered by red bean and kaolin clay, each scoop dives deep into pores to balance and clarity without harming your barrier. To add it to your routine, apply a thick, even layer once a week and wash off after 5-10 minutes for a purified complexion that doesn’t feel uncomfortably tight.
There’s no need to brew your own beauty water to apply after your mask. We’ve bottled the benefits of a Joseon-era rice rinse into one powerful formula. You might be used to brightening serums that irritate your skin and leave it red instead of radiant, but Glow Deep Serum : Rice + Alpha-Arbutin is different.
Infused with rice bran water and alpha-arbutin, this radiance revealer is a BOJ team favorite for its gentle-yet-effective results. Apply a few drops nightly to help brighten sun spots and restore glow without sensitivity. You’ll see skin that glows like it’s still summer, nourished and ready for fall.
Starting September with a new routine allows you to lay the foundation for the months ahead. Just as they have for centuries, red bean and rice carry our skin from one season to the next, restoring balance and alleviating the effects of changing weather. From the Joseon era’s time-tested ingredients to your fall-ready routine, this Hanbang ritual is all the skin support you need.
