SOME BY MI

Some By Mi is a Korean skincare brand run from Gangnam, Seoul by Perenbell Co., Ltd. Its lines are named for what they're built on: AHA·BHA·PHA, Retinol, Bakuchiol, Galactomyces, Beta Panthenol, Yuzu Niacinamide and Cica Peptide, alongside a daily sheet-mask range and body care. It describes its own approach with a coined word — the phrase on its site is "New Cleanical Solution."

Three things on that list are unusually specific. The AHA·BHA·PHA line carries "30 Days" in the product name, a timeframe printed on the bottle. It names three acid families in a single step, which most brands split across separate products. And it runs a Bakuchiol line alongside the Retinol line, so a retinoid and its gentler alternative sit on the same shelf.

Three are worth unpacking: what "30 Days" asks of you, what three acid families in one step gives you, and what a bakuchiol line beside a retinol line offers.

Start with 30 Days. A timeframe on a bottle sets an expectation; the schedule is what delivers it. Run the thirty days as two or three acid nights a week, pair each one with a barrier step, and build up only while skin stays comfortable. That pace carries you through the bottle to the brighter skin the name promises.

Naming three acid families in one step reads as thoroughness, and largely is: AHA works on the surface, BHA gets into oil-filled pores, PHA is the gentlest. Together they make one full exfoliating step, which is why that schedule suits it — one step instead of three stacked. The pad below carries four acids, all confirmed in its list.

A bakuchiol line beside a retinol line is worth noticing. Retinoids have among the strongest long-term evidence of any cosmetic active and remain the benchmark; bakuchiol is the gentler route on the same shelf, the one to reach for if retinoids don't suit you. The retinol cream below is the fuller version; the ampoule sits retinol low in its list, the gentler way in.

Beta Panthenol Repair and Cica Peptide are the recovery half, and pairing actives with something to recover alongside them is what makes this category work. The repair cream leads on panthenol and madecassoside; the snail essence is 98% snail secretion filtrate plus one humectant.

We don't carry Some By Mi itself, but for each of these jobs we send an alternative we rate highly.

Pick a schedule before you pick products. Acids two or three nights a week, retinoid on different nights, and at least one night with neither. On acid nights: cleanse, then the pad, then the repair cream. On retinoid nights: cleanse, the ampoule or retinol cream, then the repair cream over it whenever skin wants the extra cushioning. The snail essence goes on any night, most useful when you use nothing active. Sunscreen every morning, because both acids and retinoids leave skin more sun-sensitive.