In the summer of 2025 the Sonagi team attended K-Beauty expo in Seoul, the massive week-long gathering of skincare brands, buyers, and enthusiasts that takes place every year.
This is where we met Returnu: A dynamic husband-and-wife founded skincare company from Seoul that exploded onto the scene. They both previously worked at large cosmetics conglomerates for many years, and a four years ago founded Returnu to make the kinds of products they wanted to use, and to fix the issues they saw working in the industry: Low active ingredients, confusing products, false claims.
We mainly buy masks of course (for our mask subscription) so after testing their Pore Shooter and Deep Comfort masks we already knew we had to secure them for our subscribers.
When they came to visit us in our Gangnam office they brought with them two more products they thought we might like: The full-size Pore Shooter Grommage Cleanser, and the Deep Comfort cream.
We’re always on the lookout for interesting masks, and the green pore care mask immediately caught our eye. Not only was it a cleansing mask, but also balanced sebum and had a cooling effect. So we knew we had to try the cleanser.
What makes the cleanser so fascinating is not only it’s green colour, but how it transforms from a balm to an oil and finally to a gentle cellulose scrub when you add water. It’s made from persimmon leaves harvested on Jeju island, which gives it the unique colour and texture.
The other mask we bought was the Deep Comfort moisturising mask. We knew it would work especially well for winter, as it’s super hydrating and nourishing. What blew me away even more than the mask was the cream version. Not only is the pudding-custard texture unique (I love a cool new texture almost as much as I love funky packaging), but the cream itself is one of the best moisturisers I have ever used. I apply it at night (as it is a little too shiny for the daytime for me) and it made a visible difference to my skin after just one use. It’s 68.8% Korean birch tree water (most creams have single-digit amounts of active ingredients) and 5% panthenol, as well as vegan collagen. What I love about it is the non-greasiness: It’s so smooth to apply and does not feel heavy at all. I’m on my second tub.
