Why We’re Obsessed with Binu Binu, the Korean Bath Soap House
Strange textures and multiple steps may be what define Korean beauty these days, but it’s the culture’s bathhouse rituals and the minimalism of a soap-and-water routine that inspired Karen Kim when she was creating her sculptural soap line Binu Binu. “I just think there’s something really beautiful about a bar of soap,” says Kim, who recently moved back home to Toronto from New York City. Her memories of a good, efficient scrubdown in a Korean bathhouse when she was in her 20s with her mom and aunts also fuelled her unwavering interest. “You actually see the effect, and it’s very gratifying,” she says. “You feel very clean and so soft afterwards. It’s incredible.” Her latest launches include Celadon Tea Ceremony Soap, crafted in the same milky-green hue as the glaze used on ceramics, and Seshin Korean Body Scrub, which features crushed black sesame and is preserved with radish-root ferment, a peptide derived from kimchee.
Shop our fave Binu Binu products below.
Binu Binu Korean Soap
Binu Binu Celadon Tea Ceremony Soap
($18, binu-binu.com)
Lesa Hannah was on staff at FASHION for 18 years (2001-2019) working in the beauty department. She's also written for Elle Canada, The Kit, The Toronto Star, The Globe & Mail, Forbes Vetted, Canadian Business, NUVO, Stereogum, GQ and Vanity Fair.
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