K-beauty is largely responsible for the normalization of 12-step routines with toners, serums, exfoliators, mists and more. While that can be a lot of fun — and give you a glass skin effect — it can also be overwhelming, expensive and time-consuming. And is it all really that necessary? That’s what Sumin Lee, co-founder of Korean skin-care favorite Beauty of Joseon, wants you to consider. Her new brand Depthi’s tagline is “Fewer Steps, but Better Ones.”
If Depthi — which made its debut this week — sounds familiar, you might have seen it on TikTok. Last month, pop superstar Zara Larsson posted TikToks wearing Depthi’s unreleased dolphin-shaped under-eye patches. Lee gifted Larsson the Blue Peptide Eye Patches and the singer posted them organically, a nod to her viral “dolphin” pose.
But the founder didn’t set out to launch with a celeb-driven marketing campaign. “In such an incredibly crowded market, I want Depthi to be a brand that encourages a more thoughtful conversation about what makes a product truly valuable,” she says. “What does it actually mean to discover something worth bringing into the world?”
She’s “okay if that doesn’t translate into the flashiest marketing,” Lee continues. “My goal isn’t to compete with other K-beauty brands for attention or to stand out for the sake of standing out. It’s to serve people who genuinely care about their skin and their well-being, and create products that are truly worth their time, money and trust.”
Photo: Courtesy of Depthi
That means starting with just two products: the aforementioned eye patches and the Bonding Barrier Cream, which she says is her “proudest creation in 10 years in beauty.” The formula combines a “Nano Lipid Complex,” bonding peptide and panthenol to help repair the skin barrier and support collagen, plus urea, sodium PCA and hyaluronic acid for hydration and aqua ectoin, madecassoside and allantoin to protect against environmental stressors and soothe irritation.
The brand’s Blue Peptide Eye Patches contain a “dual peptide complex” for firming the under-eye area, plus caffeine, erythritol and magnesium for that cooling effect and hyaluronic acid, sodium PCA and algae for hydration.
Photo: Courtesy of Depthi
While a lot of Korean beauty relies on a buzzy ingredient to do the heavy lifting, Lee wants Depthi to be more about innovative formulas with a playful twist. She’s proud of what she helped build with Beauty of Joseon, but wants to take a slower approach with this new brand so customers ideally need fewer steps.
“After nearly a decade in beauty, I felt ready to create something that reflects who I am today as a founder and a product developer,” she explains. “Depthi wasn’t created to follow a market opportunity or a particular trend. It came from a personal desire to explore skin care more deeply and build something with a different perspective.”
The founder is also passionate about making innovative skin care accessible in terms of price point. The eye patches are $15 and the barrier cream is $27.
Retail expansion is part of Lee’s long-term vision, but for now, the Blue Peptide Eye Patches and Bonding Barrier Cream are available at depthiskin.com.