I am going to South Korea in a couple of weeks, and this is a fact you will know if we’ve crossed paths in the last few months or if you took one look at my FYP, which is now dominated by all the things to do, places to see, and most of all, the beauty products I need to know about. The latter also happens to be my specialist subject. As a beauty journalist, I have been charting the influence of K-beauty on the Western market since glass skin became the mission of skincare enthusiasts back in 2016, and our routines got increasingly more convoluted – 10 steps suddenly becoming not only normal but ritualistic and manageable.
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In the UK, we have been early adopters of the Korean beauty ethos, which is all about hydration and supporting the skin barrier with nourishing ingredients. What has been slower to take off is haircare brands, but that’s all changing with the influx of brands arriving in retailers from Boots to Sephora. Grace Vernon, head of global foresight and trends at Boots, recently told Vogue, “In Korean culture, healthy hair is often associated with a glass-like shine and a natural, well-nourished appearance – reflecting both aesthetic and wellness ideals”. One such brand encapsulating these ideals is Unove, a label that ubiquitously pops up in South Korea haul videos on my feed, and I couldn’t wait to touch down to trial it.
With glass hair as its mission, the five product-strong range is dedicated to repairing and hydrating dry hair, using keratin-infused formulas to strengthen the hair follicles – and in true K-beauty style, doing so at affordable price tags. Nonetheless, using Unove is a luxurious experience, and that is not just on account of the silky smooth results but the signature fragrance – a floral musk with orange peach, jasmine, rose, amber and musk – and yes, it’s delightful as it sounds. The label was created by hair expert Dr.Forhair and has been dubbed by Forbes as “Korea’s number one premium repair hair care brand.” This is in no small part due to the research and clinical trials that go behind the formulations. I tested the four hero products in the collection, here is what I thought.
Unove
Deep Damage Repair Shampoo
In a pump bottle that is unusual but much appreciated for this product type, Unove has enriched its shampoo with protein and strand-loving nutrients like moisturising panthenol and botanical oils to care for the locks while deeply cleansing. I found that I needed quite a fair bit of shampoo to wash my long, extensions-affixed mane, but the bottle is a decent size, so it still gives bang for your buck. It lathers but not overly so, feels lightweight in its gel-like texture, and does a great job in removing product buildup while remaining gentle to the scalp. All in all, a solid first step in a glass hair journey – it left my locks very silky. In a clinical test at the Korea Dermatology Research Institute, it was found to improve cuticle smoothness and reduce scalp oil by 68 per cent. It has the delightful floral musk aroma that is a signature of the brand.
Unove
Deep Damage Repair Treatment
In transforming my haircare to Unove, I replaced my traditional conditioner with this treatment, which was designed to repair hair’s strength by treating the locks to a keratin-based formula – and in just a few minutes. It is always a pain when a mask takes 10 minutes to work, and you either have to stand there or get out of the shower and return, so I appreciated that this mask requires minimal duration to fortify the locks. Like the shampoo, I found I needed quite a fair bit of the formula to coat my locks in the mask, but I am typically heavy-handed with product and like to use it as a full head mask. It left my hair so shiny and soft that there really is no need for conditioner. Others detail its benefits for bleached and chemically-treated hair. With the pairing of this mask and the shampoo, the floral-musk scent has real lasting power, and I caught whiffs of it throughout the day – a rare experience only really achieved with a salon blow dry.
Unove
Silk Hair Oil Tender Bloom
I used this product as both a nourishing serum just before blow-drying or as a finishing styling product. It requires very little to be used, but even on the occasion of pumping a touch too much, it didn’t leave my hair looking greasy. The shine that it leaves in its wake is seriously impressive, and the scent (the same Unove floral-musk signature) is truly delightful, rivalling that of far more expensive haircare collections. The idea of the Silk Hair Oil is to combat frizz, care for split ends and leave hair silky and smooth – and it nails it on all accounts.
