Lab 1899

Lab 1899 is a South Korean vegan skincare brand built around red ginseng. It operates as a sub-brand of Korea Ginseng Corporation (KGC), the state-linked ginseng producer that also runs the Donginbi cosmetics line, and it draws directly on that company's red ginseng expertise. The "1899" in the name points to the heritage year of KGC's predecessor rather than the launch of the skincare range itself.

The brand is positioned at the prestige end of the K-beauty market, with a compact line of serums, creams and body care sold through Donginbi's corporate site, the Naver brand store, Amazon and niche K-beauty retailers.

Lab 1899 sits within Korea Ginseng Corporation, headquartered in Daejeon, South Korea. KGC is a subsidiary of the tobacco-and-ginseng group KT&G and is best known for Cheong Kwan Jang, its red ginseng brand, which holds roughly 80 percent of the Korean ginseng market [6]. The company describes Lab 1899 as a vegan line that applies KGC's red ginseng knowledge in plant-based formulations [1].

The founding date is not straightforward. The brand's own materials tie the "1899" name to the founding year of Jungkwanjang, described as "the world's 1st red ginseng brand," and KGC itself traces its corporate origins to 1899, when a predecessor firm was established [1][6]. Industry coverage, however, dates the modern Donginbi cosmetics business to 2011 [7], and Lab 1899 appears to be a later sub-brand of that business rather than a house founded in the nineteenth century. The 1899 reference is therefore a heritage marker drawn from the parent group, not the founding year of the skincare line.

According to the company, Lab 1899 follows three pillars: vegan formulations based on red ginseng, products with stated safety and efficacy, and what it calls a "sustainable beauty culture" [1]. Its tagline, "Pure but Certain — Red Ginseng Highly Effective Vegan Beauty," frames the range as combining a single signature botanical with a clinical, functional emphasis [1]. The brand says it aims to deliver "the finest" red ginseng power "in purity and softness," and ties its environmental language to caring for "your skin's future."

The range is small, with around six products listed on the corporate site, spanning skincare and body care. The hero ingredient throughout is red ginseng from six-year-old Jung Kwan Jang roots, paired with a proprietary Red Ginseng Peptide and, in several products, a plant-derived "vegan collagen" said to be sourced from red ginseng. Formulas also draw on hyaluronic acid, ginsenosides, Centella Asiatica extract, ceramides and the peptide Acetyl Hexapeptide-8.

The Red Ginseng Peptide Serum is the line's lead product. Retail listings describe it as infused with six-year-old red ginseng peptide using Donginbi's "patented peptide manufacturing technology," with claims of reduced fine lines, improved elasticity and refined texture [10]. The brand markets the serum as vegan and free from animal-derived ingredients, suitable for sensitive skin [9]. Other products include a Red Ginseng Collagen Cream, a Red Ginseng Hyaluronic Cream, and collagen-based hand cream and body lotion.

On formulation technology, the brand cites two patented elements, Ginsenic Barrier and Red Ginseng Peptide, and says the serum strengthens the skin's barrier for firmer skin [9]. The line is presented as vegan and is classified as cruelty-free by some retailers [9]. All products are made in South Korea.

Lab 1899 is an active brand. Its pages remain live on the Donginbi corporate site, and product listings, including a Red Ginseng Collagen hand and body care set, were available through Amazon as of 2025. The parent Donginbi business distributes across South Korea, the United States, Japan, China, Thailand and New Zealand. Dedicated press coverage of Lab 1899 itself is limited; most editorial attention focuses on the parent Donginbi brand and on KGC's ginseng heritage.