Menokin

Menokin is a South Korean skincare brand based in Seoul and owned by Forest Avenue Inc. [2] It is built around a single idea: short, no-step routines that the company markets under the tagline "Time-Saving Minimal Skincare." Its best-known product is the 30 Seconds Quick Bubble Mask, a sheet-free treatment that dispenses as a foam rather than a soaked fabric sheet.

The brand presents itself as part of the wider Korean "minimalist" and "lazy skincare" movement, where the appeal is fewer products and less time rather than elaborate multi-step regimens. Its exact founding year is not publicly documented in the sources reviewed.

Menokin was founded by Bokyung Lee, who is also listed as the company's chief executive. According to the US retailer Kiokii, the name comes from "Meno," meaning "to reduce" — a reference to the brand's pared-down approach. [6]

The company traces its origin to a practical frustration. Its founder, described as a busy mother, wanted sheet masks that were easier and more realistic to use day to day. After roughly two years of development and formula work with mask specialists, the result was the 30 Seconds Quick Bubble Mask. The independent K-beauty blog Arktastic reports the same two-year timeline and over 500 in-house tests behind the product. [7]

The brand operates under Forest Avenue Inc., a company registered in Seoul, Republic of Korea. [2] The brand-site lists the headquarters in the Seocho district of Seoul. No acquisitions or sister brands are documented in the available sources.

Menokin describes its outlook as a "Skin-First" philosophy centred on doing less. The company sums it up with the line, "The less you apply, the more your skin reveals its clarity and radiance," and says it prioritises three things: time, effect and ingredients. The intended audience is time-pressed consumers who want visible results without a long routine, with an emphasis on ingredient transparency.

All products are made in Korea, the company states, and formulated without fragrance and retinol. [3] The brand says its range is vegan and not tested on animals, and Kiokii's profile describes it as EWG Green-Grade certified and free from parabens, PEGs, mineral oils and phthalates. [3][6]

The line is narrow and centres on three categories: bubble masks, bubble cleansers and a gel sunscreen, the 30 Seconds Glow Clear Gel Sunscreen. The bubble masks come in several variants targeting different concerns — among them brightening formulas with glutathione and vitamin C, a moisturising version built on multiple types of hyaluronic acid, and a repair formula using EGF.

The product the brand is built on is its bubble-mask format. Rather than a fabric sheet, the treatment is applied as a foam and left on without rinsing, which Menokin positions as both faster and more eco-friendly than conventional sheet masks; Arktastic notes a single pack provides roughly 70 uses. [7] The company attributes the format to a proprietary "Micro-bubble Capsules" technology and cites Korean patent No. 10-2621138. [1] Kiokii credits the brand with pioneering the no-sheet bubble-mask category through this patented technology. [6]

Menokin also publishes its own performance figures, including "96% Hydration · 42% Glow" and a claim of 3,840 hours of research behind the products. [1]

Menokin's commercial traction has been strongest in its home market. Kiokii reports that the bubble masks generated more than 10 billion South Korean won in sales, and both Kiokii and Arktastic note the product sold out multiple times in South Korea. [6][7] The company also states that it ranked first at the Korean retailer Olive Young in 2025, though this is a brand claim that the available sources do not independently confirm. [1]

Beyond Korea, the brand is distributed through several international channels, including Ulta Beauty in the United States, Olive Young Global, Amazon, YesStyle and StyleKorean, alongside its own direct-to-consumer sites menokinbeauty.com and menokin.co.kr.

Menokin is an active brand. It maintains a direct-to-consumer storefront, a Korean-language site and a presence on Instagram and TikTok, and its products continue to be carried by international retailers, with the most recent activity referenced in the sources dating to 2025. [1]

A separate, unrelated entity called the Menokin Foundation — a historic landmark in Virginia, United States — shares the name but has no connection to the skincare company.