Women In Wellness: Lauren Lee of Jelly Ko On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support People’s Journey Towards Better Wellbeing

Don’t be afraid to ask for help — no-one has all the answers and that’s OK. Knowing when to ask for help is important and connecting with a wide range of people is a great way to upskill your knowledge.

Today, more than ever, wellness is at the forefront of societal discussions. From mental health to physical well-being, women are making significant strides in bringing about change, introducing innovative solutions, and setting new standards. Despite facing unique challenges, they break barriers, inspire communities, and are reshaping the very definition of health and wellness. In this series called women in wellness we are talking to women doctors, nurses, nutritionists, therapists, fitness trainers, researchers, health experts, coaches, and other wellness professionals to share their stories and insights. As a part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Lauren Lee.

Lauren Lee is the founder of skincare brand Jelly Ko and an authority in the world of Korean Beauty who has made it her mission to share Korea’s best skincare secrets with the world. A former corporate litigator, Lauren’s passion for K-Beauty began during a student exchange to Korea in 2011, where she first discovered the benefits of these innovative products.

After moving back to Korea in 2016, she became immersed in the world of K-Beauty, learning Korean so she could work alongside the best in the industry and start her own brand.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Our readers would love to “get to know you” better. Can you share your “backstory” with us?

Iam the founder of Jelly Ko and an authority in the world of Korean Beauty and I have made it my mission to share Korea’s best skincare secrets with the world. As a former corporate litigator in Australia, my passion for K-Beauty began during a student exchange to Yonsei University in Korea in 2011, where I first discovered the benefits of these innovative products. After returning to Australia, I went on to found the country’s first Korean Beauty store, helping to introduce these products to a whole new audience. However, it was only when I moved back to Korea that I truly became immersed in the world of K-Beauty, learning Korean and working alongside the very best in the industry. In my time working in the beauty industry, I became acutely aware of the issues that many customers faced with ‘active’ skincare, including over-exfoliation and skin damage. Determined to find a better way, I analyzed the skin concerns of over 20,000 of my clients, learning what ingredients and formulations worked best for them and their different skin types. This extensive research led me to create Jelly Ko in 2020, a brand that is all about nourishing, hydrating, restoring, and balancing the skin without relying on harsh ingredients. The company’s motto of “deliciously tasty skincare” perfectly encapsulates this approach — fun, functional, and perfect for skin of all ages. After gaining respect in the Korean beauty industry, I became the host of the Korean Beauty Show podcast, which is downloaded in over 142 countries, and a radio presenter on Korea’s TBS eFM, where I share my insights into the world of K-Beauty with an ever-growing audience.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career? What were the main lessons or takeaways from that story?

The inflection point in my career came in 2018, when I needed to make a choice between going all-in on my skincare startup or continuing my career as a lawyer. I had been working in the legal services industry for 12 years at that point and my whole life had been devoted to becoming a lawyer. But with my side-hustle taking off, and my health taking a dive because I was working around the clock, something had to give. I made the decision to leave the law and I’ve never looked back.

I think the main takeaway from that experience was that it’s okay if your dreams change. I ended up following a much different path than the one I had imagined, which surprised me. Even though it was a tough transition, now I truly believe that everything happens for a reason and that sometimes we need to close one chapter of our lives in order to fully embrace a new one.

It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about a mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

I made so many mistakes when I was first starting out because I had no clue what I was doing! From breaking my own website (multiple times), to trying to do all the book-keeping myself, I made a lot of rookie errors. I needed to learn how to delegate and when to bring in professionals to get the job done. These days, I’m much better at prioritizing my tasks and how I spend my time, as well as recognizing when it’s going to be more efficient to just hire a professional to do the job. I’ve found that if you do the job poorly and have to pay someone else to fix it, it’s nearly always more expensive and stressful than just having outsourced it in the first place.

Let’s jump to our main focus. When it comes to health and wellness, how is the work you are doing helping to make a bigger impact in the world?

Our skincare brand is all about putting the “fun” back in functional skincare, creating products that work but also that you’ll actually look forward to using. For some people, the world of skincare and beauty seems frivolous or vain. But for those of us who have suffered through debilitating skin conditions we know that our skin can be a major source of stress. In some cases, it has the ability to negatively impact our mental health and quality of life.

One of the things I really struggled with as a teenager suffering from severe cystic acne was that I had to take an interest in skincare, not because I wanted to but because I was the kid with “bad skin.” Skincare in those days wasn’t exciting or fun; nor were trips to the dermatologist anything to brag about. Your skincare routine wasn’t something you shared with your friends or strangers online. It was a “necessary evil” for people with skin issues, and the products were spoken about and packaged as such — boring and clinical.

After discovering the Korean approach to skincare, and how the health of the skin is seen as a sign of the health of the body, I really wanted to challenge the mindset of other westerners like myself. I wanted to introduce new Korean concepts to self care and make skincare fun and exciting. That’s what we’ve tried to do with our collection at Jelly Ko.

Can you share your top five “lifestyle tweaks” that you believe will help support people’s journey towards better wellbeing?

1 . You don’t have to do everything all at once — making little changes to your routine every day will eventually get you where you need to be. When introducing new skincare products to your routine, I always recommend only introducing one new product at a time. The reason is that this way you can test the product in isolation from other new products and see whether it’s really working for your skin. If it causes any irritation or adverse reactions, you can ditch it.

2 . Wear sunscreen, every day — our skin is our largest organ and one of the first places to show the visible signs of aging on our body. You can protect your skin’s health from both signs of aging and skin cancer by wearing sunscreen everyday. I always opt for a minimum of SPF 40 for my face and SPF 50 for my body.

3 . Make sure you’re asleep during “Golden Time” — the skin naturally repairs itself overnight while we sleep but in order to function optimally, it’s important to actually be asleep during Golden Time. Try to be in bed by 10pm until 2am for the best benefits for your skin.

4 . Facial massage — massaging your face throughout the week is essential for helping to remove toxins, lymphatic drainage and even facial shaping. You don’t need to purchase complicated tools or equipment; you can do it with your hands. All you need is a good facial oil and a couple of minutes a night to get optimal results.

5 . Double cleansing — Korean skin care puts a lot of emphasis on the double cleanse, which starts with an oil based cleanser followed by a foaming cleanser. It really does make a huge difference to the health and condition of your skin. Not only does it properly remove your sunscreen but also any makeup, dirt and impurities. Regularly incorporating this into your routine is a simple tweak you can make for better skin and cleaner towels and pillows!

If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of wellness to the most amount of people, what would that be?

Introducing people to functional skincare that doesn’t cost the earth but will effectively care for their skin. The biggest compliment I get from our customers is when they tell me our products let the world “see their real skin,” or when friends and family tell them they’re glowing.