May Coop: Korea's 'It' Beauty Brand is Made of Maple Sap

May Coop: Korea's 'It' Beauty Brand is Made of Maple Sap

07.14.2015    |    
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Last week I had the privilege to attend Tonymoly’s first flagship store opening in New York City. As a true Korean skincare psycho (have you read my 10-step Korean skincare routine?), I was blown away by the insane selection of makeup and skincare products that are so popular among East Asian women (and men). I felt like a kid in a candy store. I tested every singled product, from the popular snail serums to bee venom and proplois extract. Let’s just say that my love for Asian beauty was totally reignited.

Ever since the multi-step Korean beauty routine set the skincare world on fire, I’ve been on a mission to stay in touch with Asian beauty trends. So much beauty magic has come from Seoul’s top makeup artists—cushion compact, CC cream, lip tint, just to name a few. While these have gained worldwide popularity, there are several other Asian skincare innovations that fly under the radar but are just as effective. I’m talking skincare that uses nature, specifically animal and insect secretion. It sounds gross, I know, but these ingredients work wonders to give my face a beautiful, healthy glow.

After my trip to Tonymoly’s new store, I found myself browsing one of my favorite Korean beauty sites, Peach and Lily and stumbled upon my new obsession: May Coop. May Coop is the it-brand in Korea. After being featured on Korean’s #1 Beauty Show Get it Beauty (huge deal), May Coop has successfully earned a spot in the cutthroat Korean beauty market. This skincare line is entirely made with maple tree sap (say what?!). Western countries often associate maple with water or syrup; however, Koreans view maple sap as a nutrient loaded with revitalizing and nourishing ingredients.

The founders of May Coop discovered maple tree sap’s high absorbability due to the smaller size of its molecules. It’s been a while since I studied biology and chemistry, but I do remember that small molecules penetrate surface area faster than large molecules. Intrigued by the product description and all the amazing benefits of maple sap, I decided to test out the line’s most popular products: Raw Sauce and Tightening Mask (time to accept the reality of “aging”).

May Coop’s Raw Sauce toner (can we just talk about this name?) is a grade-A multi-tasker, working as a toner, an emulsion and essence all in one. Made with 93% maple tree sap, it has a sweet, refreshing scent. When applied to skin, it absorbs in seconds and makes your skin feel revitalized and dewy. With skin-nourishing fructan powder (ECO-Certified) and blends of Asian herbs and fruit extracts (move aside Western medicine), it even fights acne deep from the core, erasing blemish marks like a dry board eraser. This toner also helps create a smooth canvas, so your serums and moisturizers can absorb perfectly into your skin upon application. If you’re looking for an all-in-one skincare solution or simply want to shorten your existing regimen, this product perfect.

May Coop’s hero product is certainly their Tightening Mask. Formulated with 74% maple water, peptides, marine and acid collagen along with other anti-aging ingredients, this facial mask will leave your skin feeling plump and tight the next morning. If you often skip eye cream, this tightening mask erases your dark circles (panda eyes are not cute on humans). The texture is super rich, so you only need about a teaspoon for your entire face. When applied to skin, you can feel your skin happily embracing the cream. It doesn’t take long to start noticing a dramatic change in your skin. Although this cream is primarily for tightening, it targets all skin problems too.

If you’re obsessed with Korean beauty like me and my assistant Grace (who helped me research this amazing article), you are sure to fall in love with May Coop.

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