From 2 A.M. Routines to Real Relief: My Skincare Journey

From 2 A.M. Routines to Real Relief: My Skincare Journey

written by Semin Kim

I grew up as what you’d call a “typical Korean kid.” I studied hard, listened to my parents, followed all the rules.

It paid off. I got into one of the top universities in Korea and landed my first job at a global consulting firm, BCG. It was everything I thought I wanted… until it wasn’t.

A photo from my university graduation
But then reality hit: I was completely burned out.

In Korea’s consulting world, late nights, often until 1 or 2 AM, were the norm. My life slowly disappeared into endless nights at the office. To stay sane, I tried volunteering, weekend getaways, anything to feel human again.

But, funny enough, the thing that brought me the most comfort was something small: chatting about skincare with my co-founder, Sieun, and a few colleagues at BCG.

If you’ve ever lived in Korea, you know beauty standards are intense. Combine that with zero sleep and a diet of convenience store meals, and my skin was screaming for help.

Our office conversations quickly turned into full-on skincare strategy sessions about what products to try, which dermatologists to see. My vanity filled up fast.

But then it hit me.
This “self-care” was becoming… stressful. Coming home at 2 a.m. and forcing myself through a 10-step routine felt like another job. If I skipped it, I felt guilty - like I was failing at taking care of myself. The more I tried, the worse my skin got. At one point, my face flared up so badly I had to run to the dermatologist. That was my wake-up call.

When my skin completely broke out in red 
(and yes, this was taken with filters on…)

What I thought was self-care wasn’t care at all. It was pressure disguised as wellness.

Turns out, Sieun was feeling the same way. We’d talk about how something meant to be comforting had turned into another source of stress. That’s when we asked ourselves:

What if skincare didn’t feel like that? What if it was truly simple, calming, and enough?

That question sparked AROOM. A brand for working women like us, where skincare feels like relief, not another burden.

Our mission is simple: Skincare as a relief ritual.

It’s about turning your routine into a moment of calm instead of another stressor.

Here’s the truth. Once your skin becomes dependent on harsh, reactive formulas, it takes more and more to keep it calm. Dermatologists even have a name for this: cosmetic dependency, a cycle where your skin needs stronger and more frequent products just to feel “normal.”

Our goal is to create products that help your skin reset so you can graduate from your routine, needing less over time, not more.

Welcome to AROOM. For every working woman juggling deadlines, stress, and self-care guilt - we’re here to take skincare off your to-do list and turn it into a relief ritual.

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