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$4
- $4 is a popular e-commerce startup that connects online shoppers with Asian beauty products.
- Alicia Yoon — a Harvard Business School graduate, Korean immigrant, and former esthetician — created the $30 million company in 2012.
- Recently, the company launched its own in-house skincare brand that includes serums, overnight masks, gel cleansers and more for $27-$43.
After skincare brand Dr. Jart $4 in 2011, K-beauty's popularity exploded. In 2014, for the first time ever, Korea exported more beauty products than it imported — $4.
Few were better poised to capitalize on this trend than Alicia Yoon, a Harvard Business School graduate, Korean immigrant, and former esthetician. One year after BB Cream hit the United States, Yoon left her consulting job and launched $4 — an e-commerce startup that makes it easier to find and buy Asian beauty products online. Yoon developed a $30 million company over the last decade, and her team is quick to add that it was done without institutional funding or influencer marketing.
Like its competitor $4, Peach & Lily leveraged its industry expertise by starting its own supercharged, eponymous $4. Right now, it includes most of the skincare basics — cleansers, serums, creams, toners, essences, oils, masks, and an eye recovery stick — which you can find at either $4 or the $4 website. Prices range from $19 to $43, which isn't exactly cheap, but it's not unusual either.
To see how they stack up, a few of us on the Insider Reviews team tested out some of Peach & Lily's bestsellers: the $4, the $4, and the $4.
You'll find more of our thoughts below, but overall, we found $4 to be great for everyday use. They're gentle and effective, though you'll need to apply the Recovery Stick with a light hand to avoid buildup. As a bonus, they're also cruelty-free, vegan (with the exception of the $4), and don't contain synthetic fragrances.
Peach & Lily Power Calm Hydrating Gel Cleanser
>$4
The $4 is a gel cleanser that lathers into a foam. Inside, you'll find soothing ingredients like camellia extracts and chamomile, a lack of sulfates, and a 5.5 pH to help maintain the skin's natural moisture barrier.
It's a really solid basic — it didn't irritate my temperamental combination skin, and I noticed fewer blemishes while using it, which is unusual in my experience with one-size-fits-all cleansers. If you're wearing makeup, you should plan to double-cleanse, and ideally use it with another moisturizing product. I used the Power Calm Hydrating Gel Cleanser twice in one washing to remove every bit of long-wear foundation, and it left my skin feeling dry and tight. But when I double-cleanse with a micellar water or cleansing balm first, and then use a dime-sized amount of the cleanser, my skin feels clean and balanced — not dry, and not tacky with residue.
Overall, this didn't dethrone $4, but it's going to stay in my bathroom cabinet as a safe baseline to use between testing skincare products. If you're just looking for something simple and easy to use every day, then I recommend the Power Calm Hydrating Gel Cleanser. I found it to be more effective at keeping acne at bay than $4, however, it's probably not worth the extra $17 if your skin isn't as temperamental as mine. — Mara Leighton, senior reporter
Peach & Lily Overnight Star Sleeping Mask
It's a thick blue mask, so you'll want to be careful not to lay on any white pillowcases immediately after putting it on, but it absorbs completely overnight. In the morning, my skin is soft, plump, and well hydrated without any tangible residue. I was surprised and relieved to find that, unlike most thick overnight masks, this one never made me break out. If you can spare the $40-plus, this is a particularly gentle and effective overnight mask. — Mara Leighton, senior reporter