VENN Skincare's debut collection at Ayla features five products built around plant-derived exosomes, PDRN, and ginsenoside Compound K, ingredients that are generating serious attention in both medical skincare and the broader beauty world.

In our Brand Spotlight on VENN, co-founder Brian Oh walked us through the brand's origin story, from his unconventional path as a founder to his partnership with Kevin Mun, the nuclear physicist whose work on drug delivery systems became the engine behind every VENN formula.

Here, we go deeper into the specific products: the Moisture Balance Face Cleanser, the Regenerative 1B-EXO Compound K Mask, the Rejuvenative PDRN-NE Ampoule Face Serum, the Age-Recharge Compound K Eye Concentrate, and the Concentrated Revitalizing Lifting Mask. Brian describes what makes each one distinctive and why VENN's approach to exosome skincare and PDRN serums is fundamentally different from what most brands are doing.

VENN Moisture Balance All-in-One Face Cleanser

Dara: Let's talk through the products we're introducing! I always love to get the founder’s perspective on each one. Can we start with the Moisture Balance All-in-One Face Cleanser? It has a really unusual texture that I immediately loved.

BRIAN: Yes, it's something we call a quasi-semi-emulsion, which we developed as an entirely new cleanser category. We have a TEM microscope image of the formulation, and what you see are these particles with spike-like structures extending outward. They look almost needle-like, but they're actually humectant polymers—soft, not irritating at all—that reach outward and interact with the skin.

The formulation sits in between an emulsion and an oil-based cleanser, and that was intentional. We wanted to take the best qualities of an oil cleanser—its ability to melt away makeup and buildup—while also capturing what a non-oil formulation does well: deep cleansing and compatibility with oily, combination, and acne-prone skin types. This cleanser is clinically tested to do all of it: remove makeup, deeply cleanse, provide mild and gentle exfoliation, and instantly hydrate the skin. It will not strip.

We also incorporated meaningful concentrations of brightening and clarifying actives, like niacinamide and arginine, because the ritual involves massaging the cleanser into the skin, and that contact time is an opportunity.

One thing to know about how to use it: apply it directly to dry skin first, just like you would an oil cleanser. Massage, then add a little water to lubricate and continue massaging, then rinse. That's when you get the full benefit of the formulation. It's also safe to use around the eye area, and it removes virtually all makeup types. The only exception we found in testing was waterproof eyeliner, for which you might want a dedicated eye makeup remover.

VENN Regenerative 1B-EXO Compound K Mask

Dara: Next up is the Regenerative 1B-EXO Compound K Mask. This is one of your newest products, right?

BRIAN: Yes, it's one of our most recently launched. It's a hydrogel mask with exosomes as the hero ingredients, focused primarily on hydration, soothing, and skin repair.

Dara: I know exosomes are a hot topic right now. Some people are excited about them; others are skeptical about stability. I imagine you've done a lot of work on this.

BRIAN: We have. We actually partnered with one of the top biotech companies in Korea that specializes in extracting plant stem cells and, from those, plant-derived exosomes. This was about three to four years ago.

The reason we chose plant-derived exosomes is important to understand. Our current research partner, Professor Hyung Joon Im, is one of the first people in Korea to study exosomes for drug application. His team concluded that drug application of exosomes is extremely difficult, if not impossible, because there's no consistency in the type of information each exosome vesicle contains, even when exosomes are extracted from the exact same source. For drug application, you need near-100% consistency. But for topical skincare application, exosomes make total sense.

But the issue with human stem cell-derived exosomes is that they exist in a legal gray area, even in parts of Asia, because they contain human DNA information. A lot of medical clinics were still using them because the results can be remarkable, particularly after invasive treatments like laser or Potenza. Without exosomes applied post-procedure, you might expect 24 to 48 hours of redness and irritation. With exosomes, that downtime could be reduced to as little as 15 to 20 minutes. That's the speed at which exosomes support skin repair and regeneration.

So when our medical clinic partners started asking whether we could create products using plant-derived exosomes, we explored it seriously. What we found was a biotech partner who had developed a way to extract highly stable plant-derived exosomes from multiple plant sources—and who had three years of data showing that the vesicle count remained stable across different temperatures. Human-derived exosomes often require cold chain storage to prevent degradation. The plant-derived exosomes we use remain stable even at 70 degrees Celsius.

We selected exosomes from five specific sources—ginseng berries, ginseng root, Artemisia annua, bok choy sprout, and Centella asiatica—based on in vitro data showing the strongest skin benefit profiles. Ginseng-derived exosomes, in particular, have the most published research supporting their efficacy among all plant-derived sources.

The result is our Regenerative 1B-EXO Compound K Mask. When our medical clinic partners applied it topically after laser and Potenza treatments, they observed that downtime was reduced to approximately 20 minutes.

Dara: I noticed it has a subtle, lovely scent, and it's slightly cooling. Both of those choices feel very deliberate.

BRIAN: I'm glad you noticed! We put a lot of thought into the sensory experience alongside the science. The two shouldn't be in conflict.

VENN Rejuvenative PDRN-NE Ampoule Face Serum

Dara: OK, next—the first VENN product I ever tried was the Rejuvenative PDRN-NE Ampoule Face Serum. You described in our earlier conversation what makes your approach so different from other brands working with PDRN. Who do you think could benefit most from this product?

BRIAN: Anyone with compromised skin, really. Both exosomes and PDRN offer anti-aging benefits, but their primary strength is regenerative, supporting the skin's repair processes. For anyone whose skin barrier has been compromised, whether through a laser treatment, a procedure like Potenza, or other intensive treatments, both the Rejuvenative PDRN-NE Ampoule Face Serum and the Exosome Mask are excellent options. They're also among our most popular products for post-procedure skincare recommendations from our medical clinic partners.

VENN Age-Recharge Compound K Eye Concentrate

Dara: And then there's the Age-Recharge Compound K Eye Concentrate. What makes that one stand out, in your opinion?

BRIAN: The Age-Recharge Compound K Eye Concentrate is another formulation built around our multi-layer vehicle delivery technology, which is one of our most sophisticated delivery systems. The key active, ginsenoside Compound K, is our hero ingredient, and for the eye area specifically, its qualities are particularly valuable.

With pure vitamin C, you often can't use it around the eye: it can be too irritating, especially for sensitive, acne-prone, or oily skin types. Compound K delivers similar antioxidant and brightening benefits, but without the instability and without the reactivity. That's what allows us to use it at high concentrations around such a delicate area.

Beyond Compound K, we've incorporated a patented extract and several additional actives specifically chosen for the eye area, targeting eye bags, dark circles, and fine lines and wrinkles. What's challenging about building a formulation like this is that many high-performing actives simply don't coexist well with each other. When you try to put multiple potent actives into a single formula, they can destabilize the whole thing; they interact in ways that cause the formulation to fall apart.

What our multi-layer delivery system does is separate those actives into alternating layers within the delivery vehicle so they don't clash. Without it, the formulation becomes unstable. With it, everything remains intact, stable, and elegant. We've actually had experienced R&D scientists join our team and ask, genuinely puzzled, how it's possible to put so many different actives at such high concentrations into a single formulation that still holds together. We show them by building it both ways—with and without the delivery system—and the difference is visible. One falls apart. The other holds.

VENN Concentrated Revitalizing Lifting Mask

Dara: Last one—the Concentrated Revitalizing Lifting Mask. It’s very cool! Tell me about this one.

BRIAN: This was actually our second-ever VENN product. Although it's called a mask, it's leave-on; you don't rinse it off. You could absolutely use it as your daily moisturizer if you wanted to. The formulation uses Compound K as one of the key actives, and the ingredients are built to work closer to the skin surface, so the benefits are more immediate—which is what you'd expect from something called a mask.

It's versatile: you can use it morning or evening. In the evening, you can apply a generous amount and use it as a sleeping mask, especially if your skin is stressed, dry, or compromised. As the name suggests, the key benefits are revitalization and lifting: you’ll see a more sculpted, refreshed-looking complexion.

When we first launched it, we called it the "hangover mask" — meaning, if you've had a very late night and your skin looks tired, this is the product that will bring it back. Very quickly.

Dara: I love the idea of layering the Compound K Mask with the Lifting Mask on a rough morning when you want to look good, fast.

BRIAN: Exactly—that's a combination we hear about a lot. And many people also love mixing a face oil into the Lifting Mask. We see amazing results from that pairing.

One last note: the VENN difference

Dara: Is there anything else you’d like us all to know about VENN?

BRIAN: One thing that’s unique about VENN, especially in the K-beauty category, is that we've never made significant investments in traditional marketing because the products speak for themselves. The pro channel—spas, medical clinics—has always been our foundation, because that's where people can experience the products firsthand, through facials and treatments. And then they seek them out.

We've always been self-financed, and that's allowed us to stay focused on what matters: the R&D, the innovation, building formulations that are genuinely meaningful. VENN isn't trying to create products at mass scale. It's trying to create the right products.

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We’re so happy to offer Dara’s curated selection of VENN products. Shop VENN Skincare at Ayla here, and to learn more about the brand, check out Dara's Brand Spotlight interview with Brian.