Safflower: Korea's hanbang heritage ingredient 홍화

Safflower (honghwa) is a herb documented in traditional Korean medicine and hanbang references including materia medica such as the Donguibogam, where its flowers were used in herbal preparations. It also served historically as a natural dye.

In modern K-beauty

K-beauty uses safflower flower extract and safflower seed oil as botanical antioxidants and emollients in nourishing and brightening formulas, positioned to help skin look radiant and feel conditioned. Positioning is cosmetic and antioxidant-focused.

Associated with the look of

Korean brands that feature it

Sulwhasoo · The History of Whoo

Try the free tools

✍️ Written & reviewed by the KoreaPlus Editorial team — dermatologist-informed, cosmetic-science researched & source-cited. Last reviewed 2026-06-21.

General educational information using cosmetic structure-function wording — not medical advice. Always patch-test new actives. © KoreaPlus.