Behind the Brand: How ICU Nurse Christina Lee Built a Smarter, Healing Korean Beauty Line with ALAB
ALAB is a new Korean skin care brand that is raising the bar when it comes to formula-focused, results-driven, clinical Korean skin care. Courtesy of ALAB
No surprise here, K-beauty is everywhere. If you haven’t tried it, you’ve definitely seen it on your feed, heard about it from a friend, or spotted it all over Sephora and Ulta (which, by the way, just added 13 new Korean brands, this year alone!)
And honestly? It makes sense. These days we’re all less about makeup and more about healthy skin that looks good and feels good. Literally, the heart of K-beauty: hydration, barrier care, and prevention.
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But with hundreds of K-beauty brands now available in the U.S., the big question is: which ones are actually worth it? Because let’s be honest, not everything in cute packaging…works.
Not exactly the case for this new brand on the block — ALAB. And it’s raising the bar when it comes to formula-focused, results-driven, clinical Korean skin care.
Christina Lee, former ICU Critical Care Nurse and ALAB founder, with her two children. Courtesy of ALAB
When ALAB launched in late 2025, they invited a small group of beauty editors and enthusiasts to an intimate brunch at Los Angeles hotspot Republique to not only experience ALAB’s debut line of targeted serums, cleansers, and moisturizers, but also to hear the brand’s origin story straight from founder Christina Lee.
She was joined by her husband Lincoln, whose deep knowledge in skin care formulation helped everyone understand the science behind ALAB’s powerful actives. And side note: we even got to make our own serum using hyaluronic acid.
What really stuck, was learning that while ALAB is rooted in clinical Korean skin care philosophy, their formulations and manufacturing actually take place right here in the U.S. Even more meaningful, the brand was born out of Lee’s own skin-healing journey as an ICU nurse and her daily struggle dealing with stressed, inflamed skin that needed a solution that worked.
We got the chance to chat more with Lee post-brunch hang, where she confirmed with us that ALAB is more than just another Korean skin care line, it's a skin care line created from lived experience, care, and quality expertise.
Three clinically-proven ingredients found in ALAB’s formulations include copper peptides, deca-peptide-12, and NAD+. Courtesy of ALAB
What was the spark that inspired you to start ALAB, and what skin problems were you trying to solve?
ALAB actually began in a hospital, not a beauty lab. I spent years as an ICU nurse caring for critically ill patients, while my own skin slowly reached a breaking point from stress. I was dealing with sensitivity, inflammation, breakouts—the full cycle.
I tried everything, from buzzy products to expensive treatments, and some of it only made my skin more reactive. That experience led me to a simple but frustrating question: Why is it so hard to find skin care that’s effective, gentle, and truly accessible? ALAB became the answer I was searching for: clinical-grade formulas made for real-life skin, not “perfect skin” marketing.
How did your background in nursing influence the brand’s vision?
Nursing teaches you that healing isn’t about quick fixes. It’s about precision, consistency, and trust. In the ICU, you learn quickly that the body responds best to thoughtful support, not aggressive intervention.
I approach skin the same way. Skin is living tissue and when it’s stressed, reactive or depleted, you don’t bully it into change—you support it into recovery with the right plan and the right doses.
What role did your husband’s skincare manufacturing experience play in shaping the line?
He brought the expertise I didn’t have: deep knowledge of formulation andmanufacturing, and the ability to translate a clinical vision into a stable, scalable product, without compromising integrity.
As a seasoned Korean skin care manufacturer, he understands both innovation and discipline. Together, we built ALAB around a shared standard: formulas made with intention, produced with control, and held to a higher bar than trend-driven skin care.
Lee and her husband Lincoln, a seasoned skincare manufacturer. Courtesy of ALAB
What did those early days of experimenting and formulating look like for you both?
A lot of late nights, detailed notes, and starting over. We approached formulation the same way I’d approach a care plan in nursing: identify the core issue, choose the primary treatment active, and then support it with barrier-strengthening ingredients so skin can tolerate it and actually improve. That philosophy is still central to ALAB—focused formulas, intentionally dosed, never overcrowded.
What skin concern did you feel most driven to address with ALAB?
Stressed skin. The kind that’s reactive, inflamed, hormonally unpredictable, and looks as tired as you feel. It’s the skin I lived in as a nurse and as a mom—and it’s the skin so many women, caregivers, and working people recognize. ALAB is for skin that’s been through something.
ALAB has an “East meets West” approach. What advantages does that bring to skin health and performance?
At its best, Korean skincare prioritizes barrier health, hydration, and long-term consistency. Western dermatologic science excels at clinically proven actives and measurable results. ALAB lives at the intersection of the two, rooted in Korean skin-first philosophy and refined with Western derm science, so you get visible results without compromising the skin barrier.
ALAB’s in-house team collaborates directly with chemists, ingredient suppliers, and regulatory experts to guarantee purity, effectiveness, and safety. Courtesy of ALAB
In the workshop you hosted last year, hyaluronic acid took center stage. What makes your approach different? And how should people think about efficacy beyond hydration?
I explain it in nurse terms: Hyaluronic acid is the IV drip, but your skin barrier is the dressing. You can flood skin with hydration, but if the barrier isn’t supported, that moisture won’t stay. That’s why we pair humectants with barrier-strengthening and calming ingredients.
Hydration is the first step—retention and resilience are the real goal. When the barrier is supported, you often see secondary benefits like reduced reactivity, smoother texture, and more even tone.
Which ALAB product best represents your formulation philosophy?
Our Copper Peptide (GHK-Cu) 2% Recovery Serum. It reflects everything we stand for: clinically meaningful dosing—never “sprinkle and pray”—paired with supportive ingredients that allow for consistent use. Most copper peptide serums stay under 1%; we formulated at a clinical 2% because we wanted results you can see in firmness, repair, and long-term resilience.
ALAB Copper Peptide (GHK-Cu) 2% Recovery Serum ($55) targets visible signs of aging by improving firmness, elasticity, and hydration. Courtesy of ALAB
How would you recommend someone experience ALAB for the first time?
Keep it simple and intentional: cleanse, support, treat, seal. Start with a gentle cleanser and toner, choose one targeted serum based on your primary concern—brightening, repair, energy, or firming—and finish with a barrier-supporting cream. Your first routine doesn’t need to be complicated; it should be focused.
Looking ahead, where do you see ALAB evolving?
I see ALAB growing in a way that still feels human—more education that empowers people to understand their skin without needing a medical degree, deeper innovation in barrier-first actives, and routines that fit real schedules and budgets.
I want ALAB to continue proving that clinical skin care can be both high-performance and kind, meeting you where you are and helping you get where you want to be. ALAB is already building on that promise. Since their debut, they’ve added a brand-new sunscreen to the line: ALAB’s Anti-Pollution UV Sunscreen, which launched mid-February.
It’s designed to protect your skin from more than just the sun, like blue light and environmental pollution that can add to visible signs of aging. Plus, it’s made for oily, acne-prone, and sensitive skin with heat and congestion support, which is a huge win because, let’s be real, so many sunscreens actually cause breakouts.
ALAB Anti-Pollution UV Sunblock SPF 50 ($30) delivers broad-spectrum UVA/UVB protection while helping defend against city stress. Courtesy of ALAB
I’ve also been personally using their NAD+ Energy Serum, which targets skin cells to restore from the inside out, and honestly…my winter glow has been glowing. I’m obsessed and I highly recommend it.
Another little gem I learned at the workshop: serums aren’t supposed to feel silky smooth, they should feel a little sticky. That’s how you know you’re getting true actives and ingredients that will perform.
Here’s a little reminder too: instead of rubbing it in, gently press it into your skin to reap the full benefits. That said, I’d recommend taking a quick peek at your beauty cabinet and ask yourself if your products are really doing the most for you.
And if you’re ready to upgrade? Try ALAB. I have a feeling their products are about to become some of your new everyday staples.
ALAB’s NAD+ Energy Serum ($50) is a high-performance serum that features NAD+ to boost cellular energy, improve skin texture, and enhance luminosity. Courtesy of ALAB
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Patty Castellon is a two-time Emmy award winning producer who has worked in the entertainment industry for 16 years. After many years of tracking lifestyle trends by some of the most prominent celebrities in the world, she has developed a true passion to connect audiences with the latest news in beauty, fashion, and wellness. Patty is LA based, living with her husband Cesar and their three children. Follow her on Instagram: @pattylynnpix