My simple skin-care routine, consisting of whatever drugstore face wash and moisturizer I could get my hands on, was perfectly adequate — until I studied abroad in Korea after my freshman year.

As much as I love my motherland, its weather is what I would consider a living hell. Between the humidity and sudden rainstorms, South Korea’s brutal summers leave you drenched. As I trudged through the hilly asphalt streets of Seoul, my face became a battleground between layers of sweat and sunscreen. After class, I would meander into the skin-care aisles of AC-blasted beauty stores, seeking refuge and searching for a solution. I would typically leave empty-handed, overwhelmed with options and fraught with indecision.

Luckily for me, my childhood friend was also living in Korea at the time. So when I slept over one night and told her my sweaty woes, she opened her medicine cabinet and pulled out what would become my holy grail cleanser: Heimish All Clean Balm.