Recently, there has been a rising interest in Korean cosmetics thanks to hallyu (the Korean wave: the increasing popularity of South Korean culture). Within the Korean cosmetics industry, herbal cosmetics made of traditional ingredients have been the mainstream. With the meeting of these two ideas, now is the right time to develop and investigate the efficacy of herbal materials. It appears that the use of herbal ingredients for cosmetics is a part of brand differentiation strategies to develop internationally renowned cosmetics. Therefore, it is necessary to search related with records and perform an in-depth study on the excellence of herbal materials for cosmetics. This study has attempted to determine the efficacy of the physiological activities of herbal materials for cosmetics as described in a ‘Sanrimkyoungje’ by comparing test results with references from the modern perspective. According to the analysis of 8 different herbal ingredients including Lycium chinense Mill and related physiological activities, the ingredients with great antioxidant activities were rich, and a variety of physiological activities has been observed. Considering the basic antioxidant and pharmacological effects of natural ingredients in herbs, therefore, it can be said that they would be very useful as an ingredient for functional cosmetics with anti-aging effects such as anti-wrinkling, whitening and scalp-care as well as for aesthetic cosmetics.