By Nicole Ng - published
The only thing better than bag charms? Ones that are functional in addition to giving your go-to bag extra personality. While bag charms have been trending for over a year now, they have quickly evolved from a simple decor piece to feed into your maximalist fantasies into ones that serve a purpose.
Beyond mirrors and pouches with key rings, lots of beauty brands—particularly those from South Korea and China—have hopped on the bandwagon, releasing miniature keychain versions of their bestsellers as collectibles or given as a gift with purchase. Fwee, a popular South Korean beauty brand, for example, has been giving away thumb-sized keyrings fitted with single pans of its highlighters, eyeshadows and lip and cheek balms. Documents, a Chinese fragrance brand, has been offering tiny vials of its top fragrances fitted with Chinese knots and stones at their counters.
Others serve a more specific purpose, like keeping your AirTags safe, or your sunglasses reachable at all times.
If you’re looking for the perfect fun addition to your bag that performs double duty, you’ll find 10 functional bag charms below.
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1. Star Mirror Charm, $17, Charles & Keith
Do your mirror checks in style. This puffy silver charm is fairly large at a total height of 15cm, so you can be sure that you can actually see your reflection fully in the mirror on the flip side.
2. Skin Barrier Glow Mist, $16, Ongredients at Sephora
If you love Ongredients’ Skin Barrier Calming Lotion as makeup prep, the brand now has a Skin Barrier Glow mist that you can clip into your bag with the provided carabiner and take with you. Just shake to mix the two layers together and spray on the lightweight, peptide-rich mist for both hydration and glow.
Like yours pink with a hint of shimmer? There’s a pink version available.
3. Comb Charm, $38, Marhen.J at Shopee Mall
Tame flyaways on the go. Marhen.J, a popular South Korean lifestyle label known for its bags, offers a small comb bag charm that you can use to undo knots or calm windswept hair in a pinch. You can even complete your set with the brand’s scrunchie in a contrasting colour.
4. Hair Perfume Keyring, $37, Whipped at Sephora
In Fig And Cocoa Butter Muhwabutter.
Keep your hair shiny and smelling fresh throughout the day. Whipped, a viral South Korean bodycare brand, released palm-sized spray bottles of hair perfume in two scents (Fig and Cocoa Butter and Yuzu) that come with a clear case and a silver keyring. The mist is also infused with keratin to help smoothen dry and frizzy hair.
Related article: 7 Underrated Korean Perfume Brands You Need To Know—And Where To Buy Them
5. Shade Keeper, $25, Tippies
In The Martini.
Your sunnies deserve their very own accessory, and Tippies, a homegrown brand, has come through with an innovative yet sleek design to keep your sunglasses within reach. These flat leather charms come with slits on one side to slip your sunglasses through, and are available in all shapes, from a martini glass and croissant to a chilli pepper.
6. Care And Tint Lip Balm Keyring, $18, Amuse at Shopee Mall
In Happy Girl and Rice.
For a hint of shine and colour, try Amuse’s lip balm, which has a keyring to attach to your bag. The lightweight lip balm comes in eight different shades, from the clear ‘Rice’ and peachy ‘Watermelon’ to a more muted and mauvey ‘Acai’, and helps to smooth the skin and improve the appearance of lip lines.
7. Jelly Charm, $26, Kaja at Yesstyle
In #06 Mocha Glaze.
If you want your lip colour to stay put and be handy enough to reach for anytime, Kaja’s Jelly charm is where it’s at. The key ring comes with glittery plastic charms and a glossy lip tint, available in six shades, that can also be used as a cheek colour.
Related article: 8 Best Lip Tints From $13 For Shine And Colour That Last All Day
8. Sabrémoj Fruit Charm, $110, Maison de Sabré at Revolve
Tracking the whereabouts of your AirPods and bags has never been cuter. Maison de Sabré’s fruit-shaped charms are actually pouches designed to fit your AirTags. They come in different designs like strawberries, lime and orange, too.
9. Heart Pods Keyring, $53, Stand Oil at Shopee Mall
For smaller items like your AirPod Pros, keys and lipstick that go MIA in your totes on the daily, having them in a separate easily accessible pouch might make things easier. Stand Oil’s stylish pouch bag charm keep your small essentials safe and reachable.
10. Ultra Bounce Carabiner Keychain, $64, Casetify
Keep both hands free with Casetify’s carabiner keychain. It sports a tone-on-tone indigo colour scheme with beads and comes with a durable aluminium carabiner, clasps and rings to hold your phone, keys and more. Or, wear it alone as a regular bag charm.
11. Jacket Holder Charm, $28, The Paper Bunny
In Chocoberry.
If your favourite jacket always takes up too much space in your bag, The Paper Bunny’s Jacket Holder Charm is here to help. When not in use, the charm, which comes in five different colours like red, green and brown with purple stitching, is a simple, unobstrusive piece of decor that adds a pop of colour to your bag. Clip the clasp over your jacket and it turns into a handy tool that’ll keep it securely fastened to you all day long.
This article contains products independently selected by our team of editors and writers. If you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission. All prices listed are accurate at the time of publishing.