When it comes to skincare, Cho says Korean women use “natural skin brighteners such as rice extracts, vitamin C, and licorice, as well as exfoliators. For stubborn brown spots, they will visit the dermatologist to lighten the brown spots using lasers.”
Honey Glow
"Like you highlighted your face with honey (or kkul in Korean) to achieve an allover hyper-glossy, mirror-like shine," explain Chang and Lee.
Skincare is More Important than Makeup
Since ancient times, Koreans have only used natural, harsh-free ingredients for their skincare routines: green tea, “snail slime”, bamboo extracts, propolis, and honey are just some examples of the elements they used and have passed through generations.
Korean beauty products utilize the most effective Western ingredients—and so much more. With an impressively large repertoire that includes ground-breaking ingredients such as snail mucin and bee venom, their compellingly fresh formulations can deliver results you could never achieve before.
“Effective and non-stripping cleansers, gentle exfoliating products, hydrating toners and serums, followed by fatty ceramides and of course sun protection are all part of the glass skin routine.” Applying moisture onto your skin in lots of light layers is key to achieving that glassy rather than greasy finish.
For dry skin, argan, grapeseed, marula, squalene, apricot kernel, extra virgin, almond, and rosehip oils work best. For combination skin, marula, jojoba, flaxseed, grapeseed and tea tree oils are good. For sensitive skin, moringa oil is great.
Some of the best Korean creams are Belif The True Cream – Moisturizing Bomb, Klairs Rich Moist Soothing Cream, InstaNatural Retinol Moisturizer, L'ATURAJEU 10-Free Korean Cactus Moisturizer Cream, Ginseng Green Tea Retinol Sensitive Skin Night Cream, and Etude House Moistfull Collagen Cream.
“Men and women in South Korea are meticulous when it comes to maintaining healthy hair with a three-step process. After washing the hair with shampoo and conditioner, they often apply a hair essence or hair oil to achieve a shiny head of hair. Hair masks, serums, milks and hair mists are all must-haves,” explains Cho.
Korean beauty, often abbreviated as K-beauty, is a term used to describe the unique beauty standards and practices of South Korea. Unlike Western beauty standards, which focus primarily on external appearance, K-beauty emphasizes the importance of skincare and overall health.
Citrus fruits, berries, green leafy vegetables, and kiwi fruit all contain high concentrations of vitamin C, which is also involved in the production of collagen, the tissue that reinforces the skin and enhances its suppleness and look.
Keeping your skin hydrated increases your skins natural exfoliation rate (scientists call this desquamation) to help prevent uneven skin tone. Korean skin whitening secret: Protect your skin against dehydration by using deeply hydrating serums daily.
Glass skin is a skincare routine based on the latest Korean skincare trends and techniques. Glass skin is a term for exceptionally smooth, even-toned and lustrous skin that's so flawless it has the appearance of glass.
If you want to achieve shiny, luminous dewy skin, definitely try out the Korean skincare routine! However, if you want soft and matte-looking baby skin, try out the Japanese skincare routine!
Products Are Supplementary
In fact, harsh active ingredients Americans have long sought out to combat signs of aging, particularly retinol, are much less popular in Korea because Koreans prefer to avoid their drying and irritating side effects, Dr. Chang says.
Whereas western skincare focuses on exfoliating to reveal new skin, Korean skincare is all about putting nutrients back into the skin. Korean skincare adopts a more gentle approach, with less of a focus on scrubs, retinols and harsh acids. Each product in a Korean beauty routine serves a specific purpose.