First things first—let’s talk about what makes the Korean skincare approach so different from what many of us are used to. There’s a common misconception that using Korean products is solely what makes a skincare routine “Korean.†While that certainly helps, the origin of your products is only one small piece of the larger picture. In fact, it’s possible to build a Korean influenced skincare routine without specifically using Korean skincare products at all! That said, there is an abundance of decadent, interesting, and effective products offered by the Korean skincare market, and you’d be missing out on a lot of the fun if you skipped out on them entirely.
There are many values and perspectives at the heart of the Korean skincare philosophy that make this approach so effective. Here are some of the primary distinctions of Korean skincare:
EMPHASIS ON HEALTHY SKIN RATHER THAN MAKEUP
South Korea’s beauty industry is enormous, spanning both skincare and cosmetics. But far more money is spent on skincare products than on cosmetics, a result of the very smart cultural philosophy that beauty begins with healthy skin.
The ideal state for skin in Korea is dewy, clear, smooth, resilient, and luminous. You can get a more nuanced understanding of what exemplifies a perfect complexion in Korea by understanding some of the recently emerging terms used to define this optimal state. For example, chok-chok is a word that describes skin that is bouncy and moist; and taeng-taeng is used to describe skin that is firm and smooth.
For a majority of people around the world—including South Korea—this optimal complexion doesn’t come naturally. It’s something that must be worked toward with a consistent, effective skincare routine, and in Korea, that goal is worked toward diligently and passionately.
LAYERING & CUSTOMIZATION
In the United States, the standard routine tends to be a three-step process of cleansing, toning, and moisturizing. More skin-savvy women may have a four-step routine that also includes a serum. In contrast, a Korean skincare routine can have anywhere between five and twelve steps in the morning and evening. It seems excessive by comparison, and it may even sound like it would overwhelm the skin with moisture. But it’s not overwhelming, thanks to the tendency toward lighter formulations of Korean products, which lean more on water and humectants to provide moisture than they do on emollient oils and occlusives. There is actually a solid logic behind such an elaborate, multi-product approach.
One advantage is the ability to customize your routine based on your skin’s daily needs. If you know you’ll be spending a lot of time in a dry environment one day and a humid environment the next, it’s easy to adjust your skincare to accommodate those environmental changes.
It’s also easy to customize a Korean skincare routine to treat specific skin concerns such as acne, aging, or hyperpigmentation. Having a multistep routine composed of light layers means you can have multiple products in your lineup that are each designed to provide targeted treatment for skincare concerns. If you have more than one skincare concern—and most people do—you can layer on individual serums that are each fine-tuned to effectively treat a specific concern, rather than having to rely on a product that tries to do it all. Additionally, having individual products to treat these concerns means that once your concerns change, you’re not replacing your entire routine—you’re replacing a single product.
FOCUS ON HYDRATION
Skin hydration is a key component of the Korean skincare approach. Hydration refers to moisture from water, as opposed to oils, and the idea is that hydrated skin is healthy skin. Well-hydrated skin functions better, and in the long term, it’s more resistant to outside factors that cause aging. In the short term, hydrated skin appears fresh, resilient, translucent, and smooth.
Even though many Korean moisturizing products are domincated by watery and humectant ingredients, there are also wonderfully emollient oils and occlusives in a multitude Korean formulas. Those products are often designed to be applied later in the routine, in order to seal in the beneficial hydrating ingredients and the skin-plumping humectants.
EVEN SKIN TONE
Nearly every brand based in Korea has at least one skincare line devoted to “whitening.†There are many misconceptions outside of Korea regarding this phenomenon, but first things first: no, these products do not bleach your skin. From an ingredient standpoint, the word “whitening†in the Korean beauty landscape is interchangeable with with the word “brightening.†Whitening products are designed to even out skin tone and address hyperpigmentation due to the overproduction of melanin in damaged areas of the skin.
The ingredients used in mass-market whitening skincare products specifically target discolored areas either by exfoliation, which helps expedite the creation of new, healthy skin by increasing the rate of cell turnover to reveal newer, healthier cells, or by inhibiting the enzyme tyrosinase, which controls melanin production and causes hyperpigmentation in areas of the skin that have been damaged. This also includes the lightening of skin that has been tanned by the sun, which is, in fact, a form of sun damage. It just so happens to be a form of sun damage that has been embraced as a beauty standard in many parts of the world over the past century.
Interestingly, the first and most visible signs of aging in Asian women aren’t lines or wrinkles—they are hyperpigmentation and dullness. The ideal healthy complexion is skin that is smooth, hydrated, even-toned, and luminous, and most products labeled as “whitening†can help anyone achieve this state, including deeper skin tones.
HIGHLY PRIORITIZED SUN PROTECTION
As important as the desire for an even skin tone is the emphasis on sun protection. Again, suntanned skin is damaged skin, and in Korea, a suntan is not the beauty goal that it is in other parts of the world. This is a very advantageous view when it comes to anti-aging. Sun damage, in addition to elevating the risk of skin cancer, is also the primary cause of visible signs of aging such as lines, wrinkles, and uneven skin tone.
Because sun protection is such a high priority in Asian markets, a lot of effort has been made to produce highly effective, cosmetically elegant sunscreens in a broad selection of formulas including creams, mists, gels, and essences. Furthermore, there is a lot of value placed on broad spectrum protection in Korean formulas—meaning these sun-protection products tend to be highly effective against both UVB and UVA rays.
The primary distinction between UVB and UVA is that UVB rays are responsible for sunburn, while UVA rays are responsible for cancer and premature aging. I find it helps to think of them as UVBurn- and UVAge-rays.
COMMON QUESTIONS
Do I have to follow all the steps?
There can be anywhere between five and twelve steps in a typical Korean-style skincare routine. It takes a bit of trial and error to find the right combination of products for your skin, as well the number of products you find personally ideal and, most important, sustainable. The most successful skincare routine is the one you can actually keep up with on a daily basis. For some, this will be only five steps, but for others, who have more skin concerns or who may (like myself) simply enjoy the lengthy, self-indulgent ritual, twelve steps could be just the beginning.
Product application typically goes in order from the thinnest product to the thickest—though it’s important to consider other factors when building your own routine, such as pH-dependent ingredients (e.g., alpha-hydroxy-acids) or specific brand recommendations.
Is a Korean skincare routine time consuming?
Though it sounds like it would be a lengthy process, a multistep skincare routine doesn’t have to be. A routine can be completed in ten minutes if it doesn’t include products that require a wait time, such as a sheet mask or AHA treatment, either of which can add another fifteen to twenty minutes.
Is a Korean skincare routine expensive?
A Korean skincare routine is only as expensive as you want it to be. There is a huge range in terms of price points—skincare products can be priced as low as $8 and as high as over $600 for a moisturizing cream. But a large part of the appeal of the Korean skincare world is the high quality of the products, even those sold at lower price points. You can easily assemble an effective, luxurious Korean skincare routine composed of several products for less than $100.
Can I use non-Korean products in a Korean-style routine?
Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need to use Korean products exclusively in order to benefit from a Korean-style skincare approach. You can achieve wonderful results by using whatever you have at home, or have access to in your particular part of the world.
Korean skincare products are wonderful, but the routine’s approach is about much more than the geographic origins of your moisturizer. The Korean skincare philosophy is about prioritizing your skin as your most important beauty asset, focusing on moisture, and building a highly customized routine of light, hydrating layers that target specific skin concerns.
WHAT WE’LL COVER
The goal of this section is to supply you with all the tools you need to get started with a
Korean-style skincare routine. In this section we will:
1. Assess your skincare needs
2. Examine skincare ingredients
3. Identify product types and categories
4. Build a skincare routine
5. View examples of skincare routines
With this information, you’ll be able to confidently research and shop for Korean skincare products that will lead you to the smoothest, most luminous, and hydrated skin of your life!
