Whether you are into K-pop and K-drama or not, you can’t deny the dewiness that Korean celebrities have. When it comes to skincare, the Koreans are leading the charge with their high performing formulas, innovative and fun packaging, creative textures and unisex approach to skincare.
Let’s talk about principles that are at the heart of every Korean skincare routine and products & practices that Koreans swear by and how we Indians can make it part of our daily skincare habits:
Scientific formulations:
If you have been wondering why the best skin care trends emerge from Korea then here’s the answer: the skincare industry in Korea is constantly experimenting with natural ingredients and synergistic actives to create formulations that are backed by science. The labs in Korea maintain high-quality checks to ensure that products are effective in addressing skin concerns.
Whenever you’re buying a skincare product make sure that you spend some time understanding the ingredients of that formulation and how those ingredients will work for your specific skin type and skin concerns.
Skin Barrier Health:
When you look at the ingredients and formulation of Korean skincare products, you will notice that they stay away from using any barrier damaging ingredients. As part of their core skincare philosophy, they avoid anything that can compromise the skin barrier because they fully understand the role that the skin barrier plays.
The skin barrier doesn’t just keep environmental aggressors out, but a well functioning barrier keeps bacteria that cause acne at bay and prevents moisture and hydration loss, which can result in sensitised skin. One easy step that you can take is to avoid formulations that contain essential oils, artificial fragrances, drying alcohols, dyes and phthalates.
Moisturising:
The reason for dewy Korean skin is that they keep their skin moisturised. Everything about Korean skincare starts from moisturising. Irrespective of the skin type, or how many steps the skincare routine has, the key idea is to make sure that skin is never stripped of hydration.
It is because they understand that dry and dehydrated skin results in barrier damage which causes a plethora of skin concerns like acne, rashes, eczema, itchiness, redness and even premature ageing.
Using a Toner:
Since we are talking about moisture and barrier health, we must talk about Toner. It’s a product that no Korean skips in their routine and is also key to their luminous skin.
We are sure, some of you immediately thought of astringent when you read the word toner but you should know that modern toners have come a long way from their drying astringent origins. So, what is a toner you ask? Well, a toner is like water but it addresses specific skin concerns like dryness, dehydration, dullness, sensitivity etc.
A toner is typically the first product you apply after cleansing your face because it absorbs quickly since it is light like water. You can either directly apply it on your face after pouring it in your palm or soak a cotton ball in it and wipe your face with it or you can also soak a cotton pad in the toner and leave it on your face for a few minutes.
Inclusive Skincare & Beauty
In reading so far you must have noticed how we say Koreans and not Korean women. Well, that’s because Korean skincare is inclusive of both men and women. Korean men (like Korean women) acknowledge skincare as an important aspect of grooming and place emphasis on how they present themselves in their daily lives. So you can easily find toners, BB & CC creams that are targeted at men as much as they cater to women.
Double Cleansing:
And since we are discussing makeup, it’s important to remember that in the skincare universe, not removing makeup before bedtime is a Cardinal sin.
Ever slept in your kajal to wake up to raccoon eyes? That was probably really bad for the skin around your eyes. Since a lot of Koreans use makeup daily, it is important for them to take it off at the end of the day to allow the skin to breathe and to go to bed with unclogged pores.
That’s why double cleansing (once washing the face with an oil-based cleanser followed by a gel-based cleanser) is so popular since it cleans up all traces of makeup, SPF, pollution, sweat and sebum. So before you go to bed, don’t forget to take your makeup off unless you want to anger your skin.
Consistency:
credit:https://in.pinterest.com/pin/825495806721040196/
With a ‘focus-on-prevention’ philosophy, Koreans understand that consistency and patience play an essential role in the effectiveness of skincare. Koreans diligently follow morning and night skincare routines, even when they are travelling because they understand that there are no overnight fixes when it comes to skin.
It doesn't matter if it’s a 4 step skincare routine or 7 steps or 10 steps, the amazing skin isn’t the outcome of how many steps you have in your skincare but how consistently you do it because the products need time to work and so need to be applied consistently to deliver the promised results.
Hopefully, this blog post gave you a little sneak peek into the Korean skincare routine and got you inspired to update your skincare routine or get one if you don’t already have one. You too can get healthy skin as long as you incorporate using products that protect the skin barrier, keep your skin thoroughly hydrated, always take off your makeup and do it all with consistency