What is K-Beauty and Why Is It So Popular?
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| K-Beauty |
K-beauty or Korean
beauty refers to the range of beauty and skin care products which are made in
or originate from South Korea, as well as their beauty regimen which is wildly
different from the western beauty regimen most of us are familiar with. The
whole point of K-beauty is to make your skin look and feel good even without
make-up, as opposed to the western concept of beauty where make-up is used to
cover your blemishes and enhance your appearance.
Perhaps therefore
K-beauty has recently become so popular not just among beauty and skin care
professionals and enthusiasts, but even among those who, until now, were not
particularly interested in skin care. K-Beauty is an umbrella term for skin
care products that focuses on health, hydration and a preferred lack of pigment.
Products used include ingredients such as snail slime, morphing masks, bee
venom (an anti-inflammatory “faux-tox” alleged to relax facial muscles), moisturizing starfish
extract, and pig collagen. The regimen involves a series of steps including
cleansing rituals, sheet masks, essences, serums, moisturizers, cushion
compacts, fermented products, and SPF 35 sunscreen. At night the sunscreen is
replaced with a “sleep cream”. Each regimen is addressed differently depending
on complexion factors including hormonal fluctuations & lifestyle.
Principles
of K-beauty
The Koreans believe
that a consistent skin care routine with products inspired by and made from
natural elements can work wonders for your skin, regardless of the kind of skin
you have. The products should be gentle on your skin and as such, you will not
see overnight results. Instead, K-beauty products and regimen are long-term, in
both the treatment and its results.
Customization is a
huge part of the K-beauty concept. K-beauty products and their multi-layered
beauty regimen are designed in such a way that they help your face develop a
healthy glow from within.
Korean beauty 10-step skincare routine
Step 1: Double cleanse: Oil cleanser
With more and more cosmetic products made to
be water-resistant, you need something that will liquefy all those layers of
makeup and sunscreen on your skin. Oil-based cleansers may come in oil, milk,
cream, or even gel textures, and some may feel the need to add an eye or
lip-specific makeup remover
Step 2: Double cleanse: Foam cleanser
After removing makeup, a foam or water-based
cleanser is then applied to wash off environmental pollutants and every bit of
debris that may have built up on the skin over the course of the day.
Step 3: Hydrating toner (aka skin or skin softener)
Typically, a hydrating
toner is applied immediately after cleansing. Korean
women don’t like to leave their skin dry even for a few seconds, and a
hydrating toner jumpstarts the hydration process. Think of it this way: When
the soil in a flowerpot dries out and hardens, any water you add just runs off
the sides. But when the soil is moist, it’s able to absorb water and nutrients
readily and deeply.
Step 4: Sheet mask
There are a couple schools of thought on
where a sheet mask goes into your routine. This can go before your
essence/serum step, or after, depending on your personal preference. Some treat
a sheet mask like an intense treatment session and use it instead of a typical
essence or serum; others like to seal in all their serums by finishing that
step with a sheet mask
Just remember — don’t panic! Steps 4 to 6 are
essentially all serum/treatment steps made to address and correct specific skin
issues, so it’s no big deal if you prefer to apply an essence first and then a
sheet mask or vice versa. Again, it’s what works for you.
Step 5: Essence/Serum/Ampoule
Yes, this is considered one step, but that
doesn’t mean there’s only one product involved (thought it may well mean that
for you). For my myriad skincare concerns, I have an arsenal of serums that I
apply generally in order of consistency, from lightest to thickest. Because
essences, serums, and ampoules provide the highest concentration of active
ingredients (hence, why they’re usually the most expensive items in a line), I
really focus on this step of my routine.
Step 6: Spot treatments
Here is where your targeted treatments for
specific skincare issues would fall, whether it’s brightening/hyperpigmentation
issues, acne, dark circles, or wrinkles. These would include retinoids,
spot-fighting ingredients, and benzoyl peroxide. Note that for alpha hydroxy
acids (AHA), beta hydroxy acids (BHA), and vitamin C.
Step 7: Eye cream
Now that all your serum/treatment steps are done,
seal everything in with an occlusive moisturizer specifically made for the
eyes. The skin around the eyes is the most delicate on the face, so using your
ring finger, tap in a small amount (about the size of a grain of rice) around
each eye, all the way out to the orbital bone and even to the temple.
Step 8: Lotion/Emulsion
In old-school,
traditional Korean skincare, when serums and essences were less pervasive, a
lightweight moisturizer with a lotion texture was applied after “skin” and
before a thicker face cream. But today, especially with increasingly
sophisticated and hydrating serums and essences and sheet masks, some may find they
can skip the lotion step and move straight to face cream. Still others with oilier skin types or in the summertime may feel fine
using a lotion and skipping a face cream altogether. Again, it’s about what
works for you.
Step 9: Face cream
These days, face creams
come in all sorts of textures ranging from lightweight to heavier balms to
increasingly popular facial oils so there’s something for everyone.
Essentially, face creams are occlusive layers (meaning
they create a physical barrier on the skin to avoid trans epidermal water loss,
or loss of moisture through the skin) that you apply over all your serums and
treatments to seal everything in, protect your skin barrier, and avoid
evaporation. Like all your other skincare, pat in your face cream to maximize
absorption.
Step 10: Sunscreen (day) or Sleeping mask (night)
For day a sunscreen is a must. 365 days a year. There’s
no use applying all those serums and treatments to address your skin issues if
you’re going to undermine all that effort by not protecting your skin from
damaging UV rays
At night, your skin’s
restorative processes are on high gear, while the humidity in the air in your
bedroom is at an all-time low. So, you may want to wear a sleeping mask (or sleeping pack) with stronger occlusive properties to
prevent evaporation and keep your nighttime treatments sealed in.
Conclusion
There’s been a lot written about the K-beauty
skincare regimen. There’s the 10-step version, the 12-step version, even an
18-step routine. But it’s not how many steps that’s important. What’s important
is that you’re using the right products in an order that optimizes the
absorption of ingredients into your skin where they’ll have maximum efficacy.
“It’s to introduce ingredients into your skin gradually and gently so you don’t
‘shock’ the skin,” says one K-beauty expert. It’s why you use a gentle
hydrating toner, which softens and preps skin, which then allows for essences
and serums to absorb better. Then you seal it all in with a face lotion or
cream, so that the nutrients don’t evaporate. So, if you are curious about or
wish to start a K-Beauty regimen, I hope this post is helpful to you. Many products
used in K-beauty can be found a local shoppers drug mart.
So, my beauties, stay #fabulash and take care of
your skin! Its your body’s largest organ and you only get ONE so PLEASE take
care of it.
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Ciao for now…. Michelle Greene
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