Having lived in Australia and traveled around Asia, I’ve always wondered how it’s possible that Koreans (and Asians in general) have such smooth, youthful, and flawless skin?! Genetics, diet, and lifestyle certainly play a role, but a vital part is also regular and thorough skincare. Do they have a secret trick up their sleeve? I did some research and got to know Korean cosmetics to find out, because it turns out Korea has a unique approach to skincare. Let’s find out what’s different and how we can try it out too! To do this, I made a purchase at The Skin House e-shop and selected the products that would suit me best.
Prevention
South Korea has deeply rooted traditions regarding how women care for their facial skin. Morning and evening skincare routines are an important part of every Korean woman’s day. While it’s common for Europeans to eliminate or mask skin problems, Koreans focus on preventing them instead.
For example, Korean women start using anti-wrinkle products quite early, rather than waiting until wrinkles have already appeared. For some reason, we have a widespread fear of anti-wrinkle products, and people tend to start using them at a more mature age when deep wrinkles have already formed and getting rid of them is very difficult, if not impossible. I know from experience how my parents used to scare me, saying I should never use mom’s anti-wrinkle cream, otherwise the skin would become dependent and that’s how wrinkles form. Korean people, however, think ahead and try to prevent skin problems.
Traditions
In Korea, significantly more attention is paid to skincare rather than decorative cosmetics, because if the skin is beautiful and healthy, there aren’t as many imperfections to hide with makeup. They invest in skin health rather than dealing with hiding or eliminating existing skin problems. Thorough skincare routines are a deeply rooted tradition among Korean women, taught by mothers to their daughters from generation to generation. It would have been nice if I had been taught how to correctly care for my skin when I was young.
5 Steps of Daily Skincare
Korean women believe in a multi-step skincare system, which involves using several products with different effects step-by-step in the correct order to more effectively influence different layers of the skin. Below, I’ll share the Korean system for perfect home skincare, which is a great investment in your skin’s health. To implement all the steps, I visited the Tallinna Kaubamaja Ilumaailm to check out the product range of The Skin House (a high-quality South Korean cosmetic brand). With the help of a consultant, we chose the most suitable products for my skin. Then I ordered those same products from their website, where they have a campaign running: until the end of summer, you can get -15% off every order with the discount code “SUVI”. Additionally, you can order sample packs for free, meaning before buying a full product, you can order a sample pack (testers of 10 different products) completely free, you only have to pay for shipping. They have 2 different sample packs, one for those under 30 and another for 30+.
#1 Makeup Removal
One of the most important steps is always makeup removal and skin cleansing. If the face isn’t cleaned thoroughly enough, it results in clogged pores, the skin can’t breathe, blackheads form, pores enlarge, and improperly cleaned skin won’t absorb cosmetics. If cosmetic products are applied to skin that isn’t clean enough, dirt and various harmful substances from the skin’s surface can penetrate the skin along with the cream.
In short, if the skin isn’t clean enough, using the rest of the cosmetics is a waste of money and skin. Therefore, thorough facial cleansing is the foundation of everything. So if you have to choose whether to invest more in facial cleansers or an expensive cream, now you know which is more important!
Korean women generally remove makeup with a special makeup removal oil (hydrophilic oil). This is a special oil that turns into an emulsion when it comes into contact with water. The resulting emulsion dissolves and removes makeup residue even from inside the pores. A big advantage of the oil is also that it moisturizes the skin, making it an inseparable part of Korean cosmetics.
For my already oily skin, I didn’t order an oil, but instead an effective one-step facial water that gently cleansed the face of dirt and even the heaviest makeup. It contains natural moisturizing and soothing ingredients like fermented brown rice bran and extracts of avocado, soapberry, papaya, and chamomile, which maintain the skin’s moisture level and supply the skin with nutrients even after using the rice water. It’s especially suitable for sensitive skin care, as it contains no mineral oils or artificial colors and preservatives.
#2 Toner
After cleansing the skin, the next step is toning the skin with a toner. The purpose of the toner is to moisturize and soften the skin, restore pH levels, tone, and prepare it for the application of the rest of the cosmetics. Washing your face with water dries out the skin, especially if the water is hard. Toner should be used within 5 seconds after washing your face to prevent it from drying out. If the skin is dry, it doesn’t absorb cosmetics as well. The most common misconception is that toner is for removing makeup. Toner, as the name suggests, is for toning the skin.
I’ve been using toner since my teenage years, and it has been an inseparable part of my skincare routine. For the first few years, I also used it to remove makeup, but after doing some research, the mistake was corrected. From The Skin House e-shop, I ordered a pore-tightening, moisturizing, and moderately brightening toner for this purpose, to keep acne under control and to prevent dark pigment spots from forming from pimples in this burning sun. The product’s powdery ingredients keep sebum production under control, tighten pores, and make the skin tone more even.
For particularly problematic skin, I recommend using the special Dr. Clear spray toner with tea tree oil. With the spray, you avoid getting bacteria on inflamed skin. The tea tree oil in the toner reduces inflammation, maintains the sebum and moisture balance in the skin, and doesn’t leave the skin sticky. Just spray the toner on problematic skin, no cotton pad needed. The face feels pleasantly fresh afterward.
#3 Serum
A serum has a very light texture but is a highly concentrated product with many nutrients and active ingredients in concentrated form. The serum penetrates deep into the skin and affects the lower layers of the skin. Since the serum is concentrated, you don’t need much at all—a few drops are perfectly sufficient. There are different types of serums; some come with a pipette, some with a pump. Korean serums have very good absorption; they are very light and don’t leave the skin sticky. Instead of a serum, you can basically also use an essence, which has a slightly different texture. Concentrated serum is one of the cornerstones of Korean cosmetics, without which no Korean woman’s skincare routine is complete.
Serum has been my friend for about the last 4 years, and it’s my favorite part of my skincare routine. Every time after applying the serum, the skin becomes incredibly soft! I can’t imagine skincare without it anymore. The transparent gel-like pore-tightening moisturizing serum absorbs quickly into the skin, tightening it and narrowing pores, which makes the skin smoother. It also makes the skin tone slightly lighter and more radiant, making it perfect for dull and tired-looking skin.
For those with acne-prone problematic skin, I recommend the Dr. Clear product line serum with a patented formula. The serum contains Ecocert-certified ingredients (mallow flower extract, hyssop extract, Buddleja davidii extract) that control sebum production and pores while refreshing the complexion.
#4 Emulsion
After the serum, Korean skincare calls for the use of an emulsion. An emulsion is a very light cream, almost liquid in consistency. The emulsion penetrates deeper into the skin than a regular cream and affects the middle layers of the skin. Since the emulsion has a light texture, you can, for example, apply only the emulsion under makeup in the morning and either a cream or both—emulsion and then cream—in the evening. In summer, an emulsion can also replace a cream if you want something lighter. Many Korean cosmetic brands only produce emulsions because they are considered even more important than facial cream. Another mystery to me, as I had only used facial creams until now!
Since I didn’t have any facial emulsion at home, I ordered both the brightening and pore-tightening emulsion, which controls and balances the skin’s sebum and moisture levels so that pores tighten and the skin tone becomes radiant and even, as well as the Dr. Clear lotion for problematic skin, which controls sebum production and pores and relieves acne and irritation without drying or irritating the skin. Both emulsions have such a light formula that they absorb in just a second. The scent of the products is also just amazingly pleasant and fresh!
#5 Face and Eye Cream
Facial cream mostly affects the surface layer of the skin. Korean skincare suggests that facial cream should only be used when the skin needs even more hydration, nourishment, or protection. Facial cream is therefore not mandatory but should be used as needed. If the skin is in good condition, an emulsion is perfectly sufficient. For a cream, the pore-tightening and moisturizing face cream suited me well; it controls and balances the skin’s sebum and moisture levels, providing extra moisture if needed. Like the emulsion, it has a very light, almost gel-like consistency and a wonderful scent! It also tightens pores and makes the skin smoother. The cream also has a moderate brightening effect that evens out the skin tone. Thus, it’s well-suited for dull and tired-looking skin.
Fortunately, I don’t have wrinkles yet, but I decided to go along with the Korean prevention policy and try it out. So I ordered a high-elasticity eye cream for aging prevention to use around the eyes, which contains collagen and adenosine and fights wrinkles and dark circles. I only started using eye cream a year ago. I used to have darker circles under my eyes and didn’t know that you shouldn’t use regular face cream under the eyes. The skin there is so much thinner and more delicate, always needing special care and a product designed for it.
This is the nightly and morning skincare ritual of Koreans, which doesn’t take much time at all. The care takes only 10 minutes both morning and evening. Following such a system is an investment in your skin’s health, ensuring natural beauty. Beautiful skin is healthy and well-cared-for skin! For deep care, I ordered a few more exciting and unique products:
- Sebum-controlling scrub with cocoa extract and black sugar – A scrub containing purifying cocoa extract and black sugar that removes blackheads and dirt from pores in the nose and chin area.
- Dark gel-like foaming mask with charcoal and snail secretion filtrate – thanks to its strong absorption capacity, it cleanses dirt and sebum from the skin. Bubbles penetrate deep into the pores and remove dirt from there. Continuous bubbling removes dead skin cells and cleanses pores, making the skin clean again. Snail secretion has anti-aging, restorative, and wound-healing effects.
- Marine Bounce Sleeping Pack night mask – the night mask works at night when all the skin’s recovery processes are activated. The effective ingredients in the mask rejuvenate the skin, soothe inflammation, smooth wrinkles, and nourish and moisturize the skin throughout the night.
- Local SOS treatment for blemishes – A yellow soft powder that cares for problematic spots on sensitive skin for both men and women. If the product is used at night, it helps control oily skin, tighten enlarged pores, and dry out and soothe blemishes overnight.
If you’re interested in The Skin House products, I recommend using their discount code “SUVI” this summer, which gives -15% off! Additionally, they offer free delivery on orders over €29.
Do you apply all the steps above in your skincare? Do you have any tips to share with others? Have you tried The Skin House products?
Text and images by: Paljas Porgand, https://paljasporgand.ee/korealaste-5-sammu-veatuks-naonahaks/