What is it About Korean Skincare?

I am Korean skincare’s number 1 fan.

No joke, I am obsessed with anything/everything in the world of Korean skincare, beauty, make-up. K-beauty products are innovative, branding is always the cutest, & most importantly- they make your skin game SO STRONG.

I have a BEAUTIFUL Korean friend named Sarah, she is my nail QUEEN (& yes- I fully consider her a friend… I spend time with her more then most of my other friends… & we even text), who literally has the most insane skin & of course- I am constantly picking her brain.

Especially whens he told me she has a 12 year old daughter, when I was confident she wasn’t over 22.

Sarah did say that Korean’s have very good genetics & all of her family members look very young… but she also told me her skincare routine is very extensive. I wasn’t surprised, cause I know firsthand all about the Korean Skincare routine.

The Korean skincare routine is INTENSE, but you will definitely reap the rewards.

If you haven’t heard of the Korean Skincare routine, well… it’s gnarly. It’s 10 steps, 10 different products, & can take up to 30 minutes to complete. It’s full of vitamins, moisture, essences, nutrients, etc. I tried it, you can read about my experience here, & although too time consuming for me to do on a regular basis- it really did make my skin a dewy dream.

I have shared some of my top Korean beauty products here & here, along with some various skincare routines (like washing your face with sparkling water or using a 24k beauty bar!), but because I have gotten SO many questions about my K-Beauty obsession lately, I decided to one big post to kinda sum it all up + share a HUGE ass list of my favorite Korean skincare & beauty products I’ve tried over the years.

FIRST & FOREMOST, The Benefits of a Korean Skincare Mentality

1. It’s All About Moisture

The first thing you will notice about Korean skincare is that it’s all about HYDRATION. You may even be scared of all that hydration. You’ve probably been taught it will clog your pores if you have too much moisture- but the Korean’s beg to differ.

The more moisture, the better. The many hydrating steps in a Korean skincare routine will leave your skin with more elasticity, plumper, dewier, supple & younger looking.

2. Lighter Consistencies

The reason you don’t have to worry about all that moisture is because the products themselves are incredibly lightweight!

If you do have very very oily skin, you can always leave out the thicker parts of the routine like the sleeping pack- but the essences, hydrating toners, & serums all are a GREAT form of moisture for even the oiliest of skin.

3. Layer on the Products

Another thing most of us shy away from is layering skincare products, I guess again… fear of breakouts. In the K-beauty world, layering is where it’s at.

Because the ingredients are so lightweight, you should 100% be putting one on top of the other. They will penetrate the skin better & be absorbed more efficiently leaving you with a refreshed glow (rather than greasy!).

4. All About Serums & Essences

Essences may be foreign to you, but they are one of the key parts of a succesful Korean skincare routine. They are a basically an extremely lightweight version of serum with an ALMOST water like consistency- because they are so light weight, they soak right into the skin.

Then comes the serum, which is obviously not being replaced. The serums are super concentrated and very vitamin rich! The serums not only provide MORE moisture, but help to nourish the skin from the inside out.

Decipher the Ingredients

When shopping for Korean skincare you may notice weird ingredients on the labels such as bee venom or even snail mucus, along with an ingredient list that is most likely in Korean.

The bee venom & snail mucus may be odd, but atleast you can read them. What are you supposed to do about the Korean ingredients though?

Well, it’s a little tricky… but hey, atleast it’s not impossible!

It’s an app called HWAHE & it’s in Korean. I am not sure why it’s in Korean since it’s an app to decipher Korean beauty products, but Lost in Pretty walks you through signing up step by step. Once your signed in you can search in english, & it shows the list of ingredients with the english translation below.

Download on iTunes or the Google Play Store.

You can also check out cosDNA if you’re not down with an app… but this site is so outdated I’d rather decipher Korean thank you v. much.