It's easy to feel daunted by cultures you know little about, but it's never a bad idea to learn from those who do it best. Sephora's dedicated K-beauty tag is merely the beginning of the flood too. Korean skincare is often so far ahead of North American markets in product development that by the time we got to essences and sheet masks, they're already on to essence-mists and enzyme powders.
Fortunately, it's not just about product innovation and wild card ingredients like snail mucus. You can learn plenty about skincare from simply observing the very practices that our sisters from the other side of the world prefer. Take it from someone whose simple cleanse-tone-moisturize routine turned into a dedicated 1o-step process a year ago: there's so much more to a Korean skincare routine than instructions written in a language you can't read.
The gentlest exfoliation
The cold climate and a natural genetic tendency gives many Koreans very sensitive skin, which means that while they still appreciate a good sugar scrub, most exfoliators are much gentler on the skin and stick to chemical as opposed to physical exfoliators. Alpha hydroxy acids and beta hydroxy acids are common suspects in most exfoliants as both are often abundantly found in plants like papaya and sugarcane, and most exfoliators take the form of peeling gels. Simply apply an appropriate amount to dry skin and watch the fluid turn into gummy, sticky pills that you should continue rubbing around so that they can pick up as many dead skin cells as possible: Products like THE FACE SHOP’s Mild Peeling Gel ($17) are tailor-made for those of us who need a non-inflammatory regular exfoliant or a not-too-harsh cure for clogged pores.
[…] of the hardest parts of being a K-beauty fanatic in North America is that it always takes time for my favourite products to spill over to […]