Intro to K-Beauty

Currently, I’m REALLY digging Korean skincare. If you’re unfamiliar with K-beauty, its probably one of the most robust powerhouses of the beauty world. A lot of the attractions to K-beauty products comes from the industry’s desire to achieve an innovative approach skincare while also incorporating traditionally inspired elements in their ingredients & holistic beauty philosophy.

Disclaimer, I’m definitely not claiming to be a beauty expert (AT ALL), & I highly recommend seeking a dermatologist for any personal skin issues you may have. What I CAN tell you is some general knowledge about skincare and share some of the products that have worked well for me on my journey to Get. That. GLOW.

OKAY! Now that we have that out of the way, one thing to note about K-beauty (any really any kind of beauty trend) is that there are always different fads that spring up as new products & skincare methods try to convince you that they’re the holy grail solution to your skin issues. It’s kind of like FAD DIETING lol! But what’s helped me navigate this space is understanding what my personal skin issues were, learning about the underlying purpose for each type of skincare product, & knowing general skin basics to find the products that work best for me.

The first thing that I had to figure out in all this was my personal skin type. As a teen, I had moderately oily skin, but now that I’m in my mid-20’s, my skin actually falls under the mild combination to dry side of the spectrum. This helped me understand that I’d benefit more from products that specialize in hydrating and balancing out my skin. Here’s a link to descriptions of the different skin types out there in case you’r wondering where you fall with your own skin!

K-Beauty Breakdown

The skin is comprised of 3 layers that all serve a different purpose: the epidermis, dermis, and the subcutaneous layer. For the sake of skincare, we only really need to look at the 2 outermost layers (the epidermis and the dermis) since that’s as far as skincare products can penetrate.

The epidermis is our outermost layer that protects us from UV rays, bacteria, and environmental pollution. So, naturally, it’s important that we do our part to keep this layer clean! The types of products that can help maintain our epidermis include facial cleansers (face wash), exfoliators, & toners:

• Cleansers, as implied in its name, can help with washing off surface level debris, oils, and other impurities that can collect from the environment. I’m a huge fan of K-beauty’s double cleansing method which involves both an oil-based cleanser & a water-based cleanser. This way I’m making sure I’m getting ALL the gunk off my face. It just makes sense!

• Exfoliating the skin a few times a week (not every day!) is also beneficial for our skin because it helps remove dead skin cells & prevents clogged pores. These come in the form of chemical & mechanical (physical) type exfoliants.

• Toning is the last step in targeting your epidermis (and really the first step of treating your dermis) in that it removes anything you may have missed. Some also have a moisturizing quality to them & also helps restore your skin’s pH balance.. I would strongly suggest avoiding toners that smell strongly of alcohol & burn your nostrils as they will strip your face of good oils and really dry you up. It’s not a good feeling! Instead, look for toners that are soothing, gentle, and even with properties of treating the skin for certain skin issues you may have.

The dermis, our middle layer is the layer that contains cells called fibroblasts that produce collagen, elastin, and essentially all of the things that keep our skin looking healthy and hydrated. Naturally, we’d want to keep this layer moisturized & plump, which is where these next few products can come into play:

• Essence, Ampoules, & Serums: if you’re a religious follower of the Korean skincare routine, then you’re very familiar with all three of these. This is the start of the routine that’s designed to really treat various skin concerns you may have. Also, they are designed to absorb easily into the skin for all the “good stuff” to penetrate the dermis. For me personally, I typically only use 1 or 2 of these (tops) on a daily basis. These are actually the type of products that I test out the most, since I feel like these are all kind of hybrids of one another and there are so many variations to choose from. In general, they vary in thickness from essence being the lightest to ampoules/serums being the heaviest. I’d also say that sheet masks kind of fall into this category since they serve essentially the same purpose.

• Moisturizers are very important for creating that barrier between the external environment & your skin while also helping your skin to hold onto…moisture! Different types of moisturizers include gels, creams, emulsions, oils, and masks. In K-beauty, you’ll often see a night routine consisting of thicker products including eye creams, facial oils, and also sleeping masks.

• Sunscreen is one of the MOST important steps to your skincare routine. Even when you’re sitting in your office all day, its important to protect your skin from the harshness of UV rays (which increases your risk of developing skin cancer). It can also prevent formation of wrinkles, dark spots, and fine lines. Of course, this is only needed during the day.

Now that we’ve established the different steps to Korean skincare, I hope it makes it a little easier to understand why the process can appear to be so involved! I can totally see if you may think this is overkill, and if you fall into this category, I FEEL YOU. When I was first getting started with this skincare routine, it was difficult to get used to doing all the steps & which order they all needed to go in. Plus, I wouldn’t always remember to do my skincare routine, which made me really notice the difference on the days I had forgotten.

Today, skincare feels much more than something I am obligated to do every day. Instead, it’s become my daily self-care when applying each step, & I see it as an investment in myself, especially now that I am able to understand the purpose of each product involved in the process. It’s become a part of my routine that I really look forward to every day and night, and now something I feel like I can’t live without.

My Current Skincare Routine & Products:

Although I still experiment with new product brands & ingredients (its all part of the fun throughout my skincare journey, ya know?) but I often find myself going back to products I have felt have really changed the game for me and my skin. I often have opportunities to try these products through samples, gifts, and discounts that come around (otherwise it’d be HELLA expensive!!!!). Afterwards, it becomes much easier to repurchase one or two products every few months versus spending crazy money all at once. Anyways, just to outline my personal routine, here are the products that I currently use in order:

1. Oil-Based Cleanser - Banila Co Clean It Zero Cleansing Balm. It helps remove all the oil-based & waterproof debris, makeup, and pollutants on my face, which is why I absolutely love this step in my skincare routine

2. Water-Based Cleanser - to be honest, I switch off between different products that I’ve purchased myself or have gotten as samples. Currently I use Esfolio Rose Cleansing Foam (bought at Marshalls!) and a sample bottle of Belif Aqua Bomb Jelly Cleanser. Drop me a comment below if you have any suggestions!

3. Exfoliation - I only exfoliate about 2-3 times a week. Lately l’ve been using Neogen Bio-Peel Green Tea Pads for mechanical exfoliation, and for an even more gentle, baby smooth finish I really love using Saturday Skin Rub-a-dub Refining Peel Gel

4. Toner - May Coop Raw Sauce; I feel best with toners that are gentle, soothing, and moisturizing. I also really like aloe-based toners & toners that have essence-like properties to them.

5. Essences, Ampoules, Serums, & Sheet masks - Right now, I’m using my May Coop Raw sauce as my toner/essence hybrid, but in the past I’ve loved using Urang Rose Water Essence & Primera Miracle Seed Essence. For serums/ampoules, I use . Saturday skin sheet masks are currently my favorite!

6. Moisturizers, Eye Cream, Face Oils, and Sleeping masks - I use the Belif Aqua Bomb. At night I also apply eye cream, currently using Belif Moisturizing Eye Bomb, and have also enjoyed Origins Ginzing Eye cream (non-Korean brand). Finally, I like to apply either a face oil or sleeping mask at night to really lock in everything that I’ve put on my face. I also wake up with SUPER soft skin in the morning when I use this step. Current faves are Urang Vitamin Oil & Glow Recipe Watermelon Sleeping Mask

7. Sunscreen - I enjoy I Woke Up Like This with SPF 50 because it doesn’t feel or smell like a sunscreen at all! It’s super lightweight and scent-less, and does not sting at all if it gets into your eyes. It had a water-like consistency with a light tint that absorbed nicely into the skin.

Sources

1. Benedetti, Julia, et al. “Structure and Function of the Skin - Skin Disorders.” Merck Manuals Consumer Version, Merck Manuals, www.merckmanuals.com/home/skin-disorders/biology-of-the-skin/structure-and-function-of-the-skin.

2. “Did You Know?” American Skin Association, www.americanskin.org/resource/.

3. Gold, Grace. “Literally Everything You've Ever Wanted To Know About Exfoliating Your Face.” Women's Health, Women's Health, 9 Mar. 2019, www.womenshealthmag.com/beauty/a19775624/how-to-exfoliate-face/.

4. “Home.” Dr. Leslie Baumann, 6 Nov. 2017, lesliebaumannmd.com/understanding-the-skin-and-its-components/.

5. TodayShow. “The 1 Product You Should Add to Your Beauty Routine for Clearer Skin.” TODAY.com, 2 Aug. 2019, www.today.com/shop/6-reasons-why-you-should-use-facial-toner-t73941.