First, there were cute cushion blushers, then alphabetised BB, CC and even DD creams came along, and now we're obsessed with glass skin, snail slime and everything in between. It's official – K-Beauty has emerged from the depths of Reddit to cement its place in the global beauty lexicon.
What is the K-Beauty trend?
Refreshingly, this isn't yet another Kardashian franchise situation. Essentially a name to categorise the Korean influence upon our own skincare routines and the epic product imports from the country itself, K-Beauty is the secret to looking as luminous as is humanly possible.
While K-Beauty is no longer a new concept to us, its typically kitschy aesthetic kept it confined to teenage beauty cabinets for a few years. But now, Korean skincare has truly come of age, with the likes of Cult Beauty, Net-A-Porter and Selfridges now offering a selection of sophisticated Korean lines that will appeal to the skintellectual as well as the K-Beauty obsessive.
The Korean 10-Step Beauty Routine
When K-Beauty shot into the mainstream, its fabled 10-step routine left people equally intrigued and exasperated. Traditionally, Korean women favour glowing 'glass' skin over layers of foundation, and a lengthy routine that focuses on clarifying, toning and layers of hydration allows them to achieve optimum luminosity.
To survive in this competitive market, Korean beauty brands have seriously raised their game, offering unrivalled efficacy to meet the savvy consumer’s stringent standards.
An average K-Beauty night-time skin regime looks a something like this. Of course, there are many of these steps you can skip in the morning, (ditching the make-up remover and dropping the oil cleanser), and equally a few you can treat as a weekly or monthly add-in.
1. Eye make-up remover
Why? The skin around your eyes is thinner and much more delicate, which means an ordinary cleanser cannot be expected to step up to the mark without dragging the skin around.
2. Double cleanse
Why? Clean = pristine. Your first, oil-based, cleanser (yes, there will be two), is used to dissolve make-up and grime that sits on the surface of your skin, allowing your second cleanse (usually a foam or stick) to tackle pollution and impurities from within the pores.
3. Exfoliate
Why? Less is more for the Korean woman, so you won't find any hardcore daily exfoliants on the K-Beauty aisles. Some industry experts recommend exfoliating every other day, while others suggest as little as once a month. Twice a week, with a gentle AHA-soaked pad, is a happy medium for most.
4. Tone
Why? To remove any left-over cleansing residue, and prep the skin for the next steps.
5. Treatment essence
Why? This is likely the point where you’ll start scratching your head. However, essence is actually less mythical than it sounds – these watery formulas are simply a lighter version of a serum, used to prep your skin for the products that follow.
6. Treatments
Why? Ok, this one’s easy. Slather on your favourite boosters, serums and ampoules to clarify, brighten, or simply hydrate with concentrated active ingredients. Typically, K-Beauty treatments are highly results-focused, holding up to ingredients-list scrutiny with ease.
7. Sheet mask
Why? We’re not suggesting you reach for a sheet mask every day, but they are a great weekly treat to help infuse more moisture into your skin, leading to that elusive glass-skin glow.
8. Eye cream
Why? See step 1: your eyes need special care and attention stat.
9. Sleep Pack/Moisturiser
Why? You've come so far, you may as well finish the job with a seriously hydrating or detoxing overnight pack (that's a face mask you don't wash off to you and me) or day cream. Only this time it'll be supercharged by the eight other products you've already put on your face.
10. And one for the AM...
Why? Of course, the most crucial part of this whole elaborate routine is the SPF. Every. Single. Day. Slather it on to eschew sun damage and all the icky side effects that come with it, obviously.
