Korean Skin Care and Beauty Straight from a Korean Woman

There seems to be a vast growing interest in America for Korean skin and beauty care these days. While caring for skin has been significant part of Korean culture for quite a while, in America it is a still developing interest. Having beautiful and young looking skin is growing in importance. Dermatologists from all over the world would suggest, in order to attain younger looking skin and complexion, it is encouraged to care and preserve your skin from aging, sagging and other signs of aging before they happen. Some people are convinced that a separate age for you and your skin exists, so you could be have skin younger or older than your chronological age depending on how you treat and preserve your skin. I recall a cosmetic commercial few years back in Korea with the quote, “Your skin starts to age when you’re 25…” It might sound harsh but it is true, it’s impossible to un-sag or un-wrinkle the skin easily so the best thing is to prevent it, before it occurs. When your skin lacks moisture it will become drier and eventually develop into wrinkles, which will rapidly age your skin.

Like a lot of Korean young people, I’ve had acne skin since I was in my pre-teens. I had tried just about everything from mink oils, ginseng products, bentonite skin care, herb extracts and other things to gain clean pores and remove the acne that I had. Finding the right skin products to use and not to use, took time and a lot of experimentation. It is common knowledge that lack of proper cleansing clogs up pores, but on the other hand too much scrubbing and exfoliation would cause skin damage. Everyone has skin pores, they are not something you can get rid of, but cleansing well and using the right base skin products like toner, moisturizer, and cream are the basic steps to have great skin. I no longer have acne but I now realize that what happens inside my body according to my physical condition will be revealed in my skin too. As long as I have ample amount of moisture lotion and cream to apply before heading off to bed, I know it will reduce my issues and preserve my skin. It’s during the night that your skin can transform, for the better or for the worse.

And I don’t usually wear much make-up regularly, only sun block cream and BB cream (instead of using base, foundation and other cosmetics) when I’m out, since it’s never a good thing to go out bare faced even if the sun isn’t fully out. Koreans in general don’t like to tan, even though tanning is a fad for some people here, the sun can do a lot of damage to your skin. For people who had their skin exposed a lot, I would recommend them to try whitening toner, lotions or creams. They’re not necessarily used to make your skin paler but to give you a good cleanse and help to revive the skin damaged by the sun. The products I currently use include: “Propolis royal jelly toner”, Innisfree’s “Olive Real Essential Serum”, and “Most Youth Boosting Serum” from “boh- Botanic Hill”. For cleansing oils, I use a ginseng extract product and “Egg White Pore Hard Foam” from Skin Food. All the products I have mentioned, I would recommend.

It is also important to consider what and how much you apply on your skin, rinsing your skin thoroughly is crucial. Using hot water for your face is a taboo, using lukewarm or cold water would be more suitable to tighten your pores and prevent sagging. Some Korean celebs claim they rinse their skin in lemon water which dissolves toxins and unwanted germs. Research says the average Korean female spends approximately 7 times more than an average American female on skin care. I do not agree that spending more time and using more products will necessarily upgrade your skin or complexion, since everyone has different skin types and needs. Taking more time and being more attentive will make a difference. At some point, I was talked into getting skin care treatment twice a week for nearly a year by a dermatologist. But my skin wasn’t changing, even after many months. I came to the conclusion that getting treatments twice a week is not going to change much. Instead I realized I had to be in charge and care for my own skin. Now I use clay facial packs twice a week, cleanse my skin well and apply only the stuff that’s suitable for my skin.

If there is something unique about Korean skin products, I would say they are usually focusing on caring for sensitive skin, attaining more fluid and very moisture-friendly. The most widely known and the most pricey skin cosmetics line in Korea is called, “Sulwhasoo” which is made of oriental medicine like ginseng, omija and herbs and they usually use nano-technology. Some of the more affordable cosmetics brands, like Faceshop, Skin Food, Missha and Innisfree to name a few, use extracts and ingredients like green tea, fruits, caviar, vegetables, red wine and other natural ingredients. These ingredients are good quality and fun to use if you are looking for something unique with less chemical substances.