Wanna learn all the Korean beauty secrets? Read on to find out why Koreans have beautiful skin and all the Korean beauty secrets you need to know to achieve beautiful, flawless skin!
Koreans have beautiful skin as a result of deliberate care and consistent work on their skin. It’s not a chore for them. Having beautiful, blemish-free and absolutely flawless skin is as important as breathing to Koreans. Okay, that might be an exaggeration, but you get my drift, don’t you?
There are multiple things that play a role in the results of what makes Koreans’ skins so beautiful. It’s an entire lifestyle.
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Why Koreans Have Beautiful Skin
Korean Diet
Korean skin is proof of the common saying ‘you are what you eat’. The Koreans eat and drink their way into getting skin that glows! Think about it — foaming cleansers, cute sheet masks and heavenly-smelling toners are a relatively recent addition to the Korean routines.
What kept the women from the 80s so young-looking and stunning? It was the many antioxidant-rich dishes that gave them the poreless glass skin. Their revelation sustained that your body needs attention in relation to what goes on it and what goes in it.
They include at least one of these magical ingredient filled dishes to their diet on a daily basis. Some great options are kimchi, seaweed soup, barley tea, soybean soup and fermented rice wine. I suggest you get on that popular YouTube channel right now and channel your inner witch with a kitchen full of ingredients that are magic potions and get yourself that beautiful skin!
Deep Cleansing
Can you really expect anything to become flawless unless it has been cleaned inside out? According to the Korean traditions, cleansing is their foundation. Without cleansing properly, they cannot expect the many products to work for skin improvement, because then the focus of the products will be to fight through pre-existing gunk rather than directly just work.
One of the more popular cleansing methods, even more so than double cleansing, is the 4-2-4 method. The first 4 implies you massage your face with an oil or cream for about 4 minutes to stimulate circulation and loosen all the impurities. Follow it with 2 minutes of lathering your face with a foam-based or creamy cleanser to emulsify the oil. If you have dry skin I’d suggest you choose a creamy cleanser so all your natural oils aren’t stripped off.
The most important step is the last 4 minutes. Four minutes of rinsing can seem like an eternity for some people. They spent the first two minutes rinsing your face with warm water to remove the oil, boost circulation and do some deep cleaning. In the final two minutes of this elaborate 10 minute procedure, they finish it with a cold water rinse to close your pores.
You’re going to feel as if you just came out of the sauna. Your skin feels taut and over time, this process boosts the elasticity of the skin by naturally producing collagen.
10 Step Korean Skincare Routine
The ten steps may seem a lot. But it is the results that do it or them. Discipline and consistency are achieved when they see that the process works. Let me briefly explain the steps to you.
- Step 1: Prep and Pre-Cleanse with Korean Oil Cleanser
Using a hydrating towelette, wipe away the impurities, products and tiredness it has gathered over the day and use a gentle Korean oil cleanser to draw out bacteria and sebum without drying out the skin.
- Step 2: Cleanse again
A soothing cleanser, foam-based or creamy should then be used to remove excess oil and prep your face for the next step.
- Step 3: Use a Korean Exfoliator
One doesn’t need to exfoliate every day and definitely not the entire face. Focus on problem areas like your t-zone, nose and pout. A gentle scrub and non-vigorous motions should do the trick.
- Step 4: Using hydrating Korean Toner
Korean toners usually aim at hydrating and even cleansing to remove the residual left behind from any of the previous steps. Generally, a non-alcoholic cleanser should do the trick. The aim is to restore the pH balance.
- Step 5: Apply a Korean Essence
Liquified form of essentials. One spritz leads to skin cells renewal and a boost of elasticity over time.
- Step 6: Apply a Korean Ampoule
It’s like essence but thicker and richer in nutrients. It can be found to directly target issues — fine lines, dark spots, boosting collagen and elasticity.
- Step 7: Massage or use Korean sheets and masks
Sheet masks, the ultimate overnight hydration technique, gives the best results when you use them twice or thrice a week. On nights you aren’t, just do some facial massages to boost circulation and top it off with one of the super-popular eye and lip patches.
- Step 8: Use a Korean Eye cream
Special attention to the eye will help you avoid wrinkles and crow’s feet. The trick is to tap it, instead of massaging it. That way you don’t pull the skin around the eye and make it looser.
- Step 9: Use a Korean Emulsion
Your skin has been thoroughly cleaned and the skin’s moisture levels need to be emulsified with a lightweight moisturizer. Draw small circles with your fingertips to allow complete absorption of the product
- Step 10: Sleeping pack
Now to lock in everything you’ve just put on and get that glowing, plump feeling before bed, apply a sleeping mask and double-up on your skin’s moisture levels.
Korean Skincare takes Hydration Very Seriously
If you carefully notice, you’ll see that about 5-7 steps in the 10 steps Korean skincare regime are all about hydration. Why is it so important though? Korean women are always spraying their faces with face mist on buses, trains, in the middle of a class even!
I spoke to some of them to understand if they’re just doing it because it feels cool in the moment and because it’s fun, or there is more to that? Koreans have a belief that the rise in the skin’s temperature leads to an increase in the production of sebum. One way to control that is to keep the temperature of your face in check by constantly spraying it down with a face mist.
Besides, if your skin is dehydrated, it just means that your skin’s protective barrier is weakening. It almost crumbles down. Hydration is key to ensure the natural collagen and elastin in your face do their job. My mother’s words are now ringing in my head. “Drink water!” Should’ve listened to her.
Taking exfoliation to a higher level
Before the routines and the many many products the Koreans now use, exfoliation is the way to achieve baby-soft skin. Korean exfoliating mitts can shave off dead skin in mildly aggressive strokes. All you need to do is damp the towel and scrub, scrub, scrub. This is a great thing to do on your off-nights.
Tap, don’t rub – An Underrated Korean Skincare Secret
The trick to making these Korean products work is to let your skin take it in by tapping its way in. When you rub, a lot of the product also gets absorbed on your hands and your fingertips. Besides, tapping has the added benefit of promoting circulation.
Carry Pimple Patches Everywhere you go
Well, Koreans aren’t superhumans. They all get pimples too, no matter how much they protect their skin. It is what they do when they get an eruption that saves them. Do you know what is a staple in their handbags? For us, it may be lipstick and a mobile charger, for them it is pimple patches!
There are transparent ones that you can layer under makeup and extra effective ones that you can wear overnight so it pulls out all the gunk. It will vanish as soon as it comes along.
Korean Women Regularly Visit the Dermatologist
It really isn’t a chore for them. Compared to what happens in the West, where a lot of it is done at once to avoid many doctor sittings, women in Korea prefer small microdoses of any treatment that they undertake in order to make the side effects manageable and rectifiable. Besides, if they see a problem, they can stop at a much earlier stage than sitting through the entire procedure.
Korean women also understand “no pain, no gain”. Yes, all the amazing skin isn’t always natural. They get laser treatments, less permanent botox in the form of liquid fillers, and even micro injections of hyaluronic acid to get that hydration they need.
How Do Korean Celebrities Get Flawless Skin
There are a few Korean celebrities who are known for their impeccable skin – some of which have attributed their flawless skin to a variety of different skin care techniques. Here are a few of the most popular Korean skin care techniques that these celebrities reportedly use:
- Jeju Volcanic Sauna- This is a traditional Korean hamam that uses volcanic steam to treat skin problems such as acne and eczema.
- K-Beauty – K-beauty is a term used to describe the increasing trend of using natural, organic, and chemical-free products for beauty purposes. This includes things like sheet masks, face soap, and skincare products.
- Green Tea – Green tea is known for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, which can help improve the appearance of skin.
- Fish Oil – Fish oil has been shown to be effective in treating skin problems such as dryness, inflammation, and scars. It is also thought to be beneficial in preventing wrinkles and age spots.
- Expensive Skin Treatments – To be completely honest, Korean celebrities have amazing skin because they get collagen injections, niacinamide injections, facial massages, etc. that help their skin stay clear.
- Surgery – Of course, this extends to surgery sometimes when Korean celebrities simply go under the knife to get softer, plumper and even fairer skin.
Any of these methods could work well for improving your skin’s appearance, but it is important to consult with a professional before starting any type of skin care regimen if you have any concerns about your own health or the health of your skin.
Facial Exercises is Another Korean Beauty Secret
That toned up face, the angled jawline and contoured cheekbones are a result of physical labor in the form of facial exercises. Jade rollers, gua sha and various finger exercises do it for them.
Is Korean Skincare better than Western?
Korean skincare stems from the root. Right from what goes into your body to what you apply to it. What you eat and how you sleep is just as important as the products you apply to your skin. Even the ingredients in the products are natural, indigenous to Asian roots. Consistency also plays a huge role.
Western skincare, however, depends on application techniques, fast-acting ingredients and making your skin look younger.
In other words, Western skincare focuses on appearance. Whereas Korean skincare has a holistic approach to skincare and it is directed towards problem-solving.
Why Koreans Have Beautiful Skin: FAQs
What skincare products do Korean celebrities use?
Engage in the same luxury as your favourite K-pop stars with CNP Propolis Energy Ampule, Mediheal masks, Hera Glow Lasting Cushion, and the Laneige Lip Layering Bar and BB Cushion Cream
Why do Koreans slap their face when doing skincare?
It’s not a very odd thing for Koreans to slap their faces about 50 times during their skincare regime. It helps boost blood circulation besides toning up the facial muscles.
Is Korean skincare safe?
It is one of the safest forms of skincare because its approach is holistic. The ingredients used are mild, usually free from sulphates and parabens and targeted towards problem-solving. Regardless, always check the ingredients before you decide to indulge, in case you’re allergic.
How do Koreans have really good skin?
Korean skincare focuses on hydration. Korean skincare products include ingredients like rice water extracts and seaweed that promote hydration. Korean skincare believes in gradual and consistent improvement of skin rather than quick results. Also, Korean skincare products are formulated to target a specific issue rather than taking a blanket approach.
Why You Should Trust BestKoreanProducts?
All our editors including the author of this article, Jih Yun do extensive research on the products reviewed and recommended in the article. We also use these products ourself to give you accurate, first hand information without any prejudice or bias. BestKoreanproducts has also got a team of medical reviewers and skincare experts to help give accurate advice and provide research-based facts concerning a product, its formulation or ingredients.
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