“K-beauty” refers to Korean beauty products, and the industry is taking the world by storm.
While France used to be the standout nation for beauty and fragrance, the country is now taking a back seat to the Asian powerhouse country of South Korea.
We recently took a trip to Seoul to attend the K-Beauty Expo to find out what this craze is all about. What’s abundantly clear is that consumers are increasingly realizing the importance of taking care of your skin from a young age to avoid more invasive procedures like Botox, fillers, or full-blown facelifts after the damage is done.
Seeing the beautiful faces and glass-like skin tone of all ages of Korean women – from young girls age 12 to women in their mid-sixties – revealed that there are beauty secrets to unlock.
Here are three top trends we saw:
Sunblock Enhancers – We’ve been warned about the dangers of sun damage, but avoiding direct sun exposure for any extended period of time not only prevents skin cancer, but significantly improves skin tone, even pigmentation and reduces wrinkles. Many people in Korea, and throughout Asia, have younger-looking skin because they avoid direct sunlight, don’t sun bathe and would never step foot in a tanning booth. Often they make a practice of lathering not only their face but their entire body with good quality sunscreen. At the K-Beauty event, we met companies that have created medication in pill format you can take to boost the effectiveness of sunblock lotions. Most of the pills include Polypodium, an ingredient derived from the fern plant that works to repair or decrease damage from UV rays. Early tests are encouraging and time will tell how effective this method will be in preventing sun damage. One brand were impressed with was Heliocare
Face Masks – One of the fastest growing exports from Korea to other Asian countries of late is the face mask, known to help create healthy and dewy-looking skin. We picked up several face masks from different makers while at the K-Beauty show, and have been loving the effect. One brand which is already catching on is Dr. G’s Brightening Peeling Gel, priced very affordably at $12 for a 4 ounce tube. It’s recommended to use once a week to leave your skin hydrated, smoother and more even in color tone. In Korea, they are so popular that you see women wearing the masks while talking with friends or even traveling long distance by plane! Brands we are also sampling include: O, Honey Pot, CPT.
Targeted Treatments -- Gone are the days when you wash your face, use a nice bottle of toner, and splash on a moisturizing cream. Now there is a serum to prevent dark circles under your eye; wrinkle cream targeting your forehead; creams specifically for skin spots; or treatments to help brighten your face. Korean brands to watch are CPH, TiRTIR, and Round Lab.
With so much innovation coming from the Korean Beauty industry, these are just a few of the trends that caught our attention. The great news is that the export market is growing, and now many of these revolutionary K-Beauty products are becoming easier to find in the US. The challenge is quality. Over the next several months, we’ll be sharing with you the findings of our own test, so stay tuned and check back often to see how meixu.com can help you find the right treatment for your skin type!
