Personal appearance is very important in Korean culture so it is no surprise that skincare starts at a young age. Historically, the goal of skincare has been to promote inner beauty so as to be beautiful on the outside as shown by the coined phrase “영육일치사상” means “within a beautiful body, lies a beautiful soul”. During the Joseon dynasty, confucian values of humility were demonstrated by a clean and natural face as women’s beauty focused on having inner beauty. As of right now, the beauty standard is a soft, dewy, and youthful looking skin hence why moisturization and spf are incredibly prominent in their industry.
The emphasis placed on protecting one’s skin from harmful chemicals and UV rays has allowed South Korea to become the third largest exporter of beauty cosmetics. Korean beauty products and treatments differ from American ones because they incorporate more organic and organic ingredients and are known for their cutting edge technology. Some of the ingredients that are often found in their skincare are rice water, snail mucin, and ginseng. Ginseng is known to rejuvenate and restore skin barriers. Snail mucin is also used to rejuvenate the skin, moisturize it, and reduce the appearance of acne scars, fine lines, and discoloration. Rice water decreases hyperpigmentation, reduces redness, and brightens your skin. By contrast, western cosmetics are based on harsh ingredients such as vitamin c, retinoids, and acids which can further cause inflammation and damage one’s skin barrier after prolonged usage.
Another stark difference between the Western skincare industry and Korean’s is that Korean skincare is aimed at preventing skin concerns. By focusing on creating a healthy skin barrier early on, it is a lot more accessible for Koreans to take care of their skin later on because they are mostly maintaining it instead of treating it. The west, however, is more concerned with treating skin concerns after they have appeared thus encouraging people to spend more money as they identify which products work best for their skin. It must be noted that some of the ingredients in American cosmestics are prohibited by the Korea's Ministry of Food, Drug, and Safety as they are harmful to our skin. Therefore, if your skin has already developed a resistance/ gotten used to harsh American products, Korean ones will no longe be helpful for you.
There is a 10-step Korean skincare routine that is marketed but from my research, Koreans don’t typically follow this regimen completely. There are multiple steps in the Korean skincare process because it is focused on the layering of the products to maximize its effectiveness. The guide is meant to be tailored to your specific needs and it is stressed that the most important steps are deep cleansing, applying a toner to balance pH levels, moisturizing, and sunscreen. Depending on the season, skin type, and age, the products used will vary. Whereas the American skin care regimen prefers to have a few steps to maximize convenience by using products with multiple intents/benefits. Since the American industry concentrates on fixing existing problems, people tend to damage their skin more by relying on harsh products to fix a skin concern that can rarely be cured. It is more difficult to repair the damage than to prevent skin concerns and protect our natural barrier.
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