Korean beauty has become increasingly popular in recent years, with more and more people now turning to K-beauty for skin inspiration. It’s easy to see why this is – not only has skincare, along with the quest for a flawless complexion, been a big part of Korean culture for generations, but Korea is also known for pushing the boundaries in the skincare industry. Its innovative nature has made the country a clear leader in the world of beauty.
This makes it understandable that so many people now want to hop onto the Korean beauty bandwagon to give things a try for themselves. However, this isn’t quite as simple as splashing out on a few Korean-branded skincare products and expecting them to work wonders. Instead, there’s a lot more to K-beauty than this, and you need to get it right if you’re hoping to see results.
To make sure that you’re on the right path in your exploration of the Korean beauty world, Celestolite has put together a guide that breaks down everything you need to know.
What’s Korean Beauty All About?
Unlike Western skincare, which tends to focus on treating visible skin concerns that have already arisen, the Korean beauty approach is more about prevention. With K-beauty, you won’t have quite so much visible damage to undo because your skincare efforts would have prevented it from developing in the first place.
In order to safeguard all aspects of the complexion, a K-beauty routine usually encompasses more steps. The average Korean beauty regimen consists of about 10 steps, although some people follow up to 15. The idea is that layering all of these different targeted yet gentle ingredients onto your skin allows you to cater to your skin’s specific needs in a way that applying only a few multi-purpose products won’t do.
Is this truly the case?
That depends on your skin type. A long, K-beauty-inspired regimen means that you’ll likely end up applying a greater number of ingredients to your skin, compared to if you were following a simpler routine. This automatically increases your chances of experiencing a negative reaction to one of those ingredients. For most people, this won’t be an issue. However, if you have sensitive skin, expanding your routine to such an extent isn’t usually advisable.
Putting Together a Korean-Inspired Skincare Routine
If your current skincare routine is pretty minimal, you’re probably wondering what the average 10-step Korean beauty routine involves. Here’s a guide to putting one together for yourself:
Step 1: An Oil-Based Cleanser
You’ll notice that both steps one and two of this routine consist of a cleanser. Why? Because double cleansing is a big part of Korean beauty. You don’t need to (and shouldn’t) be doing it twice a day but double cleansing in the evenings can be extremely beneficial, particularly if your skin has been exposed to a large amount of impurities that day.
The double cleanse begins with an oil-based cleanser. The purpose of this is to gently dissolve makeup while drawing out other oil-based impurities, like sebum, pollutants, and SPF. Rinse your oil-based cleanser off and you’ll also be removing all of those unwanted substances at the same time, many of which can’t be fully eradicated with a water-based cleanser.
Step 2: A Water-Based Cleanser
The second half of a double cleanse involves using a water-based cleanser. This will tackle all of the water-based impurities that your oil-based cleanser might have left behind, such as dirt and sweat.
The downside to the double cleanse is that all of those cleansing agents can strip away the skin’s natural protective barrier – something that a K-beauty routine would try to preserve as much as possible. To prevent this, go for a gentle, sulfate-free water-based cleanser, just like the Celestolite Estrella Mousse Cleanser.
Step 3: An Exfoliant
Many Western beauty brands approach exfoliation in quite an aggressive manner. High concentrations of harsh acids or super-sharp abrasives may successfully remove dead skin and blockages from pores, but they’ll also take a chunk of healthy skin cells with them. This will, again, leave your skin barrier compromised.
Take the Korean approach and you’ll instead opt for a gentler exfoliant, like the Celestolite Estrella Facial Peel. You’ll also be very careful not to over-exfoliate. This is when you exfoliate more often than necessary, damaging your skin in the process.
Step 4: A Toner
The next step in a Korean beauty routine is to use a toner. The purpose of this is to rebalance the pH level on the skin’s surface. This can sometimes fall out of whack after cleansing. By doing so, your skin will feel so much more receptive to the other products you apply. This enables them to make the most of all of those ingredients.
To adhere to K-beauty ideals, avoid any toners that contain harsh acids or astringents. Instead, look for a gentle, hydrating formula, such as the Celestolite Estrella Facial Toner. With aloe vera, cucumber, and chamomile, it will leave your skin feeling soothed, quenched, and replenished.
Step 5: An Essence
While toners and serums feature in Western skincare routines too, essences haven’t had quite the same impact. However, an essence is usually a must-have in every K-beauty routine. These lightweight products, which are slightly richer than a toner but more watery than a serum, hydrate the skin while providing other benefits too.
Steps 6 & 7: Serums
A Korean beauty routine usually involves using two serums – sometimes, three. The purpose of this is to, once again, layer on more hydration while also catering to the other needs that your skin has.
Take the Celestolite Mars Stellar Serum, for instance. This serum floods the skin with hydration thanks to its multiple humectants. Between sodium hyaluronate, collagen, peptides, and glycerin, this will be one of the most hydrating layers of your skincare routine.
The Celestolite Estrella Renewing Vitamin C Serum is another one that’s loved by K-beauty fans. Rather than featuring a high concentration of pure ascorbic acid, this one brings together two gentler forms of vitamin C. You’ll experience the same benefits but without any irritation.
Step 8: An Eye Cream
The skin around the eyes is known for its thin and delicate nature. This makes it more prone to the appearance of wrinkles, sagging, and more. A good K-beauty routine will acknowledge this by incorporating at least one step that focuses on the eye area. This is usually in the form of an eye cream.
As always, pick one that focuses on prevention and maintenance, like the Celestolite Estrella Hydrating Eye Cream. Not only will this cream add yet another layer of hydration to your skincare routine but it will also pamper your eye area with a plethora of antioxidants. Plus, the sprinkling of meteorite powder in this formula will give the skin around your eyes a radiant glow!
Step 9: A Moisturizer
By this stage, your skin will have received multiple layers of hydration. This is vital since your skin cells go through a significant amount of moisture each day. However, unless you seal all of that newly added moisture in, it won’t be long before it evaporates away. This is why a moisturizer is so important.
Of course, K-beauty also recognizes that the skin’s needs vary at different times of the day. If you want to stay true to this, it would be worth investing in two moisturizers. Find a lightweight, antioxidant-rich formula for the day, like the Celestolite Estrella Awakening Day Cream, plus a richer cream for the evening, such as the Celestolite Estrella Night Cream.
Step 10: SPF
Finally, sun protection – a key part of Korean beauty. As we’ve mentioned several times, K-beauty is all about prevention, and SPF plays a big part in this. Protect your skin from the sun and you’ll also be able to stave off the appearance of wrinkles, dark spots, loose skin, and more.
While there may be plenty of products out there that offer SPF 15-20, this isn’t quite enough protection for a Korean beauty routine. Instead, aim for a minimum SPF of 30, which is what we’ve used in the Celestolite Nova Bright Skin Cream (SPF 30).
Adding in More
If you want to expand on the above skincare routine even further, there are other products that you could add in. Face masks, for example, are a big part of the Korean beauty world, with K-beauty known for having invented sheet masks. Face masks are a great way to give your complexion an extra boost every week or so. Keep things Korean-inspired with a hydrating sheet mask, just like the Celestial Renewal System, or mix things up with a clay mask or a leave-on mask. Figure out what your skin needs and choose a mask that will meet those requirements.
Eye serums are another product that we haven’t yet covered. While eye creams are great for moisturizing the surface layer of the complexion, serums are lighter and can dive deeper down. If you already have a few visible skin concerns around your eyes that you’re hoping to target, using both an eye serum and an eye cream can be beneficial. The Celestolite Estrella Eye Serum pairs perfectly with the eye cream we featured earlier!
Summary
At first, a Korean beauty routine can seem overly complicated. However, take another look at the routine that we shared above and you’ll notice that not all 10 steps need to be carried out twice a day. Double cleansing, for example, should be saved for when your skin needs it. Meanwhile, exfoliation only needs to be done a couple of times a week. Even if you add in some of the extra steps we just talked about, your skincare routine still shouldn’t take too long. Sure, it may require more time than what you currently give to your skin but the glassy glow that your consistency will reward you with will make that additional effort more than worthwhile!
0 comments on “The Ultimate Guide to Korean Beauty: Are You Doing it Right?”