Whereas western skincare focuses on exfoliating to reveal new skin, Korean skincare is all about putting nutrients back into the skin. Korean skincare adopts a more gentle approach, with less of a focus on scrubs, retinols and harsh acids. Each product in a Korean beauty routine serves a specific purpose.
Korean beauty products are buzzed about by experts in the beauty world for innovation, high-efficacy, and the use of natural ingredients. Korean beauty is also known for customized and often extensive product layering regimens to deliver a multitude of benefits gently over time.
Skincare is More Important than Makeup
Since ancient times, Koreans have only used natural, harsh-free ingredients for their skincare routines: green tea, “snail slime”, bamboo extracts, propolis, and honey are just some examples of the elements they used and have passed through generations.
American beauty focuses on a very "made up" face; a full face of glam, contouring, matte lips, matte skin, voluminous lashes, etc (Kylie Jenner style). Korean beauty is the polar opposite; minimalist makeup with a dewy, moist/"glass skin" look.
While Western skincare generally focuses on anti-aging, K-beauty is all about having a dialogue with your skin – listening to the skin's needs with a holistic approach. K-beauty's priority is on maintaining a healthy skin barrier while Western beauty will focus on problem solving.
For the uninitiated, Koreans are known for their flawless skin. If you're a skincare enthusiast, you should be aware of the importance of the Korean beauty industry. Koreans are known for their skin being so bright and translucent that it almost seems radiant and reflects like glass.
Koreans have a longstanding and immense passion for taking care of their skin. In ancient Korean culture, it was believed that outward beauty reflected the inner self; that true beauty came from having radiant skin. Since 700 B.C., Koreans have been researching, developing and documenting skincare methods.
Although they may serve similar purposes, such as regulating the secretion of the sebum, Japanese lotions and essences tend to be much more moisturizing and gentle to the skin and are lower in acidity.
Korean beauty standards prioritize having a small v-shaped face, fair skin, symmetrical eyebrows, a slim body, and double eyelids. Altogether, these features create a more innocent, young look.
Most of them have seen positive results. The Korean skincare routine involves using a lot of hydrating products that eventually will repair your skin's barrier. This will prevent water loss and foreign substances from seeping through your skin. It also prevents signs of aging like wrinkles and fine lines.
Koreans take skincare very seriously, and that is evident from their beautiful glowing skin. Not all of that is genetic. It's the result of an extensive skincare routine and naturally sourced hydrating extracts present in almost all Korean skincare ranges.
A reason why Korean skin care is so popular — and so good — is because the Korean government is said to have actively invested in its beauty brands to better develop cosmetics. Redditors also point out that Korean skin care includes 'special ingredients' and technologies that Western products don't.
South Korea has a significant market when it comes to skin care and cosmetics, and this is partly due to its culture. Koreans are very knowledgeable about beauty and cosmetics, so their skin care products are made with the highest standards to achieve a flawless “glass skin” appearance.
“Men and women in South Korea are meticulous when it comes to maintaining healthy hair with a three-step process. After washing the hair with shampoo and conditioner, they often apply a hair essence or hair oil to achieve a shiny head of hair. Hair masks, serums, milks and hair mists are all must-haves,” explains Cho.
According to a survey conducted in 2019 by Ipsos on global attitudes toward beauty, around 58 percent of South Korean respondents stated that they preferred women to be between 5 feet 5 inches (around 165cm) to 5 feet 9 inches (around 175cm) tall.
Based on tradition, Koreans only used natural and harsh-free ingredients to create the clear, glowy, and natural-looking skin through multiple generations that made K-Beauty products better and so popular today.
While skincare consumers from both countries appreciate clean ingredients sourced from their local environment, they have different definitions of what makes a product clean. For Chinese, it is all about ingredients, but for South Koreans, plant-based and undiluted products are best.
Jan says that in Japan, it is believed that the first step to beautiful skin is what you put inside your body. "The Japanese diet is full of vegetables and fish, and extremely low in meat and sugary foods," he says. "Japanese women also believe green tea is a source of clear, beautiful skin." Dr.
Preferred height for men South Korea 2019
According to a survey conducted in 2019 by Ipsos on global attitudes toward beauty, over 70 percent of South Korean respondents stated that they preferred men to be between 5 feet 10 inches (around 178cm) to 6 feet 1 inch (around 185cm) tall.
A beautiful nose is a crucial facial feature in Korean beauty standards. Koreans prefer small, pointy noses which are regarded as elegant and sophisticated. 뾰족한 코 (ppyojoghan ko) – or a small pointed nose speaks of a person's sophistication that is also often achieved through plastic surgery in South Korea.