The Korean women with porcelain skin, which gives the illusion that it has been filtered on Instagram, is a case study for Western women. When you observe them, you are always amazed by their youthful faces, even when they are not wearing makeup. Let's not kid ourselves, it's not (just) a matter of DNA. They also do their bit—deep into their pockets, according to research!—to achieve the alabaster skin that makes us jealous. Once we get over the comparison, in which we always come up short, let's sneak into their boudoirs to find out how they manage to «stop» time!
Prevention is the new anti-aging
Korean women have a shared secret: they begin addressing fine lines and wrinkles from the day they are born. They don't wait for fine lines and wrinkles to appear. They're catching up with them! From a very young age, they learn not only to brush their teeth, but also how to clean, exfoliate, and moisturize their face. Moisturizing becomes an early, daily habit. They firmly believe that if you allow yourself to become dehydrated, wrinkles will appear an hour earlier.
Which famous ingredient do Korean women dislike?
Unlike women in the West who drink water in her name, Korean women are not particularly fond of retinol, just as they do not use harsh and aggressive ingredients to combat the signs of aging. What they dislike most is that the skin needs a period of adjustment to get used to retinol. During this period, the skin may become thinner and more sensitive, and may show signs of dryness and redness. It sounds strange to us, but retinol is used as a last resort in skincare, and even then in very small doses.
The most impressive thing is that this ingredient, which has been a benchmark in Western anti-aging for 40 years, has only recently been added to Korean cosmetic products! Instead of retinol, Korean Beauty enriches its formulas with milder ingredients., such as peptides, which have a safer, anti-wrinkle effect without side effects, the new generation molecule of niacinamide, the ginseng, one of the most powerful and effective herbal ingredients, the all-time classic hyaluronic acid, licorice extract, and, most recently, bakuchiol, the plant-based alternative to retinol.
In addition to prevention, the Korean beauty philosophy is based on creating a healthy «environment» for the skin. When it is optimally hydrated and balanced, it can heal itself and prevent the signs of aging before they appear.
For this reason, Korean beauty products focus more on protecting and strengthening the skin barrier and microbiome to combat wrinkles. When the microbiome is balanced, it protects against external environmental aggressors and strengthens the skin's defenses. It can also help strengthen the protective barrier function. Conversely, a disrupted barrier can cause the skin to appear dull, dry, irritated, and more wrinkled.
There is no Korean beauty routine without SPF
Korean women do not include products that target wrinkles exclusively in their beauty routine, because they simply do not believe in them. What they trust blindly is the power of sun protection factor to protect their skin at all costs from the sun's harmful rays, which cause collagen damage and photoaging. In Korea, sunscreen creams are significantly more delicate, light, and silky textures. They are available in various attractive forms, such as cushions and sticks, which make them easy to reapply.
One last Korean tip
If you want to copy the beauty routine that keeps Korean women young and beautiful, make sure to schedule regular visits to the dermatologist. Korean women invest heavily in fillers and laser treatments for beautiful, healthy, and glowing skin.
