“Cutting edge” and “ahead of the curve” describe perfectly the skin care industry in Asia. It is no coincidence that the latest and greatest innovations have come from the east. Think BB creams, cleansing oils and sheet masks. Notice how the cushion compact has been creating a phenomenon here in the past year or two? Yup, it originated in Korea.
So just how seriously do Koreans take their skincare? Pretty darn seriously, based on the time, effort and money they spend on keeping their skin as healthy and young-looking as possible. Good skin seems to be a country-wide, collective obsession: women typically spend twice as much as their North American counterparts on beauty and skin care products whereas SoKo men spend more than those in any other country in the world.
Unlike in North America where skincare seems to fall more into the female sphere of experience, Koreans consider cleansing, moisturizing and using sunscreen daily a part of a non-gender specific routine, and this shows. Young male actors and musicians are routinely selected to represent the face of a brand. In North America, where we are more accustomed to rugged-looking men hawking cologne, life-sized cardboard cutouts of boy bands in Korean skin care stores is a completely new experience.
We’re all familiar with the famous 10-step daily cleansing routine, but here are a few other tidbits of information that you may not have known about Korean skincare:
1. Heat is used as a tool. Facials that feature steam, hot towels and saunas are old hat. The newest form of harnessing temperature comes in formulas that heat up on contact or upon exposure to air. Clay masks and sheet masks are only two of self-heating products that warm up when applied to the skin to maximize absorption of active ingredients. You can use the same principal by allowing your daily moisturizer to warm up in your hand before dotting the face and rubbing into the skin.
2. Cold is your friend. On the opposite end of the spectrum, keeping makeup and some skincare products cool is key to extending shelf life and keeping bacteria at bay. The colder temperature of products also helps with puffiness and is soothing in the warmer months. Koreans take it to the extreme by having tiny refrigerators whose sole purpose is to keep skincare products at optimum temperature. Is this at all a surprise in a country which has coolers specifically for their kimchi?
3. Everything can be found on Beauty Street. The Myeong Dong shopping district in Seoul is comprised of approximately one square kilometre and boasts over 120 beauty stores, with some companies having multiple outlets in this shoppers’ haven. You’re just as likely to see locals as savvy tourists fully indulging in their passion for all things skincare. We hear it’s also a great place to get samples of the next big obsession.
Despite the reputation of SoKo skincare and K-beauty, the very popular Asian snail slime creams are still having a tough time making inroads in the North American market. I’m stumped.
