The K-Beauty Craze

Although it’s been around for years, the hype that has been sparked by K-Beauty (Korean Beauty) seems as if it’s emerged overnight. Major beauty publications such as Refinery29, Bustle and Allure are all upping the hype and telling people that K-Beauty is here to stay.

What is K-Beauty?

K-Beauty is the umbrella term for all South Korean imports in the skin care, makeup and bath-and-body categories that has been sending U.S. beauty enthusiasts into a tizzy. Within the last 18 months, K-Beauty has become some kind of mega-sensation in America, due to its claims of being natural and effective, but also coming in pastel-colored packages, cute shaped bottles like pandas, cats, peeled bananas or eggs.

What K-Beauty Entails

A typical K-Beauty regime calls for incorporating up to 10 (sometimes more) steps into your morning and evening beauty routines. This regime begins with a “dual cleansing” step in which oil and water-based products are recommended, a series of sheet masks, essences, serums and rich moisturizers. After your morning regime, K-Beauty suggests applying SPF 35+, where at night the alternative is a hydrating sleep mask.

New York based dermatologist Dennis Gross, is a fan of this overly through multi step regime. Gross believes that “there’s a positive in having a beauty regime that goes beyond the basics and addresses issues such as fine lines, pores, and uneven skin tone.” Gross who doesn’t necessarily prescribe 10-step routines for his patients, still believes that a  “customized skin-care routine“ makes good sense from a skin-biology standpoint.

Where To Start

Although a K-Beauty regime calls for a “10-step” routine, this isn’t a rule. If it were, it’s one that can be broken. To simplify your routine, find products that multi-task. For instance, our “Awaken” Body Smooth Sugar is a natural and gentle exfoliating organic scrub. It is made with organic sugar, coconut and apricot kernel oils and glycerin and Vitamin E to nourish and protect the skin. Since it’s a gentle exfoliator, it can be used on face and body, but only recommended for to be used on your face 2-3 times a week or as needed.

For cleansing and cleansing pores, the Activated Charcoal Botanical Bar Soap is another great option. The shea and cocoa butter bar soap contains pure activated charcoal, which is known for its ability to draw impurities and excess oil from the skin and hair. This soap is great for oily skin, or for anyone who is looking for a deep cleanse.

The Best Of K-Beauty

Soko Glam is an online marketplace that specializes in K-Beauty products and has a page on their site which is dedicated to all the best of K-Beauty products. Consider their list the ultimate starter-pack to building your K-Beauty product arsenal.