Korean Beauty 101: The Mindset of a Skin-Obsessed Culture

Once I had my feet on the ground in Seoul, it didn't take me long to realize that I was living in a place where skin care was more than skin deep: It was a part of the culture in Korea. This was a new concept, but the more I learned about it, the more excited I was to embrace it.

At the time it was the mid-2000s, and Korean beauty was just then starting to make headway in the rest of Asia, with a small yet devoted following in the United States. If you wanted Korean beauty products, you had to work for them: You could commute to stores that were overpriced and hit-or-miss, or order goods online and swallow the fact that the shipping was going to cost you more than the products themselves.

And if you didn't have a Korean friend or someone else in the know to give you insider information, well, good luck. You'd most likely be going in blind, trying to decipher labels, not knowing what the formulas were or how products were supposed to be used. You'd have to go on price alone to try to figure out which were luxury brands and which were bottom-of-the-barrel budget ones.

On my annual trips back to Los Angeles to visit my family and catch up with friends, I'd pack my suitcase full of the latest emulsions, lip tints, and eye patches. Some were long-overdue birthday gifts, but most were specific requests from friends who would sheepishly explain, “You just can't get the same stuff here for that price, so, um, can you bring me twelve?”

Other friends didn't know specifics, but had just heard that things were c-u-t-e. They wanted sheet masks illustrated with candy-colored snails and would text me, “I'll take anything that's shaped like a panda or a piece of fruit!!!” My arrival back in the States provoked squeals of glee from my friends, but I knew it wasn't me they were so excited about—it was that lip gloss shaped like a blueberry.

I was having the time of my life in Korea, and I had fallen in love with the country in more ways than one. It was the place where I found a husband, whom I met on a blind date. Blind dates, called sogaetings, are super common in Korea. On Fridays, I'd ask my coworkers what they were up to, and often they had two or three dates lined up for a weekend. I tried my hand at a few sogaetings with Korean men, but when a friend in California suggested I meet a Korean American who was a West Point graduate and captain stationed in Seoul, well, that one stuck. In Seoul, Dave and I also found the mutual love of our life in Rambo, a poodle that we adopted from a friend.

Living in Korea made me really believe in the people: I thought Korea had so much to offer the rest of the world, and I wanted to share it.

Korean skin care had become my passion. It had completely changed the way I thought about my skin and skin in general. I knew it could do the same for others, so I made it my personal mission to get that message out there. From my point of view, there was a huge gap between the United States and Korea. People were hungry for Korean products, but there was a lot of confusion and misinformation about them.

Dave and I both came from families of entrepreneurs, so we decided to take our own stab at demystifying Korean beauty: We'd open an online shop and make it easier for people in the States to find their (new) favorite products.

Rambo and I camped out on the living room floor with a pile of my all-time favorite products, the ones that I'd used for months and years, and that's where the curating started. Rambo, though he was cute, turned out to not be much of a beauty expert, so it was all on me.

At first, I thought of Soko Glam as something of a side project. My first attempts at product shots were so bad that even Dave couldn't lie and say they were good, so I found a bored owner of a small passport photo studio near my apartment and negotiated a sweet four-dollars-per-photo deal.

I wrote the product descriptions in the first person and talked about why I liked them so much and the results that I'd seen when I used them. Then I uploaded the photo studio's images and clicked publish. With that, Soko Glam was officially open for business.

The first order was from my friend Jackie and then my sister. Somehow, word spread, and when we were the focus of a small online article, orders started pouring in—from strangers! And they weren't all Korean Americans. All of a sudden, the small inventory of products that I'd stocked on the top shelf of my closet sold out completely. Whoa. It was clear that people from all backgrounds wanted Korean beauty. And they wanted it now.

In the time since we launched Soko Glam, Korean beauty had made a huge splash in the United States. Hallyu, which translates as “Korean Wave,” refers to pop culture—from music to soap-operatic dramas, YouTube videos, and even food—that's hugely popular outside of Korea. Beauty products rode this wave like there was no tomorrow.

Korean beauty was everywhere you looked it seemed—from clickbait articles about the weirdest Korean beauty products (donkey milk for dry skin! temple viper venom for wrinkles!) to beauty blogs touting the now-famous ten-step routine (don't worry, I'll get to that in chapter seven, promise). As a result, Korean products were no longer niche. The rise in press stoked the general public's interest, and my customers were sending me lots of feedback, from e-mails to tweets to comments, about how much they loved the products they were buying.

I also realized that something unexpected but wonderful was happening: Our customers saw Soko Glam not just as a place to buy products, but to learn about skin care. They had tons of respect for Korean beauty culture and wanted to learn about their skin from that perspective.

Good Skin Goes Beyond the Surface

Korean beauty is more than just ten steps and sheet masks—it's not just what you use, but how you think. From all my experience, this is what I've come to observe about Korean beauty and the mindset that drives it. The way your skin feels and looks is priority number one. But in Korea, skin culture goes beyond products, and both men and women will go to great lengths to protect and nurture their skin. Whether they use sun umbrellas to shield themselves from UVA rays or drink antioxidant tea to prevent premature aging (and they probably do both), Koreans recognize that skin care is a holistic practice. There are several individual steps that contribute to the overall goal of beautiful skin.

Brand Loyalty Is Overrated

Korean consumers rarely stick with one brand, which keeps beauty companies on their toes. Shoppers are constantly in the market for the next best thing, and the Korean beauty industry has to develop products quickly to satisfy those needs. This also means the products have to deliver, because no one's sticking around if they don't work.

Customers also don't automatically think Korean products are superior to all other brands. There are plenty of natives who use luxury-brand cosmetics from the United States, Europe, and elsewhere. Scope out a Korean's bathroom counter or makeup bag, and you're likely to find a healthy and diverse mix of brands from home and abroad.

Pali Pali! Or, Innovation Is Everything

Korean companies can conceive a product and have it on the shelves within six months. They take full advantage of rapidly evolving technology and try to stay one step ahead of what consumers are going to want. It's all about who can be the quickest to bring a new product to market.

This means you're not going to get a plethora of products that have been around since your grandma was a girl, and there's more emphasis on new than on classic, but this is a huge part of why Korean cosmetics are so fun. You probably don't want to wear the same clothes for your entire life, so why would you want to use the same moisturizer?

Cute Is Not Overrated

Korean companies understand that packaging is important. We may be cautioned to not judge a book by its cover, but in this book, it's totally okay to judge a cheek stain by its cat ears or a mascara by its dinosaur drawings.

I'm exaggerating a bit here, because you obviously wouldn't use either of these if they were crap. But if they're good quality, why shouldn't they be cute, too? Well-designed products are more fun, and they reinforce the idea that skin care isn't just a chore, but something to be enjoyed. From hand creams to oil-blotting sheets, you carry beauty products everywhere and use them often. If you're going to have to look at something several times a day, it might as well make you smile—and if it makes you smile, you're more likely to use it. The more likely you are to use it, the more you'll see results. See? It's all part of a plot to get you healthy, glowing skin!

Skin First, Makeup Second

Instead of trying to cover up flaws with makeup and spot solutions, Koreans tend to focus on skin-care products that get at the root of conditions and treat problems before they start. Relying wholly on makeup not only looks unnatural, but it's also a temporary fix to a long-lasting issue.

This mentality is exactly why Seoul street style is filled with women who expertly pull off the “no makeup makeup” look. With their skin-care game down pat, and their basic canvas prepped and primed, they can go outside with very minimal makeup and still look flawless.

Skin Care Is Not Just for Grown-Ups

When we're kids, we're taught proper hygiene, from brushing our teeth before we go to bed to washing our hands after using the bathroom. In Korea, kids are taught about skin care as well. Long before they even have to think about adolescent acne, they're taught about everything from exfoliating and moisturizing to a generous application of SPF.

There's a pretty big difference between this and what most Western cultures consider skin care. Prevention is way more effective than treatment. Most Koreans are using SPF way before age spots start to show up and are moisturizing long before they ever have to worry about wrinkles. They're taught that, with some time and effort, you can be in control of your skin, instead of just sitting around and waiting for the day that it decides to sabotage you.

Sadly, we don't start taking care of our skin until pimples rear their heads right before prom, and then, at the first signs of aging, it's a mad dash to the store to buy the most expensive cream available. When you're young and healthy, that's when it's easiest and most beneficial to keep your body in a continuous healthy state, and your skin is no different. You know what they say: You can't teach an old dog new tricks—and the same seems to apply to skin care. If you start good habits now, they'll be second nature. Wait until you're older, and you'll be kicking and screaming your way into a skin-care routine.

It's Not Just What You Do, but How You Do It

While most people will put on a moisturizer and call it a day, Korean women use anywhere from six to ten products in their daily skin-care routine. And again, they're not just reaching for whatever's closest and slapping it on—the order in which the products are used is important, too!

From the lightest consistency to the heaviest, there's a time and place for each layer of product. Every step has a distinct purpose: prep, renew, treat, hydrate, or protect. It's also important how you apply different products—tap in your essence, pat on your eye cream, dab on your cushion compact—because slathering isn't always the best approach (we'll discuss these in detail later on).

When It Comes to Hydration, Go Deep and Go Often

Dewy, firm skin is the most sought-after beauty trait in South Korea. While Western society may tend to focus more on achieving a matte complexion, Korean women prep and prime their skin so that they are luminous and glowing. Dewy is the opposite of oily, though—it's a fresh look, not a greasy one.

In addition to their daily and nightly routines, many South Koreans hydrate with facial mists and moisturizers several times throughout the day and combat drying air with humidifiers (which are frequently well-designed and almost art objects). For more concentrated hydration as needed, sheet masks and sleeping packs are used to give skin (and the person wearing it) a little pick-me-up.

It's About Brightening, Not Bleaching

A bright glow is the end goal in your skin-care game. A lot of Korean skin-care products are labeled “whitening,” but this actually means “brightening.” Bright skin looks like it's lit from within, and South Koreans love to enhance brightness with a little makeup hack. In other words, highlighters are a dewy girl's best friend.

Most Korean “whitening” products are safe for people of all skin tones to use and don't have actual bleach in them. Most contain arbutin (an extract from bearberry or mulberry leaves) in them, which is a natural ingredient that inhibits melanin production. However, it's always a good rule of thumb to check the labels!

Skin Care Is Not Just a Luxury

Thanks to picky consumers and widespread demand, even the most innovative Korean skin-care products are usually affordable. There are skin-care shops on every corner (and even in the subway stations), so good skin is accessible to everyone, and you don't have to automatically assume that it comes with an out-of-your-budget price tag. You can get effective ingredients and cutting-edge formulas—all wrapped in luxurious packaging—and still pay your rent.

No Routine Is One-Size-Fits-All

You will rarely find two people with the same skin-care routine. Even the most popular, newsworthy products (the ones that show up on every blog) aren't for everyone, and what your best friend recommends wholeheartedly still might not work for you. Never feel pressured to blindly use products based on what you've heard, because every person's skin is unique and will react differently to variations in ingredients and formulas.

In Western cultures, we're taught to buy skin-care products according to how old, or “mature,” our skin is, but that's an oversimplification. Instead of just looking at your age, you should analyze your skin and determine what conditions need to be treated.

Unfortunately, skin care is very much a trial-and-error process, and there really isn't a way to get it right the first time, nor can you just copy what someone else does and expect to see the same results. It's also important to know that your skin is continuously changing—because, you know, life happens.

Korean women understand this well. They've learned to recognize when a product is working for them. If it's not, they're quick to chuck it out without a second thought, cute packaging be damned.

Take Ownership of Your Skin—and Have Fun!

Your skin does not have to be a mystery. You can be in control of your skin, and you don't have to wake up every morning wondering what might have appeared overnight. Yes, this is going to take a little time and effort on your part, but it doesn't have to be drudgery. This is pampering, not cleaning the kitchen.

When I was first learning about skin care, I was lucky enough to have so many local skin-care gurus (my new Korean friends, mainly) teach me how to get started with a legit, multistep routine. While at first it seemed like a lot of products, I was surprised that my regimen didn't take more than ten minutes in the morning and at night. A lot of the steps were just something I did once or twice a week.

I enjoyed pampering my skin on my own terms, and it felt great that I could be so knowledgeable about something that once left me clueless. When I'd travel to a new city with a different climate or get stressed over work deadlines, my skin might freak out, but I didn't. I really got to know my skin, which was crucial to maintaining it as well. And it wasn't a chore. My routine quickly became the highlight of my mornings and evenings, and it wasn't long before I began to recognize what I needed to use and what products were right for me.

And who am I kidding? I was hooked when I saw the results. My dull, dry skin was starting to look brighter and more supple, and my skin tone was more even and clear. My fine lines and pores were less visible, and I felt like I was taking off all those extra years I'd added at the beach. My skin felt dewy to the touch.

Any suspicions I had about the improvements being all in my head and not on my face (aka the placebo effect) were erased when I went home for the holidays. People complimented me on how good my skin looked, which never used to happen, and I couldn't help it—I glowed.