Beauty fix: What is Korean beauty and how do I get on board without being overwhelmed?

Effective, aesthetically pleasing and relatively affordable, there are plenty of good reasons why Korean beauty is the darling of skincare social media. But that would all be superficial without solid science and business smarts behind it, too.

Thanks to government support that also drives the K-pop phenomenon and followed the late 1990s Asian financial crisis, K-beauty has the money to innovate, employing ingredients used nowhere else.

Some say Korean beauty is 15 years ahead of the rest of the world, and as it takes over our bathroom cabinets and socials, the craze offers something for everyone, even if a 10-step TikTok regime is not for you and ‘glass skin’ is an unachievable goal.

“In South Korea, skincare is not seen as a luxury but as a cultural norm,” says Shannon McCreery, Ireland Educator for skincare brand Genosys. “With a focus on prevention and long-term skin health, rather than quick fixes with aggressive ingredients, it prioritises the skin’s barrier and overall hydration.”

K-beauty has a lot of weird ingredients. Do they actually work?

“South Korea has some of the world’s most rigorous regulations for cosmetic products, resulting in high standards for both safety and efficacy,” says McCreery.

“Brands are known for innovative ingredients, such as snail mucin, propolis and fermented botanicals.”

Snail mucin is probably the best known ‘weird’ ingredient, processed from the slimy trail left by free-range snails raised on dedicated farms. This gloop is packed with proteins and hyaluronic and glycolic acids, so it sounds awful but does the job.

Centella asiatica, derived from a tropical Asian plant, is also common in K-beauty. Often listed as cica, it’s prized for its calming effect and kindness to the skin barrier, while propolis, a resin produced by bees, is antifungal, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory.

Is Korean sunscreen as good as they say?

Again, innovation and research are what set Korean sunscreen apart. Their drive to continually advance and experiment with ingredients is a direct contrast with the US, in particular, where sun protection is classified as a drug rather than a beauty product. This means that every element has to be FDA certified and they haven’t introduced anything new since the late 1990s.

The freedom to innovate has allowed K-beauty to deliver sunscreen that is light, traceless and nice to use, bestowing that glassy finish that a lot of more familiar products can’t.

Also, Korean sunscreen is not just sun protection, but skincare in its own right, featuring ingredients such as vitamin C, niacinamide and hyaluronic acid.

What’s the famous 10-step routine?

“The most famous routine,” says McCreery, “is designed to layer hydration and nourishment and you apply the products in order of texture, from thinnest to thickest.”

That is: oil cleanser, to remove make-up, sunscreen and oil; a water-based cleanser to remove all remaining residue; exfoliator, such as a toner-type product, to smooth texture and improve further product absorption.

After that, you use hydrating toning mist, as wet skin absorbs products better; essence, which is a slightly thicker hydrator with ingredients such as hyaluronic or niacinamide; serum, with active ingredients such as vitamin C and peptides.

With time on your hands – after all, you’ve committed to 10 steps – a sheet mask can follow for deep hydration. Then it’s an eye cream and moisturiser to lock in all that good stuff and protect the skin barrier.

Step 10 is sunscreen, so that’s just for the mornings. Even K-beauty doesn’t suggest you’ll need it while you sleep.

Can I do less, or is K-beauty not for the busy?

“You absolutely do not need to dive headfirst into a ten-step routine,” says McCreery. “Korean serums, essences and sheet masks integrate easily into most routines and deliver noticeable hydration and glow.”

She says that a core four products will achieve results. In short, that’s the double cleanse of an oil and then a water cleanser, a targeted serum, hydrating moisturiser and a good sunscreen.

Genosys Soothing Bomb Sea Algae Mask, €45.50 for 10, skinsation.ie

This cloth mask has a lovely cooling sensation and is bursting with K-beauty heroes, from centella asiatica to coral and seaweed extracts, all of which calm and hydrate. In addition, witch hazel and chestnut have a lightly firming effect without tightness. Ideal to use before a night out.

Cosrx Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence Gel, €31.99, Boots

Get past the tacky texture and enjoy the snail-trail benefits of this essence. It’s full of antioxidants and promises to help with scars and acne, its most prized quality is an ability to super-hydrate, plump out fine lines and leave a (thankfully non-tacky) glow.

Beauty of Joseon Ginseng Moist Sun Serum, RRP €23.90, Brown Thomas; Boots

A perfect example of a Korean sunscreen that is a pleasure to use. It is serum-like in texture – light and fluid – and sinks in quickly. It has ginseng to reduce redness inflammation, niacinamide to help texture and glow and high broad-spectrum protection from UVA and UVB rays.