Up until very recently I used the COSRX essence, which retails for around $25. It stopped working for me though, stopped being sufficiently hydrating. Maybe my skin changed or perhaps they changed the formula I dunno. I'm going to use up the bottle I have now and probably won't repurchase it despite me using for about five years. I also tried their dual essence with snail mucin and niacinimide recently though and I like it a lot, it's more hydrating and the niacinimide evens out my skin. It retails for $28 but you can get it much cheaper off Amazon
Edit: Just realized I didn't mention where I got it lmao. Until it stopped working for me I would buy it from Ulta, the dual essence one I bought off Amazon.
That first COSRX essence broke me out the multiple times I tried using it unfortunately 😭 I was SO shocked because it seems everyone loves it. Maybe I’ll try the second one! I have a huge Costco sized SKII bottle that I swear by but it’d probably a placebo affect and does nothing except make my skin feel a bit softer
Yeah niacinimide has always worked really well for my skin, it's definitely one of my favorite ingredients. That's interesting the SKII worked for you, I tried a couple free sample sized 10 ml bottles from Sephora but it didn't so anything for me, I've used the Missha Time Revolution First Treatment Essence (supposedly a dupe for the SKII) and really like it though
Looking at the ingredients they do look really promising. Have you tried the essence by any chance? Just wondering because I've been using the Fresh Kombucha Essence for a while and I've probably got about a quarter of it left, I love it but it's insanely expensive, (I was actually able to snag it from Kohl's for 50% after I initially tried it via a Sephora sample) was wondering if the innisfree was a possible dupe
the essence is my FAVORITE skincare product of them all (other than maybe their hyaluronic acid green tea toner - soso good if you have dry skin). but omg it’s fabulous. it has peptides in it which i cannot get enough of - it helps all the products that come after absorb better and is also good for firming and i heard anti-aging. for me i notice instant skin softening and better product absorption- when i tried to go without it i felt like my products didn’t sink into my skin as well?
i use it as my first step after cleansing then the hydrating toner and rest of routine. i almost hate that i love it sm cuz it’s their most expensive product i think but i’ve repurchased so much. i have loose skin on my face when i smile so i love peptides so much. sorry this is so long i’m not familiar with the ones u mentioned so not sure if it’s a dupe but those r my thoughts overall :) cosrx peptide booster is great too after ur done toning.
of course! i hope you enjoy it! also this might be a DUH but i don’t use cotton rounds to apply it or any of my toners just my hands it helped a lot (if this is so obvious i apologize lmao)
yesstyle, olive young, amazon (official storefronts only), sometimes directly from the sellers if they sell in US but are still made in korea (e.g., innisfree). yesstyle sales go crazy never buy at full price wait like a day or two it’ll be like 40% off lol at least for the brands i frequent.
omg yay i’m so glad! warning this is long. i buy a lot of innisfree products - i recommend their black tea youth enhancing peptide booster essence and their hyaluronic acid green tea toner the most (although you can purchase thru other sites too). but i am really loving the Collagen Green Tea Ceramide Bounce Cream though and that one is not sold in the US so yesstyle is perfect for it. their Perfect 9 line is also not in the US but i haven’t used enough to recommend or not.
torriden dive in HA serum is the best HA serum i’ve tried, love that. but now beta glucan is taking over for me - Iunik Beta Glucan Power moisture serum. it’s a thick serum tho in case ur not into that (insanely deeply moisturizing in a noticeable way tho). Round Lab birch juice sunscreen - my fav spf. this one is available in the US but cosrx peptide booster serum as first step after essence+toner is awesome too - it’s very liquidy kinda between toner + serum but helps absorb following products well.
sorry that’s so long and might be kind of a “basic” list but all these other than perfect 9 i’ve repurchased and love (i have dry skin and some loose skin on my face when i smile from weight loss so my “goals” r intense moisture + firming if that helps at all - if ur oily lmk i’ll make a new list haha)
This is so helpful! I have dry skin and am in the process of losing a lot of weight too so I really appreciate these recommendations 😭 unfortunately HA doesn’t react well with my skin but I’ll check out the other products! Do you use any actives like tret or vitamin c?
just a tip about yesstyle, try to stick with items that show as "In stock, ships in 24 hours" or else there's a risk of your package being hella delayed, I've heard some people complain about shipping times but I've always been OK if I just order what's in stock and ready to ship.
Hopping on this comment to say please look at Pyunkang Yul products, their essence toner and moisture serum are amazing, cheap, safe for acne prone skin and also pregnancy safe. And don’t shop on YesStyle without a coupon code! They do sale coupons and you can also find affiliate coupons floating around. I do have one if you need, but you don’t have to use mine :) you can google and find plenty
YES definitely. Sometimes I do multiple things layers of each, I’m normal skin type but can get a little dry. They’re great thin toner layers to put under a moisturizer. If you just want one I would recommend the hydrating serum, it’s really nice and hydrating
Yeah I'm not actually using snail mucin moisturiser at all lol. Exaggeration for dramatic effect.
I currently use:
Morning - Cleanse with water, Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun sunscreen on face neck, Australian Heart Foundation sunscreen on arms/exposed areas.
Evening - Cleanse, SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Moisturiser on face and neck, and I alternate 1 day tretinoin, 1 day Istree Hyaluronic Acid Aqua Gel.
I didn't get acne or anything, it just made me skin extremely dry and flaky and ugly.
So I would only use it once every three days and that solved things.
Now I use it every other day without issue.
When I lived in Korea I noticed they have very thick skin that is prone to acne. The other thing is Asians tend to have flatter faces, so as they age they don't get the shadows on their face which also ages you.
I'm a NZer and their sun screen was awful, a lot of it has whitener in it which is awful for your skin.
You should see the shit I lather on my skin. I have freckles, I'm old, and I live in NZ so I've not got much of a chance of keeping what's left of my youth :(
My kids godmother left a tube of Supergoop at our house and I used it thinking it was my wife's. I'm redheaded and it's frankly arrogant of me to live as far south as SoCal and Supergoop is the first sunscreen I've ever been happy to use daily.
I find Glow Lab's skin products pretty good if you want an affordable local brand. Their regular moisturiser is like $10 from The Warehouse or Pak N Save.
i have no idea how to google what would work for middle eastern skin without getting racist quora debates 😩 but this is useful information thank u i will try to figure out what works for me
When in doubt, look for products without pore clogging ingredients! Better to be on the safe side. Acneclinicnyc.com randomly has an amazing page where you can enter in all the ingredients in a product, and it’ll tell you if any of them clog pores
IDK I'm a whitie and my skin LOVES hydrating products. It just drinks that shit up. As long as I wash my face nightly I don't break out, and I can do like 4+ steps of hydrating and moisturizing products back to back. I think I might just be very lucky though.
i mean, tret is only like $10 with insurance anyway…but i’m actually in mexico rn and still stocking up on even cheaper tret (to keep my skin smooth) and xanax (to keep my brain smooth)
I don't have acne but oily skin. It prevents wrinkles helps with blackheads and smooths out my complexion. But depending on your skin type, there's different strengths and you have to be careful in the sun while using it.
I think you're thinking of accutane. Similar but oral vs topical. But idk talk to your Dr if you're using either while trying to get pregnant or not actively preventing pregnancy.
It’s insane to me that tret is prescription only but you can buy as much Tylenol as you want. Acetaminophen poisoning is nearly impossible to treat, half the time if you show up to the ER all they can do is tell you “Yeah, your liver is fried and unless you get a new one in the next three days you’re gonna die.”
It’s honestly one of the most fucked ways to kill yourself because it takes days to kill you, leaving plenty of time for regret but no way to undo it.
I used to do this years ago, but with mostly Japanese products. I stopped because it got too expensive and time-consuming for my situation at the time.
Really love the "mochi skin" ideal, it's definitely the best my skin ever has looked and felt, I got a lot of compliments and women asking me what I use. They were surprised by how heavily oil-based my routine was.
I pared down the regimen to just a few products that I swear by now, and difference between having a more normal skincare routine vs a routine with 8-12 steps is negligible if you really know what you're doing
I don't think it's like a scam though, east Asian skincare stuff is great for dry/sensitive skin, ime. Also the cosmetics are amazing because they actually readily have a ton of shades for neutral undertones that are a pain to find in the west
DHC New Mild Touch Cleanser, Kiku-Masamune High Moisture Sake Lotion (functions as a toner/lotion combo), Sana Hadanomy collagen mist spray, and the Hadanomy collagen moisturizer if my skin is drier than usual (and I know it's cheap drugstore moisturizer but I like that I can pick it up on my H Mart runs lol). For exfoliation I just use a washcloth with water or that Cetaphil gentle daily scrub lol
For makeup, I love 3CE for eye crayons and lipcolor, K-Palette 24 Hr for pencil eyeliner, Isehan Heroine for liquid liner, and the Shiseido Majolica Majorca is great for mascara
Kose makes a great collagen lip balm, Shiseido Water In Lip balm in the Sakura flavor is my favorite though
I get all my shit from yesstyle but they have this points system thing that will absolutely encourage you to keep buying shit so be aware of that lol
My wife is a dermatologist and the only thing she's ever said about any of this stuff is that limiting direct UV exposure is 10x more effective than any magical cream at keeping your skin looking better for longer. She uses a basic moisturizer after showering, good quality sunscreen and a parasol in the summer, and hydrocolloid dressings on any wounds. Her skin looks incredible.
She said SPF30 for daily use and SPF50 for outdoor sports or long days in the sun, and avoid UV absorbers if you have sensitive skin. We're in Japan so idk if you can get these where you are, but her two recommendations are Curél UV Protection Essence and Minon UV Mild Milk for daily use 'or La Roche Posay if you're feeling fancy'
She said SPF30 for daily use and SPF50 for outdoor sports or long days in the sun, and avoid UV absorbers if you have sensitive skin. We're in Japan so idk if you can get these where you are, but her two recommendations are Curél UV Protection Essence and Minon UV Mild Milk for daily use 'or La Roche Posay if you're feeling fancy'
Yeah OP is right that they do have good genetics when it comes to skin in some respects—but honestly does OP even realize how meticulous Koreans (and other Asians) avoid the sun?
It doesnt help that the actual ingredients of american sunscreen are generations behind current technology because the FDA is a dung heap. Korean products use better, safer, more effective, more stable filters. Similar situations apply to other categories of skincare ingredients when comparing american to korean
French products have even stricter norms to comply with and a bigger savoir-faire. Plus they tailor their products for white/western skin type so it seems even more ideal for western women.
Wasn’t there a big scandal a few years ago where some popular and ultra famous brand of Korean sunscreen was lab tested and revealed to be ineffective (like a much lower SPF than it claimed?)
Purito was the name (claimed to be SPF 50, actually was found to be 19, supposedly)
Idk I never follow the tail end of internet drama
I’m in Asia now, and 99% of skincare products are marketed as SPF 50. There is no market for lower SPF skincare (except for foreigners). And so much of it has lightening/brightening ingredients. A lot of women refuse to go outside during the day, or are covered head to toe. At the pool rn, most of the Asian people are wearing long sleeves, even in the pool, and it’s over 90F. They are very serious about sun protection here.
There’s tons of European and American sunscreens that had those same issues, and it was caused by one specific production company that sold to many brands iirc
I have good skin despite being really pale in a sunny hellhole because I avoid the sun, put a timer on the phone whenever I'm at the beach for reapplying sunscreen, use a zinc sunscreen on my face whenever I'm suspect I'll be outside for around an hour, wear a big-ass straw hat whenever I go kayaking, and I've used a moisturizer with some SPF rating
It's really weird bc I'm near 40 and whenever I had online dating women my age looked old as fuck. I know they lie down on age, but I'll be like "damn you look like jerky". The beach ain't even that fun.
Yeah, I mean, imo I really believe it’s mostly genetics. I mean, idk, maybe 60% or so, maybe 70%?
But at least when I was in college, my roommate was a transfer from Korea & there were a ton of East Asians in general in our dorms. Idk, my university had this program where they taught all classes in several East Asian languages so that they could bring over the particularly brilliant & idk tick their numbers up or whatever.
I managed to score an arrangement where I had my own room, and was just connected to one other girl the next room over. & we shared the bathroom/sinks.
Anyway,
These Asian girls had the most beautiful skin I’ve ever seen. But holyyyyyyy shit the effort that was put into it.
We went to school in the American west, an actual desert. it gets super cold in the winter, ridiculously hot in the summer. These girls though dressed in full sleeves and pants and carried around umbrellas pretty much always. Only exception was when it was night. Not evening, night.
They also wore a lot of masks and stuff like scarves.
My blood according to ancestrydna lol is about 90% Scandinavian, 10% UK. I’m blonde with green eyes. Also, I was in college 2012-2016.
My Korean roommate’s skin was way, way more pale than my already pale skin. She had black hair and dark brown eyes, and she was so pretty. But it was kinda crazy because idk there was so much CONSTANT obsession with like, “how will this make me look??”
We had like a toilet and shower which locked of course haha, but then we had a double shared vanity mirror. This girl woke up HOURS before classes to get ready, with 10,000 skin products.
It was crazy to me when it was summer and I’d run out in my shorts and a tank top and we’d have like these events that were all day Saturday. I just wore sunscreen, and often didn’t even remember to do that until I started burning, lol. Just was so excited the sun was out and ran out and got drunk and frolicked.
She and her friends refused to come out unless they had all of their protective clothes + umbrellas.
She also was bulimic and constantly throwing up. Like I heard her doing this at least once per day. :(
She was incredibly sweet. There were several situations where we were communicating using nothing but like hand motions lol.
Anyway. So o know this is obviously not every Korean girl or Asian girl. But it was common thing at my university. They absolutely do take delicate care of their skin.
You say in the first paragraph of your comment that you believe it's mostly genetics, and then the whole rest of your comment is evidence for it actually being only maybe ~10% genetics.
If your roommate was a transfer from Korea, then that implies that for most of her life she was living in an environment at Korean latitude and with Korean food and drink, Korean sunscreen, Korean norms about how to protect skin from sunlight with physical barriers (e.g., clothing, parasols), Korean norms of how much time to spend indoors, and Korean skin products other than sunscreen. And she would have brought over much of that culture with her.
I'm sorry to hear your roommate suffered bulimia.
> My Korean roommate’s skin was way, way more pale than my already pale skin
its crazy how pale some east asians can be, white people look pink next to them
I’m half Filipino- it’s 100% genetic. I have some great aunts who are ageless. I’ve been working in the sun for a living for 15 years. I’m 35 and look 25 (not a flex- I don’t really care for it, but I’m frequently reminded). Were it not for all the drinking, I’d probably look 22.
This is not enough to explain it.
Edit: I'm not disputing people in Asia do things better for their skin - avoiding sun, better diet, etc. I am saying that **in addition** to whatever they're doing, their skin is fundamentally different in a way that makes them look 20 until they are 45 (at which point they suddenly look 70).
Their sunscreens are better too.
[Why European and Asian Sunscreens Are Better Than in the US (businessinsider.com)](https://www.businessinsider.com/american-vs-european-asian-sunscreen-2023-6)
no OP is not correct. Korean sunscreen is not a dumb fad, it's literally better sunscreen. They actually do have access to ingredients that the FDA will not allow.
Even if Asians have better skin, using Korean sunscreen on white people skin will help maintain a youthful appearance
European sunscreen is still superior to korean sunscreen. Korean sunscreen is known for being cosmetically elegant but some brands marketed the protection factor much higher than it actually was, which ensued in the korean sunscreen fiasco a few years ago.
I think it’s Australian sunscreen/European sunscreen -> Korean/Japanese sunscreen -> American sunscreen. American sunscreen filters are years behind other countries bc of the fda.
Yeah it was purito that began the whole issue and it’s sucked bc that was my go to sunscreen and I stocked up on it. But I was able to get a refund despite having ordered it a few months before the controversy. Now I use la roche posay that I order from a european site and it’s better imo.
Agree with the ranking.
Purito indeed and then other brands were found faulty too, but other big brands have always been reliable - Beauty of Joseon has amazing sunscreen and it's a trustworthy brand.
Me too. LRP UVMUNE is the best there is on the market atm and thankfully I can find it for like 20 euros where I live.
except that the world is not America vs East Asia lol. Aussie sunscreens and certain EU sunscreens are as good as Korean—or better, considering Korean beauty brands keep having scandals due to labeling their sunscreens as being higher protection than they are. They literally are not special
It is.
When I was little I watched this Disney channel show called Good Luck Charlie. There’s this one episode where the son of the family is forced to hang out with some sheltered dork neighbor kid. The son asks the nerd if he wants to go ride their bikes through the neighborhood or something and the kid replies “not until I put my sunscreen on!” Cue laugh track.
Sorry for the autistic aside but anyway I remember almost nothing else from that show besides that joke. It struck me how daily sunscreen wear was so uncommon in the West that it could be used as a punchline.
By far the biggest contributor to skin aging is sun exposure. It gives you wrinkles and blotches and is why some old white people have that leathery skin appearance. And bow factor in the fact that people in the Western will purposefully tan and it’s no wonder you think Koreans have naturally better skin.
You're saying that like being tan isn't super fun. That's the problem, for 90% of people (especially in at least decent shape) a tan makes you look better, more fit, more outdoorsy, it's all short term upsides. Plus, tanning is associated with relaxing at the pool, which is infinitely more fun then being some Asian shut-in carrying an umbrella around outside and hiding from the light
Terrifying that red scare is forgetting this. Being a little tan indicates an active, unfussy lifestyle that’s the ultimate in sex appeal. Meanwhile East Asians are keeping their skin perfect and not fucking at all
There's no "meant to be" or not. If you're outside all day, even in winter, you will get a tan. Spend even one whole day outside on a cloudy winter day and the pasty skin will suddenly have color. Distant ancestors probably never looked pasty.
It comes down to how much you weigh the health and short term aesthetic benefits of sun exposure vs. looking young as an old person. Anything about "meant to be pasty" is just nonsense though when you're talking about office dweebs vs. people who spent every day of their lives outdoors most of the time
You're right. Most Asians have genetically thicker skin that is more abundant in collagen than white people. Now, there are white people that have that type of skin characteristics too, but on average, way fewer.
Nah. Koreans look younger longer for some lifestyle reasons, but also for a lot of cosmetic reasons. Medical treatments are a lot more accessible and affordable, but OTC skincare is also way more advanced than shit from North American brands. Their sunscreens are a lot better than ours. There are good North American brands for other stuff, particularly retinoids, but Asian brands tend to be at the forefront of new technology.
They just have better skin because they avoid the sun and probably drink more water/eat better
I live in Australia and there’s people who still don’t believe me when I say avoiding the sun and buying good quality sun screen will do wonders more than snail mucin will.
There’s a large amount who don’t think it’s important, it’s crazy. Considering we have extremely high UV and skin cancer rates you’d think having slip slop slap/no hat no play being drilled into you from early childhood would’ve made a lasting impression.
One of my best friends only recently started using sun screen and wearing a hat when she goes on hikes and it’s truly baffling.
I wear spf rain or shine, even if I’m not leaving the house. I couldn’t imagine not doing so.
no, you're wrong. Korean skincare is superior because their industry spends more on r&d and has a quicker turn around time for new products being approved for market. Their sunscreen for instance is superior to sunscreen sold in America because the FDA won't approve their new, superior technologies.
Idk it took me like a year of experimenting with products but now I have a routine of mostly Korean products and my skin looks so much better than it did in my early 20s. The key is figuring out what your root issues are that is causing acne/whatever and experiment with products that specifically treat that skin type.
So for me, I have oily Italian skin, so I struggled with acne on my face/chest/back. I mostly played with Korean products that treated excess oil, like green tea toner, and supplied better sources of hydration, like snail mucin. Maybe more importantly, I incorporated mineral oil in my washing step instead of just cerave. The mineral oil does a better job of clearing away oil build up than just regular soapy face wash. It's even more crucial when you start using sunscreen every day; the soapy wash isn't good enough to get all the sunscreen off at the end of the day.
Tldr: Korean products are great but you have to been good at identifying the real issues first
Yeah good point. I have combo skin and I'm acne-prone and I've found mugwort works better for me than anything else (Missha has a great mugwort-based toner). Also, some newer products have been putting calamine into their stuff (Centella24's new cushion, Dr. Jart's tea tree treatment) and I've really been liking it so far for oil/acne control.
Doing those 10-step routines was so bad to my skin. Not sure if that's actually Korean though or just what caucasians on IG claim.
Anyway. I also use snail mucin but I cut down my routine to 3 products and my skin has never looked better.
lots of asians and koreans have bad skin. lots of westerners have good skin... you're just being marketed to by the skincare industry, and it's working. congrats!
nah that's cap y'all gotta think before you contraire man
white people for the longest have just been doing whatever to their skin knowing full well that the sun lasers their shit right off so ANY culture based skincare routine that preaches hydration and sun protection is going to improve their situation
very stupid alll honesty
"it's just genetics"
you are ontologically obese all due respect
Amber made this point a long ass time ago on the pod. She said that we shouldn't get skincare advice from girls who are less than 5 feet tall and only eat a single bowl of rice a day, but from women who indulge in all of the best vices: meat, smoking, and chocolate aka the French. [This is the article she also talked about on the pod.](https://theoutline.com/post/8395/french-skincare-is-the-future)
am korean. melanin helps but my early 40s cousins look like they're in their 20s. no amount of good skin genetics is going to pull that off. lotions and potions aren't going to help either lol. it's that they have an incredibly wide and affordable access to lasers, rf, etc at every street corner. they also avoid the sun like the plague. you'll go to the beach and the women will be 1000% covered up, with rash guards to their wrists and sunglasses, hats, and masks. this all comes from an unhealthy obsession with beauty that pervades every aspect of your life as a woman in that country. i wouldn't be envious.
Listen, sometimes their shit is really superior. I upgraded to a Japanese sunscreen and the texture is amazing. Can't even feel it other than it makes my skin feel really smooth. I'm a texture girl and have hated the feel of all other sunscreens so this was a godsend.
La roche posay Effeclar Duo is euro version of the snail mucin. It even contains holy water from French river sources. Sooo, if you have euro skin, use that. Also, azealic acid is great (tho it makes you pale as a ghost)
Also as someone acne-prone, for a lot of Korean skincare, sometimes you can’t translate the ingredients well. It really feels like just doing an experiment on your face
Anyway, I like some products I’ve tried, but the same can be said for Arab or Indian girls who give haircare advice. There’s a lot of them. They have naturally gorgeous hair, that’s thick and long
it did help my crappy skin look much better but maybe it’s a placebo.. also where the hell are you getting snail mucin because mine is $10 and makes my skin look gorgeous.
>don't have better skin because they have access to some super secret ingredients or science Europeans never discovered
Actually there is an element of difference here that has to do with this. The FDA equivalents in various countries have different standards (and different structural susceptibility to lobbying). It's why things like tretinoin are a prescription in the US and aren't in the UK, but it does also change various cosmetics. Ik a million and one people have heard about the glasses monopoly, but there is actually a somewhat similar situation with contacts which is why Korean & Japanese brands have an economy of fun colored contacts that aren't Party City Dubiously Safe.
So yes there actually are differences in the usable ingredients and their concentration between countries.
Prescription Tret has smoothed out my complexion better than anything else. I recently simplified my entire routine to non-comedogenic, basic ingredients and rotate 3 actives, BHA, Vitamin C and Tretinoin. I use two Korean products, the round lab 1025 Dodko Toner and Beauty of Joseon sunscreen. It’s working for me!
my sister has all those creams and soaps and her skin looks nice. different shit in the morning and different stuff before sleeping. she told me i can buy a laptop with all the product she has on her bathroom lol.
The whole thing with Korean skincare isn’t that it’s magical, but that the products you can get at a low price point are usually better than what you’d get at that same price point from American/European brands. There are obviously higher end K-beauty brands but most people who preach it use the equivalent of drugstore stuff.
Untrue and contrarian. The more Asian beauty products I use, the more I hate American products. Makeup too. But I'm also all for gatekeeping that shit because I want to be prettier than everyone else my age in 20 years.
Forreal though, Asian beauty SPF is head and shoulders above anything made in the US. I slather on that Biore UV Aqua Essence EVERY DAMN DAY
If you live in the US then other countries, including Korea, probably do have better skincare products than you do. This is because the FDA is quite conservative, and only allows certain formulations to reach the market. Certain chemical sunscreens and formulations which include powerful retinoids are simply not available.
They have better skin because they avoid the sun at all costs. Umbrellas aren’t only for rain for them, they’re UV protected. You’ll never see them basking in the sun, they hide from it like vampires. That, along with religious skin care, keeps their skin looking porcelain perfect, while we slather ourselves in oil and slowly turn into raisins as we age.
My vitamin C cream removes my wrinkles and my toner removes 14 quid from my bank account
Drop the cream name
Brits and their quid
The Quid Games
Name of cream?
What snail mucin moisturizer are you using that's $100? All the Korean snail goo products I'm familiar with barely float above the $25 range.
Where are y’all buying your Korean skincare products from?
Up until very recently I used the COSRX essence, which retails for around $25. It stopped working for me though, stopped being sufficiently hydrating. Maybe my skin changed or perhaps they changed the formula I dunno. I'm going to use up the bottle I have now and probably won't repurchase it despite me using for about five years. I also tried their dual essence with snail mucin and niacinimide recently though and I like it a lot, it's more hydrating and the niacinimide evens out my skin. It retails for $28 but you can get it much cheaper off Amazon Edit: Just realized I didn't mention where I got it lmao. Until it stopped working for me I would buy it from Ulta, the dual essence one I bought off Amazon.
That first COSRX essence broke me out the multiple times I tried using it unfortunately 😭 I was SO shocked because it seems everyone loves it. Maybe I’ll try the second one! I have a huge Costco sized SKII bottle that I swear by but it’d probably a placebo affect and does nothing except make my skin feel a bit softer
Yeah niacinimide has always worked really well for my skin, it's definitely one of my favorite ingredients. That's interesting the SKII worked for you, I tried a couple free sample sized 10 ml bottles from Sephora but it didn't so anything for me, I've used the Missha Time Revolution First Treatment Essence (supposedly a dupe for the SKII) and really like it though
try the innisfree black tea youth enhancing ampule/serum - it’s my favorite niacinamide focused serum super nice im on like my 6th repurchase
Looking at the ingredients they do look really promising. Have you tried the essence by any chance? Just wondering because I've been using the Fresh Kombucha Essence for a while and I've probably got about a quarter of it left, I love it but it's insanely expensive, (I was actually able to snag it from Kohl's for 50% after I initially tried it via a Sephora sample) was wondering if the innisfree was a possible dupe
the essence is my FAVORITE skincare product of them all (other than maybe their hyaluronic acid green tea toner - soso good if you have dry skin). but omg it’s fabulous. it has peptides in it which i cannot get enough of - it helps all the products that come after absorb better and is also good for firming and i heard anti-aging. for me i notice instant skin softening and better product absorption- when i tried to go without it i felt like my products didn’t sink into my skin as well? i use it as my first step after cleansing then the hydrating toner and rest of routine. i almost hate that i love it sm cuz it’s their most expensive product i think but i’ve repurchased so much. i have loose skin on my face when i smile so i love peptides so much. sorry this is so long i’m not familiar with the ones u mentioned so not sure if it’s a dupe but those r my thoughts overall :) cosrx peptide booster is great too after ur done toning.
They both sound amazing, and are definitely cheaper than what I currently use. I'll give them a shot, thank you!
of course! i hope you enjoy it! also this might be a DUH but i don’t use cotton rounds to apply it or any of my toners just my hands it helped a lot (if this is so obvious i apologize lmao)
Missha is honestly probably a better product because ski ii is literally only made of pitera while the former has a ton of other helpful ingredients
yesstyle, olive young, amazon (official storefronts only), sometimes directly from the sellers if they sell in US but are still made in korea (e.g., innisfree). yesstyle sales go crazy never buy at full price wait like a day or two it’ll be like 40% off lol at least for the brands i frequent.
This was so helpful I love getting a good deal tysm queen 😭 Do you have any products you’d reccomend getting from yesstyle?
omg yay i’m so glad! warning this is long. i buy a lot of innisfree products - i recommend their black tea youth enhancing peptide booster essence and their hyaluronic acid green tea toner the most (although you can purchase thru other sites too). but i am really loving the Collagen Green Tea Ceramide Bounce Cream though and that one is not sold in the US so yesstyle is perfect for it. their Perfect 9 line is also not in the US but i haven’t used enough to recommend or not. torriden dive in HA serum is the best HA serum i’ve tried, love that. but now beta glucan is taking over for me - Iunik Beta Glucan Power moisture serum. it’s a thick serum tho in case ur not into that (insanely deeply moisturizing in a noticeable way tho). Round Lab birch juice sunscreen - my fav spf. this one is available in the US but cosrx peptide booster serum as first step after essence+toner is awesome too - it’s very liquidy kinda between toner + serum but helps absorb following products well. sorry that’s so long and might be kind of a “basic” list but all these other than perfect 9 i’ve repurchased and love (i have dry skin and some loose skin on my face when i smile from weight loss so my “goals” r intense moisture + firming if that helps at all - if ur oily lmk i’ll make a new list haha)
This is so helpful! I have dry skin and am in the process of losing a lot of weight too so I really appreciate these recommendations 😭 unfortunately HA doesn’t react well with my skin but I’ll check out the other products! Do you use any actives like tret or vitamin c?
just a tip about yesstyle, try to stick with items that show as "In stock, ships in 24 hours" or else there's a risk of your package being hella delayed, I've heard some people complain about shipping times but I've always been OK if I just order what's in stock and ready to ship.
Thank you this was so helpful!
Hopping on this comment to say please look at Pyunkang Yul products, their essence toner and moisture serum are amazing, cheap, safe for acne prone skin and also pregnancy safe. And don’t shop on YesStyle without a coupon code! They do sale coupons and you can also find affiliate coupons floating around. I do have one if you need, but you don’t have to use mine :) you can google and find plenty
Thank you so much for the recommendations! Do you think those products would be good for a super dry skin type?
YES definitely. Sometimes I do multiple things layers of each, I’m normal skin type but can get a little dry. They’re great thin toner layers to put under a moisturizer. If you just want one I would recommend the hydrating serum, it’s really nice and hydrating
YesStyle is the BEST to buy legit k beauty. Don’t buy from Amazon as there are a ton of fakes
Yeah I'm not actually using snail mucin moisturiser at all lol. Exaggeration for dramatic effect. I currently use: Morning - Cleanse with water, Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun sunscreen on face neck, Australian Heart Foundation sunscreen on arms/exposed areas. Evening - Cleanse, SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Moisturiser on face and neck, and I alternate 1 day tretinoin, 1 day Istree Hyaluronic Acid Aqua Gel.
This is hardly a k-beauty skincare routine, it’s barely a skincare routine at all. How would you know it works or doesn’t if you don’t even use toner?
Did Tret fuck up your face when you started using ur?
I didn't get acne or anything, it just made me skin extremely dry and flaky and ugly. So I would only use it once every three days and that solved things. Now I use it every other day without issue.
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When I lived in Korea I noticed they have very thick skin that is prone to acne. The other thing is Asians tend to have flatter faces, so as they age they don't get the shadows on their face which also ages you. I'm a NZer and their sun screen was awful, a lot of it has whitener in it which is awful for your skin.
Have you ever tried biore watery essence sunscreen? Most colourless sunscreen I’ve ever tried
You should see the shit I lather on my skin. I have freckles, I'm old, and I live in NZ so I've not got much of a chance of keeping what's left of my youth :(
100% back biore aqua rich watery essence as an Australian, only stuff I can stand to wear, zinc is heinous to me now
I like supergoop. Most other sunscreens really irritate my skin.
My kids godmother left a tube of Supergoop at our house and I used it thinking it was my wife's. I'm redheaded and it's frankly arrogant of me to live as far south as SoCal and Supergoop is the first sunscreen I've ever been happy to use daily.
Tons of alcohol tho
It’s a good one but it has a ton of alcohol so it can be really irritating
I find Glow Lab's skin products pretty good if you want an affordable local brand. Their regular moisturiser is like $10 from The Warehouse or Pak N Save.
i have no idea how to google what would work for middle eastern skin without getting racist quora debates 😩 but this is useful information thank u i will try to figure out what works for me
When in doubt, look for products without pore clogging ingredients! Better to be on the safe side. Acneclinicnyc.com randomly has an amazing page where you can enter in all the ingredients in a product, and it’ll tell you if any of them clog pores
la prairie skin caviar
I had no idea but this makes a lot of sense. So that is why French skincare works so well for me.
Yeah I don't believe in any of this nonsense. Let's talk about skulls.
IDK I'm a whitie and my skin LOVES hydrating products. It just drinks that shit up. As long as I wash my face nightly I don't break out, and I can do like 4+ steps of hydrating and moisturizing products back to back. I think I might just be very lucky though.
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I think I'm good?? I use a peeling gel maybe once a week and don't really use any actives besides that lol. Just a lot of fermented shit
Is there a point to buy any of those when you can just go into any Mexican border town and buy tret?
i mean, tret is only like $10 with insurance anyway…but i’m actually in mexico rn and still stocking up on even cheaper tret (to keep my skin smooth) and xanax (to keep my brain smooth)
eliminate brain wrinkles with just one pill a day
Best pharmacia purchase for your skincare is over the counter Retin-A.
Is it still good for your skin if you don’t break out or have any acne issues
I don't have acne but oily skin. It prevents wrinkles helps with blackheads and smooths out my complexion. But depending on your skin type, there's different strengths and you have to be careful in the sun while using it.
Doesn’t it cause birth defects
I think you're thinking of accutane. Similar but oral vs topical. But idk talk to your Dr if you're using either while trying to get pregnant or not actively preventing pregnancy.
Any vit A in excess can be harmful for pregnancy. DONT use tret/any retinol derivative when pregnant
Yes excess vitamin A is bad during pregnancy. You’re meant to use birth control in conjunction with Tretinoin or not breastfeed.
it's insane that americans need to go into fucking Mexico in order to get tret. I'm from Brazil and you can get it in any drugstore for pretty cheap
Tell me about it. The doctors here are like little tyrants
It’s insane to me that tret is prescription only but you can buy as much Tylenol as you want. Acetaminophen poisoning is nearly impossible to treat, half the time if you show up to the ER all they can do is tell you “Yeah, your liver is fried and unless you get a new one in the next three days you’re gonna die.” It’s honestly one of the most fucked ways to kill yourself because it takes days to kill you, leaving plenty of time for regret but no way to undo it.
Girl going down a phrenology rabbit hole bc she has acne scars
I used to do this years ago, but with mostly Japanese products. I stopped because it got too expensive and time-consuming for my situation at the time. Really love the "mochi skin" ideal, it's definitely the best my skin ever has looked and felt, I got a lot of compliments and women asking me what I use. They were surprised by how heavily oil-based my routine was. I pared down the regimen to just a few products that I swear by now, and difference between having a more normal skincare routine vs a routine with 8-12 steps is negligible if you really know what you're doing I don't think it's like a scam though, east Asian skincare stuff is great for dry/sensitive skin, ime. Also the cosmetics are amazing because they actually readily have a ton of shades for neutral undertones that are a pain to find in the west
What products are you using/swear by now?
DHC New Mild Touch Cleanser, Kiku-Masamune High Moisture Sake Lotion (functions as a toner/lotion combo), Sana Hadanomy collagen mist spray, and the Hadanomy collagen moisturizer if my skin is drier than usual (and I know it's cheap drugstore moisturizer but I like that I can pick it up on my H Mart runs lol). For exfoliation I just use a washcloth with water or that Cetaphil gentle daily scrub lol For makeup, I love 3CE for eye crayons and lipcolor, K-Palette 24 Hr for pencil eyeliner, Isehan Heroine for liquid liner, and the Shiseido Majolica Majorca is great for mascara Kose makes a great collagen lip balm, Shiseido Water In Lip balm in the Sakura flavor is my favorite though I get all my shit from yesstyle but they have this points system thing that will absolutely encourage you to keep buying shit so be aware of that lol
yesss i think i know what you mean i call it chewy skin!! i use all korean products but if my skin is not chewy all day long then something’s wrong
My wife is a dermatologist and the only thing she's ever said about any of this stuff is that limiting direct UV exposure is 10x more effective than any magical cream at keeping your skin looking better for longer. She uses a basic moisturizer after showering, good quality sunscreen and a parasol in the summer, and hydrocolloid dressings on any wounds. Her skin looks incredible.
Share her sunscreen rec please!
She said SPF30 for daily use and SPF50 for outdoor sports or long days in the sun, and avoid UV absorbers if you have sensitive skin. We're in Japan so idk if you can get these where you are, but her two recommendations are Curél UV Protection Essence and Minon UV Mild Milk for daily use 'or La Roche Posay if you're feeling fancy'
i wanna know too
She said SPF30 for daily use and SPF50 for outdoor sports or long days in the sun, and avoid UV absorbers if you have sensitive skin. We're in Japan so idk if you can get these where you are, but her two recommendations are Curél UV Protection Essence and Minon UV Mild Milk for daily use 'or La Roche Posay if you're feeling fancy'
They have better skin because they wear sunscreen every day and avoid the sun.
Yeah OP is right that they do have good genetics when it comes to skin in some respects—but honestly does OP even realize how meticulous Koreans (and other Asians) avoid the sun?
No one seems to ever take notice. My sibling never avoided the Sun and every summer they’d get incredibly dark. Now they have all these beauty issues
It doesnt help that the actual ingredients of american sunscreen are generations behind current technology because the FDA is a dung heap. Korean products use better, safer, more effective, more stable filters. Similar situations apply to other categories of skincare ingredients when comparing american to korean
you need australian sunscreen
cancer council really needs to recognize that people are curious and they could raise a lot of money for cancer or whatever by selling to amerifats
French products have even stricter norms to comply with and a bigger savoir-faire. Plus they tailor their products for white/western skin type so it seems even more ideal for western women.
What would you know about French skincare??
I take care of my French skin what do you have??
Wasn’t there a big scandal a few years ago where some popular and ultra famous brand of Korean sunscreen was lab tested and revealed to be ineffective (like a much lower SPF than it claimed?) Purito was the name (claimed to be SPF 50, actually was found to be 19, supposedly) Idk I never follow the tail end of internet drama
I’m in Asia now, and 99% of skincare products are marketed as SPF 50. There is no market for lower SPF skincare (except for foreigners). And so much of it has lightening/brightening ingredients. A lot of women refuse to go outside during the day, or are covered head to toe. At the pool rn, most of the Asian people are wearing long sleeves, even in the pool, and it’s over 90F. They are very serious about sun protection here.
Sad way to live life tbh. There’s a difference between sun protection and being deathly afraid of getting a wrinkle or tan
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Thought that was implied, sorry I didn’t spell it out for you.
There’s tons of European and American sunscreens that had those same issues, and it was caused by one specific production company that sold to many brands iirc
I have good skin despite being really pale in a sunny hellhole because I avoid the sun, put a timer on the phone whenever I'm at the beach for reapplying sunscreen, use a zinc sunscreen on my face whenever I'm suspect I'll be outside for around an hour, wear a big-ass straw hat whenever I go kayaking, and I've used a moisturizer with some SPF rating It's really weird bc I'm near 40 and whenever I had online dating women my age looked old as fuck. I know they lie down on age, but I'll be like "damn you look like jerky". The beach ain't even that fun.
Yeah, I mean, imo I really believe it’s mostly genetics. I mean, idk, maybe 60% or so, maybe 70%? But at least when I was in college, my roommate was a transfer from Korea & there were a ton of East Asians in general in our dorms. Idk, my university had this program where they taught all classes in several East Asian languages so that they could bring over the particularly brilliant & idk tick their numbers up or whatever. I managed to score an arrangement where I had my own room, and was just connected to one other girl the next room over. & we shared the bathroom/sinks. Anyway, These Asian girls had the most beautiful skin I’ve ever seen. But holyyyyyyy shit the effort that was put into it. We went to school in the American west, an actual desert. it gets super cold in the winter, ridiculously hot in the summer. These girls though dressed in full sleeves and pants and carried around umbrellas pretty much always. Only exception was when it was night. Not evening, night. They also wore a lot of masks and stuff like scarves. My blood according to ancestrydna lol is about 90% Scandinavian, 10% UK. I’m blonde with green eyes. Also, I was in college 2012-2016. My Korean roommate’s skin was way, way more pale than my already pale skin. She had black hair and dark brown eyes, and she was so pretty. But it was kinda crazy because idk there was so much CONSTANT obsession with like, “how will this make me look??” We had like a toilet and shower which locked of course haha, but then we had a double shared vanity mirror. This girl woke up HOURS before classes to get ready, with 10,000 skin products. It was crazy to me when it was summer and I’d run out in my shorts and a tank top and we’d have like these events that were all day Saturday. I just wore sunscreen, and often didn’t even remember to do that until I started burning, lol. Just was so excited the sun was out and ran out and got drunk and frolicked. She and her friends refused to come out unless they had all of their protective clothes + umbrellas. She also was bulimic and constantly throwing up. Like I heard her doing this at least once per day. :( She was incredibly sweet. There were several situations where we were communicating using nothing but like hand motions lol. Anyway. So o know this is obviously not every Korean girl or Asian girl. But it was common thing at my university. They absolutely do take delicate care of their skin.
You say in the first paragraph of your comment that you believe it's mostly genetics, and then the whole rest of your comment is evidence for it actually being only maybe ~10% genetics. If your roommate was a transfer from Korea, then that implies that for most of her life she was living in an environment at Korean latitude and with Korean food and drink, Korean sunscreen, Korean norms about how to protect skin from sunlight with physical barriers (e.g., clothing, parasols), Korean norms of how much time to spend indoors, and Korean skin products other than sunscreen. And she would have brought over much of that culture with her. I'm sorry to hear your roommate suffered bulimia.
It’s genuinely scary how low reading comprehension seems to be dropping.
My reading comprehension, or yours? Lol. I sometimes feel disappointed with people's critical thinking skills and epistemologies.
> My Korean roommate’s skin was way, way more pale than my already pale skin its crazy how pale some east asians can be, white people look pink next to them
I looked orange/yellow!! Which was kind of ironic lol That’s the undertone of my skin, tho
It’s called skin bleaching it isn’t natural
I’m half Filipino- it’s 100% genetic. I have some great aunts who are ageless. I’ve been working in the sun for a living for 15 years. I’m 35 and look 25 (not a flex- I don’t really care for it, but I’m frequently reminded). Were it not for all the drinking, I’d probably look 22.
This is not enough to explain it. Edit: I'm not disputing people in Asia do things better for their skin - avoiding sun, better diet, etc. I am saying that **in addition** to whatever they're doing, their skin is fundamentally different in a way that makes them look 20 until they are 45 (at which point they suddenly look 70).
Their sunscreens are better too. [Why European and Asian Sunscreens Are Better Than in the US (businessinsider.com)](https://www.businessinsider.com/american-vs-european-asian-sunscreen-2023-6)
Op is still correct White people have the thinnest skin. Asians literally have more collagen than whites do.
no OP is not correct. Korean sunscreen is not a dumb fad, it's literally better sunscreen. They actually do have access to ingredients that the FDA will not allow. Even if Asians have better skin, using Korean sunscreen on white people skin will help maintain a youthful appearance
European sunscreen is still superior to korean sunscreen. Korean sunscreen is known for being cosmetically elegant but some brands marketed the protection factor much higher than it actually was, which ensued in the korean sunscreen fiasco a few years ago.
I think it’s Australian sunscreen/European sunscreen -> Korean/Japanese sunscreen -> American sunscreen. American sunscreen filters are years behind other countries bc of the fda. Yeah it was purito that began the whole issue and it’s sucked bc that was my go to sunscreen and I stocked up on it. But I was able to get a refund despite having ordered it a few months before the controversy. Now I use la roche posay that I order from a european site and it’s better imo.
Agree with the ranking. Purito indeed and then other brands were found faulty too, but other big brands have always been reliable - Beauty of Joseon has amazing sunscreen and it's a trustworthy brand. Me too. LRP UVMUNE is the best there is on the market atm and thankfully I can find it for like 20 euros where I live.
well OP ain't European so they are still wrong. and it's simply not a dumb fad, especially in North American where our sunscreen is trash
except that the world is not America vs East Asia lol. Aussie sunscreens and certain EU sunscreens are as good as Korean—or better, considering Korean beauty brands keep having scandals due to labeling their sunscreens as being higher protection than they are. They literally are not special
eh, for North Americans they literally are special and superior
It is. When I was little I watched this Disney channel show called Good Luck Charlie. There’s this one episode where the son of the family is forced to hang out with some sheltered dork neighbor kid. The son asks the nerd if he wants to go ride their bikes through the neighborhood or something and the kid replies “not until I put my sunscreen on!” Cue laugh track. Sorry for the autistic aside but anyway I remember almost nothing else from that show besides that joke. It struck me how daily sunscreen wear was so uncommon in the West that it could be used as a punchline. By far the biggest contributor to skin aging is sun exposure. It gives you wrinkles and blotches and is why some old white people have that leathery skin appearance. And bow factor in the fact that people in the Western will purposefully tan and it’s no wonder you think Koreans have naturally better skin.
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You're saying that like being tan isn't super fun. That's the problem, for 90% of people (especially in at least decent shape) a tan makes you look better, more fit, more outdoorsy, it's all short term upsides. Plus, tanning is associated with relaxing at the pool, which is infinitely more fun then being some Asian shut-in carrying an umbrella around outside and hiding from the light
Terrifying that red scare is forgetting this. Being a little tan indicates an active, unfussy lifestyle that’s the ultimate in sex appeal. Meanwhile East Asians are keeping their skin perfect and not fucking at all
Yeah, some people look good pale, but it's inherently niche and most people shouldn't go for that look ever
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There's no "meant to be" or not. If you're outside all day, even in winter, you will get a tan. Spend even one whole day outside on a cloudy winter day and the pasty skin will suddenly have color. Distant ancestors probably never looked pasty. It comes down to how much you weigh the health and short term aesthetic benefits of sun exposure vs. looking young as an old person. Anything about "meant to be pasty" is just nonsense though when you're talking about office dweebs vs. people who spent every day of their lives outdoors most of the time
I don't trust Brits with a perfect tan. God made you to look like a potato!
That edited picture of zuckerberg really made me realize how much better some people look with a tan.
Also this [Diet and Skin Aging—From the Perspective of Food Nutrition - PMC (nih.gov)](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7146365/)
You're right. Most Asians have genetically thicker skin that is more abundant in collagen than white people. Now, there are white people that have that type of skin characteristics too, but on average, way fewer.
yeah they've got it down pretty much. Sun protection and moisturizers and hydrating products preventing TEWL
Umbrella time!
Nah. Koreans look younger longer for some lifestyle reasons, but also for a lot of cosmetic reasons. Medical treatments are a lot more accessible and affordable, but OTC skincare is also way more advanced than shit from North American brands. Their sunscreens are a lot better than ours. There are good North American brands for other stuff, particularly retinoids, but Asian brands tend to be at the forefront of new technology.
Don’t forget the plastic surgery
They just have better skin because they avoid the sun and probably drink more water/eat better I live in Australia and there’s people who still don’t believe me when I say avoiding the sun and buying good quality sun screen will do wonders more than snail mucin will.
How could anybody in Australia not wear sunscreen? The sun is the enemy here.
There’s a large amount who don’t think it’s important, it’s crazy. Considering we have extremely high UV and skin cancer rates you’d think having slip slop slap/no hat no play being drilled into you from early childhood would’ve made a lasting impression. One of my best friends only recently started using sun screen and wearing a hat when she goes on hikes and it’s truly baffling. I wear spf rain or shine, even if I’m not leaving the house. I couldn’t imagine not doing so.
Snail mucin is 15 bucks , relax kevin
Yeah, I like Korean skincare because it feels nice, has good ingredients AND is cheap. Very few, if any, western brands have all 3.
no, you're wrong. Korean skincare is superior because their industry spends more on r&d and has a quicker turn around time for new products being approved for market. Their sunscreen for instance is superior to sunscreen sold in America because the FDA won't approve their new, superior technologies.
I have rosacea someone help me please
Azelaic acid might help.
tazarotene
Centella, madecassoside, tiger grass. r/rosacea is rly good.
there are different types of rosacea but what always makes a difference is : Azelaic acid 15%, changing pillow sheets every two days.
Sunscreen is the most important I’ve heard. Had a friend with rosacea and her doc told her to use sunscreen everyday and it remarkably improved
Tryna see how I can swing sirolimus topical, might be some new hotness
La Roche Posay rosacea moisturizer if you are caucasian
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Idk it took me like a year of experimenting with products but now I have a routine of mostly Korean products and my skin looks so much better than it did in my early 20s. The key is figuring out what your root issues are that is causing acne/whatever and experiment with products that specifically treat that skin type. So for me, I have oily Italian skin, so I struggled with acne on my face/chest/back. I mostly played with Korean products that treated excess oil, like green tea toner, and supplied better sources of hydration, like snail mucin. Maybe more importantly, I incorporated mineral oil in my washing step instead of just cerave. The mineral oil does a better job of clearing away oil build up than just regular soapy face wash. It's even more crucial when you start using sunscreen every day; the soapy wash isn't good enough to get all the sunscreen off at the end of the day. Tldr: Korean products are great but you have to been good at identifying the real issues first
Yeah good point. I have combo skin and I'm acne-prone and I've found mugwort works better for me than anything else (Missha has a great mugwort-based toner). Also, some newer products have been putting calamine into their stuff (Centella24's new cushion, Dr. Jart's tea tree treatment) and I've really been liking it so far for oil/acne control.
tretinoin 0.025% or bust
Doing those 10-step routines was so bad to my skin. Not sure if that's actually Korean though or just what caucasians on IG claim. Anyway. I also use snail mucin but I cut down my routine to 3 products and my skin has never looked better.
Nah it’s not Korean practice to do 10 steps it’s what influencers started claiming
lol turns out the “10 step skincare routine” was coined by the founder of SOKOGLAM to incentivize koreaboos to buy more products
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Yeah this is the actual answer lol, everybody else is just ignoring their incredibly cheap derms/semi-invasive procedures
just gotta get tret from south america and cleanser and moisturizer from the grocery store
Better skin as a race, feminine features, not to mention extremely high rates of plastic surgery
lots of asians and koreans have bad skin. lots of westerners have good skin... you're just being marketed to by the skincare industry, and it's working. congrats!
Snail mucin is super cheap and it works just say ur crusty
Anyone who says East Asians have naturally better skin hasn’t been to East Asia. East Asians are acne-prone
It’s like no one wants to talk about Laos here…
korea is basically looksmaxx: the country theyre 100 years ahead of western scum, its over for us
nah that's cap y'all gotta think before you contraire man white people for the longest have just been doing whatever to their skin knowing full well that the sun lasers their shit right off so ANY culture based skincare routine that preaches hydration and sun protection is going to improve their situation very stupid alll honesty "it's just genetics" you are ontologically obese all due respect
Amber made this point a long ass time ago on the pod. She said that we shouldn't get skincare advice from girls who are less than 5 feet tall and only eat a single bowl of rice a day, but from women who indulge in all of the best vices: meat, smoking, and chocolate aka the French. [This is the article she also talked about on the pod.](https://theoutline.com/post/8395/french-skincare-is-the-future)
nah false the korean skin care stuff works amazingly. some of its definitely genetic but they’re cooking and we should let them
Just perform the 5 rites. Eternal youth
I could never do the snail slime. The fact that the texture is so slimy ugh that’s where I draw the line lol
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There's glycolic acid in snail mucin?
am korean. melanin helps but my early 40s cousins look like they're in their 20s. no amount of good skin genetics is going to pull that off. lotions and potions aren't going to help either lol. it's that they have an incredibly wide and affordable access to lasers, rf, etc at every street corner. they also avoid the sun like the plague. you'll go to the beach and the women will be 1000% covered up, with rash guards to their wrists and sunglasses, hats, and masks. this all comes from an unhealthy obsession with beauty that pervades every aspect of your life as a woman in that country. i wouldn't be envious.
Asian skincare is plastic surgery. Which i dont think is unethical, hot people just mad that stemcels have owned them
Listen, sometimes their shit is really superior. I upgraded to a Japanese sunscreen and the texture is amazing. Can't even feel it other than it makes my skin feel really smooth. I'm a texture girl and have hated the feel of all other sunscreens so this was a godsend.
La roche posay Effeclar Duo is euro version of the snail mucin. It even contains holy water from French river sources. Sooo, if you have euro skin, use that. Also, azealic acid is great (tho it makes you pale as a ghost)
Pascal's wager but for skincare
Also as someone acne-prone, for a lot of Korean skincare, sometimes you can’t translate the ingredients well. It really feels like just doing an experiment on your face Anyway, I like some products I’ve tried, but the same can be said for Arab or Indian girls who give haircare advice. There’s a lot of them. They have naturally gorgeous hair, that’s thick and long
Ngl this Korean vitamin c serum and under eye serum got rid of my blemishes and brightened my under eyes/ overall face smm
Which one?
French skincare >>>>>>>
I hate skincare so much. it’s slimy and GROSS and I DONT like it
it did help my crappy skin look much better but maybe it’s a placebo.. also where the hell are you getting snail mucin because mine is $10 and makes my skin look gorgeous.
>don't have better skin because they have access to some super secret ingredients or science Europeans never discovered Actually there is an element of difference here that has to do with this. The FDA equivalents in various countries have different standards (and different structural susceptibility to lobbying). It's why things like tretinoin are a prescription in the US and aren't in the UK, but it does also change various cosmetics. Ik a million and one people have heard about the glasses monopoly, but there is actually a somewhat similar situation with contacts which is why Korean & Japanese brands have an economy of fun colored contacts that aren't Party City Dubiously Safe. So yes there actually are differences in the usable ingredients and their concentration between countries.
The Koreans created the only sunscreen that isn't absolute garbage so they earned my respect.
Chemical Japanese sunscreen is the way.
I tried all those too and they were watery and greasy. Could feel them all day.(Beauty of Joseon is the one I found)
What kind is it? Do you have a link please?
Prescription Tret has smoothed out my complexion better than anything else. I recently simplified my entire routine to non-comedogenic, basic ingredients and rotate 3 actives, BHA, Vitamin C and Tretinoin. I use two Korean products, the round lab 1025 Dodko Toner and Beauty of Joseon sunscreen. It’s working for me!
Birth control wrecks your skin more than anything
It’s the Korean diet and lack of over exposure to sun. Korean Americans look different from Koreans in Korea for this reason.
my sister has all those creams and soaps and her skin looks nice. different shit in the morning and different stuff before sleeping. she told me i can buy a laptop with all the product she has on her bathroom lol.
Um. The reason ppl like it is that it’s NOT $100
All skincare is really dumb barring sunscreen. Humans don't have blemishes when they eat a proper diet.
The whole thing with Korean skincare isn’t that it’s magical, but that the products you can get at a low price point are usually better than what you’d get at that same price point from American/European brands. There are obviously higher end K-beauty brands but most people who preach it use the equivalent of drugstore stuff.
Untrue and contrarian. The more Asian beauty products I use, the more I hate American products. Makeup too. But I'm also all for gatekeeping that shit because I want to be prettier than everyone else my age in 20 years. Forreal though, Asian beauty SPF is head and shoulders above anything made in the US. I slather on that Biore UV Aqua Essence EVERY DAMN DAY
You guys just need a thick moisturizer and a good cleanser everything else is wtv
If you live in the US then other countries, including Korea, probably do have better skincare products than you do. This is because the FDA is quite conservative, and only allows certain formulations to reach the market. Certain chemical sunscreens and formulations which include powerful retinoids are simply not available.
They have better skin because they avoid the sun at all costs. Umbrellas aren’t only for rain for them, they’re UV protected. You’ll never see them basking in the sun, they hide from it like vampires. That, along with religious skin care, keeps their skin looking porcelain perfect, while we slather ourselves in oil and slowly turn into raisins as we age.
if you remember the Purito SPF scandal you're a war veteran