Words: Sonia Pham

The Korean skincare regime is the latest craze in the beauty world and is celebrated by those in the know for its revolutionary effects.

But it’s not just the products themselves: Where the Korean skincare routine really makes a difference is in the sheer number of steps and potions you use twice a day. (It’s six MINIMUM.)

For those of us who can barely make it through cleanser, toner and moisturiser, suddenly doubling (or even tripling!) the number of products to use in the mornings and evenings can be a fairly daunting prospect. I’ve been trying it out for almost a year, and this is what I’ve learnt.

What To Get

First things first: There’s the small issue of a language barrier. Choosing the perfect products isn’t as easy as talking to an overly made-up woman in your favourite department store – these products are of course mostly sold in South Korea.

I spent hours scouring beauty blogs around the world for information that was in English and actually relevant to my skin type. Luckily, there are some dedicated beauty bloggers out there who’ve made it their mission to act as a guide on the world of Korean skincare. My favourite is skinandtonics.com for detailed reviews and advice.

When it comes to actually buying the products, I relied on W2beauty.com, which offers an excellent range and free international delivery. And, depending on how much you order, they’ll throw in freebies and loads of samples too!

It Costs More (Or Does It?)

Before starting this routine, I would normally spend around £40 for a moisturiser and £20 on a face wash. I would normally get a facial every six months or so at about £50 a time.

The Korean skincare products are a lot cheaper per product, ranging from £8 to £30. However, there are more of them, so I’m spending more on products that I use on a day to day basis at home. But, I’m no longer getting facials as I really don’t need to.

So, it costs a little more than before – but, I get that ‘treat’ feeling of a facial every day, rather than a couple of times a year. For me, having skin I’m confident about really is worth it.

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It Doesn’t Take THAT Long

My morning routine takes in eight products: a foam cleanser, moisturising toner, acid lotion, serum, essence, facial oil, moisturiser and suncream. To make the most out of each product, they should be absorbed into your skin first before layering on the next (usually about a minute).

For me, this takes 15 to 20 minutes in total for all eight products. But it’s not all wasted time: I use the absorption time in between blow drying my hair, choosing what to wear, or – more usually – having a cup of tea.

What Each Product Actually Does

Firstly, the cleanser is a mild soap to clean my skin in the mornings without completely stripping it dry. It get rids of that night-time build-up of oils and sweat that everyone gets.

Next, the moisturising toner helps balance my skin. Unlike standard toners, which are alcohol based and make your skin even drier, Korean toners don’t contain alcohol so are gentler on your skin. This helps with prepping my skin for the next steps.

Like a lot of women, as I’ve got older I’ve noticed that my skin isn’t quite as clear as I’d assumed it would be after the teenage phase, and while I’m lucky enough not to have full on adult acne, spots and blemishes do appear on my skin. My acid lotion – which is actually from the US and by a brand called Paula’s Choice – sorts this out. It has some active ingredients which work to gently soothe and reduce oiliness and spots. In fact, it’s worked so well that I now only use this once or twice a week.

Still with me? We’re only halfway there.

Serums, Oils And Essences (Oh My)

I add my trusty serum after this. Serums are starting to make waves in the UK’s beauty circles as they’re lightweight moisturisers that pinpoint precise issues in your skin. For me, approaching thirty has meant that I want to make sure my skin stays glowy and unlined as long as possible. My serum contains bee pollen and snail slime, which is meant to keep your skin plump and soft. Yes, it’s a bit gross – but weirdly, it works.

Afterwards comes the essence. The essence has a water-like consistency and adds moisture, hydration and brightening effects to my skin. As with all my products, I use my fingers to dab this onto my skin – as long as you’ve got clean hands, there’s no need to use cotton pads which will just absorb everything!

After this, I use a facial oil. Mine is a passion fruit facial oil (which unfortunately doesn’t smell like passion fruit) and I use a couple of drops just to add a bit more moisture to my skin. Despite using this, my skin feels less oily during the day – adding oils into your skin means that it doesn’t need to overproduce sebum on its own, so you’re less likely to get clogged up pores that lead to breakouts and blemishes.

Finally, I use a chia seed moisturiser and suncream. The moisturiser is another way of making sure my skin stays matte through the day. The chia seeds absorb more than twice their weight in liquid, making them really effective for use in moisturisers for oily skin. And the suncream is because we all know that it’s really important to protect your skin from the sun – my facial suncream is a whopping SPF 50+.

In the evenings, the routine is more or less the same, apart from the suncream. I also use an oil cleanser to dissolve my make-up before starting. This works especially well for eye make-up and means you’re not scrubbing your eyes off every night.

Full disclosure: I’m unlikely to bother with this in the evenings if I’m tired or have got in late after a night out. Bed is far too tempting.

It works!



So is it worth the time and effort? For me, yes: The hype is well-deserved. My skin is soft and glowy, breakouts are minimal, and it feels a lot more matte to the touch in the day.

This seems to be because Korean skincare products have better, more natural and innovative ingredients – bee pollen is a fave of Kate Middleton, so expect to see it in more mainstream beauty lines soon.

Of course, this improvement may be due to actually cleaning and moisturising my skin properly. And doing all of these extra steps can be quite relaxing, especially in the evening as I’m going to bed.

What do you think about the Korean skincare regime? Way too much effort or worth a shot? Let me know!

