Lotions are a K-beauty phenomena, too. The first time I heard about lotion was from JiWoo and Somin, members of K-pop group KARD, when they visited Allure's offices. They told me they pat it on after washing their faces and before applying traditional moisturizer to help hydrate their crystal-clear skin. The Cosrx Oil-Free Ultra Moisturizing Lotion and the SMD Cosmetics Inhyunjin Emulsion are great options.

Charlotte Cho, aesthetician and cofounder of Soko Glam, also put patting and lotions on my radar. She learned about the skin-care application technique while living in Seoul. "In Korea, skin care is a lifestyle," Cho tells Allure. "Not only does what you put on your skin matter but also treating it gingerly and delicately was an essential part of the ritual."

What are the benefits?

Patting is generally gentler than rubbing in skin-care products because you minimize the chances of pulling or dragging on the skin, Alisa Kerr, another Tokyo-based Japanese beauty expert, tells Allure. "On one occasion, a Japanese skin therapist reprimanded me when she saw me apply a moisturizer with what I thought was a gently sweeping motion like a regular Western technique," she recounts. "She explained that using the patting technique was not only less damaging on the skin structure, but it also increased the absorption and effectiveness of the ingredients as well as stimulated the blood flow, giving a nice glow to the skin." Cho echoes these sentiments adding, patting "helps your products absorb quickly."

From a dermatologist's point of view, most of this thinking checks out. Shari Marchbein, a New York City-based dermatologist and clinical assistant professor of dermatology at New York University School of Medicine, says gently patting skin uses less force, so you're not as likely to inflict trauma on your skin. Patting won't necessarily make your skin products absorb into your skin better, though. "There is no specific scientific data that supports patting products on helps them penetrate better," Marchbein adds. Instead, she says skin-care products with potent ingredients will sink into your skin no matter how you apply them.

It creates a relaxing ritual of skin-care application that becomes quite meditative and second-nature.

Regardless of medical evidence, Kerr believes patting also has a calming effect. "I am completely hooked," she says. "I find that it minimizes redness immediately after application on my sensitive skin and speeds up the absorption time. But most of all, it's really relaxing. It creates a relaxing ritual of skin-care application that becomes quite meditative and second-nature. Patting definitely prompts me to take a deep breath and relax during my morning and nighttime routine, which I love."

How does one pat?

Depending on who you ask, you're going to learn about a different patting technique. Some, like Cho, tap their hands in quick motions as they pat in their skin-care products. Others, like Nicole, press them in with slow, palm-heavy motions.