We love K-beauty, we really do. But this year, J-beauty is giving it a run for its money.

As a whole, J-beauty—short for Japanese beauty —is a little more user-friendly than its Korean counterpart . "K-beauty is all about the razzmatazz—Instagrammable products and routines, extremes like 10-step regimes, glass skin… All with cute and clever packaging, backed up by serious formulations," BeautyMart co-founder Anna-Marie Solowij explained to Vogue UK . "In contrast, the Japanese approach to beauty is more about tradition, a quiet seriousness, understated luxury and played down presentation reinforced by a long heritage in beauty."

Usually, J-beauty products are much simpler than those found in Korea. "Japanese beauty products are focused on the safety and results," Japanese beauty blogger Nicole from Beauty Tea Time in Tokyo tells ELLE. "Often, they are not as ground-breaking as Korean products."

K-beauty is popular for its first-to-market products. For the right person, these formulas can be life-changing—or at the very least, skin-changing. But if you have sensitive skin, you may want to try the much simpler back-to-basics approach of J-beauty instead. "I break out 90 per cent of the time when I use a Korean product," Nicole says.