Yes you read that right, a 10 step skin care routine. What is it, and why do I need to consider it? Who has that amount of time to devote to their skin day and night.

Ever wonder why Koreans have such youthful, healthy, glowing skin? One of the reasons is this routine. They usually start taking very good care of their skin from an early age. They’re also pretty serious about sun protection! So why should you consider Korean skin care over North American? Let me preface by saying that there are some pretty amazing skin care products on the North American market, and they just keep getting better and better. However, a lot of those products come a pretty high price point that not everyone can afford. There are a lot of expensive skin care products in Korea, however because they are so serious about their skin, there are a lot more brands, there is a lot more competition for “road house” brands to create amazing, effective products at a reasonable price. The other major difference? Korean skin care products are a lot gentler than their North American counterparts. People of Asian descent, typically have a much thinner skin barrier than the rest of us, and therefore can’t handle as harsh of products. The other thing to consider is that Korean skin care products have a lot of naturally sourced, and sometimes fermented ingredients. Notice I didn’t use the word organic. Not many products are truly natural, but a lot of brands focus on adding the highest amounts of effective products, and only additives and preservatives that are needed, and you don’t have to necessarily pay a high price point to have access to this. Translation: more natural, effective and cost friendly products. Does this exist in North American products? Certainly in terms of more natural ingredients and effective ingredients. However, the the price point is usually higher on these items.

Have I kept your attention so far? Let me answer the time question. Not all 10 steps in this routine need to be done every time you wash your face. Exfoliation and sheet masks only need to be used a few times a week. It also depends on how much product your skin can handle, especially in the summer time or if you have oily skin prone to breakouts. Depending how many steps you need to, or choose to complete, the total time is usually 10-15 minutes, and you generally don’t need to wait a lifetime between applying products, if you have picked the appropriate ones for your skin type. If you would like a further breakdown, keep on reading below!

Cleansing: A must! The Korean routine generally uses two to three products in this step. This is known as a double cleanse. Using an oil based cleanser to remove makeup, sunscreen, debris (sebum, dirt, etc) from pores. Secondly using a water based, foaming cleanser to remove any residue and to clean your skin and inside of your pores. Is this necessary every time you wash your face? Unless you are going to bed with makeup or sunscreen on your skin, then the answer is no. When you wake up in the morning, a gentle foaming cleanser should be enough to clean your skin. But wait! There’s more. There’s also makeup wipes and cleansing water if you want. I personally never use cleansing wipes, because I rarely ever wear makeup, especially on the eyes (hello super convenient lash extensions and microblading). However I do possess a cleansing water. This comes in handy when I have a topical acne treatment on an active breakout, and I need to get rid of it before going to yoga or spin, or if extreme laziness takes over.

There is further discussion about using skin balanced vs low pH cleanser, but I’ll leave that for another post.

Exfoliation: This is one of the steps that isn’t necessary every time you wash your face. Over exfoliation generally can lead to damaged, dry skin, that start over producing oils and leading right back to clogged pores. No thanks. Generally this is done at night, but there are products that can be used during the day to gently exfoliate if sebum control is an issue. How often you chose to exfoliate and whether you use a chemical, physical exfoliator or a mixture of both is a personal preference, and should be based off your skin condition and what it can tolerate. I do have a few physical exfoliators, however I rarely use them. I find that for my skin, gentle chemical exfoliation works best, producing the least amount of angry, red skin reactions.

Toner: When most of us think of toner, or in North America at least, we think of the alcohol laden, skin burning toner of the 90s, and frankly I cut it out of my skincare routine for the longest time. This is an important step in korean skin care. In comparison to their North American counterparts, most Korean(and Japanese) toners are focused on one goal: hydration! There are different toners for lowering the pH of skin before actives(acids), but for the most part they add hydration back into your skin after unbalancing the pH during cleansing. Some Korean toners do contain alcohol, but even these are apparently not as harsh as the North American versions. I personally haven’t had the opportunity to use Korean toners yet, and I plan to, but I have found some North American ones that do a pretty good job so far.

Essence: You probably have the same question that I did, what on earth is it, and why do I need it? For a general explanation:

“Though formulated with varying viscosities, essences tend to be a bit more fluid and less concentrated than serums. Their main purpose is to moisturize the skin and make the most of the serums that follow. Think of your skin as a sponge: once it’s plumped up with water, everything else absorbs more easily.” From Peach & Lily

Essences even go further into first essence. Basically what this translates to, is after toning (and some people can skip toning and go straight to this after cleansing) you apply a first essence, followed by an essence and or a serum. Is this step necessary, no, but it certaining does help prep your skin for the rest of the products that will be placed after this. If I was going to recommend one thing for someone who’s new to Korean skincare, it would be this. Most steps so far are already incorporated into people’s skin care. The best part? There are already a few North American brands that are releasing essence into their lines. Can these products cost a lot? They sure can, but there are more and more brands that are releasing economical options. Wondering where to start? Focus on your biggest skin care issue and start doing research from there. The big two: hydration and whitening (aka brightening).

Serum: These are already incorporated into many people’s skin care regime in the west. They are generally a thicker consistency than essences, and packed full of nutrient rich ingredients. Because of that thicker consistency, people picture smearing thick goup all over their faces. In some cases that is true, and those ones should be left for nighttime and winter routines. There are many available now that are of a more thin, almost gel like consistency, perfect for daytime and summer routines. Again, what serum do you choose? Do I only need one? There are plenty that are multitaskers, but you may also select a few that target individual problems your skin may have. The options are practically endless, and some people are known for using a few different serums at a time. Hydration, brightening, skin and pore refinement, antioxidant rich, just to name a few.

Sheet Mask: This is another step that doesn’t need to be done every time. You can use one once a week, and up to daily depending on your skin requirements. This step is very popular with Korean skincare. Why? You can use these masks to target individual skin concerns, and frankly it’s just relaxing (and fun if you want to take some ridiculous selfies in the process). How does it work? You simply select a mask based on your skins needs, place it on your skin anywhere from 15-30, or whichever the instructions recommend, remove, pat the remaining product into your face, and voila! During the summer, people may even use these in place of serums because they are cooling, and generally thinner in texture. Did I mention the selection of masks available is endless? They are also quite cost effective, ranging to $1-3 per mask, and go up in price from there. There’s paper masks(usually in the cheaper versions), gel, silicone, ones with animal faces over top! These are becoming popular in the west as well. A quick trip to Sephora will reveal that they have their own line of these beauties.

Eye Cream: If you’re like me, you probably haven’t bothered with many eye creams. For the most part, besides hydration, they haven’t really seemed to do much. Are Korean eye creams better than the North American versions? Not always. However, Korean skin care certainly does add some amazing, albet slightly strange (for North Americans) ingredients into their products. Ever heard of snail mucin(yes, the slime left over from snails), bee venom, donkey milk, and the list goes on. If you do any amount of research into ingredients, you will find that they have amazing healing, calming and anti aging effects! Same goes for ginseng, ginger. So if you haven’t found a North American eye cream that has shown you results, do some research (seriously!) and look into some Korean offerings. Also note, Korean products are generally a lot gentler on the skin, so if you have super sensitive skin like moi, this is also a reason to look into Korean products.

Moisturizer: This where you can go a little crazy with products, depending on how much hydration you need. Your skin should be fairly moisturized from the other steps in this routine, but you need something to lock all of the moisture and nutrients in so they can do their job, aka an occlusive. There’s emulsions, the classic gel and cream moisturizers, and what’s known as sleeping pack. Do you need all of these in one go? Definity not. Emulsions are great in the summer, or if you have very oily skin because they are typically lighter than classic moisturizers. Should this be used along with a regular moisturizer? If your skin needs the hydration, absolutely. I won’t touch too much classic moisturizers. People with oily skin or someone who wants something quite light on their face will typically use gel, and otherwise other skin types can use a cream formula. What I have noticed though, is that Korean gel formulas are extremely hydrating, even though they are light in consistency. They use different ingredients like birch sap, mineral water, etc to really pack on the hydration without being heavy. I mentioned sleeping packs earlier, so what exactly are they? Consider them a heavy duty occlusive that does an even better job of locking in hydration and nutrients. They generally come in a gel form so most are fairly light in consistency and very refreshing. Again, there’s ones that contain honey, snail mucin, you name it’s probably included in a brand’s product.

Sunscreen: This is a step that should always be included in a daytime routine! Koreans and Japanese are pretty serious about their sunscreens and protection. Sun damage leads to premature aging, sun spots and damage. This is one way for someone to keep their glowing, luminous and hydrated skin. In North America we love the bronzed, sun kissed look. It does look good, but it’s wreaking havoc on the health of our skin. Especially if we are using vitamin C products, chemical and physical exfoliation. We are exposing that new skin to sun rays and the damage they cause. Now if you’re like me, you hate the feeling of how sunscreen feels on your skin, pretty heavy and pore clogging. If you have sensitive skin like me, it can also lead to some pretty crazy breakouts. There’s two ways to go about this. Firstly, look into some Korean or Japanese sunscreens. A lot of these feel like a regular moisturizer on your face, and also make an excellent primer for makeup(once you’ve let it fully absorb). The other, if you’re prone to clogged pores and breakouts, is a physical sunscreen. Titanium and zinc oxide, sit on top of the skin to reflect the the sun’s rays. There are both North American and Korean versions of these, so you might have to play around with a few to find a formulation that works for your skin. Lastly, there are BB creams and cushion compacts. These almost always have an SPF component to them. They’re not as good as an actual sunscreen, but if you’re forgetful, and need to touch up your makeup throughout the day, this option can be considered as well.

Others: I mentioned earlier products like vitamin C serums, actives like BHA and AHAs. There’s also different kind of masks for under your eyes, pore, nose, and chin packs. For the “packs” I haven’t had a chance to try anything out yet, but I will in the future.

If there is something you would like a more in depth explanation on, please let me know! Summer AM & PM routine posts are coming up next, so look out for those!