If you’ve been with me for a while you know that I reference K (Korean) Beauty quite often.
And if you are not aware, South Korea is one of the most advanced countries when it comes to skin treatments, procedures, products and devices.
Plus most developers/manufacturers there try to use natural and clean ingredients with sustainable packaging.
Now last year I critiqued their 10-step routine. As a result I felt it was a bit much. So when I saw many abandoning the process this year I had to chuckle.
And honestly, I don’t think the steps were bad. It’s just that, even if you are retired, who has that much time before leaving the house to do so many applications? Or who wants to spend that much time getting ready – ever?
So this year the K-beauty trend is about minimizing the routine by using products that are multipurpose. Products that combine ingredients for anti-aging, smoothing, lightening, brightening with less breakouts. Basically glowing skin or glass skin … Yes, please!
You will also find lots of fermented products and ingredients like retinols and alpha hydroxy acids. Not that those ingredients are new but they promise to be better and more effective.
But what I love about Korean skincare are the innovative ways they find to get products into the skin. Lots of new tools and devices are coming out or being improved upon for 2022 (I’m excited for those).
Last, but not least, I want to touch on a process that started in South Korea called slugging. It started to become popular last year with social media influencers. And I’m learning that it’s even gaining in popularity this year.
Slugging is done by applying petroleum jelly (Vaseline) all over the face before going to bed. It’s a way of trapping moisture in your skin while you sleep.
I never wrote about it because I’m on the fence about petroleum jelly. You see, it’s made from crude oil and goes through an extensive process that uses many carcinogens to make it safe. The environmental working group says it’s moderately safe. So I guess it’s how clean you want your products to be whether you want to try slugging or not.
In the meantime, if you want to check out this year’s K-beauty products, Ulta always has a nice selection. Or you can find them online.
And if you missed my article on the 10-Step K-Beauty Routine you can read it here.
Have a great weekend!
Sandy
