Why Everyone is Trying Korean Beauty Products

Korean fashion has always been a few seasons ahead of us.  And their skincare is no different. BB creams became a huge trend in China, Korea, and Japan in the early 2000s.  BB creams (AKA beauty balms) were developed by a German doctor in the 1960s to help patients recovering from surgery.  This technology is now widely used by women (and men) as a tinted moisturizer that can nourish the skin while providing a sheer to medium coverage.  Starting in 2008, BB creams and CC creams (AKA color correcting creams) quickly became the biggest international trend in Beauty and Makeup.

Other popular Korean beauty products such as emulsion, essence or facial sheet masks began to pop up in Sephora, Ulta, and even drugstores.  Essence is a skincare product that is a hybrid of serum and toner.  Emulsion is a hybrid of moisturizer and toner.  The almost liquid consistency allows the product to absorb in to the skin quickly and lets dermatologists infuse the liquid with tons of healthy antioxidants to nourish the skin.  Another hot skincare item that is coming from Korea is sleeping masks.  These masks apply like a moisturizer and creates a protective barrier that rejuvenates your skin while you sleep.  Sleeping masks are not sticky and won’t leave any residue on your pillows.  The mask absorbs quickly in to your skin and leaves your face looking really dewey.  Personally, I can’t get enough of these sleeping masks.

At the same time that BB creams and CC creams were becoming popular, facial sheet masks also began to pop up.  One notable drugstore brand, Garnier, started creating their Renew Dark Spot Treatment facial sheet mask, after so many Beauty Gurus began experimenting with masks from My Beauty Diary and Etude House.  In 2014, Sephora launched their facial sheet mask line featuring eight different skin rejuvenating masks.

Korean beauty products have become super popular in recent years because Korean makeup is natural and light. Rather than focusing on contouring and concealing, Korean makeup focuses on achieving a healthy glow.  Companies like Etude House are making their mark on the makeup world with super cute packaging and amazing Beauty products. Etude House gives girls everything they need to create that healthy skin look.
In Korea, skincare routines containing anywhere from 5 to 12 products became increasingly popular in the past year. Companies such as Missha, Laniege, SK-II, Etude House and Shiseido are coming out with packages featuring a whole line of products including: cleanser, toner, essence, refiner, emulsion, serum, cream, moisturizer, and the list goes on and on. Applying 10 plus products to our faces everyday may be excessive but once you take a look at how healthy your skin can be, we will be lining out the doors at Sephora, trying to get our hands on these new products.

Stores like Sephora carry the popular Japanese skincare brands: Shiseido and SK-II and the popular Korean Skincare brand (known for its cute packaging): Tony Moly.  Korean skincare is definitely setting the trend for the Beauty industry.  Which products are you excited to try?

For more makeup and skincare tips, check out my blog: http://julietlyllillyrose.blogspot.com