KOREAN BEAUTY IN THE MEDIA
Have you felt a little bombarded by Korean beauty products in the media lately? Even Estee Lauder is inking a deal with Dr. Jart+ at this very moment to get in on the Korean action. I'm here to briefly debunk and demystify a little about Korea and extrapolate the stuff you really need to know!
KOREAN BEAUTY PRODUCTS
Most of the products that make it to the US from South Korea are cute toys and gimmicks. The cosmetics definitely don't outperform MAC, Make Up Forever or Nars- they're just fun. The Japanese still rule liners and even Korean Cult brand Clio licenses their Kill Black Liner
Formula from Japan. Smart move Korea.What makes a few Korean products really so wonderful is their skincare is generally safer than Indie Brands in the US, solves a problem and get you a LOT of bang for your buck. What might cost $200 in the United States or Europe is $40 (or less) in Korea and now in the states. There are some smaller brands in Korea that have a handful of innovative products, but then again I could say the same about Israel, Sweden, Canada, Brazil and others that have yet to trend in the media.
I originally became an authority on South Korean skincare nearly 20 years ago as a top makeup artist and then as a licensed esthetician and cosmetic formulator having performed over 25,000 beauty treatments (not demonstrations), but I had never been to Korea. I never had the desire to. Korea always came to me. I already knew every buyer, manufacturer and many of the chemists and innovators Korea had to offer. The Beauty world is a small world and once news travels that you understand chemistry and that you know how to talk about a product then they all somehow find you. In fact, I have a little game with one of my Korean associates I call "Do you know this company?". He keeps trying to introduce me to someone I don't know. You can read more about S. Korea on my LINKED IN.
This past fall I was finally graciously invited to South Korea for a second time by the government to meet with their manufacturers at their cost. Life's too short so I decided it was time to brave the 17-40 hour journey only to report I was quite disappointed- in Korea that is. I had romanticized my journey to South Korea. I thought they were just going plug me into a magic chair and I would walk away a slimmer, younger version of myself with amazing hair to top it all of! Um, not without a LOT of surgery. South Korea is the plastic surgery capital of the world.
VISIT K- TOWN IN LA
You don't have to imagine or travel thousands of miles to get a feel for what Korea is like if you live in Los Angeles. K-towns in the US have MANY of the same brands that you find in South Korea- just more of them per square capita. TONS of coffee and dessert places too. Korean women LOVE their desserts!
THE 12 STEP BEAUTY RITUAL IS MOSTLY MARKETING AND HYPE
I could understand why some Korean women partake in the twelve step system. It takes A LOT to get all of that BB cream out of the pores! Not judging. Our Insta beauties here are not too far behind these South Korean women.Let me save you some time, reading and money: Most of the South Korean women both in the US and abroad don't practice a twelve step skincare regimen. That story has been blown way out of proportion. They certainly spend more time and money on their skin than many other women across the globe do, but then again that might have to do something with the photos they are required to attach to their resumes in order to compete for a job in a very competitive job market. If there are two similar candidates going for a job, the prettier one is more likely to get it!
Here in the US women go to sleep in their makeup and still wonder why their skin doesn't look fabulous and glowing.
#1 REASON KOREANS GENERALLY HAVE BETTER SKIN
The number one reason Koreans generally have better skin is because of a famous fermented food called Kimchi. Kimchi found in various forms is part of EVERY meal! I had it for breakfast, lunch and dinner while I was in South Korea. Kimchi keeps the colon healthy. The colon is the immune system of the human body. Breakouts, oily and/or dry skin increase when the immune system is out of whack. You can check out my blog entry on KIMCHI HERE.
I will say while the South Koreans do eat a lot of sugar, they don't really get too much into dairy- a food category notoriously known to to cause acne among my customers. Within a week of clearing dairy out of their diets they see huge changes in their skin- if not a complete elimination of their skin troubles.
DO THE MASKS
Another thing Koreans do as much as brushing their teeth is wear masks. Men, women AND children do it. Ten minutes is all it takes to turn dull, drab skin around. You can find some excellent ones at www.msapothecary.com Don't bother with the animal masks. They're some of the "toys" I mentioned earlier.
The moral of the story here is don't fall for the Korean skincare hype running rampant in the media. China is killing their market and innovation is slowing. You can also check out that article on LINKEDIN.
In the meantime do yourself a major favor and start eating fermented foods on a regular basis! There's nothing like eating your way to better skin and health!
xo
