Six great Korean beauty buys for dry, sensitive, or acne-prone skin
K-beauty faves: Yoon Young Bae is one of South Korea's most internationally successful models. Image: Getty
K-beauty first made waves with BB creams a decade ago and remains appealing. South Korea ranked third in global cosmetics exports in 2020.
While Britain, France and Germany are its most engaged European partners, the 'Land of the Morning Calm' has plenty to offer the Irish. The cosmetics are typically good value, high quality, and minimally packaged. Korean beauty culture favours porcelain skin, which is ethically obscene but encourages the production of broad-spectrum UV protection (needed by skin of every colour for cancer prevention and overall health), and formulas that improve hyperpigmentation. Ingredients that fight free-radical damage and calm rosacea — such as liquorice, soy, and centella asiatica — are widely used.
I'm recommending specific K-beauty products rather than brand names because every company has its stronger suits. Here are six great Seoul beauty buys and their salient benefits:
Sheet masks are a K-beauty staple. This is a soothing, non-greasy moisturising sheet. It is rich in liquorice and two components of centella asiatica that help with skin renewal and may improve scars. It contains caffeine, which can temporarily make the face look perkier. The 'heartleaf' of the name is houttuynia cordata extract, an antibacterial antioxidant that can help prevent spots. The mask is very well saturated, so the face gets a lot of exposure to these wonderful ingredients. It is worth rubbing the residue in rather than washing it off.
Astaxanthin is a rarish antioxidant in skincare and a key reason we are encouraged to switch to wild salmon (it is a carotenoid that causes the red-pink colour in salmon). It is a more potent antioxidant than the more widely used CoQ10 (called ubiquinone on ingredients lists) and sometimes compared to Vitamin C. I am forever going on about antioxidants because after UV protection they are our best topical defence against skin ageing caused by alcohol, cigarettes (including other people’s fags), pollution, poor diet, UV exposure and stress. Skin with an atopic condition such as eczema is especially vulnerable. Rovectin’s barrier cream combines astaxanthin with ceramides and panthenol to support skin’s natural moisture barrier. It is free from hyaluronic acid and niacinamide, which is great if your dry skin is too sensitive to tolerate those popular ingredients in moisturisers.
An ampoule is a light serum, usually with moisturising and antioxidant properties. The word ampoule comes from the Latin for a flask with sacred uses, loftily. Ampoules are also used in French skincare, though fans will notice the Korean kind is watery. This one is my favourite K-beauty product to date, mainly because I like a naturally dewy look. The formula is almost one half centella asiatica extract and extremely calming to sensitised skin. Vitamin B5 hydrates and acts as an anti-inflammatory. It suits all skin types and feels very refreshing.
Mandelic acid is an alpha hydroxy acid. When used as exfoliants, AHAs brighten the skin and can reduce the look of hyperpigmentation and fine lines. The greater an AHA’s molecular weight, the gentler the exfoliation as the molecule’s size reduces the ingredient’s penetration. Mandelic acid is among the greatest and products like this prep water are especially gentle in achieving the same glowing skin as more aggressive AHAs over time. This prep water includes the protective humectants beta-glucan and panthenol.
This is a chemical sunscreen formula with broad-spectrum SPF50 and hyaluronic acid, ceramides, centella asiatica, and astaxanthin. It has a clear finish and smooths on without pilling. The texture is light enough not to bother oily types and the ingredients give dry skin some moisture barrier support. Most importantly (for a chemical sunscreen, at least), it will not make your eyes burn.
Erborian is best known for konjac sponges (I’m not a fan, anything scratchy risks sensitivity), but their skincare line has some interesting formulas. This sunflower and almond oil cleanser turns milky with water, quickly breaks down makeup and helps to sluice everything away. It is ideal for skin prone to redness after washing, keeping things calm with centella asiatica and bisabolol.
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