Milky toners, moisturizing cleansers and small glass bottles of serum are meticulously lined up on Jianna Hong’s vanity, ready for her elaborate and multi-step skin care ritual. All the products she uses are from South Korea.
Jianna, a sophomore, is not the only one opting to use imported skin care products, specifically, Korean skin care products. These products and other imported skin care products have been steadily rising in use in the past 10 years, appearing in Sephora and other beauty stores across America.
Korean skin care products have risen in popularity because of their use of more natural and gentle ingredients. Another reason is their affordability. Western skin care contains more harsh acids that can be harmful to the skin when used incorrectly. Western products are also more expensive.
Korean skin care uses ingredients like snail mucin and rice products, which both promote hydration and youthful glow. Western skin care uses acids like salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide that can damage skin.
“I think that the ingredients used to make Korean skin care are a lot better for the skin, and that the ingredients in American skin care are just mediocre compared to Korean skin care,” Jianna said.
For example, the United States has not approved a higher quality chemical filter in sunscreen because of a law, yet countries such as Korea and France have. Korean SPF and the French sunscreen brand La Roche-Posay have become more popular in the United States because of their higher quality filter, despite the fact that the filter has not been approved in the United States.
Korean skin care is also more desirable because it is less expensive than American products. The price of Korean moisturizers and cleansers can range from $15 to $60, but the price of moisturizers and cleansers in America can be over $100.
“It’s very affordable, so kind of accessible to everyone,” Jianna said. “Whereas, I feel like if you would go to a Sephora in the United States, it’s a lot more expensive, and the value and the quality of it may not be the best.”
The most popular and viral imported skin care brands are Glow Recipe, Laneige, Dr. Jart+, Hero pimple patches and La Roche-Posay. Many of these products became popular because they went viral on TikTok. Influencers have played a big part in the rise of imported skin care products, specifically in marketing them to Gen Z audiences.
Popularity of these products also stems from the wish to have “glass skin,” or dewy-looking, healthy skin that is seen in popular Korean dramas.
Korean skin care is also effective over a diverse range of skin types, and takes an overall skin health approach, versus Western skin care’s corrective approach, focusing on the overall improvement of the skin, rather than using harsh chemicals to remove blemishes.
“I think they really try to focus on different skin types, ” Jianna said, “especially sensitive skin, acne skin, and really use specific ingredients for those specific skin types.”
