Is this the end of an era for K-beauty?

As with any cultural phenomenon, the Korean beauty landscape continues to evolve over time. In response to savvy shoppers pushing back against excessive consumption, the traditional 10-step routines have given way to simplified, streamlined regimens consisting of just three or four steps.

At the same time, quirky and whimsical products like chocolate masks and gummy bear hand creams have made room for more sophisticated, science-backed formulas.

In addition to its eye-catching, innovative packaging and endorsements from glamorous K-pop stars, Korean beauty has gained attention for its use of lesser-known, often surprising ingredients like salmon PDRN (salmon testicle DNA) and snail mucin. But beyond the buzz, K-beauty brands have built a reputation for delivering advanced and dependable formulas.

Emphasising the importance of skincare routines

Instead of relying on heavy concealers and foundation to conceal their imperfections, Koreans pride themselves on adopting proper skincare routines “to reveal their natural glow and radiance,” says Estee Lauder national makeup pro-artist in Korea, John Kim.

California-born Charlotte Cho, founder of K-beauty brand Then I Met You and marketplace specialising in Korean beauty products Soko Glam seconds this.

She explains that taking care of your skin is an integral part of Korean culture. From a young age, skincare routines and steps like diligent sunscreen application are instilled into locals. “Once I moved to Korea and started working there, I noticed that all the women and men are so savvy with their skincare routine, and they knew about their skin type.”

New York-based Tiktok influencer Ava Lee who launched her wellness brand ByAva with an ingestible hero product in 2023 – Resilient Skin Booster – echoes Liah’s views. Much of what she knows about the holistic, inner-outer beauty connection stems from her Korean heritage and what she learnt from her mother, who lives in Korea, where she grew up.

She adds that all of the products are created with her mum’s expertise and samples were sent to and from Korea in the process.

To Brian Oh, founder of Los Angeles-based skincare brand Venn, this cultural emphasis of prevention rather than correction is one of the defining hallmarks of K-beauty and Korean skincare that “resonates with people worldwide especially if they are looking for long-term skincare solutions.”

This philosophy of proactively staying on top of your skin health led him to create Venn. The brand has amassed a following for harnessing skin-strengthening nutrients, prebiotics and probiotics- to restore balance to the skin microbiome.

Singaporean skincare founder, Adeline Koh, who created her K-beauty inspired brand Sabbatical Beauty in 2015 to heal her skin barrier tells Her World that unlike Western skincare that tends to take a corrective approach to skin issues “with aggressive active ingredients like acids and retinoids to achieve results, rather than nourishing the skin barrier”, Korean skincare, by contrast, places an “emphasis on healing the skin barrier with botanical ingredients”.

Adeline, who uses traditional ingredients like ginseng in her skincare concoctions, attributes the “emphasis on repairing the skincare barrier” to the success of K-beauty and skincare and “why Korean skincare works so well for so many – it helps to desensitise inflamed skin, which a lot of people have. It’s also better at improving skin gently and efficiently than most Western products.”

The quest for the next breakthrough, says Brian, has also translated into “heavy investment in research and development” and “collaboration between cosmetic scientists, dermatologists, and beauty labs”.

What’s more, “Korea’s unique ability to merge traditional herbal ingredients with advanced technology allows for skincare products that are not only effective but also gentle on the skin.”

According to Brian, his products are a culmination of decades of microbiome research by its scientific advisory board in South Korea. Take Venn’s bestselling Synbiotic Defense Mist that marries traditional botanicals like Chinese skullcap and peony root extract with microbiome balancing probiotic (as a base instead of water) and prebiotic ferments to nourish and hydrate the skin for longer.

The popularity of K-Beauty’s multifunctional products

In addition to the potential positive effects on your complexion, skincare experts believe that the preference for a minimalist routine with effective, hybrid formulas is also a response to the growing demand for sustainability and a reaction against excessive waste and packaging.

Renowned makeup artist Jung Saem-mool, founder of her eponymous beauty brand Jungsaemmool, recently opened her first-ever global flagship store outside of Seoul, right here in Singapore, at 27 Scotts Road. She observes that Korean consumers are increasingly embracing a more sustainable lifestyle and making more conscious choices in their beauty routines.

Brian is of the same mind, adding that, “consumers now prefer simpler, multi-functional products that deliver fast, visible results.”

According to Liah Yoo, founder of KraveBeauty, “We see a lot of zero-waste stores or sustainability-focused brands that are popping up in Korea. So I do think that will definitely influence how Korean beauty products are formulated and packaged.”

One such Korean brand leading the way is Aromatica. A skin and hair care brand that creates products with pure essential oils and botanical plant extracts. The brand currently uses 100 per cent recyclable packaging materials including recyclable glass and PCR (post-consumer recycled) plastic.

Additionally, Aromatica also strives to be the first beauty brand in Korea to eliminate waste sent to landfills and incinerators by 2025.

Setting self-care trends that evolve with lifestyles

Brands like Then I Met You, KraveBeauty and Venn represent a shift towards a less-is-more-approach to skincare with the founders eschewing an involved, extensive multi-step routine in favour of a streamlined, but still well-rounded routine that is tailored to an individual’s unique needs and concerns.

Then I Met You is centred around the idea of skincare as an extension of your self-care routine. This has translated into hardworking formulas that are designed to simplify your skincare routines while creating real change to your skin with the use of premium actives coupled with traditional Korean ingredients.

“For example, the Giving Essence, it’s not just a fermented base of galvanised ferment filtrate, which is a big fermented ingredient in many Korean essences. It has five per cent niacinamide. It is truly effective in that way. Because some people would actually use a five per cent niacinamide serum separately but I combined the two. So it really creates this comprehensive routine. Less steps with a bit of ‘skinmalism’,” she explains.

Her sensorial skincare brand is also built on the ethos of taking one’s time and indulging in one’s skincare ritual. “ I really value the scents, the textures and application. I wanted this skincare line to be elevated, almost feel treated like a gift,” she explains.

Citing the example of the Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Synchronised Multi-Recovery Complex that promises seven skin benefits (line-reducing, firming, skin evening and renewing, strengthening, hydrating and radiance boosting), John explains that there is hardly any need to chase it with multiple skincare products when your single serum is already meeting your complexion’s every need.

Elaborating on this minimalist approach of building an effective skincare routine with only the necessary amount of products, Charlotte, who has largely been credited for spearheading the famed “10-step skincare routine” is quick to point out that she never meant for the “10-step skincare routine” trend to be a “directive to do ten steps.”

Instead, Charlotte saw it as a way “to educate people about the potential steps” and they should “pick and choose (from the different steps) to achieve their skin goals.

She admits that she has never followed the “10-step routine” consistently. Instead of adding more steps to her skincare regimen, she prefers “doing more layers,” adjusting based on how much time she has or what her skin needs at the moment.

As you get older, you start losing moisture content in your skin. So now, I do more layers, especially with my skincare essence,” she explains. “Up to 70 per cent of your skincare formulas can evaporate. That’s why it’s so important to layer and lock it all in with an occlusive – a moisturising agent that forms a protective barrier on the skin’s surface to prevent moisture loss.”

Ultimately, the K-beauty pro believes that it boils down to “individual choice, and being educated and making that decision for yourself. Rather than following a trend of 10 steps or ‘skinmalism’, it’s what’s good for you. Some people love 10 steps as a way of self-care. So it’s really about finding your own routine and journey.”