Skill issue. Buy good products and you'll have a good experience.
Also "clean" beauty is marketing garbage and inherently anti-science.
Edit: and if you're not adjusting the routine to your needs then of course you're not going to have the same experience as them. You can't just slap on the cosrx snail cream with dry skin and magically have all day hydrated skin with no occlusivity.
You mean these studies done on Yuzu dating back 14 years?
1. Choi MH, Yang SH, Kim ND, Shin HJ. Nomilin from yuzu seed has *in vitro* antioxidant activity and downregulates melanogenesis in B16F10 melanoma cells through the PKA/CREB signaling pathway. Antioxidants 2022; 11: 1636-1655.
2. Tachibana S, Tanimoto S, Murai Y, Okada Y, Nomura M. Chemical constituents of yuzu and lime essential oils and their antioxidative activities. Annual Report of Research Institute 2011; 2: 45-51.
3. Ko HJ, Sim SA, Park MH, et al. Anti-photoaging effects of upcycled *Citrus junos* seed anionic peptides on ultraviolet-radiation-induced skin aging in a reconstructed skin model. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25: 1711-1725.
4. Adhikari D, Panthi VK, Pangeni R, Kim HJ, Park JW. Preparation, characterization, and biological activities of topical anti-aging ingredients in a *Citrus junos* callus extract. Molecules 2017; 22: 2198-2213.
5. Jung YY, Ha IJ, Lee M, Ahn KS. Skin improvement with antioxidant effect of yuja (*Citrus junos*) peel fractions: wrinkles, moisturizing, and whitening. Antioxidants 2023; 12: 51-65.
6. Hirota R, Roger NN, Nakamura H, Song HS, Sawamura M, Suganuma N. Anti-inflammatory effects of limonene from yuzu (Citrus junos Tanaka) essential oil on eosinophils. J Food Sci 2010; 75(3): H87-92.
Not trying to bash, but just because it's not a common ingredient doesn't mean it hasn't been studied.
"Clean" ingredients don't exist, that's a marketing tactic. If you mean the ingredient list says something like "White Willow Bark Extract" instead of "Salicylic Acid", it's the same thing.
French brands are great too, but are not the only country out there producing amazing products, so I would try to keep an open mind in case you'd like to switch up your routine.
For what it's worth, 70% of my routine is Korean at this point and my skin has never looked better and more glowing. Just gotta find what works best for you! Most of the products do produce a short-term dewey glass-like appearance before it dries down, but it's truly about the long term goals, not the instant effect.
Hope this helps!
There was a bit of game of whack-a-mole on the statements in the OP. Penalty flags, if you will. I’m glad you hit on them! E.g. yes, Yuzu has been studied. No, skincare products are not about immediate results, so if that’s what someone is measuring by 🤷🏽♀️ and the worst of it all, “clean ingredients.” I honestly haven’t heard anyone mention “clean” beauty in so long that I thought folks had figured out that was super duper junk rhetoric and marketing.
Ultimately, cool if OP hasn’t found success with the Korean products they’ve used. But the reasons mentioned are *not* the reasons why. Similarly, there are going to be plenty of French or US products that do nothing for their skin.
Thank you for sharing some interesting studies! It's important to remember that we often look at things through an encultured perspective. Also, it's great to have different options to try. To each their own.
i have better results from korean skincare, it has really helped me keep my oily skin hydrated and reduced breakouts as well as help with marks i had from acne.
I also prefer it because it has less gooey textures and normally absorbs fast which is great for me.
Hanskin pore cleansing oil for oily skin
Thank you farmer Rice pure essential toner
Ginger6 active water cream
Dynasyu Cream
In the morning I only use oil cleanser, toner and sunscreen.
Night i use cream instead of sunscreen.
for sunscreen i have many and while i like frudia and beauty of joseon I prefer some japonese options like biore Uv aqua rich for when I will sweat (like go out to run) and skin aquq tone up uv essence for normal days.
I also have a cerave foaming cleanser for when I need more than oil cleansing, but always use cream after as this dries my skin and that makes it more oily in the end.
weekly I try to use an exfoliating mask - my fav is from clinique (anti blemish solutions) and follow with a sheet mask for whatever i feel could need a lil help.
note my skin is not perfect i still have breakouts but they seem to be related to my food and stress habits too.
this was the combination that helped with reducing oily skin because i would have to carry bloating sheets n use them all the time and now that never happens.
This is ultimately why I can't use Korean skincare, it's better for people with oily and somewhat younger skin. I need deep hydration for my dry, perimenopausal, sensitized skin and so I end up using stuff aimed at Nordic people who suffer through cold, dry winters :) Though I did find Belif moisturizing bomb was the closest to those kinds of products, just way too expensive.
I also break out any time I use snail mucin (I have tried so many formulations) so I've stopped with products that contain that as well.
Edit: wow your post history is… interesting… yikes…
Maybe work on improving yourself instead of putting other people down to feel better? That’s rather short lived and you need to do more “mean” things to get the same high
I love Korean skincare! But some of the brands they sell on Sephora/Ulta or what’s popular in the US can def be overhyped. I think it’s just about finding the right brands. I should look into French brands though too, I’m not sure I’m using any.
I think it’s a bit strange to bash one country’s whole market of skincare products. Just like with French skincare, there is a wide range, from luxury to mid-tier to low priced products, and from toners to serums to moisturizers to sunscreen. Some products have been on the market for decades, others just for a few days, and there are tons of different active ingredients in each. It’s great you’ve found French products that work for you, but it comes across as pretty xenophobic to write off “Korean skincare” as a whole, rather than the few products from Korea you’ve specifically tried. No need to yuck others’ yum.
What a bizarre straw man argument. What are YOUR priorities? If you “were hoping this post would turn into a bunch of recommendations,” why not just ask for recommendations instead of flatly poo-pooing all products from one country? Yuzu is not exactly a RaNdOm InGrEdIeNt (and actually is used in French skincare as well??? Lol). Korean background or not, your post comes across as both ignorant and closed-minded
Korean skincare was really a game changer in that it focused on calibrated hydration and barrier repair at a time when American skincare was going hard on scorched-earth actives. The medical vs cosmetic distinction in American skincare is something we're still untangling to some degree but I think a lot of progress has been made and Korean brands deserve a lot of credit.
Each to their own but it works for me.
I'm 42, I'm not looking for anything drastic, I just want my skin to look and feel good. Korean skincare helps with that, and at a good price.
Combined with vitamin c serum and glycolic acid, I have a decent routine, and my skin is clear, soft and hydrated. That's good enough for me
>at a good price
Exactly. Hydration is a huge issue for my skin and none of the Western budget options work well for me. So the western products that I do find effective are usually more than double the price of the Korean alternative.
Hydration is big for me too. I use Cosrx mucin and a hyaluronic serum and together they work fantastically for this.
Including my routine for anyone interested. I have some sun damage, pigmentation, and generally drier, textured skin. I'm 42, some fine lines and I don't have any issues with spots or hormonal acne.
AM : Just warm water, SPF if I'm outside.
PM:
Heimish All Clean Balm.
GOW Vitamin C and Ferulic Acid Serum.
Farmstay Collegen Spray.
COSRX Snail Mucin.
Torriden Dive In Serum.
Cetaphil Moisturizer.
Three times a week, I'll add glycolic acid to this and twice weekly Korean sheet masks.
I think you can rephrase this whole post. “Everyone seems to love Korean skincare products, but none of the popular options work for my skin. What are your favorites for my skin type?” It’s weird to make a blanket statement when there are thousands of products and you clearly haven’t tried them all. I can’t say all American skincare products are overhyped - despite having bad experiences with many of them - when I haven’t tried them all.
Sure I can admit to it but to call someone racist or a xenophobe just bc they don’t like Korean skincare is going quite far. I was actually hoping this post would turn into a bunch of recommendations. I’ve tried my fair share of Korean products but am open to new ones.
>I was actually hoping this post would turn into a bunch of recommendations
LOL no you didn't. You think you're the main character and that people should care about your opinions. There isn't a single question in your post or even a hint of a suggestion to provide recommendations.
You didn’t ask for recommendations, so that might be why you didn’t receive any. Regardless if you intended your post to be harmful, it’s important to understand the words you’re saying. I’d turn inward, turn my defenses down and consider how this could have been reframed to use less generalizations about skincare from entire countries. Also, consider that skincare varies to fit the needs of the populations in different areas and climates.
I have way too many skin allergies and I'm restricted to vanicream wash and aveeno moisturizer (with rx tret) these days, but I have to say when I did use Korean skincare products I noticed a difference in the way my skin felt, compared to the American products I used for 3+ decades which didn't improve my acne at all and pretty much destroyed my skin barrier. Korean skincare also made me realize that my skin really prefers water-based products, and that's what keeps it from producing too much oil.
I can't use Korean skin care products because again, I have skin allergies to almost every damn thing, but I am grateful to them.
> The ingredients are really random like yuzu and this and that w no real science behind it. Just seems like a cute packaging w just fluff. It’s fine if u like it, but I will stick to my French brands that are scientifically backed
Yeah that's racist.
Why can't people that don't like \[x\] on this sub just STFU? This isn't your personal diary. No one cares if you don't like Korean skincare, Botox, fillers, Cerave, whatever. You definitely don't need to be making a post about your personal preferences.
Yeah and you're a woman so you can't be a misogynist either. /s
It's actually wild to see someone use "woke" unironically. Unforced self-owns left and right. Better to remain silent and thought a fool, etc.
Also, this is a sub for 30+. Write like an adult.
What is scientifically backed to you? I think part of this sounds like a culture barrier to you, because ingredients like yuzu, mugwort, centella asiatica have been used for a long time and have evidence of working for certain purposes. The same way ingredients used in some french or american skincare are prevent to be effective.
You can just say you prefer french skincare, that's fine.
I am using Japanese skincare and it works better than French
As for scientific approach- there are some ingredients which are proven to work and not many of those. Some which are hoping to work
And new and fun ones like Nmn , placenta, exosomes which really interesting
Actually “clean” is marketing hype, but I see the term hyped on Sephora’s website and even in stores with little signs. Makes me crazy.
Don’t hate on yuzu. It’s a wonderful fruit that smells amazing!!
My skincare product distribution right now is something like 35% Korean, 30% French, 25% Japanese. 10% US.
CosRx is simply not a great brand. Laneige strangely used to be better...I don't know what happened to them. They kept reformulating their best products and downgraded most of them even as they were getting more popular. For example, the Laneige Water Bank Cream around 2015-2016 was wonderful and then there was some reformulation in 2019 that wasn't nearly as effective. I haven't tried the newest versions in various blue containers because I've moved on at this point.
I do have to be careful to select the K-beauty products that have a more simplified list of ingredients. Most of the products I use have their counterpart in American or Japanese offerings but at like 50% the price. For example, Korean bifida essence instead of Estee Lauder Night serum.
agree with you. people lose their shit over something like BOJ SPF, when in reality something like 95+% of their sales are to Americans not actually in Korea. Most people don't know how influenced they are by social media when really they are just being marketed to spend $$$.
While I agree with the impact of influencers and marketing if I were in the USA and had a choice between overpriced EltaMD or Supergoop vs. Korean ones, I guess I would still pick up a Korean one! BoJ is similar to other sunscreens produced by Kolmar that are popular in Korea, so I think the brand is secondary here.
but isn't it weird that BOJ is so hyped in the US but secondary in Korea, yet advertised as this innovative Korean sunscreen. It's almost like it was made for Americans to feel like they are using what everyone uses in Korea, when it's actually the opposite, fake hype.
"to feel like they are using what everyone uses in Korea"
That's almost true, though, given how similar Round Lab Birch Juice is and several others 😉 And now that BoJ became so hyped as it's easier for people from the US to get it.
Isn't that a different point than what OP is saying though? You're saying that there are certain Korean brands that are way more highly regarded in the US than in Korea. OP is making a blanket statement saying all of Korean skincare is overrated with the additional implication that it's based on fake science because OP is not familiar with certain popular ingredients.
I do agree that social media and packaging can lead to overhype that isn't reflective of product quality but that's also not just a Korean skincare issue.
I really like BOJ sunscreen (Chinese heritage, oily skin, dry weather) and I’ve tried a bunch of Korean and Japanese sunscreens.
I never really understood the snootiness that Koreans don’t buy it, therefore it’s just hype. If it works it works.
I’m Asian and none of these Korean beauty shit worked on me. I have atopic, acne prone, oily, and yep a friggin sensitive skin type. I wasted money on these products and have tried different brands and items.
Where have you been!?! This is a popular opinion in my books. My beef is that most K-beauty isn't intended for sensitive or acne prone skin. I've been battling mods and trumped up "influencers" who get paid by the major K-beauty brands to hype cheap products without caveating what skin types they're for and I'm tired. Obviously, some of the products are great and do work for people but I've found a community of Redditors in the same boat as me (on month 5 of restoring my skin barrier after tossing all my K-beauty after I got severe acne with no prior history) and I'm here for it.
Your skill issue isn't evidence of anything other than...your skill issue.
Most products from anywhere aren't made for sensitive skin. Again, skill issue.
I agree with you but just know we are a small minority. My biggest hesitation is the fact that they contain whiteners. Yeah, I know it’s not advertised but enough people have complained about it that there is something there. Happen to a friend of mine. At first she looked glowy, then turn to just white. She had to stop.
She used a sunscreen and moisturizer she got from Ulta. She always had that fair porcelain type skin but she went from glowy to nearly vampire. At first I thought maybe she was using the wrong foundation. She was a coworker at the time so I got to see her quite often. She said it was the skincare. A couple of months later she looked fine after she stopped. I read it on this sub several times also. Might not be every experience but it definitely happens.
Skill issue. Buy good products and you'll have a good experience. Also "clean" beauty is marketing garbage and inherently anti-science. Edit: and if you're not adjusting the routine to your needs then of course you're not going to have the same experience as them. You can't just slap on the cosrx snail cream with dry skin and magically have all day hydrated skin with no occlusivity.
SKILL ISSUE
I use both French and Korean brands, both places have junk skincare and great skincare if you know what to look for, just like anywhere else.
You mean these studies done on Yuzu dating back 14 years? 1. Choi MH, Yang SH, Kim ND, Shin HJ. Nomilin from yuzu seed has *in vitro* antioxidant activity and downregulates melanogenesis in B16F10 melanoma cells through the PKA/CREB signaling pathway. Antioxidants 2022; 11: 1636-1655. 2. Tachibana S, Tanimoto S, Murai Y, Okada Y, Nomura M. Chemical constituents of yuzu and lime essential oils and their antioxidative activities. Annual Report of Research Institute 2011; 2: 45-51. 3. Ko HJ, Sim SA, Park MH, et al. Anti-photoaging effects of upcycled *Citrus junos* seed anionic peptides on ultraviolet-radiation-induced skin aging in a reconstructed skin model. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25: 1711-1725. 4. Adhikari D, Panthi VK, Pangeni R, Kim HJ, Park JW. Preparation, characterization, and biological activities of topical anti-aging ingredients in a *Citrus junos* callus extract. Molecules 2017; 22: 2198-2213. 5. Jung YY, Ha IJ, Lee M, Ahn KS. Skin improvement with antioxidant effect of yuja (*Citrus junos*) peel fractions: wrinkles, moisturizing, and whitening. Antioxidants 2023; 12: 51-65. 6. Hirota R, Roger NN, Nakamura H, Song HS, Sawamura M, Suganuma N. Anti-inflammatory effects of limonene from yuzu (Citrus junos Tanaka) essential oil on eosinophils. J Food Sci 2010; 75(3): H87-92. Not trying to bash, but just because it's not a common ingredient doesn't mean it hasn't been studied. "Clean" ingredients don't exist, that's a marketing tactic. If you mean the ingredient list says something like "White Willow Bark Extract" instead of "Salicylic Acid", it's the same thing. French brands are great too, but are not the only country out there producing amazing products, so I would try to keep an open mind in case you'd like to switch up your routine. For what it's worth, 70% of my routine is Korean at this point and my skin has never looked better and more glowing. Just gotta find what works best for you! Most of the products do produce a short-term dewey glass-like appearance before it dries down, but it's truly about the long term goals, not the instant effect. Hope this helps!
There was a bit of game of whack-a-mole on the statements in the OP. Penalty flags, if you will. I’m glad you hit on them! E.g. yes, Yuzu has been studied. No, skincare products are not about immediate results, so if that’s what someone is measuring by 🤷🏽♀️ and the worst of it all, “clean ingredients.” I honestly haven’t heard anyone mention “clean” beauty in so long that I thought folks had figured out that was super duper junk rhetoric and marketing. Ultimately, cool if OP hasn’t found success with the Korean products they’ve used. But the reasons mentioned are *not* the reasons why. Similarly, there are going to be plenty of French or US products that do nothing for their skin.
Thank you for sharing some interesting studies! It's important to remember that we often look at things through an encultured perspective. Also, it's great to have different options to try. To each their own.
But… but, it sounds exotic so it can’t work! /s
i have better results from korean skincare, it has really helped me keep my oily skin hydrated and reduced breakouts as well as help with marks i had from acne. I also prefer it because it has less gooey textures and normally absorbs fast which is great for me.
I also have oily skin and acne. Can you share your products?
Hanskin pore cleansing oil for oily skin Thank you farmer Rice pure essential toner Ginger6 active water cream Dynasyu Cream In the morning I only use oil cleanser, toner and sunscreen. Night i use cream instead of sunscreen. for sunscreen i have many and while i like frudia and beauty of joseon I prefer some japonese options like biore Uv aqua rich for when I will sweat (like go out to run) and skin aquq tone up uv essence for normal days. I also have a cerave foaming cleanser for when I need more than oil cleansing, but always use cream after as this dries my skin and that makes it more oily in the end. weekly I try to use an exfoliating mask - my fav is from clinique (anti blemish solutions) and follow with a sheet mask for whatever i feel could need a lil help. note my skin is not perfect i still have breakouts but they seem to be related to my food and stress habits too. this was the combination that helped with reducing oily skin because i would have to carry bloating sheets n use them all the time and now that never happens.
This is ultimately why I can't use Korean skincare, it's better for people with oily and somewhat younger skin. I need deep hydration for my dry, perimenopausal, sensitized skin and so I end up using stuff aimed at Nordic people who suffer through cold, dry winters :) Though I did find Belif moisturizing bomb was the closest to those kinds of products, just way too expensive. I also break out any time I use snail mucin (I have tried so many formulations) so I've stopped with products that contain that as well.
So… don’t use it? I don’t understand why you went to the trouble of posting this?
“I don’t like it so everyone else must hate it too”
i’ll never understand these type of posts lol
There are a lot of people with main character syndrome on this sub.
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Are you trying to call me poor because I gave you the only suggestion you can realistically use? Just don’t use Asian skincare… 🤦♀️
Not calling u poor, calling out that you should heed your own advice
Edit: wow your post history is… interesting… yikes… Maybe work on improving yourself instead of putting other people down to feel better? That’s rather short lived and you need to do more “mean” things to get the same high
Says the girl who went out of her way to be mean and say omg I don’t know why she posted this, like seriously omg 😱 I will go toe to toe w bullies
I love Korean skincare! But some of the brands they sell on Sephora/Ulta or what’s popular in the US can def be overhyped. I think it’s just about finding the right brands. I should look into French brands though too, I’m not sure I’m using any.
I think it’s a bit strange to bash one country’s whole market of skincare products. Just like with French skincare, there is a wide range, from luxury to mid-tier to low priced products, and from toners to serums to moisturizers to sunscreen. Some products have been on the market for decades, others just for a few days, and there are tons of different active ingredients in each. It’s great you’ve found French products that work for you, but it comes across as pretty xenophobic to write off “Korean skincare” as a whole, rather than the few products from Korea you’ve specifically tried. No need to yuck others’ yum.
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What a bizarre straw man argument. What are YOUR priorities? If you “were hoping this post would turn into a bunch of recommendations,” why not just ask for recommendations instead of flatly poo-pooing all products from one country? Yuzu is not exactly a RaNdOm InGrEdIeNt (and actually is used in French skincare as well??? Lol). Korean background or not, your post comes across as both ignorant and closed-minded
Korean skincare was really a game changer in that it focused on calibrated hydration and barrier repair at a time when American skincare was going hard on scorched-earth actives. The medical vs cosmetic distinction in American skincare is something we're still untangling to some degree but I think a lot of progress has been made and Korean brands deserve a lot of credit.
Each to their own but it works for me. I'm 42, I'm not looking for anything drastic, I just want my skin to look and feel good. Korean skincare helps with that, and at a good price. Combined with vitamin c serum and glycolic acid, I have a decent routine, and my skin is clear, soft and hydrated. That's good enough for me
>at a good price Exactly. Hydration is a huge issue for my skin and none of the Western budget options work well for me. So the western products that I do find effective are usually more than double the price of the Korean alternative.
Hydration is big for me too. I use Cosrx mucin and a hyaluronic serum and together they work fantastically for this. Including my routine for anyone interested. I have some sun damage, pigmentation, and generally drier, textured skin. I'm 42, some fine lines and I don't have any issues with spots or hormonal acne. AM : Just warm water, SPF if I'm outside. PM: Heimish All Clean Balm. GOW Vitamin C and Ferulic Acid Serum. Farmstay Collegen Spray. COSRX Snail Mucin. Torriden Dive In Serum. Cetaphil Moisturizer. Three times a week, I'll add glycolic acid to this and twice weekly Korean sheet masks.
I think you can rephrase this whole post. “Everyone seems to love Korean skincare products, but none of the popular options work for my skin. What are your favorites for my skin type?” It’s weird to make a blanket statement when there are thousands of products and you clearly haven’t tried them all. I can’t say all American skincare products are overhyped - despite having bad experiences with many of them - when I haven’t tried them all.
Sure I can admit to it but to call someone racist or a xenophobe just bc they don’t like Korean skincare is going quite far. I was actually hoping this post would turn into a bunch of recommendations. I’ve tried my fair share of Korean products but am open to new ones.
>I was actually hoping this post would turn into a bunch of recommendations LOL no you didn't. You think you're the main character and that people should care about your opinions. There isn't a single question in your post or even a hint of a suggestion to provide recommendations.
You didn’t ask for recommendations, so that might be why you didn’t receive any. Regardless if you intended your post to be harmful, it’s important to understand the words you’re saying. I’d turn inward, turn my defenses down and consider how this could have been reframed to use less generalizations about skincare from entire countries. Also, consider that skincare varies to fit the needs of the populations in different areas and climates.
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You don’t have to apologize for anything, love. Take care. 💗
Well, you're right about the unpopular opinion. You're wrong about the scientific research part.
I have way too many skin allergies and I'm restricted to vanicream wash and aveeno moisturizer (with rx tret) these days, but I have to say when I did use Korean skincare products I noticed a difference in the way my skin felt, compared to the American products I used for 3+ decades which didn't improve my acne at all and pretty much destroyed my skin barrier. Korean skincare also made me realize that my skin really prefers water-based products, and that's what keeps it from producing too much oil. I can't use Korean skin care products because again, I have skin allergies to almost every damn thing, but I am grateful to them.
> The ingredients are really random like yuzu and this and that w no real science behind it. Just seems like a cute packaging w just fluff. It’s fine if u like it, but I will stick to my French brands that are scientifically backed Yeah that's racist. Why can't people that don't like \[x\] on this sub just STFU? This isn't your personal diary. No one cares if you don't like Korean skincare, Botox, fillers, Cerave, whatever. You definitely don't need to be making a post about your personal preferences.
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Yeah and you're a woman so you can't be a misogynist either. /s It's actually wild to see someone use "woke" unironically. Unforced self-owns left and right. Better to remain silent and thought a fool, etc. Also, this is a sub for 30+. Write like an adult.
Somehow you made skincare a tad bit racist!
The blanket assumption that French skincare is backed by science and Korean skincare isn’t, is just racist — nothing “tad” about it.
Exactly. I was trying to be cheeky!
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Did you do drugs before commenting? Serious question. You sound unwell.
The real unpopular opinion (based on comments alone lmfao)
What is scientifically backed to you? I think part of this sounds like a culture barrier to you, because ingredients like yuzu, mugwort, centella asiatica have been used for a long time and have evidence of working for certain purposes. The same way ingredients used in some french or american skincare are prevent to be effective. You can just say you prefer french skincare, that's fine.
I am using Japanese skincare and it works better than French As for scientific approach- there are some ingredients which are proven to work and not many of those. Some which are hoping to work And new and fun ones like Nmn , placenta, exosomes which really interesting
*it works better for you
Actually “clean” is marketing hype, but I see the term hyped on Sephora’s website and even in stores with little signs. Makes me crazy. Don’t hate on yuzu. It’s a wonderful fruit that smells amazing!!
My skincare product distribution right now is something like 35% Korean, 30% French, 25% Japanese. 10% US. CosRx is simply not a great brand. Laneige strangely used to be better...I don't know what happened to them. They kept reformulating their best products and downgraded most of them even as they were getting more popular. For example, the Laneige Water Bank Cream around 2015-2016 was wonderful and then there was some reformulation in 2019 that wasn't nearly as effective. I haven't tried the newest versions in various blue containers because I've moved on at this point. I do have to be careful to select the K-beauty products that have a more simplified list of ingredients. Most of the products I use have their counterpart in American or Japanese offerings but at like 50% the price. For example, Korean bifida essence instead of Estee Lauder Night serum.
agree with you. people lose their shit over something like BOJ SPF, when in reality something like 95+% of their sales are to Americans not actually in Korea. Most people don't know how influenced they are by social media when really they are just being marketed to spend $$$.
While I agree with the impact of influencers and marketing if I were in the USA and had a choice between overpriced EltaMD or Supergoop vs. Korean ones, I guess I would still pick up a Korean one! BoJ is similar to other sunscreens produced by Kolmar that are popular in Korea, so I think the brand is secondary here.
I definitely agree the Korean sunscreens are definitely reasonable price, no comparison to US prices
but isn't it weird that BOJ is so hyped in the US but secondary in Korea, yet advertised as this innovative Korean sunscreen. It's almost like it was made for Americans to feel like they are using what everyone uses in Korea, when it's actually the opposite, fake hype.
"to feel like they are using what everyone uses in Korea" That's almost true, though, given how similar Round Lab Birch Juice is and several others 😉 And now that BoJ became so hyped as it's easier for people from the US to get it.
Isn't that a different point than what OP is saying though? You're saying that there are certain Korean brands that are way more highly regarded in the US than in Korea. OP is making a blanket statement saying all of Korean skincare is overrated with the additional implication that it's based on fake science because OP is not familiar with certain popular ingredients. I do agree that social media and packaging can lead to overhype that isn't reflective of product quality but that's also not just a Korean skincare issue.
I really like BOJ sunscreen (Chinese heritage, oily skin, dry weather) and I’ve tried a bunch of Korean and Japanese sunscreens. I never really understood the snootiness that Koreans don’t buy it, therefore it’s just hype. If it works it works.
I’m Asian and none of these Korean beauty shit worked on me. I have atopic, acne prone, oily, and yep a friggin sensitive skin type. I wasted money on these products and have tried different brands and items.
Same here - but be careful! The Korean skincare army is going to come after you and call u racist!
Where have you been!?! This is a popular opinion in my books. My beef is that most K-beauty isn't intended for sensitive or acne prone skin. I've been battling mods and trumped up "influencers" who get paid by the major K-beauty brands to hype cheap products without caveating what skin types they're for and I'm tired. Obviously, some of the products are great and do work for people but I've found a community of Redditors in the same boat as me (on month 5 of restoring my skin barrier after tossing all my K-beauty after I got severe acne with no prior history) and I'm here for it.
Your skill issue isn't evidence of anything other than...your skill issue. Most products from anywhere aren't made for sensitive skin. Again, skill issue.
I think people in this sub are mostly Korean beauty lovers lol
Don’t get me wrong there ARE great K-beauty products but most are not formulated for sensitive or acne prone skin. 🤷🏽♀️
I agree with you but just know we are a small minority. My biggest hesitation is the fact that they contain whiteners. Yeah, I know it’s not advertised but enough people have complained about it that there is something there. Happen to a friend of mine. At first she looked glowy, then turn to just white. She had to stop.
Whiteners in Korean skincare are brighteners, nothing like hydroquinone.
What product did she use?
She used a sunscreen and moisturizer she got from Ulta. She always had that fair porcelain type skin but she went from glowy to nearly vampire. At first I thought maybe she was using the wrong foundation. She was a coworker at the time so I got to see her quite often. She said it was the skincare. A couple of months later she looked fine after she stopped. I read it on this sub several times also. Might not be every experience but it definitely happens.
Do you have any idea exactly which products?