The ultimate K-beauty regimen isn’t for those who are weak. Find the top Korean makeup, skincare, and haircare launches and discover a multitude of brands trying to get the top position. From clinic-inspired serums to delicious lip tints, a plethora number of choices are available for every category you could think of regardless of how specific. What’s the truth behind the hype?
“For the past decade, Korean beauty has upped the bar globally when it comes to price, quality, innovation, and texture,” says Charlotte Cho, co-founder of the salon and esthetician Soko Glam Then I met you. Cho’s name is likely to be well-known to anyone who has been a part of the K-beauty world however for those who aren’t familiar Cho has been curating the very best of Korean beauty at Soko Glam for over 11 years, long before you’ve seen the infamous toner pads taking away the top of your TikTok FYP.
In recent times, Cho has been more attentive than she has ever been. “I’ve been looking more at the details of where the ingredients are sourced, or if it’s bringing an interesting ingredient combo to the table,” Cho states. To make sense of the huge number of launches that are coming from the K-beauty industry she pays particular focus on clinical studies and “new formats or textures that are unlike anything I’ve tested before.”
In the past, she’s paid attention to the effects of in-office cosmetic treatments such as microneedling and injections of PDRN. “Toner pads are also having a moment,” she declares. “It’s a resurgence of why we originally fell in love with sheet masks, but now in bite-sized form.”
With a few tips from Cho with me I spent 5 weeks in Seoul this spring, working to go through every product I could find. From toners that are viral on TikTok to legendary cleansing oils, let’s see the products that live according to their hype. Certain launches enjoy an elitist reputation in Korea and consistently rank at the top of Hwahae (an analyzer of the ingredients and an aggregator application that provides some of the most reliable rankings for Korea) as well as finding the place in my friend’s bathroom cabinets. Some are more well-known internationally or belong to brands that are that are just beginning to make waves. However, they are all impressive.