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The 10 Step Korean Skin Care Routine

How can we improve our skin’s health? What is considered a good skin care routine? The answer is quite simple. Healthy skin is rooted in maintaining a clean, hydrated, and strong skin barrier. Through research and development, Korean skin care uses effective ingredients, tools, and advanced technologies that help target specific skin concerns to achieve that healthy skin barrier. Empowering skincare knowledge is in the center of Korean beauty culture.

The 10-step Korean skincare routine is widely known to help achieve healthy skin when the proper products are used together in the right order. It is never too late to begin your Korean skincare journey!

Step
1

Oil Cleanser

Skin care must always start with clean skin. Oil cleansers are the best way to clarify and cleanse your skin without irritating it. Oil cleansers gently remove makeup, sunscreen, and excess sebum without stripping the skin of its oil balance. Oil cleanser is the first step of the double cleansing technique.

Sulwhasoo Gentle Cleansing Oil

Gentle Cleansing Oil

Step
2

Water-based Cleanser

The 2nd step to the famously known double cleansing technique is a water-based cleanser. The second cleanser washes your face for deep and thorough clarifying and purifying of your complexion and pores.

Water-based cleansers can be in the form of gel, foam, and cleansing waters. Which water-based cleanser you should use depends on your skin type, whether it be dry, oily, or anywhere in between. A foam cleanser has a reputation to dry out the skin, making it more suitable for oily skin, and a gel cleanser tends to hydrate, preferable for dry skin type.

Step
3

Exfoliator

Exfoliators are skin treatments that help remove dead cells from your most top layer of your skin. By doing so, it reveals a new and healthy skin layer that can easily and better absorb your upcoming skincare products as well as clear out pores or clogged surfaces.

There are two types of exfoliators with the same goal to clean pores and remove dead skin cells clogging the topmost layer of the skin. The first – physical exfoliators, are textured substances such as scrubs, towels, peeling gels, that literally exfoliates.

The alternative to physical exfoliators – chemical exfoliators, are made up primarily of three commonly known acids: AHA, BHA, and PHA. The word acid might initially sound painful, but at lower dosages it can save your skin from troubles like acne, dull & uneven skin tone, and rough skin texture.

Cosrx AHA-BHA Clarifying Treatment Toner

AHA-BHA Clarifying Treatment Toner

Step
4

Toner

This step of your skincare routine is where the nurturing of the skin begins. Toners help prep the skin by removing any leftover residue from your cleanser, so your skincare is better absorbed in the next steps. Korean toners tend to be milder and go beyond balancing the pH level of the skin. As skincare innovation continues, toners are now multi-functioning, sometimes offering gentle exfoliation, moisture replenishing, and skin tone correction to name a few.

I'm From Rice Toner

Rice Toner

Step
5

Essence

Essence is a vital step in a skincare routine where the first instance of moisture absorption takes place. Hydrating the skin allows the next steps to fully penetrate moisture into the skin and fully absorb the nutrition of your skincare routine.

Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence

Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence

Step
6

Serum & Ampoule

Serums and ampoules are high in active ingredients and ultimately target individual skin concerns such as acne, hyperpigmentation, and elasticity. These skin boosters and potent treatments are more viscous than your essence and delivers high concentrations of active ingredients to your skin.

AHA BHA PHA 30 Days Miracle Serum

AHA BHA PHA 30 Days Miracle Serum

Step
7

Sheet Mask

The most fun step of the skincare routine has got to be putting on a sheet mask. Aside from providing relaxation and a spa-like experience, sheet masks typically are drenched and packed with essence, serum, or cream. With a sheet as a skincare delivery method, it effectively saturates your skin with effective ingredients. For the best outcome, it is crucial that you do not leave the mask on for over 20 minutes. If you are using a cloth-like sheet mask (i.e. cotton, cellulose, and etc.), the act of prolonged treatment can do more harm than good by reabsorbing the treatment out of your skin.

Teatree Care Solution Essential Mask

Teatree Care Solution Essential Mask

Step
8

Eye Cream

The skin around your eyes is delicate and should be treated with extra tender, love, and care. Eye Creams target your concerns of wrinkles, dark circles, dryness, puffiness, fine lines, and/or poor circulation. It is often used to treat aging concerns, but it also helps to revitalize and maintain a youthful appearance.

CPP Collagen 80 Timeless Eye Cream

CPP Collagen 80 Timeless Eye Cream

Step
9

Cream/Lotion (Moisturizer)

A lotion, emulsion, or cream’s purpose is to lock in the moisture from the above skincare steps. Moisturizers seal in all the essential skincare ingredients and protects them from evaporating into air. It comes in a variety of texture and thickness to accommodate all skin types and preferences.

Midnight Blue Calming Cream

Midnight Blue Calming Cream

Step
10

Sun Protection/SPF

The secret to protecting your skin from environmental stressors and most importantly, AGING, is sun protection. At the last step of your skincare routine, you should apply a generous amount whether you spend the day inside or out. Sun rays are very damaging to the skin and this layer of protection would shield your skin from harmful UVA and UVB rays. The SPF on your sunscreen stands for Sun Protection Factor, a measure of how long a sunscreen will protect you from ultraviolet B (UVB) rays. The PA+ measures the level of protection from UVA before you begin tanning.

Soonjung Mild Defence Sun Cream

Soonjung Mild Defence Sun Cream

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