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Skin Cupid’s 10-step Korean Skincare Routine
Korean Skincare Philosophy
Originating in Korea, the 10-step skincare routine is the secret to maintaining glowing skin, loved by many Korean celebrities and K-pop idols. With 10 steps offering various benefits and nutrients, it helps address your skin concerns and achieve a flawless complexion.
Why is Korean skincare so good?
Korean Skincare aims to heal and strengthen your natural skin barrier, giving your skin a healthy glow. To accomplish this, the skincare tends to be more gentle to nourish the skin, with natural ingredients often featured prominently in formulas. Additionally, Korean skincare really emphasises the importance of layering, this allows different product types to penetrate deeper into the skin, target different concerns, as well as effectively cleanse, prep the skin, and ensure better absorption of the product. The term “quick-fix” doesn’t exist in a Korean skincare routine – it’s all about consistency, dedication, and maintaining long-term skin health.
On the other hand, Western Skincare focuses on the overall appearance of the skin, with a preference towards more active chemical ingredients that deliver results. Layering skincare is less popular, with some products aiming to substitute quite a few steps at once for faster application. While innovation in Western skincare is present, Korea’s ultra-competitive skincare industry contains thousands of companies that are constantly competing with one another, resulting in greater innovation and affordability.
Where to start with Korean Skincare?
If you are a K-Beauty beginner, we recommend starting with a simple 4-step routine that includes a cleanser, a serum, a moisturiser, and a sunscreen. We recommend starting small because if your skin is not used to many actives and layering, the sudden introduction of a 10-step routine that contains powerful products may overwhelm your skin, or cause it to break out. Slowly increasing the number of products in your routine will also make it easier for you to determine if a product is not suitable for your skin.
What are the 10 steps in Korean Skincare?
The 10 steps in Korean skincare are as follows:
- Oil-based cleanser
- Water-based cleanser
- Exfoliator
- Toner
- Essence
- Serum
- Ampoule
- Eye Cream
- Moisturiser
- Sunscreen.
Does Korean skincare work for everyone?
Yes! Korean skincare covers the full spectrum of skin types and concerns, making it easy to put together a routine that suits your skin. However, we recommend you introduce new products into your routine gradually, so as not to overwhelm your skin and cause a negative reaction.
Step 01
Oil Cleanser
First step of double cleansing - the oil cleanser will remove oil-based impurities such as excess sebum, make-up, SPF and external pollutants. The oil cleanser is in a much better place to do this as oil attracts oil, and these impurities will roll off your face without stripping your skin of its natural oils.
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How to Use: Dispense 2-3 pumps of product onto your hands and massage into dry skin for at least 2 minutes, focusing on areas with a concentration of clogged pores. Remove thoroughly with lukewarm water, using a flannel if desired.
Step 02
Water-Based Cleanser
Second step in double cleansing. The water-based cleanser will clean away water-based debris such as sweat, grime and dirt. Double cleanse to prevent breakouts and give your skin a clean slate for the active ingredients in your skincare routine to penetrate deeper.
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How to Use: Squeeze a moderate amount of product onto your hands, add water, and rub hands together to create a foam. Carefully massage into wet skin, avoiding delicate areas such as around the eyes and mouth. Rinse thoroughly with warm water.
Step 03
Exfoliator
For clogged pores and dead skin cells, a good exfoliator is just what you need. Reveal bright smooth skin by regularly exfoliating dead skin cells and unclogging pores helping you achieve a more even-looking complexion with ease.
Choose your perfect exfoliator by type
How to Use: ★Chemical Exfoliator: Gently wipe the soaked pad across the face, concentrating on areas where the skin is congested. Leave for 5-10 minutes before patting in any residual moisture. ★Facial Scrub: Scoop a generous amount of product into your hands and apply evenly to skin, avoiding the eye- and mouth areas. Add a little lukewarm water, and gently massage the product into your skin to encourage exfoliation. Leave on for 10-15 minutes. Rinse off thoroughly with lukewarm water.
Step 04
Toner
Toners help tighten pores and cell gaps after cleansing, preventing more impurities to get into the skin. Use the right toner for your skin type will allow the active ingredients target skin concerns such as control excess sebum, hydration and light exfoliation.
Choose your perfect exfoliator by benefit
How to Use: Squeeze a small amount of product into your hands, or onto cotton pads.If using your hands, pat the toner softly onto the skin on your face and neck. If using cotton pads, gently wipe your face with them.
Step 05
Essence
An essence is a concentrated product contain lots of active ingredients to deliver amazing benefits for the skin such as increasing cell turnover and hydrating, ensuring your skin revitalised. This step is often skipped but it is one of the most important steps as it will deliver more results than any other product because it treats skin on a cellular level - meaning they deliver rich ingredients deep into your skin quickly.
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How to Use: Dispense a few drops of product onto your fingers. Spread gently over skin, ensuring you cover the whole face. Pat gently with your fingertips to aid absorption.
Step 06
Serum & Ampoule
Not all heroes wear capes and serums are one of them. Serums and ampoules contain active ingredients that treat specific skin concerns such as brightening, acne, pigmentation, wrinkles and so on - this is why it's important to pick the right serum for your skin type! The active ingredients penetrate deep into the skin due to their smaller molecular size. The difference between a serum and an ampoule? Think of an ampoule as a supercharged serum with more concentrated ingredients.
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How to Use: Dispense a few drops of product into your hands. Gently spread across skin and allow it to absorb.
Step 07
Mask
Masks are an easy, affordable and quick way to give you skin a big boost of nutrients, hydration, vitamins and all those goodies. Using a sheet mask regularly has huge benefits for the skin, ensuring it remains bright, dewy and acne-free. Sheet masks are applied after toning.
Choose your perfect mask by type
How to Use: ★Sheet Mask: Apply after serum and ampoule. Wear for up to 20 minutes, then remove and gently pat in any excess essence. ★Clay Mask: Apply to dry skin after cleansing, avoiding the eye and mouth areas. Leave on for 5 to 10 minutes, then wash off with lukewarm water. ★Peel-Off Mask: Apply to dry skin after cleansing. Leave on for 20 to 25 minutes and peel off once completely dry. ★Overnight Mask: Use as the final step in your night routine and leave on overnight.
Step 08
Eye Care
With such busy schedules, we all need to give some extra cares for our under-eyes. Dark circles can be annoying but reducing their appearance is possible with eye creams. Eye creams can also help to minimise anti-ageing and wrinkles under the eyes, making them appear brighter and your skin, younger!
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How to Use: Apply a small amount of cream to the undereye area. Gently massage cream into the skin. Tap with your fingertips to aid absorption.
Step 09
Moisturiser
Moisturisers work by locking moisture and water into the skin, while protecting and strengthening the skin barrier and protecting it from external pollutants and bacteria.
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How to Use: Dispense a small amount of product into your hands. Spread across your face, massaging lightly, until fully absorbed. Apply another layer as required, in winter or when skin is feeling dryer than usual.
Step 10
Suncream
Suncreams are an essential part of your daytime skincare routine. They protect your skin from harmful UVA rays (causes ageing and wrinkles, plays a role in skin cancer), UVB rays (damage DNA in skin cells, causes sunburns, links to skin cancer) and Blue Light (from electronic devices - causes cell shrinkage and death and speeds up ageing) that contribute to various skin concerns. Make sure you wear your sun cream daily - even when you are indoors and/or it is not sunny outside, as the rays are still there.
Choose your perfect suncream by type
How to Use: Dispense an appropriate amount of product onto your hands, depending on the level of protection you want to achieve. Spread cream over your face and massage into skin until fully absorbed. Make sure to reapply every two hours if you will be outdoors for an extended period of time. Apply makeup on top, if desired.
