It's no exaggeration to say that Korean Beauty, or K-Beauty, has changed the way we think about our skincare and makeup, forever. And we're not complaining.
K-Beauty promotes a ‘skin first’ approach to beauty, which has no doubt powered our demand for brands like Glossier and The Ordinary. It's all about letting the skin's natural glow shine through, rather than masking it with lashings of heavy products.
In our quest to achieve the fabled ‘glass skin’ (or is it all about ‘mirror skin’ now?), we've relished testing various K-Beauty trends, from the original ten-step skincare routine to ‘slugging’, which involved slathering ourselves in Vaseline and pretty much hoping for the best.
As we approach 2022 – and start thinking about those all-important new year's resolutions – there's never been a better time to incorporate K-Beauty trends into our routines. Especially after the battering our skin often takes during the festive season (Baileys, we're looking at you).
With that in mind, GLAMOUR spoke to a variety of K-Beauty experts to get the scoop on all the trends that are expected to blow up in 2022.
Mélusine Tran, the founder of Kōsame Beauty predicts:
The rise of the one or two-step beauty routine
“K-Beauty is infamous for its 10 steps K-beauty routine, which is in my opinion so far from the truth. We're observing new hybrid products like the Dr Ceuracle Kombucha Essence which combine a toner, cream and essence in one product and encourage a ‘less is more’ approach.”
Mélusine recommends Dr Ceuracle Kombucha Essence.
Minimalist formulas
"Formulas that contain no more than 10 ingredients, brands like iUNIK are at the forefront of this trend. Customers turn to simple formulas due to sensitive skin, which is an increasing issue, definitely related to our stressful lifestyle, over-exfoliation and city pollution.
Mélusine recommends iUNIK Tea Tree Relief Serum.
The healthy glow
“Finally, the pursuit of a healthy glow is very popular in K-Beauty, being confident in your own skin and focusing on healthy skin is one of the main trends in Korean Beauty (forget glass skin or the seven skin method), opt for a simple routine with nourishing and brightening ingredients like propolis, ceramide and hyaluronic acid.”
Mélusine recommends Isntree Acid Moist Cream.
Sarah Oh, the founder of Oh My Gloss predicts:
The rise of mask-friendly beauty
“Covid-19 is still a huge global issue and wearing masks constantly can irritate the skin. K-beauty is all about soothing and calming skin so skincare products that helps with protecting and strengthening the skin barrier is a must.”
At-home smart beauty
“At home smart beauty tools are also a new trend that will pick up this year. Beauty devices can provide some at-home solutions for different skin concerns. Without having to step outside, you can tailor your needs at home with led masks, galvanic massagers, or water peeling facials.”
Elisa Lee, owner of Dot Dot Skin and Soko Beauty predicts:
A revival of vitamin A products
"I expect that more and more brands will be releasing products with vitamin A, retinol/retinal and also bakuchiol. Dr. Different is one of the first ones that released a retinol cream in the market and it got extremely popular."
Mimi Luzon, a skin wellbeing expert and celebrity aesthetician, predicts:
A renewed focus on sustainable beauty
“The demand for sustainable products is growing in the form of vegan makeup, recyclable packaging, and multi-use products. Products that have more than one use are essential for creating a minimal beauty routine and perfect for travel. Predicted to amass a value of $13 billion by 2027, K-beauty keeps up with the trends while retaining simple and essential values.”
Ada Ooi, the founder of 001 Skincare, predicts:
The rise of ‘active ingredient’ launches
"Achieving the hyper-glow glass skin has been the main goal for Korean beauty in the past few years, leading to day to day skincare products main focus on hydration, sometimes along with some active ingredients to also keep barrier healthy.
While this natural and dewy aesthetic is not going away, consumers are also actively looking for products that deliver more than just hydration. We are already seeing a boom in launches with all forms of vitamin As (retinol, retinoids) with smart delivery system that are gentle to the skin but still deliver efficacy. Actives-focused launches are going to be the next big thing in K-skincare."
This was originally published on Glamour UK.
