Last year was a banner year for Korean beauty, with sales increasing 66 percent worldwide, according to Larissa Jensen, Global Executive Director and Beauty Industry Analyst at NPD. Here, the latest K-Beauty trends, brands, ingredients and products driving newness in the category.
Vitabrid C12
What it is: The product harnesses a proprietary form of vitamin C, Vitabrid CG, which delivers active vitamin C in a stable form. Vitamin C is best known for its ability to brighten skin tone, boost collagen levels and deliver antioxidant benefits. For hair, it protects again thinning manes. Vitabrid C12 has developed biotechnology that encapsulates an active form of vitamin C delivering it deep into the skin and scalp, earning it the Trendsetter Award at Cosmoprof North America.
Seen in: Vitabrid C12’s star product, FACE Brightening Powder, continually supplies vitamin C to the skin when used twice a day. The powder-form vitamin C can be mixed with any liquid skin care product to help brighten and minimize fine lines and wrinkles through the process of collagen synthesis. Vitabrid C12’s proprietary compound can also be found in the brand’s shampoo, anti-hair loss treatment and acne fighter.
Glass Skin
What it is: A sheet of glass is smooth and transparent, and that’s exactly what glass skin aims to achieve: smooth, translucent and evenly textured skin. In Korea, glass skin is the holy grail of skin care because it signifies youthfulness and beautifully hydrated skin.
Seen in: Intense hydration is the royal route to glass skin. Korean skin care trends are not known for their simplicity, and achieving such perfection is a multi-step process involving deep-acting products including: cleansing (to remove the effects of pollution), a serum and moisturizer (glass skin is all about intensely hydrated skin), spritzing a mist infused with minerals and antioxidants (to nourish skin), applying a sheet mask (nourish skin further still), and then a skin perfector (that minimizes pores and preps the skin for makeup).
Klavuu
What it is: Klavuu, which phonetically sounds like clear and view, is a marine pearl cosmetic brand that infuses natural pearl, essential oils and marine plant extracts into their formulas to cleanse and clarify skin. In Korea, pearls are believed to be the secret to a glowing complexion.
Seen in: Klavuu’s Pure Pearlsation Marine Collagen Micro Cleansing Water contains hydrolyzed pearl extract as well as marine collagen to speed up cell turnover, and deeply cleanse and nourish.
Facial Essences
What it is: Facial essences are like liquid supplements for the skin. Essences are believed to be the most important step in the fabled 10-step Korean skin care routine because they are infused with super-powerful actives that penetrate the dermis layer.
Seen in: Layering Essence Ringer Driplooks like an IV drip and is a moisturizing blend of highly absorbable ingredients (in nano-particle form) including betaine, a sugarcane extract that is rich in natural amino acids and helps control the oil-water balance of skin.
British M
What it is: Despite the moniker, British M is actually a Korean hair and grooming brand created by celebrity hair stylists, with a presence in more than100 Seoul luxury hair salons. Like so much of Korean skin care, British M specializes in protecting and nourishing the scalp (and hair) with its organic, paraben-free and low pH formulas.
Seen in: British M won Soko Glam’s Best of K-Beauty Award in 2017 for its Organics Annatto Hair Oil infused with organic pumpkin seed and argan oil to nourish hair and create shine.
Acwell
What it is: Acwell combines the best of both worlds: age-old Korean medicine and modern-day research. Its products contain fermented ingredients and natural herbs to calm sensitive skin.
Seen in: Acwell’s Licorice pH Balancing Cleansing Toner, the star product in the collection, contains 10 percent licorice water (from licorice root) that serves to brighten the skin thanks to its anti-inflammatory benefits. Licorice root is also very popular in Korean skin care as it is a natural brightener that evens out dark spots and acne scars.
