Beyond K-Beauty: 3 Things Living Abroad Taught Me About Korean Skincare
These days, many aspects of Korean culture have become globally recognised under the “K” label, like K-pop, K-movies, and K-beauty, unlike 10 to 20 years ago. Starting with BTS and now K-pop Demon Hunters, Korea is no longer an unfamiliar country to people around the world. K-beauty has also grown alongside K-culture. I think the perception that Korean people have beautiful skin has helped K-beauty grow even more. So, do Korean cosmetics play the biggest role in Korean people’s smooth skin, or are there other reasons? Based on my personal experience living in different countries, I think there are several other reasons.
First, Korea has relatively soft water.
The human body is about 60% water, so water is essential for both drinking and washing. Many Korean people might have experienced dry skin or hair when they travel to other countries or live abroad for a long time, even though they do not have any issues with them in Korea. Tap water in Korea generally contains fewer dissolved minerals, which is unrelated to how clean the water is. It could be different depending on the city, but the average hardness level is about 60 mg/L in most cities. Compared to Korea, Waterloo in Ontario, Canada has a higher water hardness level of about 450 mg/L. I lived in Melbourne, Australia; London, UK; and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, before moving to Waterloo, Canada. At the beginning of my life in the UK and Malaysia, I had difficulty adapting to the water in those countries. However, surprisingly, whenever I went back to Korea, my skin and hair were fine. I heard that if we use cleansers such as cleansing foam with hard water, more residue could remain on our skin, which may cause skin irritation and moisture loss. Based on my experience, I think this explanation makes sense.
Second, I felt different levels of skin dryness in other countries.
There are lots of important factors for maintaining healthy skin, but one of the most important things is getting enough moisture. From my personal perspective, consistently maintaining enough moisture in the skin is more important than just using expensive products. Although I couldn’t find data showing that Waterloo is less humid than Seoul or Busan, my skin has felt much drier since I moved to Canada. In Korea, it was fine if I did not use body cream after showering, and I did not feel much dryness even when I used a face mask only once or twice a week. However, in Canada, I feel so much dryness that I scratch my skin if I do not use body cream after showering, and I use a face mask almost every day or every other day. Moisturizing is the most important thing, but I think I need to do it more often because I feel so much dryness. I think that winter temperatures in Canada are much lower than in Korea, and because it snows a lot, people use heaters more often on buses, in buildings, and at home. That is why I feel more skin dryness.
Third, there is high demand for skincare in Korea.
In Korea, there is a concern about the growing number of skin clinics for beauty rather than medical treatment. This has become a social issue. I heard that there are lots of cases where people get skin burns or need treatment, but it is hard to find a dermatology clinic near their homes because nearby clinics focus on beauty treatments. Therefore, they need to search for other clinics to see a dermatologist. It might be difficult for people in other countries to understand. It means that Korean people are very serious about skincare for clear skin. I could easily find various skincare shops or clinics near my home in Korea, but I find it a little bit harder to find them in Canada. In addition, there are lots of skincare packages in Korea, such as Ultherapy, Thermage, and laser treatments. I think the high demand has led to a wide range of skincare services. And now, there are lots of travel packages for foreigners to experience Korean skincare clinics.
Korean people think maintaining healthy skin is a part of regular self-care. It could be considered negative because it looks like people only care about their appearance and good looks. However, this industry is growing along with K-beauty, and I think it means that people around the world might think clear skin is a part of beauty and that they want to be more beautiful. Of course, most Korean beauty brands try their best to produce products with gentle ingredients at reasonable prices. This is because they need to do so to survive in Korea. However, Korean people’s clear skin is not only a result of Korean cosmetic products, but it is also affected by the environment, climate, and the desire for clear skin.
If you have experience changing your skincare routine while living in other countries, please share it!
References
Aquatell. (n.d.). Water hardness level by city – Ontario. https://www.aquatell.ca/pages/water-hardness-level-by-city-ontario
Comments