What is K-beauty? And what is J-beauty? K-beauty consists of Korean beauty products and their skincare routine, and J-beauty consists of Japanese beauty products and their routine. Both K-beauty and J-beauty products and routines have similarities, such as the double cleansing method and high SPF daily. But there are differences like the number of steps in each routine and the ingredients they use.
K-BEAUTY
K-beauty's worldwide popularity emerged sometime in 2011 due to the rise of the popular entertainment Kpop and Kdramas. People were fascinated with Koreans dedication to their skincare regimen. Koreans take their skincare routine seriously. They incorporate many steps and use unique ingredients such as snail mucin to attain beautiful translucent skin.
The main idea behind the Korean beauty routine is to achieve and maintain luminous glowy translucent healthy-looking skin. The Korean beauty philosophy is to find innovative ways to improve overall skin texture and complexion. Korean products are usually ground-breaking and uncontemporary. Korean products and routines usually incorporate unique ingredients and steps that differentiate them from the rest of the world. With the innovation of Korean beauty products, they regularly introduce new techniques and products into the beauty industry.
Below you can see the steps incorporated into the Korean beauty routine.
K-Beauty Routine:
- Makeup remover
- Oil-based cleanser first, foam cleanser second
- Exfoliator (twice a week)
- Toner
- Sheet mask
- Essence
- Treatments with serums, ampoules, or booster
- Eye cream
- Moisturizer (day) / sleeping mask (night)
- Sunscreen
Some popular ingredients that you can find in Korean skincare and beauty products are snail mucin, Centella Asiatica, bamboo extract, milk, vitamin C, niacinamide, hyaluronic acid, green tea, noni, propolis, ginseng, rice, etc.
Popular Kbeauty Trends
- Glass Skin (translucent skin that you can see through)
- Dumpling Skin (moist and supple skin)
- Honey Skin (hydrated and texture of luminous honey)
J-BEAUTY
On the other hand, J-beauty is not as popular as Kbeauty. However, people in Japan also take their skincare routine seriously. They focus on a simple routine to achieve and maintain beautiful, healthy-looking skin. Japanese beauty products are known for their simple packaging and minimalistic approach to treating skin.
The main idea behind the Japanese beauty routine is to keep the routine simple and achieve healthy, clean skin. Japanese beauty philosophy's main idea is to create a functional, simple, effective routine. Japanese brands like to create products based on scientific research and for the products to ensure long-term benefits. Japanese people believe that people should treat the skin delicately, and therefore, all products are very gentle. Even applying skincare products involves techniques that will not rub or tug at the face.
Below you can see the steps incorporated into the Japanese beauty routine.
J-Beauty Routine:
- Oil-based cleanser first, foam cleanser second
- Liquid lotion
- Sheet Mask
- Eye cream
- Moisturizer
- Sunscreen
Some popular ingredients that you can find in Japanese skincare products are yuzu, rice bran, Tsubaki, cherry blossom, green tea, royal jelly, ceramide, coenzyme q10, collagen, vitamin C, hyaluronic acid, etc.
Popular J-beauty Trends
- Mochi Skin (focused on having plump, bouncy, and smooth skin)
Have you tried any Korean or Japanese skincare products? Which ones did you try, and why did you like them? And if you haven't, let us know if this is something that you would be interested in incorporating into your skincare routine!
Comment below and let us know your thoughts!