Korean skincare: what is worth copying, and what is just a trend

Start with the part that is real. Korean brands were putting daily sunscreen, gentle low-pH cleansers and lightweight layered hydration into ordinary routines years before Western brands caught up. The famous “glass skin” look is not a product. It is mostly well-hydrated skin with an even surface and no sun damage, which is exactly what the boring, evidence-backed steps produce over time.

Which Korean skincare habits are worth copying?

Daily sunscreen, gentle cleansing and thin layers of hydration are the Korean skincare habits worth copying, because each one has good evidence behind it. None of them depends on where the product was made.

Sunscreen every day, and texture that makes you want to wear it. Korean sunscreens are often lighter and less greasy than the ones many of us grew up with, which matters more than any other feature because the sunscreen you actually apply is the only one that works. The UK and EU regulate sunscreens as cosmetics, so every UV filter in a product sold here has to be on the list of UV filters allowed in cosmetic products, regardless of where the brand is from.

Low-pH cleansing. Your skin’s surface sits a little below pH 5 on average. Harsh, high-pH cleansers leave it tight and squeaky, which people used to read as “clean” and dermatologists read as stripped. A cleanser that does not do that is a small change with a noticeable effect if you have dry or easily irritated skin. The pH on the label is not the whole story, though: a 2021 study of cleansers found that the cleansing agents decide how mild a product is, and matching skin pH alone does not guarantee it.

Hydration in thin layers. Humectant toners and essences, the watery products, add water to the top layer of skin. Followed by a moisturiser to hold it there, that is a sensible way to get a plump, even-looking surface without heavy creams.

Which Korean skincare trends can you skip?

You can skip the ten-step routine and most of the hero ingredients, because neither has good evidence that it adds anything to a short, well-chosen routine.

The ten-step routine. No study has found that ten products beat three good ones. The ten steps were largely a marketing framework. More steps mean more chances of irritation, more money, and more reasons to give up.

Snail mucin. It is a decent humectant with a great story. The research on it as a special ingredient is thin: a 2024 review of snail extract found that most studies were preclinical or small, and called for large trials. If you like the texture, use it. Do not expect it to do anything glycerin cannot.

Centella, ginseng, fermented anything. Centella asiatica is the most promising of these as a soothing ingredient, but a 2021 review of the research on centella found mostly laboratory and animal work and called for properly controlled long-term trials. A 2020 review of Korean cosmeceutical ingredients reached a similar view of the wider group: interesting, and in need of more research. The rest sit in the “pleasant, possibly helpful, not proven” category. None of them replaces a retinoid, sunscreen or vitamin C.

Does MyAgenix recommend Korean skincare products?

MyAgenix leans towards Korean brands when you say you prefer them, but only where a product genuinely fits your skin, and we say so honestly when one does not. What we will not do is put a product in your routine because of where it is from. Fit first, origin second. You can set that preference in the MyAgenix questionnaire. That is the K-beauty habit worth keeping: care about the routine, not the label.

General information about skin, not medical advice. MyAgenix offers cosmetic guidance to help you choose products. It does not diagnose or treat any condition. For anything that needs treating, see a pharmacist, your GP or a dermatologist.