The myth of the magical Korean skin care
Is the skin of Korean women “better”? If it is, is it because (as “they” say) a Korean beauty routine comprises 20 or so steps? Is it better because they use Korean made skincare? Will Korean skincare make your skin smooth and healthy like that of Korean women?
Acne
Too many questions. In any case, from what I know, the skin of Korean women is more similar to American skin than it is different. For example, Korean women also get acne, and the acne triggers seem to be the same as for women in the USA: psychological stress, lack of sleep, menstruation, smoking, drinking. And acne is also triggered by the use of (Korean) cosmetics! The incidence of acne in high school students in Korea is around 70%. This may be lower than what we have in the USA but remember that Korean food and lifestyle are different enough from American to affect the incidence of acne. Korean climate, which is hot and humid, favors acne, and the weather factor may compensate for a diet that is lower in milk and carbohydrates.
Genetics?
Maybe the skin of Korean women is better because they have better skin genes? Genetics does not protect you from acne, although it certainly affects wrinkles and other skin characteristics like hyperpigmentation (worse for darker skin). Rosacea is more common in people of Celtic heritage. And, indeed, skin laxity, “crow feet” and other manifestations of aging occurs later in the Han Chinese and are associated with genetic variations that have been identified. I wouldn’t be surprised if Korean women had better skin or their skin aged more slowly.
For example, the early signs of skin aging in Caucasians, like wrinkles and skin thickening, are less evident in Asian skin. However, pigmentary problems tend to occur at a younger age. Another difference: darker skin is less prone to skin cancer but more likely to develop hyperpigmentation.
If there were ever differences about the incidence of acne between the USA and Korea, they are no longer significant. The number of acne patients in Korea has increased by 60% in the last 10 years, and the number of patients under the age of 19 has doubled in that same period.
Greener pastures
You can’t change your genetics, and buying Korean-named skincare will not improve your skin.
French consumers want American skin care products, American consumers want Korean skin care. Why do we think that our neighbor’s grass is greener? Trust me, in the case of skin care it isn’t. There is a strong uniformity in the skin care ingredient lists around the world.
There are reasons for this: the background of formulators is usually a bachelor’s diploma in chemistry and some expertise in the industry, and both chemistry and the curricula are the same everywhere. Also, the same skin care ingredients are sold everywhere by multinational companies like DuPont, Nexeo, BASF, Dow, etc. As more and more companies consolidate into larger conglomerates, there will be even less manufacturers of ingredients, so the homogeneity will only increase.
Homogeneity of the skin care industry is facilitated by the fact that the main skin problems are shared around the world, even though there are some genetic differences.
If you still don’t believe me when I say that skincare products are the same throughout the world, have a look at the ingredient lists. You will find that some ingredient lists are terribly long, a way to obscure how ordinary they actually are. In the industry, this is called “label value” and the Latin names of plants are perfect for this purpose, because many people will be deterred from looking at what they are when they find such a long list of names. But, as always, what you have is solvents, thickeners, emulsifiers and maybe some actives if you are lucky.
Here is an example of “Korean” skincare
Some By Me AHA-BHA-PHA 30Days Miracle Serum
Actives: Niacinamide, turmeric, Disodium EDTA, Water, Sodium Lactate, Sodium PCA, Glycerin, madecassoside.
Acids: Citric Acid, Glycolic Acid, Malic Acid, Lactic Acid, Pyruvic Acid, Tartaric Acid, Lactobionic acid (4- O -β-galactopyranosyl- D -gluconic acid).
Thickener: Xanthan Gum,
Extracts and essential oils of: liquorice, green tea, tea tree, neem, holy basil, lilac, rosemary, basil, cranberry, green tea, orange, grapefruit and many more.
Preservatives: disodium EDTA, caprylyl glycol, ethylhexylglycerin, and unliested preervatives included in the extracts).
Here is the full list: Water, centella asiatica (gotu kola) extract (14,77%), cetyl ethylhexanoate, caprylic/capric triglyceride, glycerin, olea europaea (olive) fruit oil, propanediol, alcohol, butylene glycol, 1,2-hexanediol, niacinamide, melaleuca alternifolia (tea tree) leaf water (10,000ppm), camellia sinensis (green tea) leaf extract, scutellaria baicalensis (baikal skullcap) root extract, polygonum cuspidatum (japanese knotweed) root extract, glycyrrhiza glabra (licorice) root extract, chamomilla recutita (matricaria) flower extract, rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary) leaf extract, sodium lactate (18,375ppb), sodium pca (7,875ppb), citric acid (7,875ppb), lactic acid (3,150ppb), malic acid (3,150ppb), glycolic acid (3,150ppb), pyruvic acid (525ppb), tartaric acid (10.5ppb), gaultheria procumbens (wintergreen) leaf extract (105ppm), lactobionic acid (105ppm), pentylene glycol, vaccinium macrocarpon (cranberry) fruit extract, lavandula angustifolia (lavender) extract, ocimum basilicum (basil) leaf extract, syringa vulgaris (lilac) extract, houttuynia cordata (tsi) extract, angelica keiskei extract, althaea officinalis (marshmallow) root extract, rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary) extract, madecassoside, camellia oleifera (tea-oil camellia) seed oil, oryza sativa (rice) bran oil, camellia sinensis (green tea) seed oil, rosa canina (dog rose) fruit oil, prunus amygdalus dulcis (sweet almond) oil, limnanthes alba (meadowfoam) seed oil, sodium chloride, citrus paradisi (grapefruit) peel oil, citrus aurantium dulcis (orange) peel oil, curcuma longa (turmeric) root extract, melia azadirachta (neem) leaf extract, melia azadirachta (neem) flower extract, xanthan gum, pelargonium graveolens (geranium) flower oil, boswellia carterii (frankincense) oil, melia azadirachta bark extract, pearl powder, amyris balsamifera (west indian rosewood) bark oil, moringa oleifera seed oil, ocimum sanctum leaf extract, ocimum basilicum (basil) flower/leaf extract, disodium EDTA, caprylyl glycol, ethylhexylglycerin.
As Shakespeare could have said: “an alpha beta serum by any other name is still an alpha beta serum“. Although, to be honest, I could not find the “beta acid” they included in the name of the product. If you want a real alpha/beta, have a look at the one made by Skin Actives.
References
Chung, J. H. (2008). Characteristics of skin aging in Korean men and women. International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 27(1), 50–52. doi:10.1111/j.1467-2494.2004.00254_8.x
Cho, C., Cho, E., Kim, N., Shin, J., Woo, S., Lee, E., … Ha, J. (2019). Age-related biophysical changes of the epidermal and dermal skin in Korean women. Skin Research and Technology. doi:10.1111/srt.12679
Suh, D. H., Kim, B. Y., Min, S. U., Lee, D. H., Yoon, M. Y., Kim, N. I., … Kim, K. J. (2011). A multicenter epidemiological study of acne vulgaris in Korea. International Journal of Dermatology, 50(6), 673–681. doi:10.1111/j.1365-4632.2010.04726.x
Kligman AM, Mills OH. Acne cosmetica. Arch Dermatol 1970; 10: 843
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Korean skin care products are no different from American skin care products.
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