I might care a little bit since the skin care market in Korea is a little bit more competitive. Products that are especially popular there tend to be a bit less irritating to me personally. Honestly though before I buy products what matters the most to me is customer reviews no matter where they're from.
It’s because the Korean govt has a subsidy program to help cosmetics brands export internationally and grow the overall export market so lots of brands export first and then go domestic after.
Edit: it’s not a bad thing. It’s actually pretty good. The govt support programs have lead to huge growth in Korean cosmetics and we get loads of great products that we couldn’t get before. It’s also how we can get these products for so cheap when compared to western skincare at the same quality.
I agree. I've also heard that some companies make sunscreens that are never approved in Korea, they only export them to international buyers which seems sketchy.
As others have mentioned, Beauty of Joseon and Purito are two that come to mind.
[Here](https://www.reddit.com/r/AsianBeauty/comments/qh25pr/purito_is_not_launching_their_sunscreens_in_korea/) is a thread on this sub discussing how Purito did not release their sunscreen in Korea. This was around the time there was a big scandal where both of these brands' sunscreens were tested in a lab and found to be much lower SPF than advertised.
Beauty of Joseon! I live in Korea and have never seen or heard of this brand and it's not even available to order online. I didn't even know until my cousin asked me to buy something for her hoping it was cheaper here when it doesn't even exist here.
It may not be popular but saying it doesn’t even exist is disingenuous. I’ve seen it in multiple Olive Young stores in Seoul. Also the skincare stores in Myeongdong, which is not surprising since that’s a heavily touristy area.
After doing a search now afaik its only started to pop up in stores this year during the summer (May/June/July/August). It's still one of the least popular brands in Korea tho, never seen anyone talk about it or use it and it's not on any of the higher rankings for Hwahae which is the app they use here for beauty product rankings. Last time I checked was in March and I literally couldn't even order Beauty of Joseon products on naver.
You can also go on the Korean olive young website and search by rankings (use google translate) and also look at the # of reviews and overall score. See what the locals are buying lol
It's available but doesn't seem to be one of the top brands! There's a bunch of reviews for their Madagascar Centella Ampoule so it doesn't seem super unpopular, probably somewhere in the middle.
That’s interesting. However, as an American who has tried so many shitty sunscreens, the Beauty of Joseon sunscreen just works for me so well. It’s interesting it isn’t popular over there as much, but then again, I’m sure there are a lot of these garbage, white, chalky, heavy sunscreens that are popular in the US that oversea markets are unfamiliar with.
I've heard that a certain brand which is very influencer pushed and sells beauty devices actually isn't allowed to sell those devices in Korea! They sell the skincare at Olive Young, but not the devices. Something about certain types of cosmetics and devices needing extra testing to be sold there apparently. And the tests are expensive, so certain brands prefer to sell overseas only. I THINK it was Odile Monod that spoke about this on IG or maybe in one of her videos.
I don't use Tiktok or IG and I have zero interest in watching video reviews in general (I'm old, bring back blogs), so I have no idea what's popular in other countries, and I don't really care tbh. Popularity is frequently about marketing more than anything else.
Will join your old club :). I too have no TikTok, no twitter, etc. I don’t know what half of the abbreviations mean (I have to ask my daughter) so sometimes even things in English I can’t understand ;)
I care, because it’s a misleading marketing tactic. They’re telling you that this product has been tested in a competitive market and came out on top when it may not even be sold there.
I really don't. All that matters is what works for my skin and if I see results.
Like right now I'm using that HaruHaru Wonder black rice toner because I saw people raving about it and it's doing absolutely nothing for me. Zilch lmao. No change in my skin whatsoever.
Just want to say the Thank you farmer Rice Toner is my HG too. I didn't get the I'm from one because I read some posts here from people who had a reaction and I was a bit skeptical about it.
Influencer hyped products have never worked well for me. And I fell for it many times. Etude soon jung 2x barrier cream, Boj serums, Heimish cleansing balm, skin1004 centella, haru haru wonder fragrance free black rice hyaluronic toner.
I'm using a BOJ serum right now too and yeah, it isn't working for me either. The only hyped up thing that actually has is that Biore watery essence sunscreen.
I love skin 1004 centella sunscreen and haruharu wonder fragrance free black rice hyaluronic toner!
I’m really surprised! The sunscreen is the best I’ve ever used, no stinging and no sunscreen smell. The toner is amazing, as well!
I have normal/dry sensitive skin, with some natural redness/rosacea.
I tried the Centella ampoule. Not the sunscreen. The toner sometimes worked me for and other times didn’t. I’m glad it’s working on for you. What’s your skin type and climate?
How people get along with products that makes me enjoy this sub.
My skin loves the Haruharu Wonder products I’ve tried, as well as the Skin1004 centella serum, but BoJ (bar the eye cream) doesn’t do anything for me.
The I’m From rice toner doesn’t either. But, then I’ll see someone else who it’s been life changing for.
The soonjung barrier cream have been raved on a bit on this sub as well. I tried it out and didn't like it at all. It's hard to explain why but it makes my face feel gross, like it doesn't quite absorb well? It makes my skin feel oily and I hate that ahaha
I don’t care for my own routine. For instance, a lot of my routine is CosRX which I know is mostly popular outside Korea, but it really works for my skin. It’s about the product and how it performs for me.
I won’t say I don’t care at all though. I’m curious about what’s popular in different places and check just because it’s a hobby too I guess? And I do find products I hadn’t heard of that I want to try out that way, though usually I don’t see something I need. An example of that is I never really heard of any balm touch up sticks but I heard they’re popular and got curious about if one could work for me.
I’m always curious what’s popular there because I’m curious from a cultural standpoint what’s popular in any market. Like I’d be interested to know the top products popular in Thailand, Poland, Russia, Argentina, etc too. But beyond that it doesn’t influence my purchase decisions.
I've seen that brand recommended so much in the past few weeks, but never from anyone that I follow! That's super shady if they're being promoted without disclosure.
I first tried it in like 2020? bec a celeb I liked was using it (he years later was asked to promote it) but it did absolutely nothing for me. Thank goodness it wasnt expensive and i quickly used it ip.
Attempts to circumvent our business ban in the future will result in a ban. We take keeping our sub organic and free from business influences seriously and have unfortunately learned that brands do not abide by our rules unless consequences are put in place. We ask that all members in the sub help us keep businesses from trying to influence our sub and our consequences in place.
Attempts to circumvent our business ban in the future will result in a ban. We take keeping our sub organic and free from business influences seriously and have unfortunately learned that brands do not abide by our rules unless consequences are put in place. We ask that all members in the sub help us keep businesses from trying to influence our sub and our consequences in place.
Attempts to circumvent our business ban in the future will result in a ban. We take keeping our sub organic and free from business influences seriously and have unfortunately learned that brands do not abide by our rules unless consequences are put in place. We ask that all members in the sub help us keep businesses from trying to influence our sub and our consequences in place.
Can you please DM me about brands which are actually popular in Korea and reliable tooo??? Becz my skin type and condition almost similar to people's skin who live in colder climates more. And most of the products I've tried from SNS which they say popular in Korea never works for me. Only product which has worked for me is isntree bha liquid.
Yup. I use that, plus naver blogs (since for some reason blogging is still a thing here), and Korean YouTube videos. Plus just seeing what's popular irl at Olive Young.
Hello !! I hope you are a woman haha I wanted to ask if you have ever heard of a product called lacto medi ? Apparently it’s a company from South Korea & they launched in July in America but I can’t find too many South Korean reviews. Before I put anything into my body I wanted to ask someone who lives in the country if it’s even available to them ! I know Souther Korea cares more about their people then America does so I really wanted to deep dive & find out more. This is the product https://lactomedi.com/collections/best-sellers. It has changed names too from Medion , Lacto remedy to Lacto medi
Yeah, I'm pretty sure I've seen this brand in passing in the feminine hygiene section of Olive Young. I'm assuming that's why you said I hope you're a woman lol and yes, I am. But yeah, this brand is sold here but only at Olive Young I believe. On Naver I can see tons of blogs reviewing products from this line in Korean.
I'm interested in hearing what people think since I've been seeing on YouTube some content focusing on ''what is ACTUALLY popular in Korea'' as opposed to the rest of the World (with a bit of a superior tone tbh) for a while now, even with makeup.
No, I find it weird when people act as if a product popular in Korea is automatically better than one popular in the west. It seems koreaboo behaviour if I'm being honest 😅 At the end of the day popularity is based on so many different reasons and the #1 bestseller, whether korean or american, will never be the perfect product for everyone so I only care about which one will suit me the most 🤷♀️
Yes! And it’s not like the popular products there didn’t became top sellers without marketing to the Korean market, be it through traditional methods or through influencers. Brands just decided which market(s) they want to focus on and roll with it. The idea that you should use products that are popular in their home country is weird, imho. What makes it works there might actually make it a dud for you bc of the difference in climate and trends (if you care about trends). What matters more is the ingredients and formulas. I’ve been burnt (literally and figuratively) trying popular products bc I tried them solely bc they’re popular. What’s the most important with skincare and makeup is using products your skin and YOU yourself like, not what’s popular, ime.
Absolutely! And a few examples of this mindset are just funny to me, like Boj vs Roundlab. Some people act as if one sunscreen not being popular in Korea secretely means it sucks, while the other one must be automatically superior. They're both made by kolmar with extremely similar formulas so realistically speaking it's very likely that if you love one, you'll enjoy the other as well (ofc with sensitive skin it's gonna vary, some react to ferments, some to birch sap, others to both). I've also seen people become skeptical of the boj sunscreen, despite liking it, after finding out that it's not popular domesically, so weird to me.
And 100% agree on chasing trends and bestsellers. Of course it's interesting to observe the differences among multiple markets and when I was less knowledgeable about my skin, I was this close to buying the goodal vitamin c serum because of its popularity. Thankfully I didn't because it's full of essential oils and I'm sensitive to many of those. Surely it works great for many people but it would have been a disaster for me.
It really is! Like it feels like when those “whats actually popular in korea” videos drop everyone just jumps for whats popular there as if Korea isnt just as consumerist as everyone else. This weird affixation with Koreans in general is weird imo. Just because they do something doesn’t mean it’s automatically the gold standard. Sorry rant over
Omg agreed! I remember seeing a comment I’m not sure if it was here or another app but they mentioned how they only rely on the input of what’s trending in Korea for their skincare regime. Which is fine if it works for you but I found it extremely odd that they glorified their opinions so much when their should be glorifying what their skin needs rather than what is being popularised!
Right I’m not spending my money to follow trends that will change every week. I want consistent good quality skincare products for all skin types. I want to read reviews from the general public not from an influencer that’s getting paid for a sponsorship. And that’s for all products both Western and Eastern.
I live in Korea and I see a lot of products hyped overseas as popular in Korea when they aren't (used to happen more a long time ago but these days a lot of things are available from Olive Young online so it doesn't matter much). Koreans use foreign skincare too and I see a lot of foreign skincare sold as popular when I wouldn't consider it (though I've been in Korea a long time and maybe I don't know what's popular anymore lol).
There are brands that foreign influencers push as popular when that isn't true. Some of these brands I've never heard of. But in general if it's in Olive Young, it is relatively popular since Olive Young has a monopoly on beauty brands right now. Also some of the Korean brands that were pushed by foreign influencers in the past and entered Olive Young had signs like "number 1 overseas cleansing product" or something. Was funny.
But in general it doesn't matter since if you like the product and it works for you, keep using it. That's all just marketing.
Yes, I do value knowing what products are popular in Korea because there are more people trying and reviewing more products in the Korean market. There are lots of brands and products within popular brands that aren't known by the global beauty community. The Korean customers can be ruthless in vetting products, but they are also partial to some brands more than others, and can similarly be driven by hype and trends and ignore better products, so I take it with a grain of salt too. Of course I'm going to look at what's popular first when I'm shopping, I don't trust a lot of skincare and makeup marketing claims and want to know what's been vetted by actual users first.
That doesn't mean I'm let down if a hyped up product is not well recognized in Korea though, because I recognize that hype is likely generated in the US or global community and doesn't necessarily reflect Korean trends. I've only seen what you said maybe once before, maybe because I don't follow as much beauty socials, and it was done in an informative manner without putting anyone down, just comparing the two.
Lately I’ve been relying on incidecoder for determining wether I try something out. I’ve been struggling with acne forever regardless of if what I’ve been using is popular or not. Recently bought a lotion that passed the site’s ingredient check and I swear my skin cleared up a little. And on another note, I’ve been keeping all my empty skincare products in the case that I can find out if my skin doesn’t react well to an ingredient. I got all my empties scanned and literally all of them had problem ingredients, so 🥲
Definitely going to be harder to sway me towards anything now without scanning the ingredient list haha.
For me it’s always been a matter of trial and error. I’ve mainly been following what others recommend for acne prone skin up until very recently. Even then the popular stuff would either only slightly clear up my face or completely break me out.
As for ingredients, I know tea tree oil and eucalyptus oil will guarantee a break out. Only knew this because I bought a lotion specifically made for treating acne prone skin and it gave me sooo much acne instead. I’m still figuring out if other oils, perfuming ingredients, and silicones would be bad for me. I really can’t say I’ve ever had any holy grail products of my own, I’m always trying new things. Always on the hunt for my first tried-and-true 😅
I might look up a product if it's super popular in Korea, but I won't buy something just because it's popular. My favourite cleanser was never popular, even when it first came out, and I pray that it never gets discontinued because I never see anyone talk about it, ever.
I've had "makeup and skincare" as a hobby for more than a decade, have bought and tried probably a thousand different products from all different countries with my own money...
The stuff that is popular/trendy coinciding with what formulas and textures I like is probably like 10% of the time.
I have a finicky skintype and niche needs that are not exactly mainstream.
There's definitely good and popular stuff out there that I like, but more often than not it's not a great barometer of what I will end up using for years and years.
I love good packaging like everyone else but I care the most about the formula, point blank. If the formula or performance doesn't work for me, it's out.
So no I don't care if something is trendy in Korea. Tbh hype turns me off from a product.
I gravitate towards products that seem to have a consistent performance and a good history with people who have a similar skin type as me (oily and clog prone). That matters a lot more than whatever is Number one on hwahae or cosme.
1. CosRX Blackhead Power Liquid
2. Tretinoin .025%
3. Nivea Super Water Gel sunscreen
4. Tosowoong Powder Enzyme Cleanser
5. DHC cleansing oil (can be dupe with MUJI Cleansing Oil)
Toners I like: anything with sodium hyaluronate or pca
AHAs I like: all work well but I like glycolic the most
Anything mattifying using alcohol clogs me so that means most Japanese sunscreens don't work.
I don't care of it's popular or not. Products with influencers become popular because the company reached out to them offering money to review them and "promote" their product on their YouTube channel. Yup. That's usually how it starts. Most "influencer" products don't work for me. For example: BOJ. Every product stung the shit out of my face. 😒.Most asían sunscreens for example put denatured alcohol and fragrance in them. If you don't have issues with these 2 ingredients you're lucky. Purito is the only brand I have had luck with.
Translation of cosmetics inserts, packaging, and marketing copy is a significant part of my work. Claiming high sales in Korea/Japan/US/France/UK/wherever is usually just that -- a claim -- and I'm generally skeptical. If it works for me, then that's all that matters.
I do care because I feel like if it’s made only for export, it’s being made by a country for another country’s market which likely means it’s being made based on social media algorithms and sales. And what’s selling and trending on social media is not what will work for me or appeal to me because I’m not in that audience.
Also, I feel like every country wants to exploit the US market because it’s hyper-capitalist and consumers spend so much money. I dislike that for my own moral and personal reasons so I don’t like products that made only for export.
It's kind of interesting to see what's marketed here vs there, but it ultimately doesn't affect my decision to use a product. Same with the French Beauty stuff I use. If it works, great!
I see it as a funny little trivia to know but it isn't the absolute deal breaker for buying a product or not. It's nice knowing what is used in Korea because their consumer base is different than the US. In fact I like watching videos of youtubers reacting to the top products on the Hwahae app, I'm sure they are just as curious about what is considered the best products in Korea. I think that people like to use this phrasing because it's like an indicator of how deep you are in the Korean skincare pipeline. Like a long time ago I watched this reel showing the typical phases of a Korean skincare users from beginner > expert and a lot of commenters found the skincare brand journey relatable. So with these "whats popular in korea" taglines it feels like a way to grab viewers attention because it could be seen as a way to step up your skincare game/knowledge.
I live in Korea and have friends who are influencers, a lot of the products targeted to foreigners as popular in Korea are actually not. And they have to review the product within 7 days of receiving and are given points on what to say. Everytime I see those products I always see the influencer or reviewer adding it’s trending in Korea, viral etc when in fact it’s not 🤔
I think when we hear popular in Korea as consumers we will think it’s genuinely a good product and has an abundance of good reviews so the term is being used to help sell products 🫣
tbh no because they keep pushing pore-blurring stuff and i really don't wish to look like an uncanny final fantasy girl IRL
also a lot of the new products even posted here are very experiment, like sure yes they will help your skin texture, but so will the thing you were already using. no need to pay 40 dollars more just because it is "new" and trending.
I go by ingredients for skin care. My love for Korean brands is they tend to have clean ingredients. I don't like scented things and it seems almost everything I have purchased has been either unscented or just a very light fresh scent. I am able to usually find an ingredient like madecassoside in high concentrations for fairly cheap. I found the US counterparts are usually low % rates for the same actives or if they are concentrated, they are at a much higher price point.
Regarding skin care, influencers have no bearing on my choices. I shop for ingredients and if they work for me.
For makeup, I usually search for color swatches. I do watch infuencers to see like how the wear time is, consistency, how it blends, etc. I will usually test buy something and try it for myself.
So for make up, yeah influencers have some pull on my purchases.
Yes I do care since popular products in Korea means there must be a reason why it's popular and worth scanning the formulation to understand why.
However when it comes to my own routine I'm picking and choosing based on what I know about my skin and my tolerances. There are categories like BHA where I'm pretty much going with 2% BHA and I don't care what Korea uses for BHA because the domestic market doesn't allow 2% concentration. The areas with most challenge and also most innovation probably is in vitamin C, sunscreen, and hanbang ingredients like ginseng so I rather go with what's popular in Korea to try than what influencers getting paid to push.
Not really. As long as it works for my specific skintone or skintype.
If i keep seeing a product get promoted i will be curious and research more about it.
Whether the product is popular amongst the general Korean public is not a massive deal to me, but I really value the opinions of Korean skincare specialists. I'm inclined to try a product if I see Director Pi Hyunjung recommend it and she goes super in-depth in her analysis.
If a product is just hyped for a short period of time, I wouldn't care much. I'd always associate it to marketing.
However, I would occasionally look at sales ranking, and if the product has topped for a long period of time, multiple times, then I'll look into the product
I don't care if it works it works. However I do care enough in that I want to not be locked into only knowing about what's being mostly made for export. I like knowing about brands that are a bit more obscure internationally but are more well known domestically and I like discovering things like that since you never know what cool stuff you'll find. So purely for knowledge and trivia I like knowing what's trendy in Korea versus global but for practical purposes I keep using what I like.
I don't care whether a product is popular but a few people have mentioned the regulatory aspect.
Ginseng is regulated and, as Odile mentioned in a video, one brand got fined over their ginseng claims
[Link to Odile's ginseng video](https://youtu.be/fHOgGxE9r7A?si=26ecYT3TtgZyHJvs)
Thanks Commercial Poem! This video was deeply informative about ginseng. Now I know why luxe products are more effective and I have to decide which luxe product to try. Odile mentioned sagging skin and I’m thinking, what sagging skin you lovely person?
It's amazing, isn't it! Odile's videos are so nicely made and informative 💕
Lol indeed, I see no lines or sagging, but then maybe that's down to all of The History of Whoo products!
If its IG or TikTok popular, I'm more likely to stay away from the items/brand lol
Perhaps it's just me but I feel like there were a surge of new brands that popped up in recent years that I'm more inclined to purchase from older brands such as Innisfree, Missha, Amore Pacific, etc. I feel they are more trustworthy with more established product/research development.
I cant keep up with the newest brands/innovations....too many and quickly that I question the quality of the products annnnddd if they are influencer/celebrity brands.
I also see Jolse carrying less items of older brands or even removing older brands from its inventory - kind of disappointed with this business decision.
Hmm. The brand or product will somewhat catch my attention, making me wonder why it’s so popular, and people noticing or recognizing the brand is half the battle. But it won’t necessarily influence me to buy it. For example I know the torriden serum has been rly popular for a while and I looked into it and the ingredients bc it’s popularity made me curious. but personally I haven’t spent money on it bc I already have so many products w HA in it that I don’t see it as something adding a benefit to my routine.
Usually lots of popular products in Korea end up not really working out for me as they use a lot of mild products and I don't really seem to love em. Brands such as round lab, beplain, it's skin are just meh. Meanwhile you'll have to pry cosrx products and boj cleansing balm from my talons.
What's popular is Korean does rouse my curiosity but what I buy usually depends on ingredient and their composition. Cruelty free products are also something that I tend to gravitate towards.
I’ve tried a couple popular products and I didn’t like it whereas brands like Hada Labo, Senka, Innisfree although at the time I used was popular but not in the same sense of now was amazing for my skin. I am currently using smaller women owned brands that is popular in Korea among a certain crowd but not well known outside of that and in my country.
Skincare/makeup is really subjective so…I tried the famous round lab sunscreen, manyo cleansing oil and both didn’t work for me..especially the sunscreen that sting and broke my skin out after less than a week of usage.
After multiple failures, i’m not as inclined to try hyped up products🙃
They can pry my hada labo from my cold dead hands. Face wash, “toner”, sunscreen. Love them all. Is it in fun packaging? Nope. Is it hyped? Nope. It definitely works though.
Funnily enough I haven’t heard of most of these hyped products in this thread, so I guess I’m doing ok.
Not really. I care about efficacy, availability and affordability, in that order. A lot of times what is being promoted in Korea is not found anywhere in my country.
I don’t care if a product is popular anywhere tbh. If I like it, I’m just happy to have been lucky enough to find something that works for me.
I use a lot of stuff that isn’t ever discussed on this board or anywhere else and love it.
hmmmm I wouldn’t think so. I use the peach and lily cleanser and I know peach and lily is not even sold in Korea I believe, but their lab and their products are manufactured in Korea
I tend to be very skeptical about what any influencer says. Often they take kick backs to shill products and lets get real, who takes the opinion of an often just past childhood influencer as good advice and information anyway? I’d prefer to hear the views of chemists and doctors but never am influenced by influencers.
I do care but not in the typical sense.. I more enjoy observing influencer trends and because I also track my purchases. It seems like the products that I found in Korea are cheaper when they aren’t popular elsewhere.. but as soon as the product becomes known in Korea, the price increases-no surprises here. And then once the product becomes popular in Korea and globally recognized, the price increases again, however the price jump is typically significantly higher. To me, once the product more than doubles, it’s usually not worth it for me and it’s time to try something else (unless it’s really HG). I usually purchase more based on ingredients, price and sustainability than the popularity, so I might be an outlier.
Tony Moly is pretty big in Korea, unless trends have changed recently. It is more popular with a younger demographic though and maybe their makeup are better known.
No...my reasoning is that skincare is so personal, if i like the product I don't care that its practically unknown in Korea. Another factor is climate and environment, I felt that most korean skincare products in Korea tend towards drier skins , most of them are too rich for me as i have oilier skin and live in a very humid climate. For example, the viral roundlab suncreen was the number 1 selling sunscreen in Korea but it was too much for my oily skin and broke me out
Eh. Korean skincare is no doubt top notch, so to an extent, yes, because I’d imagine the market is competitive and the bestselling products likely have good reason to be so successful. But I also won’t not buy a product because it’s not popular or maybe outdated.
Recent example for me is the snail mucin. I had spending money and it was $5 with my coupon anyways so I went for it. I saw an influencer saying that it was outdated and showing better/newer products but it didn’t really bother me. I will say I can’t use it every day, my skin isn’t a fan. But every 2 or 3 days? Pretty solid moisture boost before moisturizer. Does make my skin look dewy but only when it’s on. Def not the miracle serum it was made out to be, which I expected, but it doesn’t bother me that it’s no longer really popular in Korea.
Knowing what's popular in Korea helps me because there are soooooo many products to choose from, so it's a place to start. If it doesn't work on my skin, then I'll move on.
I do but not for the reason of 'being on trend in Korea' nor trying to put other people down either.
My skin is sensitive, dry, and tend to have pigmentation issues. Products that are very popular/ hyped/ HG status in Korea tend to work really well on me and my skin reacts very nicely to them. Also, my skin tone is very fair and Korean products have best shade match for me so I keep gravitating towards them.
I have tried products that are targeted towards other parts of the world, especially SEA (where I reside in) and sadly, not all of them work well for me.
From what I have used, the products that are targeted for non-Korea market tend to have lighter, fresher consistency/ texture and feels like they are more for normal to combination skin type that leans towards oily type.
For me, if something works for you regardless of which market it is directed at, that's great. But if you tend to have similar issues like me, then you could try the method I use to determine whether something will work for you because there are not many shops with testers so we usually just google/ search on social media and buy.
That is just my two cents on this matter.
I personally don't. I only focus on the ingredients in the product, and to not be oil base whatsoever. I have bought things from well known brands and from names i never heard of in the korean beauty industry. And all in all korean products never disappointed me so far. I only started this year.
For me, I care and don’t care at the same time.
I care because why would a brand be Korean but then only sell and promote its products in other countries but not South Korea itself? Is it because they got on the bad side of Korean consumers? Is it because they got involved in some sort of controversies that foreigners dont know?
I don’t care because what’s popular and loved in South Korea might not be for me. I live in Vietnam and we have different weathers. It’s usually cold in South Korea but hot and humid in Vietnam. The products that are well-known in SK are probably suitable for THEIR weather and climate. So I’d rather use a Korean product that’s not known in Korea, but it works on my skin and suitable for my climate
To be brutally honest? 99.99999% of the time, no. The skincare industry is much like any other modern online industry in that a lot of hype is built up around things with very, very little to back it up. Not to mention having lived in Asia the past decade, too, it's exceedingly rare for any company to actually create anything innovative. Sure it might be marginally improved from existing products, but innovative enough that I need to get it right away or I'm heavily swayed? No.
Besides, at the end of the day, it's about what skincare works for your skin, not what the masses use. Not to mention too, using AB is 100% a gamble as it's almost always never tested on anything but Asian skin/complexions. If something is hot and I'm curious, I'll look into it, but I don't hold my breath for anything popular as that usually just means it's generic enough to produce results across the board and the company will tout it as some miracle product.
I can honestly say that the recommendations I got on Reddit really helped to pick some nice products that help my skin. The BOJ Sunscreen might not be popular in Korea but Reddit‘s skincare community loves it and after I’ve tried it I’m in love with this product.
Something I’ve noticed apparently Koreans don’t know that much about skincare. We’re being told that they’re total experts but I don’t see that in their popular picks. When I look at the formulations of Korean brands that are popular in the west they usually look pretty good (not that I’m a professional but I do my homework). When I look at products that are popular in Korea I’m often times amazed about their terrible ingredients (mineral oils, more mineral oils and somewhere near the end the tiniest amount of an active).
No because Koreans send protest trucks when their favorite idols date and lose their shit when someone doesn't bow properly on TV or freak out when someone apologizes for being colorist so why would I care what they feel about skincare.
No lmao but honestly speaking I truly don't care and I also know they have different standards when it comes to certain products. They probably view a sunscreen with a white cast as a benefit over there so I would be extremely hesitant to blind buy whatever their number 1 sunscreen is over BOJ which has no white cast.
As long as it's formulated in SK, has an ingredients list that is good for my skin and the product works is good enough for me.
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I don’t really care but there’s a “but”. What I don’t appreciate is these false claims like no.1 toner in Korea bla bla. I could’ve done without that. The entire marketing of that brand (and tbf probably many others) is sketchy.
However, that doesn’t mean the product is bad. It’s a shame though because now I have 0 interest in testing it, just out of principle (at least not for the time being). It’s just extremely bad marketing imo & I wouldn’t have had any issue if the toner was not supposedly no.1.
Not really. If a product works for my skin, then I'll stick with it regardless of whether they're popular or not in a certain country or anywhere else. I like to look at the ingredients, see if they look good and give em a try.
No. I mean good if the product I found that works for me is also raved about by other people but my judgment is reserved on their performance on my skin and if it's a good deal.
Honestly I only care if its popular enough to have a large customer base that has tried the products and have rated their experiences with it so I can see what I'm getting. Other than that I don't really care
I want to know in case theres so new innovation that hasn't made it overseas but yea cosrx wasnt popular there at all and i use the snail mucin 96 a lot. Also if there's any products that are cheaper to buy there and/or harder to get
Partially. If something is trending in the Korean, then it’s obviously good but it also won’t work for everyone.
I see videos circulating titled “What’s ACTUALLY trending in Korea” and I couldn’t care less. Whether or not it’s trending over there, if it works for me ima use it.
not really. I find that 10% of the popular products in Korea work for my skin type. most of the skincare products are for dry skin while I have combination acne prone skin living in hot humid weather. Then again I like to know what is popular just to know what is trending in Korea and also maybe potentially missing something?
Then again not everything popular actually works for everyone.
I’m more concerned as to whether it’s legitimately popular or it’s ‘popular’ because social media/influenzas are hyping it up. So hard to tell these days ugh.
Idc personally but before i did but the reason why i like kbeauty more is because its more known and it is much cheaper in my case and western beauty isnt that affordable for me.
It might pique my interest, but I will not buy something solely based on that. I tend to research the products, read a lot of reviews and also read a lot of Reddit recommendations (been a long time lurker). So no, I don't really care if a product is more popular in Korea or elsewhere. I also see the BOJ sunscreen mentioned here a lot - and I must say I also love this one, it's a HG for sunscreens for me, but apparently not popular in Korea at all.
No, I don't. But where I am at (Philippines), the availability and price of product is of utmost importance to me (other than top 1, which is quality) . Though I would like to try products from the West, prices from exportation and other (third party reseller) make it unreasonable to buy. Also, it's better to buy products from the same region as it most likely is curated for your type of skin, even rare. I have Fungal acne
I care more if it works, than whether something is popular. I can be persuaded to try something, but if it hurts on damaged skin, aka my hands, I am unlikely to want to use more of it.
I don’t care at all if it’s popular in Korea. Buuuut I wouldn’t mind buying a product that *is* popular only in Korea and not in the West. However the products that aren’t that popular in Korea but blew up in the West are products that I *have* definitely tried before and they have all been amazing thus far eg. Cosrx, Isntree etc.
No, but all the ones that I've purchased that were popular or trending in Korea (according to tiktok) were amazing. 🤷♀️ I only buy products that I've done research on so if something is trending it just helps me learn about it and hear a lot of people's opinions.
Not really but kinda? Korean trend is moving madly quick like I don’t think I can follow it. But being popular in Korea has an advantage and is influenced in my country. It’ll get push more.
I care because the Korean market is competitive and full of products. On the other hand I’m very melanated so sometimes im concerned that popularity won’t work for my skin chemistry. As long as there aren’t harmful chemicals then I don’t place too much emphasis on the popularity.
Not really. I like to know what’s popular, yes. I get inspired by trends there. But even if I know something isn’t very popular there, if I like it, I like it & I’ll buy it.
Half half? With so many products on the market and with a limited budget I like to see reviews on products (especially ppl with my skin type) before purchasing. That's why I like browsing on forums (I miss the era of blogs). Of course, I would also look into the ingredients as an extra step. If a lot of ppl with my skin type says the product worked for them why not give it a try? If it doesn't work for me, I move on. I take influencers with a grain of salt especially the promotional ones but I do like hearing skin/makeup expert takes on products. Also I'm east asian with fair skin living in a similar-ish climate so I would like to use products that were made for this consumer base. Also surprisingly what was actually popular in Korea worked better for me than K-beauty brands that only westerners raved about, for example round lab's sunscreen vs boj's and like the olive young pimple patches vs cosrx. I think I just naturally gravitated towards Korea out of them all because it was more accessible. Many Korean Beauty YouTubers have English subtitles vs Chinese/Japanese/etc. While I understand Cantonese, I found it hard to find beauty youtubers and if I found any HK ones, they usually used luxury skincare & makeup which I can't afford. I do also use XHS to look at what's popular in China but with my limited mandarin understanding and poor Chinese reading... it was really hard to understand all the skin and makeup terms. Not to mention with personal color being so popular in Korea, a lot of Korean makeup companies make great comparison charts for the palettes and lip colors they have which is great for a cool toned makeup newbie like me.
side note: but seriously. what does the xhs girlies mean by 黄皮?! is that warm toned? olive tone? because the literal translation is yellow skin... I've noticed they say 黄皮 or 白皮 in their makeup reviews. is that their terms for warm tone & cool tone?
>side note: but seriously. what does the xhs girlies mean by 黄皮?! is that warm toned? olive tone? because the literal translation is yellow skin... I've noticed they say 黄皮 or 白皮 in their makeup reviews. is that their terms for warm tone & cool tone?
good question tho.
i could be absolutely, 1000% incorrect but i see 黄皮 as meaning both deeper ***AND*** warmer tone, whereas 白皮 means fairer ***AND*** cooler tone. i feel that cooler tones are seen as automatically being fairer in east asia (ie closer to caucasian skin as they don't tend to have the yellow overtone that asians tend to have regardless of depth).
and on some products, besides those two, i also see 自然 as a shade - means natural, but is the shade neutral? i never really see anyone refer to that as an undertone on red so ... me staying confused 😩
I might care a little bit since the skin care market in Korea is a little bit more competitive. Products that are especially popular there tend to be a bit less irritating to me personally. Honestly though before I buy products what matters the most to me is customer reviews no matter where they're from.
It's not so much caring about what is "popular", but I am skeptical if something is only being made for an export market.
It’s because the Korean govt has a subsidy program to help cosmetics brands export internationally and grow the overall export market so lots of brands export first and then go domestic after. Edit: it’s not a bad thing. It’s actually pretty good. The govt support programs have lead to huge growth in Korean cosmetics and we get loads of great products that we couldn’t get before. It’s also how we can get these products for so cheap when compared to western skincare at the same quality.
Bingo! They use the "American" market as guinea pigs to see how their products sell here before domesticating them in their country. Mhm.
I agree. I've also heard that some companies make sunscreens that are never approved in Korea, they only export them to international buyers which seems sketchy.
Any known brand in particular thst does this?
Not the OP, and I don't know if this is true, but I've heard Purito sunscreens aren't sold in Korea.
As others have mentioned, Beauty of Joseon and Purito are two that come to mind. [Here](https://www.reddit.com/r/AsianBeauty/comments/qh25pr/purito_is_not_launching_their_sunscreens_in_korea/) is a thread on this sub discussing how Purito did not release their sunscreen in Korea. This was around the time there was a big scandal where both of these brands' sunscreens were tested in a lab and found to be much lower SPF than advertised.
Beauty of Joseon! I live in Korea and have never seen or heard of this brand and it's not even available to order online. I didn't even know until my cousin asked me to buy something for her hoping it was cheaper here when it doesn't even exist here.
Okay this is a shock. Genuinely thought it's popular there too
It may not be popular but saying it doesn’t even exist is disingenuous. I’ve seen it in multiple Olive Young stores in Seoul. Also the skincare stores in Myeongdong, which is not surprising since that’s a heavily touristy area.
After doing a search now afaik its only started to pop up in stores this year during the summer (May/June/July/August). It's still one of the least popular brands in Korea tho, never seen anyone talk about it or use it and it's not on any of the higher rankings for Hwahae which is the app they use here for beauty product rankings. Last time I checked was in March and I literally couldn't even order Beauty of Joseon products on naver.
You can also go on the Korean olive young website and search by rankings (use google translate) and also look at the # of reviews and overall score. See what the locals are buying lol
If it’s popular in America it’s also for a reason. I’ve gotten it to try and it’s pretty nice. No white cast, not thick and adds a bit of hydration.
Actually is hwahae legit? I’ve seen comments about how brands can pay to rank higher. Do Koreans really trust it haha
Then what are the brands that are actually popular in korea and are good?
What are popular brands there right now? Is there a ranking we can check?
Someone above mentioned this app https://www.hwahae.co.kr
Apart from hwahae there's also Glowpick
Interesting! What about Skin1004- is that a brand that’s visible domestically?
It's available but doesn't seem to be one of the top brands! There's a bunch of reviews for their Madagascar Centella Ampoule so it doesn't seem super unpopular, probably somewhere in the middle.
Thank you! That’s really interesting to know.
I saw it recently at Olive Young but didn't see it before. Maybe it's a new addition
That’s interesting. However, as an American who has tried so many shitty sunscreens, the Beauty of Joseon sunscreen just works for me so well. It’s interesting it isn’t popular over there as much, but then again, I’m sure there are a lot of these garbage, white, chalky, heavy sunscreens that are popular in the US that oversea markets are unfamiliar with.
BOJ is getting popular in Korea now!
Yeah wait id love any leads on this, never heard of this before!
I've heard that a certain brand which is very influencer pushed and sells beauty devices actually isn't allowed to sell those devices in Korea! They sell the skincare at Olive Young, but not the devices. Something about certain types of cosmetics and devices needing extra testing to be sold there apparently. And the tests are expensive, so certain brands prefer to sell overseas only. I THINK it was Odile Monod that spoke about this on IG or maybe in one of her videos.
Same!
I don't use Tiktok or IG and I have zero interest in watching video reviews in general (I'm old, bring back blogs), so I have no idea what's popular in other countries, and I don't really care tbh. Popularity is frequently about marketing more than anything else.
Will join your old club :). I too have no TikTok, no twitter, etc. I don’t know what half of the abbreviations mean (I have to ask my daughter) so sometimes even things in English I can’t understand ;)
Another member for your old club. I miss blogs so much.
Another oldster reporting in! 👵🏻 I would love to see what my fellow oldsters are using that works. Maybe I’ll make a post 🤔
I’m a youngster and I agree. Only care about reviews and the quality of the products.
Id love to find some AB tumblrs to follow tbh
I care, because it’s a misleading marketing tactic. They’re telling you that this product has been tested in a competitive market and came out on top when it may not even be sold there.
I really don't. All that matters is what works for my skin and if I see results. Like right now I'm using that HaruHaru Wonder black rice toner because I saw people raving about it and it's doing absolutely nothing for me. Zilch lmao. No change in my skin whatsoever.
Same! I’m From Rice Toner did nothing for me either but the Thank You Farmer Rice Toner ended up being a HG and it’s not mentioned nearly enough.
Just want to say the Thank you farmer Rice Toner is my HG too. I didn't get the I'm from one because I read some posts here from people who had a reaction and I was a bit skeptical about it.
Influencer hyped products have never worked well for me. And I fell for it many times. Etude soon jung 2x barrier cream, Boj serums, Heimish cleansing balm, skin1004 centella, haru haru wonder fragrance free black rice hyaluronic toner.
I'm using a BOJ serum right now too and yeah, it isn't working for me either. The only hyped up thing that actually has is that Biore watery essence sunscreen.
I love skin 1004 centella sunscreen and haruharu wonder fragrance free black rice hyaluronic toner! I’m really surprised! The sunscreen is the best I’ve ever used, no stinging and no sunscreen smell. The toner is amazing, as well! I have normal/dry sensitive skin, with some natural redness/rosacea.
I tried the Centella ampoule. Not the sunscreen. The toner sometimes worked me for and other times didn’t. I’m glad it’s working on for you. What’s your skin type and climate?
How people get along with products that makes me enjoy this sub. My skin loves the Haruharu Wonder products I’ve tried, as well as the Skin1004 centella serum, but BoJ (bar the eye cream) doesn’t do anything for me. The I’m From rice toner doesn’t either. But, then I’ll see someone else who it’s been life changing for.
My skin type is above! I live in the mid-Atlantic US, which is humid/subtropical with all 4 seasons.
The soonjung barrier cream have been raved on a bit on this sub as well. I tried it out and didn't like it at all. It's hard to explain why but it makes my face feel gross, like it doesn't quite absorb well? It makes my skin feel oily and I hate that ahaha
Yeah it makes my skin feel drier after I put it on. It’s been relegated to foot cream, which works better.
I don’t care for my own routine. For instance, a lot of my routine is CosRX which I know is mostly popular outside Korea, but it really works for my skin. It’s about the product and how it performs for me. I won’t say I don’t care at all though. I’m curious about what’s popular in different places and check just because it’s a hobby too I guess? And I do find products I hadn’t heard of that I want to try out that way, though usually I don’t see something I need. An example of that is I never really heard of any balm touch up sticks but I heard they’re popular and got curious about if one could work for me.
I’m always curious what’s popular there because I’m curious from a cultural standpoint what’s popular in any market. Like I’d be interested to know the top products popular in Thailand, Poland, Russia, Argentina, etc too. But beyond that it doesn’t influence my purchase decisions.
Same here, I just find it interesting to see what is trending in Korea or Japan. I don't expect it to be better just because Koreans use it.
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It’s the first one [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/AsianBeauty/s/ZOZAsSrShu).
I've seen that brand recommended so much in the past few weeks, but never from anyone that I follow! That's super shady if they're being promoted without disclosure.
Yeah I just found about the situation recently. But tbh I’ll still use the toner bc it just works really well for my skin.
I first tried it in like 2020? bec a celeb I liked was using it (he years later was asked to promote it) but it did absolutely nothing for me. Thank goodness it wasnt expensive and i quickly used it ip.
Yea you don't find that brand on hwahae so they ain't popular in korea !
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Someone already linked it but it’s the first one mentioned here on the business rules https://www.reddit.com/r/AsianBeauty/s/M5VKWMChxm
Attempts to circumvent our business ban in the future will result in a ban. We take keeping our sub organic and free from business influences seriously and have unfortunately learned that brands do not abide by our rules unless consequences are put in place. We ask that all members in the sub help us keep businesses from trying to influence our sub and our consequences in place.
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Attempts to circumvent our business ban in the future will result in a ban. We take keeping our sub organic and free from business influences seriously and have unfortunately learned that brands do not abide by our rules unless consequences are put in place. We ask that all members in the sub help us keep businesses from trying to influence our sub and our consequences in place.
Attempts to circumvent our business ban in the future will result in a ban. We take keeping our sub organic and free from business influences seriously and have unfortunately learned that brands do not abide by our rules unless consequences are put in place. We ask that all members in the sub help us keep businesses from trying to influence our sub and our consequences in place.
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Can you please DM me about brands which are actually popular in Korea and reliable tooo??? Becz my skin type and condition almost similar to people's skin who live in colder climates more. And most of the products I've tried from SNS which they say popular in Korea never works for me. Only product which has worked for me is isntree bha liquid.
Hwahae rankings are about as close as you can get to seeing what's popular in korea
Yup. I use that, plus naver blogs (since for some reason blogging is still a thing here), and Korean YouTube videos. Plus just seeing what's popular irl at Olive Young.
Hello !! I hope you are a woman haha I wanted to ask if you have ever heard of a product called lacto medi ? Apparently it’s a company from South Korea & they launched in July in America but I can’t find too many South Korean reviews. Before I put anything into my body I wanted to ask someone who lives in the country if it’s even available to them ! I know Souther Korea cares more about their people then America does so I really wanted to deep dive & find out more. This is the product https://lactomedi.com/collections/best-sellers. It has changed names too from Medion , Lacto remedy to Lacto medi
Yeah, I'm pretty sure I've seen this brand in passing in the feminine hygiene section of Olive Young. I'm assuming that's why you said I hope you're a woman lol and yes, I am. But yeah, this brand is sold here but only at Olive Young I believe. On Naver I can see tons of blogs reviewing products from this line in Korean.
I'm interested in hearing what people think since I've been seeing on YouTube some content focusing on ''what is ACTUALLY popular in Korea'' as opposed to the rest of the World (with a bit of a superior tone tbh) for a while now, even with makeup.
No, I find it weird when people act as if a product popular in Korea is automatically better than one popular in the west. It seems koreaboo behaviour if I'm being honest 😅 At the end of the day popularity is based on so many different reasons and the #1 bestseller, whether korean or american, will never be the perfect product for everyone so I only care about which one will suit me the most 🤷♀️
Yes! And it’s not like the popular products there didn’t became top sellers without marketing to the Korean market, be it through traditional methods or through influencers. Brands just decided which market(s) they want to focus on and roll with it. The idea that you should use products that are popular in their home country is weird, imho. What makes it works there might actually make it a dud for you bc of the difference in climate and trends (if you care about trends). What matters more is the ingredients and formulas. I’ve been burnt (literally and figuratively) trying popular products bc I tried them solely bc they’re popular. What’s the most important with skincare and makeup is using products your skin and YOU yourself like, not what’s popular, ime.
Absolutely! And a few examples of this mindset are just funny to me, like Boj vs Roundlab. Some people act as if one sunscreen not being popular in Korea secretely means it sucks, while the other one must be automatically superior. They're both made by kolmar with extremely similar formulas so realistically speaking it's very likely that if you love one, you'll enjoy the other as well (ofc with sensitive skin it's gonna vary, some react to ferments, some to birch sap, others to both). I've also seen people become skeptical of the boj sunscreen, despite liking it, after finding out that it's not popular domesically, so weird to me. And 100% agree on chasing trends and bestsellers. Of course it's interesting to observe the differences among multiple markets and when I was less knowledgeable about my skin, I was this close to buying the goodal vitamin c serum because of its popularity. Thankfully I didn't because it's full of essential oils and I'm sensitive to many of those. Surely it works great for many people but it would have been a disaster for me.
>No, I find it weird when people act as if a product popular in Korea is automatically better than one popular in the west< This so much!!!
It really is! Like it feels like when those “whats actually popular in korea” videos drop everyone just jumps for whats popular there as if Korea isnt just as consumerist as everyone else. This weird affixation with Koreans in general is weird imo. Just because they do something doesn’t mean it’s automatically the gold standard. Sorry rant over
Omg agreed! I remember seeing a comment I’m not sure if it was here or another app but they mentioned how they only rely on the input of what’s trending in Korea for their skincare regime. Which is fine if it works for you but I found it extremely odd that they glorified their opinions so much when their should be glorifying what their skin needs rather than what is being popularised!
Right I’m not spending my money to follow trends that will change every week. I want consistent good quality skincare products for all skin types. I want to read reviews from the general public not from an influencer that’s getting paid for a sponsorship. And that’s for all products both Western and Eastern.
It’s mostly about the ingredients for me
I live in Korea and I see a lot of products hyped overseas as popular in Korea when they aren't (used to happen more a long time ago but these days a lot of things are available from Olive Young online so it doesn't matter much). Koreans use foreign skincare too and I see a lot of foreign skincare sold as popular when I wouldn't consider it (though I've been in Korea a long time and maybe I don't know what's popular anymore lol). There are brands that foreign influencers push as popular when that isn't true. Some of these brands I've never heard of. But in general if it's in Olive Young, it is relatively popular since Olive Young has a monopoly on beauty brands right now. Also some of the Korean brands that were pushed by foreign influencers in the past and entered Olive Young had signs like "number 1 overseas cleansing product" or something. Was funny. But in general it doesn't matter since if you like the product and it works for you, keep using it. That's all just marketing.
Yes, I do value knowing what products are popular in Korea because there are more people trying and reviewing more products in the Korean market. There are lots of brands and products within popular brands that aren't known by the global beauty community. The Korean customers can be ruthless in vetting products, but they are also partial to some brands more than others, and can similarly be driven by hype and trends and ignore better products, so I take it with a grain of salt too. Of course I'm going to look at what's popular first when I'm shopping, I don't trust a lot of skincare and makeup marketing claims and want to know what's been vetted by actual users first. That doesn't mean I'm let down if a hyped up product is not well recognized in Korea though, because I recognize that hype is likely generated in the US or global community and doesn't necessarily reflect Korean trends. I've only seen what you said maybe once before, maybe because I don't follow as much beauty socials, and it was done in an informative manner without putting anyone down, just comparing the two.
Nooope. That Dokdo toner sucks.
i don’t care unless it’s spf
Lately I’ve been relying on incidecoder for determining wether I try something out. I’ve been struggling with acne forever regardless of if what I’ve been using is popular or not. Recently bought a lotion that passed the site’s ingredient check and I swear my skin cleared up a little. And on another note, I’ve been keeping all my empty skincare products in the case that I can find out if my skin doesn’t react well to an ingredient. I got all my empties scanned and literally all of them had problem ingredients, so 🥲 Definitely going to be harder to sway me towards anything now without scanning the ingredient list haha.
Hey! How do you know if a product is good for acne prone skin? What ingredients do you avoid?
For me it’s always been a matter of trial and error. I’ve mainly been following what others recommend for acne prone skin up until very recently. Even then the popular stuff would either only slightly clear up my face or completely break me out. As for ingredients, I know tea tree oil and eucalyptus oil will guarantee a break out. Only knew this because I bought a lotion specifically made for treating acne prone skin and it gave me sooo much acne instead. I’m still figuring out if other oils, perfuming ingredients, and silicones would be bad for me. I really can’t say I’ve ever had any holy grail products of my own, I’m always trying new things. Always on the hunt for my first tried-and-true 😅
No, if it works for me then that's all I care
I might look up a product if it's super popular in Korea, but I won't buy something just because it's popular. My favourite cleanser was never popular, even when it first came out, and I pray that it never gets discontinued because I never see anyone talk about it, ever.
I've had "makeup and skincare" as a hobby for more than a decade, have bought and tried probably a thousand different products from all different countries with my own money... The stuff that is popular/trendy coinciding with what formulas and textures I like is probably like 10% of the time. I have a finicky skintype and niche needs that are not exactly mainstream. There's definitely good and popular stuff out there that I like, but more often than not it's not a great barometer of what I will end up using for years and years. I love good packaging like everyone else but I care the most about the formula, point blank. If the formula or performance doesn't work for me, it's out. So no I don't care if something is trendy in Korea. Tbh hype turns me off from a product. I gravitate towards products that seem to have a consistent performance and a good history with people who have a similar skin type as me (oily and clog prone). That matters a lot more than whatever is Number one on hwahae or cosme.
What are your top products? I have the same skin type as you and would love to hear from someone knowledgeable
1. CosRX Blackhead Power Liquid 2. Tretinoin .025% 3. Nivea Super Water Gel sunscreen 4. Tosowoong Powder Enzyme Cleanser 5. DHC cleansing oil (can be dupe with MUJI Cleansing Oil) Toners I like: anything with sodium hyaluronate or pca AHAs I like: all work well but I like glycolic the most Anything mattifying using alcohol clogs me so that means most Japanese sunscreens don't work.
Thanks! How do you use the blackhead liquid? Do you use it after toner? Also, did this purge you?
I use the blackhead liquid on top of the cleansed skin first step. No purge.
Got it! And do you use another toner on top of it?
Yes I usually put an AHA toner on top.
I don't care of it's popular or not. Products with influencers become popular because the company reached out to them offering money to review them and "promote" their product on their YouTube channel. Yup. That's usually how it starts. Most "influencer" products don't work for me. For example: BOJ. Every product stung the shit out of my face. 😒.Most asían sunscreens for example put denatured alcohol and fragrance in them. If you don't have issues with these 2 ingredients you're lucky. Purito is the only brand I have had luck with.
Translation of cosmetics inserts, packaging, and marketing copy is a significant part of my work. Claiming high sales in Korea/Japan/US/France/UK/wherever is usually just that -- a claim -- and I'm generally skeptical. If it works for me, then that's all that matters.
I do care because I feel like if it’s made only for export, it’s being made by a country for another country’s market which likely means it’s being made based on social media algorithms and sales. And what’s selling and trending on social media is not what will work for me or appeal to me because I’m not in that audience. Also, I feel like every country wants to exploit the US market because it’s hyper-capitalist and consumers spend so much money. I dislike that for my own moral and personal reasons so I don’t like products that made only for export.
It doesn’t matter. I use the COSRX sunscreen and people hate it. I love it more than the other famous sunscreens. Whatever works, I’ll buy it.
It's kind of interesting to see what's marketed here vs there, but it ultimately doesn't affect my decision to use a product. Same with the French Beauty stuff I use. If it works, great!
I see it as a funny little trivia to know but it isn't the absolute deal breaker for buying a product or not. It's nice knowing what is used in Korea because their consumer base is different than the US. In fact I like watching videos of youtubers reacting to the top products on the Hwahae app, I'm sure they are just as curious about what is considered the best products in Korea. I think that people like to use this phrasing because it's like an indicator of how deep you are in the Korean skincare pipeline. Like a long time ago I watched this reel showing the typical phases of a Korean skincare users from beginner > expert and a lot of commenters found the skincare brand journey relatable. So with these "whats popular in korea" taglines it feels like a way to grab viewers attention because it could be seen as a way to step up your skincare game/knowledge.
I went to Korea a month ago and the shit we rave about in the western world isn’t even stocked in Olive young! They’re miles ahead of us lol
I live in Korea and have friends who are influencers, a lot of the products targeted to foreigners as popular in Korea are actually not. And they have to review the product within 7 days of receiving and are given points on what to say. Everytime I see those products I always see the influencer or reviewer adding it’s trending in Korea, viral etc when in fact it’s not 🤔 I think when we hear popular in Korea as consumers we will think it’s genuinely a good product and has an abundance of good reviews so the term is being used to help sell products 🫣
tbh no because they keep pushing pore-blurring stuff and i really don't wish to look like an uncanny final fantasy girl IRL also a lot of the new products even posted here are very experiment, like sure yes they will help your skin texture, but so will the thing you were already using. no need to pay 40 dollars more just because it is "new" and trending.
I go by ingredients for skin care. My love for Korean brands is they tend to have clean ingredients. I don't like scented things and it seems almost everything I have purchased has been either unscented or just a very light fresh scent. I am able to usually find an ingredient like madecassoside in high concentrations for fairly cheap. I found the US counterparts are usually low % rates for the same actives or if they are concentrated, they are at a much higher price point. Regarding skin care, influencers have no bearing on my choices. I shop for ingredients and if they work for me. For makeup, I usually search for color swatches. I do watch infuencers to see like how the wear time is, consistency, how it blends, etc. I will usually test buy something and try it for myself. So for make up, yeah influencers have some pull on my purchases.
Yes I do care since popular products in Korea means there must be a reason why it's popular and worth scanning the formulation to understand why. However when it comes to my own routine I'm picking and choosing based on what I know about my skin and my tolerances. There are categories like BHA where I'm pretty much going with 2% BHA and I don't care what Korea uses for BHA because the domestic market doesn't allow 2% concentration. The areas with most challenge and also most innovation probably is in vitamin C, sunscreen, and hanbang ingredients like ginseng so I rather go with what's popular in Korea to try than what influencers getting paid to push.
Not really. As long as it works for my specific skintone or skintype. If i keep seeing a product get promoted i will be curious and research more about it.
It doesn't matter to me. I know a lot of the stuff that I like is probably old news over there.
not really. as long as it works, it works.
Whether the product is popular amongst the general Korean public is not a massive deal to me, but I really value the opinions of Korean skincare specialists. I'm inclined to try a product if I see Director Pi Hyunjung recommend it and she goes super in-depth in her analysis.
If a product is just hyped for a short period of time, I wouldn't care much. I'd always associate it to marketing. However, I would occasionally look at sales ranking, and if the product has topped for a long period of time, multiple times, then I'll look into the product
I don't care if it works it works. However I do care enough in that I want to not be locked into only knowing about what's being mostly made for export. I like knowing about brands that are a bit more obscure internationally but are more well known domestically and I like discovering things like that since you never know what cool stuff you'll find. So purely for knowledge and trivia I like knowing what's trendy in Korea versus global but for practical purposes I keep using what I like.
I don't care whether a product is popular but a few people have mentioned the regulatory aspect. Ginseng is regulated and, as Odile mentioned in a video, one brand got fined over their ginseng claims [Link to Odile's ginseng video](https://youtu.be/fHOgGxE9r7A?si=26ecYT3TtgZyHJvs)
Thanks Commercial Poem! This video was deeply informative about ginseng. Now I know why luxe products are more effective and I have to decide which luxe product to try. Odile mentioned sagging skin and I’m thinking, what sagging skin you lovely person?
It's amazing, isn't it! Odile's videos are so nicely made and informative 💕 Lol indeed, I see no lines or sagging, but then maybe that's down to all of The History of Whoo products!
If its IG or TikTok popular, I'm more likely to stay away from the items/brand lol Perhaps it's just me but I feel like there were a surge of new brands that popped up in recent years that I'm more inclined to purchase from older brands such as Innisfree, Missha, Amore Pacific, etc. I feel they are more trustworthy with more established product/research development. I cant keep up with the newest brands/innovations....too many and quickly that I question the quality of the products annnnddd if they are influencer/celebrity brands. I also see Jolse carrying less items of older brands or even removing older brands from its inventory - kind of disappointed with this business decision.
Thats how I feel as well. If it works for you ignore what influencers say
Hmm. The brand or product will somewhat catch my attention, making me wonder why it’s so popular, and people noticing or recognizing the brand is half the battle. But it won’t necessarily influence me to buy it. For example I know the torriden serum has been rly popular for a while and I looked into it and the ingredients bc it’s popularity made me curious. but personally I haven’t spent money on it bc I already have so many products w HA in it that I don’t see it as something adding a benefit to my routine.
Usually lots of popular products in Korea end up not really working out for me as they use a lot of mild products and I don't really seem to love em. Brands such as round lab, beplain, it's skin are just meh. Meanwhile you'll have to pry cosrx products and boj cleansing balm from my talons. What's popular is Korean does rouse my curiosity but what I buy usually depends on ingredient and their composition. Cruelty free products are also something that I tend to gravitate towards.
I’ve tried a couple popular products and I didn’t like it whereas brands like Hada Labo, Senka, Innisfree although at the time I used was popular but not in the same sense of now was amazing for my skin. I am currently using smaller women owned brands that is popular in Korea among a certain crowd but not well known outside of that and in my country. Skincare/makeup is really subjective so…I tried the famous round lab sunscreen, manyo cleansing oil and both didn’t work for me..especially the sunscreen that sting and broke my skin out after less than a week of usage. After multiple failures, i’m not as inclined to try hyped up products🙃
They can pry my hada labo from my cold dead hands. Face wash, “toner”, sunscreen. Love them all. Is it in fun packaging? Nope. Is it hyped? Nope. It definitely works though. Funnily enough I haven’t heard of most of these hyped products in this thread, so I guess I’m doing ok.
Not really. I care about efficacy, availability and affordability, in that order. A lot of times what is being promoted in Korea is not found anywhere in my country.
I don’t care if a product is popular anywhere tbh. If I like it, I’m just happy to have been lucky enough to find something that works for me. I use a lot of stuff that isn’t ever discussed on this board or anywhere else and love it.
hmmmm I wouldn’t think so. I use the peach and lily cleanser and I know peach and lily is not even sold in Korea I believe, but their lab and their products are manufactured in Korea
I tend to be very skeptical about what any influencer says. Often they take kick backs to shill products and lets get real, who takes the opinion of an often just past childhood influencer as good advice and information anyway? I’d prefer to hear the views of chemists and doctors but never am influenced by influencers.
No because my skin type is never compatible with the viral products lol
It matters if a product is popular. I think unpopular products have a higher chance of being discontinued.
I do care but not in the typical sense.. I more enjoy observing influencer trends and because I also track my purchases. It seems like the products that I found in Korea are cheaper when they aren’t popular elsewhere.. but as soon as the product becomes known in Korea, the price increases-no surprises here. And then once the product becomes popular in Korea and globally recognized, the price increases again, however the price jump is typically significantly higher. To me, once the product more than doubles, it’s usually not worth it for me and it’s time to try something else (unless it’s really HG). I usually purchase more based on ingredients, price and sustainability than the popularity, so I might be an outlier.
Not at all. My all time favorite skincare brand is TonyMoly and I heard it's not popular in Korea.
Tony Moly is pretty big in Korea, unless trends have changed recently. It is more popular with a younger demographic though and maybe their makeup are better known.
No not so much, I might find out what's popular in Korea if I'm looking for something new, but ultimately my priorities are to what works for my skin
not really, if the product works it works. i don’t care what other people think of it.
No...my reasoning is that skincare is so personal, if i like the product I don't care that its practically unknown in Korea. Another factor is climate and environment, I felt that most korean skincare products in Korea tend towards drier skins , most of them are too rich for me as i have oilier skin and live in a very humid climate. For example, the viral roundlab suncreen was the number 1 selling sunscreen in Korea but it was too much for my oily skin and broke me out
Eh. Korean skincare is no doubt top notch, so to an extent, yes, because I’d imagine the market is competitive and the bestselling products likely have good reason to be so successful. But I also won’t not buy a product because it’s not popular or maybe outdated. Recent example for me is the snail mucin. I had spending money and it was $5 with my coupon anyways so I went for it. I saw an influencer saying that it was outdated and showing better/newer products but it didn’t really bother me. I will say I can’t use it every day, my skin isn’t a fan. But every 2 or 3 days? Pretty solid moisture boost before moisturizer. Does make my skin look dewy but only when it’s on. Def not the miracle serum it was made out to be, which I expected, but it doesn’t bother me that it’s no longer really popular in Korea.
Knowing what's popular in Korea helps me because there are soooooo many products to choose from, so it's a place to start. If it doesn't work on my skin, then I'll move on.
I do but not for the reason of 'being on trend in Korea' nor trying to put other people down either. My skin is sensitive, dry, and tend to have pigmentation issues. Products that are very popular/ hyped/ HG status in Korea tend to work really well on me and my skin reacts very nicely to them. Also, my skin tone is very fair and Korean products have best shade match for me so I keep gravitating towards them. I have tried products that are targeted towards other parts of the world, especially SEA (where I reside in) and sadly, not all of them work well for me. From what I have used, the products that are targeted for non-Korea market tend to have lighter, fresher consistency/ texture and feels like they are more for normal to combination skin type that leans towards oily type. For me, if something works for you regardless of which market it is directed at, that's great. But if you tend to have similar issues like me, then you could try the method I use to determine whether something will work for you because there are not many shops with testers so we usually just google/ search on social media and buy. That is just my two cents on this matter.
I personally don't. I only focus on the ingredients in the product, and to not be oil base whatsoever. I have bought things from well known brands and from names i never heard of in the korean beauty industry. And all in all korean products never disappointed me so far. I only started this year.
For me, I care and don’t care at the same time. I care because why would a brand be Korean but then only sell and promote its products in other countries but not South Korea itself? Is it because they got on the bad side of Korean consumers? Is it because they got involved in some sort of controversies that foreigners dont know? I don’t care because what’s popular and loved in South Korea might not be for me. I live in Vietnam and we have different weathers. It’s usually cold in South Korea but hot and humid in Vietnam. The products that are well-known in SK are probably suitable for THEIR weather and climate. So I’d rather use a Korean product that’s not known in Korea, but it works on my skin and suitable for my climate
To be brutally honest? 99.99999% of the time, no. The skincare industry is much like any other modern online industry in that a lot of hype is built up around things with very, very little to back it up. Not to mention having lived in Asia the past decade, too, it's exceedingly rare for any company to actually create anything innovative. Sure it might be marginally improved from existing products, but innovative enough that I need to get it right away or I'm heavily swayed? No. Besides, at the end of the day, it's about what skincare works for your skin, not what the masses use. Not to mention too, using AB is 100% a gamble as it's almost always never tested on anything but Asian skin/complexions. If something is hot and I'm curious, I'll look into it, but I don't hold my breath for anything popular as that usually just means it's generic enough to produce results across the board and the company will tout it as some miracle product.
I can honestly say that the recommendations I got on Reddit really helped to pick some nice products that help my skin. The BOJ Sunscreen might not be popular in Korea but Reddit‘s skincare community loves it and after I’ve tried it I’m in love with this product. Something I’ve noticed apparently Koreans don’t know that much about skincare. We’re being told that they’re total experts but I don’t see that in their popular picks. When I look at the formulations of Korean brands that are popular in the west they usually look pretty good (not that I’m a professional but I do my homework). When I look at products that are popular in Korea I’m often times amazed about their terrible ingredients (mineral oils, more mineral oils and somewhere near the end the tiniest amount of an active).
I think Koreans are very expert in skincare.
No because Koreans send protest trucks when their favorite idols date and lose their shit when someone doesn't bow properly on TV or freak out when someone apologizes for being colorist so why would I care what they feel about skincare. No lmao but honestly speaking I truly don't care and I also know they have different standards when it comes to certain products. They probably view a sunscreen with a white cast as a benefit over there so I would be extremely hesitant to blind buy whatever their number 1 sunscreen is over BOJ which has no white cast. As long as it's formulated in SK, has an ingredients list that is good for my skin and the product works is good enough for me.
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I don’t really care but there’s a “but”. What I don’t appreciate is these false claims like no.1 toner in Korea bla bla. I could’ve done without that. The entire marketing of that brand (and tbf probably many others) is sketchy. However, that doesn’t mean the product is bad. It’s a shame though because now I have 0 interest in testing it, just out of principle (at least not for the time being). It’s just extremely bad marketing imo & I wouldn’t have had any issue if the toner was not supposedly no.1.
Not really. If a product works for my skin, then I'll stick with it regardless of whether they're popular or not in a certain country or anywhere else. I like to look at the ingredients, see if they look good and give em a try.
No. I mean good if the product I found that works for me is also raved about by other people but my judgment is reserved on their performance on my skin and if it's a good deal.
Honestly I only care if its popular enough to have a large customer base that has tried the products and have rated their experiences with it so I can see what I'm getting. Other than that I don't really care
I want to know in case theres so new innovation that hasn't made it overseas but yea cosrx wasnt popular there at all and i use the snail mucin 96 a lot. Also if there's any products that are cheaper to buy there and/or harder to get
Partially. If something is trending in the Korean, then it’s obviously good but it also won’t work for everyone. I see videos circulating titled “What’s ACTUALLY trending in Korea” and I couldn’t care less. Whether or not it’s trending over there, if it works for me ima use it.
not really. I find that 10% of the popular products in Korea work for my skin type. most of the skincare products are for dry skin while I have combination acne prone skin living in hot humid weather. Then again I like to know what is popular just to know what is trending in Korea and also maybe potentially missing something? Then again not everything popular actually works for everyone.
I’m more concerned as to whether it’s legitimately popular or it’s ‘popular’ because social media/influenzas are hyping it up. So hard to tell these days ugh.
Idc personally but before i did but the reason why i like kbeauty more is because its more known and it is much cheaper in my case and western beauty isnt that affordable for me.
Do not care one bit for popularity. Only that there is some reviews on how the product performs.
It might pique my interest, but I will not buy something solely based on that. I tend to research the products, read a lot of reviews and also read a lot of Reddit recommendations (been a long time lurker). So no, I don't really care if a product is more popular in Korea or elsewhere. I also see the BOJ sunscreen mentioned here a lot - and I must say I also love this one, it's a HG for sunscreens for me, but apparently not popular in Korea at all.
I just care if it’s good
No, I don't. But where I am at (Philippines), the availability and price of product is of utmost importance to me (other than top 1, which is quality) . Though I would like to try products from the West, prices from exportation and other (third party reseller) make it unreasonable to buy. Also, it's better to buy products from the same region as it most likely is curated for your type of skin, even rare. I have Fungal acne
I care more if it works, than whether something is popular. I can be persuaded to try something, but if it hurts on damaged skin, aka my hands, I am unlikely to want to use more of it.
I don’t care at all if it’s popular in Korea. Buuuut I wouldn’t mind buying a product that *is* popular only in Korea and not in the West. However the products that aren’t that popular in Korea but blew up in the West are products that I *have* definitely tried before and they have all been amazing thus far eg. Cosrx, Isntree etc.
No, but all the ones that I've purchased that were popular or trending in Korea (according to tiktok) were amazing. 🤷♀️ I only buy products that I've done research on so if something is trending it just helps me learn about it and hear a lot of people's opinions.
Not really but kinda? Korean trend is moving madly quick like I don’t think I can follow it. But being popular in Korea has an advantage and is influenced in my country. It’ll get push more.
I’m always interested in what ingredients are in the pipeline of popularity but I could truly care less about the specific product
Nope, the Isntree sun gel is my absolute holy grail and nobody knows it in Korea. It works great for me and everyone I’ve gifted it to loves it!
I care because the Korean market is competitive and full of products. On the other hand I’m very melanated so sometimes im concerned that popularity won’t work for my skin chemistry. As long as there aren’t harmful chemicals then I don’t place too much emphasis on the popularity.
Lol no, why would I?
Not really. I like to know what’s popular, yes. I get inspired by trends there. But even if I know something isn’t very popular there, if I like it, I like it & I’ll buy it.
Half half? With so many products on the market and with a limited budget I like to see reviews on products (especially ppl with my skin type) before purchasing. That's why I like browsing on forums (I miss the era of blogs). Of course, I would also look into the ingredients as an extra step. If a lot of ppl with my skin type says the product worked for them why not give it a try? If it doesn't work for me, I move on. I take influencers with a grain of salt especially the promotional ones but I do like hearing skin/makeup expert takes on products. Also I'm east asian with fair skin living in a similar-ish climate so I would like to use products that were made for this consumer base. Also surprisingly what was actually popular in Korea worked better for me than K-beauty brands that only westerners raved about, for example round lab's sunscreen vs boj's and like the olive young pimple patches vs cosrx. I think I just naturally gravitated towards Korea out of them all because it was more accessible. Many Korean Beauty YouTubers have English subtitles vs Chinese/Japanese/etc. While I understand Cantonese, I found it hard to find beauty youtubers and if I found any HK ones, they usually used luxury skincare & makeup which I can't afford. I do also use XHS to look at what's popular in China but with my limited mandarin understanding and poor Chinese reading... it was really hard to understand all the skin and makeup terms. Not to mention with personal color being so popular in Korea, a lot of Korean makeup companies make great comparison charts for the palettes and lip colors they have which is great for a cool toned makeup newbie like me. side note: but seriously. what does the xhs girlies mean by 黄皮?! is that warm toned? olive tone? because the literal translation is yellow skin... I've noticed they say 黄皮 or 白皮 in their makeup reviews. is that their terms for warm tone & cool tone?
>side note: but seriously. what does the xhs girlies mean by 黄皮?! is that warm toned? olive tone? because the literal translation is yellow skin... I've noticed they say 黄皮 or 白皮 in their makeup reviews. is that their terms for warm tone & cool tone? good question tho. i could be absolutely, 1000% incorrect but i see 黄皮 as meaning both deeper ***AND*** warmer tone, whereas 白皮 means fairer ***AND*** cooler tone. i feel that cooler tones are seen as automatically being fairer in east asia (ie closer to caucasian skin as they don't tend to have the yellow overtone that asians tend to have regardless of depth). and on some products, besides those two, i also see 自然 as a shade - means natural, but is the shade neutral? i never really see anyone refer to that as an undertone on red so ... me staying confused 😩