Category: Korean Skincare

Korean Skincare Products To Watch Out For This Year: A Google Trends Analysis

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Korean skincare has seen a massive rise in popularity over the last few years. The first time I heard about Korean skincare & beauty products was when I was doing a 3 month stint in Taipei and one of my friends was looking for BB Cream. Until then I had no idea that there exists a country full of people that are obsessed with skincare and companies that create skincare product & design innovations from texture changing face washes to under-eye cream in panda shaped packaging. This knowledge was the turning point of my current skincare obsession.

I went back to the US and raved about Korean skincare to whoever would listen to me. Then in 2013 I moved to India and tried convincing people that Korea is where the real skincare game is at. No one really believed me though mainly because, at the time, it was so difficult to get your hands on Korean skincare & makeup. Fast forward to 2018 and K-Beauty is everywhere. People now recognize K-beauty companies for the innovative, effective and affordable products. Brands like Innisfree, The Face Shop and Laneige are widely known now.

My K-beauty obsession is also now stronger than ever. I’ve taken this obsession beyond my vanity shelf to Instagram & blog posts. I also send out weekly newsletters of the biggest beauty news that week. I was researching this week’s newsletter content when I decided to look at the progressive of K-beauty popularity over time. I turned to Google Trends for the data.

Here’s what I found:

  1. Overview

    • Searches worldwide about Korean skincare have exponentially grown since 2011 with the highest number of searches in Feb 2018.
    • In the last 12 months the #6 related query when people search ‘skincare’ in Google is ‘Korean skincare’
    • Korean skincare searches are well below searches related to ‘Fenty’. Pop culture status trumps everything.

  2. Biggest trends & products to look out for

    • Glass skin searches are rising which means that people will be looking to purchase products that help them achieve that look.
    • These ingredients will be hugely popular this year:
    • Essences, sleeping masks and sheet masks will maintain their popularity over this year with essences perhaps seeing an increase in popularity.

  3. Products that will lose popularity this year

    • People haven’t searched much for derma-rolling compared to jade rolling over the last 12 months so I think it is unlikely to become as big a trend as jade rolling. I think that one of the biggest reasons why derma-rolling won’t take off is because it sounds surgical and intimidating compared to jade rolling.
    • Snail mucin is losing its popularity compared to earlier this year.

It’s hugely promising that the number of Korean skincare searches are increasing. This growing popularity means that more K-beauty products will be hitting the shelves worldwide and I can hardly wait!

 

The best natural and cruelty free skincare – India Edition

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India is the country that brought Ayurveda to the world. The centuries old Indian system of medicine provides super effective solutions for all your pitta, vata and kapha problems.

However, when it comes to skincare, super natural = preservative free = can last up to 30 days only if refrigerated. If you’re into that, check out Waterline – skincare so pure you can eat it (seriously).

For those who lack refrigerator space or prefer to store their skincare stash in their bedrooms/bathrooms – Kama Ayurveda and Forest Essentials give you all the Ayurvedic luxury minus the high maintenance. (On a side note, both of their hair care lines are top notch and I personally vouch for Kama Ayurveda’s Bringadi Intensive Hair Treatment Oil.)

Ayca is another all-natural Ayurvedic brand which brings more of a modern twist to Ayurveda by incorporating new-age aromatherapy to their products. Their Jasmine and Rose Body Oil is light on the skin and olfactory system. Perfect.

Moving on from Ayurveda to their Korean counterpart – Innisfree. (Note: Innisfree isn’t doesn’t have any ancient Korean medicine roots.) With stores around the country, they are definitely the biggest Korean skincare company in India — and I love them. The Innisfree Green Tea Seed Serum is a best seller in its own right — use it as an essence and apply right after toner before serum.

Yes, this article is about skincare but a little organic, cruelty-free makeup never hurt anyone. Ruby’s Organics lipsticks and blushes are DA BOMB — super high quality at an unbeatable price point. Must buy.

The Beauty Dose – August 3

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It is an understatement to say that I love Korean beauty. If you look at my beauty stack, all you will see are Korean brands and I’m very happy labeling myself as obsessed. Literally every new skincare tech is created in Korea and then adopted by brands around the world months or maybe even years later. I remember, BB cream (which originated in Korea) was super popular in South Asia when I was in Taipei in 2011. I only started seeing BB cream around the US in 2012/13 and in India in 2015.
Also, the Korean skincare market is SUPER competitive and companies release new products literally every month. Isn’t that crazy? Makes me want to move to Korea right now hehe
So, today’s focus is Asian skincare because I’ve also included a piece about a cool Japanese carbonated face treatment.

Today's focus: Asian Skincare

One K-Pop Star Shares the Secrets to Korean Dream Skin

Japanese Carbonated Face Treatment
 
Other News:

Try-On Beauty Apps Cher Horowitz Would Totally Use Today

Feed Your Face: The Foods You Should Try If You Want Perfect Skin

The Beauty Dose – July 26

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So today I discovered two exciting skincare news. The first is that washing your face with water that’s just been drained through raw rice makes it super radiant! It’s an ancient Chinese technique that’s still used today. That’s one more thing to add to my natural skincare routine 🙂
The second piece of news is this awesome new mask technology that looks like a regular ‘ol sheet mask but is COMPLETELY dry! Check out the review below.

Have a beautiful Tuesday, guys!

JULY 26, tuesday
 

Culture Insider: Skincare In Ancient China

Introducing Dry Masks - The Canadian Skin Phenomenon That's About To Hit Stateside

The 10-Product Summer Beauty Routine

How To Layer Your Skincare Products

5 Skincare Mistakes Every 20-Something Should Avoid

Confessions Of A K-Pop Star

The Glow Life Beauty News – July 11

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Beauty, defined by what we see in mainstream media is great but so vanilla. Today I bring to you beauty as defined by Manabi Bandopadhyay, India’s first transgender college principal. Enjoy today’s beauty news 🙂 and sign up here to receive it in your inbox daily!

JULY 11, monday 

India’s first transgender college principal on beauty

6 Korean Beauty Products Every Woman Needs in Her Skin Care Routine

8 Skincare Tips to Know Before You Hit the Slopes

This Makeup Brand Proves That Men Can Rock Highlighters Too

What Is The Ear Makeup Art Trend? The Latest Beauty Look Is Out Of This World — PHOTOS

The Glow Life Beauty Sweet Treats

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Hi guys,

So, my last blog post was about my plan to start a daily beauty newsletter with skincare & makeup treats delivered to your inbox everyday of every week! I sent the first one out today (click here to subscribe)!

Here are the stories:

JULY 8, wednesday

Stay updated with what’s new in the skincare industry

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Hi guys,

So as you all know, I’m quite obsessed with skincare and beauty in general. This obsession has led me to daily searches on what’s new and upcoming in the beauty industry – from products to technologies to the best skincare routines. I spend a considerable amount of every day researching skincare… for myself. But now, I want to extend the results to you guys!

If you want to know what’s new in the skincare industry AROUND THE WORLD (I have an eye on South Korea since, you know, they’re the skincare tech pioneers) — CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO MY NEWSLETTER!!!

I will send you guys an email every morning (before 9am Asia/Kolkata time for my international peeps) with the latest skincare news so that you can start your day off knowing everything about that day’s skin-loving-goodness. All fun, no spam!

Enjoy!

xo

A suprising zit zapping night cream

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Snail cream, snail gel, snail everything is all the craze now and all for good reason. Snail slime, when applied to skin, is said to stimulate the formation of collagen and minimize the damage created by free radicals that are responsible for premature skin aging. And I have one more benefit to add to this list – keeping diet, exercise, weather and daily skincare regime constant, snail mucin clears zits!

I had a pesky little zit coming up on my cheek last week (probably due to the arrival of the wonderful Bombay monsoon) that looked like it was there to stay. I applied Missha’s Super Acqua Cell Renew Snail Cream the night that the pimple showed up and every night thereafter and the pimple cleared in record time of 3 days! This has never happened to me before and thankfully probably will happen again (the disappearance of the zit, not the presence of) thanks to this wonderful creation.

My only complaint is that the fragrance is slightly overwhelming for a night cream. But, I can live with that.

Have blackheads? Use this.

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Heard of a blackhead removal product or technique? Chances are, I’ve tried it. Never has more research and testing effort been put into finding a solution that will rid my skin of the gunk that refuses to part with my pores. And never has a product or technique worked as magically as Dr. Jart+ Pore Penetrator. This miracle serum-type product goes on smooth and removes blackheads as effortlessly as the product description says it will. It’s more effective than most blackhead removal strips but much kinder to your skin. My sensitive skin thanks the wizards at the Dr. Jart labs.

Note: The instructions recommend keeping the product on for 5-10 minutes but for best results, I would suggest letting it work its magic for around 15 minutes while you take sip on your drink of choice in anticipation of your newly polished skin.

Live in a tropical city and have oily skin? Try this gel cream

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There are few things in life that can give the same satisfaction as finding the perfect day moisturizer — no matter where you live but especially so in Mumbai, India where we only experience two seasons: summer and monsoon. It’s nearly impossible to find a moisturizer that provides enough hydration and is yet light enough to leave my skin feeling perfectly supple. So, you can imagine my joy when I started using the SN Plant Stem Cell T Cream – Sebum Control System. It is literally the best day moisturizer that I have EVER used. It contains madecassic acid that has anti-inflammatory properties, regulates your skin tone and stimulates the synthesis of collagen types I and III.

The cream comes on thick but quickly absorbs into my skin. It smells amazing and my skin feels fresh, perfectly moisturized and ready to take on the day.