Charlotte Cho, the New York City-based co-founder of skincare brands Soko Glam and Then I Met You, first dabbled in“K-beauty” in the early 2010s. She discovered it while working in Korea after college, and the “new skincare routine not only transformed my skin, but also my life,” Cho says. “I started to have a new sense of confidence in myself.” Learn more about this trendy skincare routine, plus how to try it yourself at home without spending a fortune (or spending hours of time).
How to get started with a Korean skincare routine
Korean skincare began to grow in popularity in the U.S. around 2011 to bridge the gap between high-priced investment skincare sold at specialty and department stores and low-cost drugstore options that sometimes contained questionable ingredients. For perspective, many of the Korean skincare products sold on ULTA.com fall between the $10-50 range. “When I coined the term ‘Korean 10-step skincare routine’ in 2012, my intention was to help inform and educate everyone how to design a skincare routine that worked for them. The number of steps is truly personal, it depends on your skin care goals and concerns,” Cho says, adding that it’s really about having the right products and using them in the right order.
10-step Korean skincare routine
Originally created and promoted by Cho, Soko Glam brand now offers “starter kits” for dry, normal, oily and combination skin that covers all 10 steps (these are available for $199 on sokoglam.com). “The idea of the 10-step skincare routine is to carefully pick and choose products that are going to give maximum benefit and every step has a purpose: cleanse, prep, treat, and protect,” Cho explains. If you’re interested in trying a 10-step Korean skincare routine, here’s a quick step-by-step guide.
A streamlined Korean skincare routine
Don’t have time or energy for a 10-step routine? No worries—you can streamline it. To save time and money, Jeffrey Fromowitz, M.D., a board-certified dermatologist at Dermatology of Boca in Boca Raton, Florida says the cleansing, treatment, moisturizer and sunscreen steps are the most important ones. So if you’re following the instructions of the plan above, that would mean you’d do steps 1, 2, 6, 9 and 10, cutting the 10-step Korean skincare routine in half. For Cho, cleansing and toning (steps 1, 2 and 4) are the most important. “Toner is something I can’t live without! I’ve suffered from hormonal acne for years and since incorporating toner into my routine daily my hormonal acne has disappeared. And for me it was about incorporating a toner that did not dry out my skin but also keep it hydrated,” Cho says. (She uses Then I Met You’s Birch Milk Refining Toner every day, morning and night.)
Korean skincare products to consider
Beyond your favorite broad spectrum sunscreen, here are a few products that beginners stock up on for a basic and easy Korean skincare routine for less than $90 total, according to Tracy Robey, skincare blogger and beauty journalist in New York City who has sworn by Korean skincare methods since she first tried them in 2013. (Korean skincare strategies helped tame her cystic acne and maker her finally feel comfortable enough to go out in public with nothing but sunscreen on her skin for the first time in years.) Or you can get a simplified jumpstart with Cho’s Then I Met You Glow Deeper Essentials five-step set ($168, thenimetyou.com). Next, read up on how to get rid of pimples and blackheads fast.
