Korean Skincare: More than ten steps

K-Beauty Notes by Lee

If you hear about Korean Skincare for the first time, you might think of a bathroom full of bottles. Of sheet masks, sun protection and creams with snail slime. And of course the famous ten steps.

But K-Beauty is less a lesson plan than a toolbox.

The focus is on a simple idea: the skin is not only considered when it causes problems. Your skin is observed every day, gently cleansed, moisturized and protected from the sun. What your skin needs can change – with the weather, age or simply with a long day.

That’s why a Korean-inspired routine doesn’t automatically consist of ten products. Sometimes cleansing, cream and sun protection are enough. On other days, toner, essence or serum are added. It’s not the number of steps that matters, but rather whether they suit your own skin.

Unusual ingredients are also part of the history of K-Beauty. At first, snail secretion sounds more like a garden than a bathroom. In cosmetics it is used as a filtered ingredient. It’s not a magic potion – but it’s a good example of how an ingredient often sounds stranger than it feels in the finished product.

Maybe that’s exactly the appeal: K-Beauty doesn’t provide a ready-made answer. It invites you to take a closer look. A good routine doesn’t have to be big. All you need to do is understand your own skin.

What we know for sure

• The well-known ten-step routine is an option, not a requirement. Many products introduced at the same time can also make it difficult to identify the cause of irritation.
• Sun protection belongs at the end of the routine in a classic morning routine. In South Korea, UV protection products are legally defined as “functional cosmetics”.
• Snail secretion filtrate is used in cosmetic products. A review paper from 2024 describes possible applications, but also emphasizes that many studies to date are preclinical or small.

Sources

• Cleveland Clinic: Korean Skin Care Routines
• Ministry of Food and Drug Safety Korea: Functional Cosmetics
• PubMed: Snail extract for skin – uses, projections and limitations

Which ten steps are actually meant?

The well-known ten-step routine describes possible building blocks: oil cleansing, water-based cleansing, exfoliation, toner, essence, serum, mask, eye care, cream and morning sun protection. Only a few of them are part of every daily routine. Exfoliation and mask are extras. Eye care and essence can be omitted if the cream and serum already cover everything you need.

If you would like to make a short selection from these options, our Quick-K routine will guide you to a manageable basis.