Skincare products for men like to wear dark suits. Black bottle, silver writing, a name that sounds a bit like motor oil.

The skin is not affected by this.

It doesn’t ask about gender on the packaging. It shows whether your skin is oily, dry, sensitive, shaved or currently irritated. That’s exactly where a good Korean-inspired routine starts: not with the color of the jar, but with the condition of the skin.

Does men’s skin need its own products?

Not necessarily.

On average, there can be differences between male and female skin. Sebum production, beard growth, skin thickness and shaving play a role. However, no individual skin can be determined from an average.

A Korean survey of 1,000 men found both oily and dry, sensitive and less sensitive skin types. The most common combination was not the only one. The researchers therefore came to a simple conclusion: care should be tailored to the exact skin type and environmental factors.

A good unisex cleanser can therefore fit better than an aggressively scented “men” product. Conversely, a light men’s lotion may be just right if the texture and formula are pleasant. The label is orientation. The skin decides.

Shaving is additional skin contact

Anyone who shaves in the morning touches the skin with water, shaving product and blade. Afterwards it may feel tight, burning or red. Then your skin doesn’t need a test of courage with alcohol and menthol.

Shaving is best classified between cleaning and care. This is followed by a simple moisturizer. If a product burns significantly or the skin remains irritated, it is paused. Recurring inflamed nodules, ingrown hairs or severe shaving irritation should be examined dermatologically.

The 3-step routine in the morning

1. Gently cleanse

If you have oily skin, sweat a lot or use a heavy night cream, a mild cleanser makes sense. Wash with lukewarm water, do not scrub and rinse thoroughly.

If the skin is dry and calm in the morning, plain water may be sufficient. The Korean Dermatological Society recommends against over-cleansing if you have dry skin. Even with oily skin, excess sebum should be removed without irritating the skin unnecessarily.

If you shave: Now is the time. Then carefully pat the skin dry.

2. Moisture

A light lotion or gel cream often suits oily skin. Dry Skin or skin that has become tense after shaving may find a slightly richer cream more pleasant.

Toner and Essence are allowed, but not necessary. If you like using a toner, you can consider it as part of this moisturizing step. Three steps don’t have to secretly become seven.

3. Protect from UV radiation

Sun protection is the last step in the morning. There are usually two statements on Korean products: SPF describes the tested protection against UVB radiation, PA describes the protection against UVA radiation.

The Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety lists UV protection products as “Functional Cosmetics”. For their evaluation, data on SPF and PA are required, among other things.

Choose a texture that you want to apply sufficiently and regularly. This also includes the ears, neck and uncovered areas of skin. If you spend a long time outdoors, sweat or dry off, the protection must be renewed in accordance with the product instructions.

And what’s Korean about it?

Not the number of bottles.

Korean-inspired is primarily focused on light textures, coordinated layers and daily sun protection. A routine can still consist of three steps. Cleansing, moisturizing and UV protection are already a complete morning.

Additional active ingredients are only added if there is a specific goal: for example niacinamide for visible greasy shine or a doctor-recommended active ingredient for acne. New products are introduced one at a time. This makes it clear what helps and what just fills the shelf.

What we know for sure

• “Men’s skin” is not a uniform skin type. In a Korean questionnaire study with 1,000 men between the ages of 20 and 60, different combinations of oily or dry, sensitive or resistant, and pigmented or non-pigmented skin were recorded.
• In this study, 53.5 percent were in the oily category and 56.1 percent were in the sensitive category. These were self-reports from a classification questionnaire, not a diagnosis for every Korean man.
• Another Korean study found higher sebum levels in the male acne patients examined than in the female acne patients. It does not follow that every man has oily skin, nor does it follow that frequent or aggressive washing treats acne.
• For dry skin, the Korean Dermatological Association recommends avoiding excessive cleansing and using appropriate moisturizer. For oily skin, excess sebum should be removed without unnecessarily affecting the surface lipids; strong rubbing and very frequent washing are not recommended.
• The Korean MFDS requires, among other things, test data on the SPF and the UVA protection factor PA for functional sun protection cosmetics. However, black packaging or the inscription “for men” is not proof of effectiveness.

Sources from Korea

• Korean Dermatological Association: Basics of medical skincare, cleansing and moisturizing
• Annals of Dermatology: Baumann Skin Type in the Korean Male Population
• Annals of Dermatology: The Difference in Sebum Secretion Affecting Development of Acne
• Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety: Functional Cosmetics and Test Data for SPF and PA