From a 10-step skincare routine to a seven-step toner method, the South Koreans are known to come up with the most innovative skincare trends, which we all tend to end up giving a go at one point or another. And with the current pandemic, the Asian beauty mecca has seen a shift in its beauty landscape, what with a slew of trends that aid in combatting common skin – and hair – concerns that arise with all the mask-wearing, irregular visits to the dermatologist and overwhelming stress.
Here, we pick out four trends to note and the products you might want to incorporate into your skincare regime.
#1: At-home hair treatments
With many of us preferring to stay indoors, there has been an increase in demand in easy-to-use at-home hair treatments. These are meant to offer similar effects to that of actual hair treatments you’d get in physical salons but in the comfort of your own home. While many of us tend to focus only on our skin, it is essential to give your tresses some TLC to maintain both healthy scalp and hair.
#2: Calming and soothing irritable complexions
Now that wearing a face mask is mandatory whenever we head out, our skin gets easily stressed and irritated, leading to what some of us are no stranger to – maskne. To combat this, the South Koreans are turning to products that are equipped with soothing benefits to relief redness, irritation and sensitivity.
#3: Strengthening the skin barrier
For our skin to remain healthy and better defend itself against harmful external aggressors and bacteria, it is important to use products that aid in strengthening the skin barrier function. When weakened, toxins and irritants are more likely to infiltrate into the deeper layers of your skin and this causes it to be more prone to sensitivity and irritation. Thus, it is critical to maintain a healthy skin barrier for it to work effectively at retaining moisture and helping to protect skin from aggressors and irritants.
#4: Pore care
Living in an urban jungle such as Singapore, humidity and warm temperatures are a norm. Couple that with daily mask wearing, which traps all the moisture, and you get a recipee for enlarged pores and acne. While many of us focus on applying products to treat acne, it is also important to include products that aid in unclogging pores.
