Like a lot of people, I spend hours scrolling on Instagram and TikTok, my feeds mainly filled with skincare and beauty content.
I generally realise something is 'trending' when I start to see it more and more. Or I start to see the same product over and over, spiking something in my to go and investigating.
With the size of the Korean Beauty Market valued at $10.2 billion in 2019, news today has projected growth to $13.9 billion by 2027. People are starting to take notice and for good reason.
K-Beauty products are amongst the most inexpensive yet effective products I've ever come across. They've recently become very accessible for us UK and European skincare lovers.
The presence of certain ingredients is becoming more prominent, those are the ones I want to talk about today. Most have been around for decades and were used as ancient Chinese medicine ingredients but are now in high demand with Millenials and Gen-Zs.
Let us take a closer look at them.
Centella Asiatica (Cica)
Centella Asiatica PlantA herb that grows in South East Asia, has been used for hundreds of years. It's known as Tiger Grass to many. This originated from tigers making contact with the plant in order to heal their wound.
Cica comes with a wealth of benefits; known for soothing due to its richness in asiaticoside.
Its anti-inflammatory properties are great for itchy irritated skin. Its antioxidant properties help to produce collagen which makes it a great anti-ageing ingredient.
My favourite form of Cica is a serum or eye cream.
Ginseng
A root vegetable, this ingredient is known not just for topical use, but when ingested the health benefits are 2nd to none.
It contains a wealth of vitamins and minerals; B1, 2 and 12 along with Pantothenic Acid (B5).
It's commonly used as an anti-ageing ingredient due to its ability to target sagging and wrinkles.
My favourite form of Ginseng is a toner or evening serum.
Propolis
A byproduct of Bees and also labelled 'Bee Glue' Wiki states it's made combining saliva and beeswax with exudate gathered from tree buds, sap flows, or other botanical sources
This ingredient has been around not just for years but has also been used across so many cultures. As a Greek child, my grandparents used to use propolis (and pure Dettol, but that's a separate article) to treat any wounds we had as an anti-bacterial/anti-fungal.
Propolis contains pinocembrin which is a super healer for wounds making this a great ingredient for those with acne-prone skin or healing breakouts.
Although this has become an amazing natural remedy, it's not quite vegan friendly.
My favourite form of Propolis is an essence or moisturiser.
Green Tea
Another popular superfood is consumed but not used topically. Green Tea in its purest form is not usually used within skincare, but more so is Green Tea Extract.
The presence of EGCG means using green tea topically will reduce sebum production in turn reducing acne flare-ups.
An added benefit of Green Tea is it's said to prevent melanoma and nonmelanoma.
My go-to form of green tea is actually ingested via matcha but I do have serums with green tea and tea tree that work beautifully together on active breakouts.
Bear in mind you need to keep hydrated when using.
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These are just some of my favourites. Other popular ingredients include the likes of Snail Mucin great for repairing the skin. A lot of people are being grossed out by the thought
Black rice helps prevent skin from environmental stressors like pollution or sun damage. Although I enjoy this in the form of an oil makeup remover.
That's all folks.
About the Creator
Sotira
Beauty Product Developer, curly girl, and professional matcha drinker. I write about all of the above, helping you to find the best products on the market.
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