Our skin tells a story about our lifestyle, food, sanitation, and more. But is our skincare regime allowing our skin to grow healthily? When most of us think of a radiant, flawless complexion, a certain kind of skincare comes to mind. Which one?
The undoubtedly popular Korean skincare. It is very well rooted in Korean culture and suited for the environment in Korea. So what about the Indian skin? Does it work? Let's break it down in this blog.
K-Beauty: Korean Skincare
Korean skincare is popular for its innovative ingredients. Some of the most common ones being snail mucin, cica, and fermented rice water. These ingredients heavily focus on hydration, reinforcing the skin's barrier, and reducing the inflammation. Their 9 to 10-step routine involves cleansing, toning, layering your skin with essence, treatment, moisturizers, under eye creams and sheet masks.
However, if we Indians blindly follow this routine, we may be doing our skin more harm than good. Here's why.
Key Differences
There are three broad ways in which Indian and Korean skin differ. These are:
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Genetics
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Diet
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Climatic conditions
Genetically, Korean skin produces far less melanin. While this makes them fairer, it also makes their skin more prone to UV damage. Indian skin, in contrast, has more melanin, which gives us better protection against UV rays. However, it also makes us more prone to pigmentation and dark spots.
Secondly, our diet. Unlike Korean meals, which are rich in fermented foods like kimchi and fresh vegetables, Indian meals are loaded with spices and oils. Consequently, while Korean meals naturally improve gut health and indirectly boost the skin, our oily, heavily cooked meals impact how our skin behaves.
Last and perhaps one of the most important factors — climatic conditions. Korea experiences cold, dry winters and mild summers. Consequently, their products are designed to lock in moisture. India, on the other hand, is often very humid and hot. We experience a lot of extremes in terms of heat. The winters are never too cold, except for some parts of India. Consequently, our skin needs vary greatly. However, if we were to lather on thick moisturizers, our skin is more likely to break out.
What Indian Skin Needs?
Since there are so many factors that complicate our skin's needs, the best way to approach our skincare for Indian skin is by focusing on simplicity in our product formulations along with DIY. Our kitchens are rich in the kind of ingredients we have, which have been proven to benefit our skin and bodies.
Our focus should be on the following three essential steps:
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Cleansing: Using a gentle cleanser, like the Micro Defend Face Cleanser to get rid of the day's dirt and impurities on the skin.
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Hydration: Follow up with a lightweight Collagen Boost Moisturizer to hydrate and soothe the skin without clogging our pores.
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Sun protection with an SPF 50 sunscreen is needed to tackle the challenges presented by the hot UV rays.
Moreover, it may be wise to stick to products that make use of Indian ingredients. For instance, the Chyura butter for moisturizer (as found in our Alps Ensemble Soap) and Aloe vera (as found in Forest Soothe Sheet Mask and Bio Replenish Face Scrub).
We can complement our skincare routine with traditional Indian skincare ingredients like Turmeric, Yoghurt, Honey, Ubtan, Fuller's Earth (multani mitti), and others that have been a part of our kitchen for ages.
Conclusion
Choosing skin care is about understanding our body and the world around us. Indian skin thrives under conditions that are best met by products made specifically for it. Ecosaa is designed with Indian skin in mind. Our formulas are made to suit Indian climate, food habits, and environmental factors.
By focusing on what our skin really needs, we help maintain a healthy glow without the harsh chemicals that might not work well for us.