K beauty or French beauty?

[Anonymous]

I buy a lot more skincare then makeup...always have. I have done a lot of research and tried a lot of products over the years... some have worked great and others not so much. K beauty is having a moment in this country, but I really adore how the French approach skincare. My question is which do you prefer and why?

[pocketvenus]

I see the two as related because of the strong emphasis on skincare.

I read on Quartz that France actually manufactured products in South Korea in the 1990s but left, leaving South Korea with all this beauty infrastructure! So there's an interesting connection if it's true. Also, I'm not sure if it's still the case, but France was the largest EU importer of K-beauty.

[am210]

K and J beauty has soo much more. I use to splurge on La Prarie, Caudalie and some other boutique French brands but they had more irritants than I wanted. K & J beauty brands also have more cruelty free options. K & J beauty; makeup, skincare, and style I prefer over French.

[Hidalgo222]

I prefer K/J beauty. I like French perfumes and have used Caudalie in my 20s and 30s. Recently in the past 5 years - my skin care has more SK II, Shiseido, Dr. Jart..etc. I am Asian and unsure if the targeted marketing is doing its job but I do see and feel a positive difference in my skin's responsiveness to the K/J skin care products. I also love the various facial masks from Dr. Jart. I see more innovative skin care products and ingredients from J/K beauty too. For example, snail jelly masks?! Why not? Happy Skin to All.

[kelllllyyyyy]

Man, just thinking about this question is kind of hurting my head.

I think in the last year I have accidentally transitioned completely from "French beauty" to k-beauty.  We are talking, a cleansing bar, a deluxe facial oil, and semi-regularly mask treatments, to the full ten-steps and targeted serums (thanks, Ordinary) .. I had to write down my am and pm routine at first to keep track of what goes with what. 

It was a slow process, though.  Like, it was literally two days ago I gave into double cleansing and a toner. I had been convinced for a long time that an oil or balm cleanser was just fine, until enough doubts piled up, if everyone is telling me that cleansing is the basis of your skincare, is everything else a waste? There are other aspects adopted from k-beauty, though, that do not feel out of place to someone that is/was philosophically French. The hydrating essence toner, for example, is just a concentrated splash of skin-friendly ingredients, and Caudalie and others have been making products like that too. And although the stereotype is that k-beauty is trend based and gimmicky, I think it is in fact about having a strong foundation in skincare, and that daily self-care is the answer to great skin. And on that front, the French and Korean philosophies, again, are not so different.

You know the biggest difference, though, is that in K beauty, you see a picture of a woman who is 45 and it's like, isn't it amazing that she looks 25? Here are the secrets to never aging! Although my beauty routine does have between 7-10 steps now, depending on the day, and the different potions come from France, Japan, Korea, Canada, and some, I assume, the US, I think philosophically I would like to hold on to the French beauty identity.  Nurture and take care of your skin, don't attack it. Embrace natural ingredients, but a synthesized peptide can do just as much for your skin as thermal water. Most importantly, embrace your beauty at every single age. 

[curlychiquita]

I tend towards Korean and Japanese beauty.  French beauty with its natural products worked well when I was younger.  I'm in my 40s now and I need more intense anti-aging ingredients.  Lately I'm even more into Swiss beauty (e.g., stem cells, hyaluronic and glycolic acids, peptides).  Science has been my friend and I get lots of compliments on my skin.  I do still love my K- and J- beauty masks.

[Anonymous]

I agree... as I have gotten older I perfer products with a bit more intense ingredients that will address dryness, fine lines, and wrinkles. I am using Korean skincare products with a French approach. I havent gotten into using sheet mask, but I have added an essence which has helped a lot with hydration. I will look into Swiss skincare. Thanks for the response.

[clphilli]

I agree with swiss skincare also. I used cellcosmet. I love it and us NY favorite skincare line but it is extremely expensive. At least the night cream is. What I like is that there are 3 main product each around $100 and then a cream that is targeted based on age. That is basically the whole line. there are a couple masks and an exfoliator but the line hasn't really changed. I like that because I always feel that some of these brands get a new 5 or 6 products a year and there are so many it is confusing and u feel like as soon as u buy something the next greatest thing it s out there and now u are expected to buy that. The only department store that I know carries it is Saks. But I have found it from skin care sites like 1 professional skincare and they offer 10% off your order and 6 simple size products of cellcosmet with each order which is great for travel.

[KerBerr]

French skincare got me into the game and transformed my skin, so I’m very loyal to French products and ideas. The philosophy that skin needs care and nourishment over invasive and harsh procedures has also spilled over into the care of my body in general. French skincare and beauty means you can be sexy, healthy, glowing without being ashamed of an occasional blemish or the eventual onset of wrinkles - that’s just life!

[Anonymous]

Exactly... that is precisely why I am more drawn to the French approach to skincare!!!

[CurlyAtx]

I will preface that I'm not as familiar with French beauty, except for micellar waters.  I'm a huge fan of K-beauty, partly because I'm starting to feel that when you have products that can "cut down many steps" they don't do so with much efficiency.  I mean a cleanser/toner doesn't do as good a job for my skin than each step.  

Also, it lets me target the idiosyncrasies of my skin on a day-by-day basis.  I was thinking how my old cleanse/tone/moisturize wasn't as good as what I'm doing now.

Also, perhaps because I'm a mom, I now savor the pleasure of wearing a face mask, even if it's while doing dishes, as my "me-time".  

[PenelopeBT]

Hi @Anonymous,

This is such a great question. I appreciate both Korean and French beauty routines. I'm personally fascinated with the way that different cultures approach beauty (duh, that's why I work in beauty lol).

What I appreciate about French beauty is that their skincare and makeup routines are simple and refined. No crazy 16 step skincare routine. I love the classic French look: a tinted moisturizer, a fresh, red lip and maybe a little eyeliner. It's simple and chic, just like the crisp, white button down blouse and black flats fashion look that the French are so well known for. 

On the other hand, I really appreciate the K Beauty approach to skincare. The millions of steps and products are fun to explore (I'm a skincare addict) and it's impossible to be bored with K Beauty because there's so many routines and trends (glass skin, essences, hundreds of sheet masks to try, etc...). The emphasis on great skin is really admirable because if you think about, the better your skin looks, the less makeup you need. In terms of makeup trends, it's interesting that contouring is pretty much non existent in Korean beauty. It's much more of an American trend, along with the smoky eye (thanks to the Kardashians).

Basically, I like both!

Stay Gorgeous,

Penelope

[Anonymous]

Love your response... I love the philosophy behind french skincare and makeup. It's not about looking younger it's about looking good for your age and having great skin... on the other hand I watch a video explaining K beauty and while having great skin was important it also talked about all of these Korean celebrities and how young they looked for their age. The slang word in hangul (Korean) for what girls aspire to in relation to skincare is \" \"dong an” which translates to \"baby face\". I also found it interesting that Koreans are just as obsessed with youth or the appearance of youth (and plastic surgery) as Americans. 10 steps to great skin is a lot the french keep it simple and I perfer that. I love the science behind K beauty and the variety of products, but again I love the philosophy behind French beauty.

[bonafide11]

Good points! The lazy girl in me love the simplicity of French beauty...the effortless and natural look. But the skincare addict in me love the variety and innovation in K beauty. They are so so far ahead of western beauty in research and techniques. So I like mixing the two...sometimes I use French beauty as my basic routine (serum, moisturizer) and then add K beauty as boosters if I feel Iike it (essences, more serums, sheet masks, etc).

I don’t really care for the Korean obsession with ‘glass skin’ and cosmetic surgery. It’s honestly kind of disturbing how young Korean girls who look perfectly beautiful feels the need to alter their face for an ‘ideal celebrity look’. I agree with the philosophy of French beauty more here...just take care of your skin and age gracefully.