f you’ ve spent any time on Instagram or TikTok, you would likely have seen women marvelling at their newly plump, glowing complexions and talking about glass skin. They’ re using Korean beauty products, known as K-beauty. This is no passing fad, though, says Lauren Lee, founder of K-beauty consultancy Style Story.“ K-beauty may have accelerated on TikTok, but its longevity comes down to three key things: formulation, innovation and value,” she says. Here’ s what you need to know to add K-beauty products to your skincare routine.

Nice and natural

One of the appeals of K-beauty products are the naturally derived ingredients, such as ginseng, Centella Asiatica, rice water and snail mucin, which has been used in skincare products since Ancient Greece. Lauren says she’ d start by looking for ingredients that protect the skin’ s barrier and offer anti-ageing support, like ectoin.“ It’ s a stress-protective ingredient that helps skin stay comfortable when it’ s dealing with dryness, temperature changes, aircon, pollution, over-cleansing or over-exfoliation,” she says.

“ For slow-ageing benefits that don’ t tend to trigger irritation, adenosine is another standout,” Lauren continues.“ It plays nicely with most routines and skin types because it’ s not about peeling or stripping. It’ s about supporting skin function over time.”

Getting started

While many K-beauty aficionados talk about 10-step programs, Kaitlyn Shin, CEO of NU28, a Melbourne skincare clinic that uses Korean products and techniques, suggests beginning slowly with just one product, adding it when the product you’ re using runs out.

“ The best starting point is a moisturiser,” she says.“ Hydration is the most basic, and all K-beauty brands pay special attention to their moisturisers. If the moisturiser works well for you, the next step is to move on to a serum. Moisturisers and serums are the key products for every brand.”

Key to integrating the correct products is understanding what your skin needs. If you’ re not sure where to start, Kaitlyn suggests a professional skin analysis.“ Using advanced skin analysis technology,

Many Korean beauty product formulas are extremely well suited to mature and perimenopausal skin because of their barrier-first approach.”

a specialist can assess the condition of your skin in detail, identifying factors like hydration, pigmentation and elasticity,” she says.“ It’ s similar to undergoing a full body check-up but for your skin, allowing for tailored advice on which products are best suited to your needs.”

The affordable edge

Apart from their excellent formulations, K-beauty products are popular for their affordability.“ Unlike many countries that have outsourced their manufacturing, Korea has grown and maintained a domestic beauty manufacturing industry since the 60s,” says Lauren.“ Korean brands invest heavily in R & D [ research and development ] and are incredibly fast at commercialising new technologies. This means consumers are getting genuinely

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12 | MAY / JUN 2026 COSTCO CONNECTION