The latest South Korean skin care innovations

Ignore the Village People (not something I say often) and instead of going West, look East for pioneering {skin care} must-haves - the type of weird-but-wonderful beauty products the world will soon obsess over... while South Korea's shouting 'Next!'. A veritable hive of industry, South Korea's revolutionising the beauty industry – consistently delivering new, supercharged {serums}, essences and age-reversing treatments to ward against the ravages wrought by... living. So, want to keep up with Korea? Embrace the latest trends before they hit the mainstream.

Wash your face with fizzy water – it's naturally rich in minerals, and the carbonation promotes circulation to grant a 'glow' and enhance clarity. Once a week, fill a bowl with half-and-half sparkling and still mineral waters, then 'soak' your face for 15 seconds to kick-start sluggish skin cells. Mizon's {Vita Lemon Sparkling Powder} comprises two sachets, which you add to a sink full of luke warm water and then swirl to mix. It's like a 'spring clean' for your epidermis – perfect whenever you're looking lacklustre.Fermented skin care is fast becoming ‘a thing’ – especially in (you guessed it), South Korea, where beauty innovators are always a light-year ahead of the West. Which doesn’t mean you need to rush home and smear kimchi all over your visage (hell no!), but you can bet your bottom dollar that ‘fermented’ will soon become part of your cosmetic lexicon. SkinRx Lab's {MadeCera Cream} is bursting with 'fermented ceramides', to rapidly repair stressed-out complexions.From K-Beauty brand {CosRx} come {Blackhead Silk Finger Balls} – a pioneering remedy for blots on an otherwise flawless visage. Innovative, 100% silk 'cocoons', you pop these on your index fingers and rub gently to eliminate the oils and daily grime that causes congestion and blackheads. Silk naturally {exfoliates} without ruffling skin's feathers, to leave your face virtually poreless!Serum-meets-moisturiser, {Pressed Serums} have a unique, 'bouncy' consistency and are incredibly technologically advanced in that the key ingredients – like 'crystal iceplant' extract – are 'slow cooled' instead of heat-processed to preserve potency. Liquefying upon application, these absorb almost instantly to maintain moisture levels while 'correcting' your complexion.The next-generation of skin peels, spray on exfoliants – like {O.R.G. Skincare} {Mineral Peel Face} – are set to go stratospheric. Enzyme-rich solutions that target only the uppermost layer of dulling dead cells and debris to reveal the 'fresh' luminous layer underneath, these effortless, fast acting make up 'prequels' are amazing – simply mist, massage with fingertips and reveal glowing skin in seconds.And finally, SPF essence will transform the way we wear sunscreen. With featherweight, traceless textures that absorb almost instantly, these 'force fields' for our faces fortify as they deflect UV and everyday environmental stress. Anti-polluaging and photo-defensive, the likes of Thank You Farmer's {Sun Project Light Sun Essence SPF50} are multi-tasking marvels that will soon become a fixture of your daily skin care ritual.SHOP K-BEAUTY >>

Verity Douglas Writer and expert

Cult Beauty’s Content Editor and a Cult Beauty OG, Verity loves nothing more than the marriage of language and lip balm. A quintessential Libran, she’s a self-professed magpie for luxury ‘must-haves' and always pursuing the new and the niche — from the boujee-est skin care to cutting-edge tech. Balancing an urge to stop the clock with her desire to embrace the ageing process (and set a positive example for her daughter), Verity's a retinol obsessive and will gladly share her thoughts about the time-defying gadgets, masks and treatments worth the splurge...

The latest South Korean skin care innovations

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