ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT K-BEAUTY

If you’ve ever ventured into Korean beauty, or K-beauty, you’ll see it’s arabbit hole of the latest and most innovative products. From cute and sophisticated packaging to effective 10-step regimens and ingredients such as snail slime and bee glue, there’s no resisting the allure. Add to this the marketing powers of social media influencers and it's clear that K-beauty has taken hold of South Africa and much of the world.

The story behind the multi-billion dollar empire, whose roots are in South Korea, is fascinating. Here, skincare is taken seriously. Children as young as 10 start using anti-ageing products and, because sun protection is prioritised, some of the best sunscreens in the world are made there and put to use from infancy.

Much like South Africans often have a family GP, Koreans have a family dermatologist, who they regularly see. “It’s not vanity, it’s self-care,” writes aesthetician Alicia Yoon, founder of Peach and Lily skincare.

The products work and perfect skin is right