What’s the biggest difference between Japanese and Korean skincare?
Both have thoughtful skincare cultures, but there are some differences in their approaches. What do you think?
Commonly cited differences
- Lotion
- Korea
- Applied generously in layers
- Intermediate steps
- Korea
- One serum
- Sunscreen
- Korea
- Milks and gels are popular
- Trends
- Korea
- Some prioritize how a product feels over its ingredients
| Japan | Korea |
|---|---|
| Lotion | Applied generously in layers |
| Intermediate steps | One serum |
| Sunscreen | Milks and gels are popular |
| Trends | Some prioritize how a product feels over its ingredients |
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Broadly speaking, Japanese skincare tends to focus on “cleansing and protecting,” while refining how products feel on the skin and how easy they are to use. Korean skincare, by contrast, seems more oriented toward “layering and adjusting to how the skin looks.” Of course, these are not assumptions that apply to everyone in each country; there are considerable differences between brands and individuals.
In Japan, foaming cleansers, sunscreen, and simple moisturizing are firmly established staples. In Korea, there are more suggestions for switching up toner (토너), serum (세럼／앰플), and cream according to your skin’s condition or the season. These days, both Japan and Korea have people who prefer minimal routines as well as those who favor multiple steps.
If you want to incorporate ideas from either, it’s more practical to choose products by the role you need them to fill rather than adopting a complete routine based on the country. Add more moisturizer on days when dryness is a concern, and keep using sunscreen in the morning. More layers aren’t necessarily better, so cutting back on steps if you experience irritation or greasiness is also a perfectly valid adjustment. Which steps do you notice a difference in?