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Skin, K-beauty, Korea trips and the beauty industry — ask and share
Japanese or Korean retinol? 128 answers from a Japanese Q&A
In January 2026, a post on the @cosme Q&A board in Japan asked: "Japanese or Korean retinol, which do you use?" The poster wrote that in Korea, products can go to higher retinol concentrations if they pass an official re
0 1Tretinoin for ageing skin: worth the peeling, or not?
On Mumsnet's Style & Beauty board, someone who had just started prescription tretinoin at 0.05%, twice a week, asked whether it is really worth it. They were already peeling and stinging around the mouth, and the stream
0 1Olive Young opens its first US store in Pasadena: what it means for brands
CJ Olive Young opened its first brick-and-mortar US store in Pasadena, California, on May 29. Key facts 58 W Colorado Blvd, about 8,647 sq ft Roughly 400 brands and 5,000 SKUs across skincare, makeup, hair and wellness A
0 0Noryangjin Fish Market
A place where you can meet the sea in the middle of Seoul, far from the coast. Noryangjin Fish Market is located at Noryangjin Station on Subway Lines 1 and 9. Seafood from all over the country gathers here and is transp
0 0Retinol at 500 ppb on the front of the pack: marketing or meaningful?
On r/AsianBeauty, someone looked up the ingredient list of viral 'retinol collagen' toner pads and was let down. Water, glycols and glycerin led the list, hydrolysed collagen was declared at 50 ppm (0.005%) and retinol a
0 1Retinol caused breakouts before: is it OK just around the eyes?
A question on theqoo's beauty board from someone with thin, sensitive skin: a few years ago a retinol serum did not wreck their face but brought out lots of acne-like bumps, so they gave up. Now their under-eye lines hav
0 040% beta-glucan or 0.016%? What one serum's label change says about ppm claims
A thread in r/KoreanBeauty that turned into a label-reading lesson. The poster noticed that IUNIK's Beta-Glucan Power Moisture Serum, in its new blue packaging, listed beta-glucan at 160,000 ppb instead of the old 400,00
0 0How to Choose a Hydrating Serum, and How Is It Different from a Hydrating Ampoule?
Serums, ampoules, essences. They have different names, but they all come in similar bottles, and they all say “hydrating.” It’s only natural to be confused about what to buy. To get straight to the point, the full ingred
0 0K-beauty now leads EU imports, and the compliance bill arrives in August
According to a market-analysis newsletter, Korean cosmetics now hold 21.7% of EU imports, ahead of the US at 19.7%. At the same time, a wave of regulation lands all at once. Three regimes taking effect between July and A
0 0Red and itchy when it gets hot: which lotion for sensitive skin?
On Taiwan's PTT forum (BeautySalon board), someone with sensitive combination skin said it easily gets itchy and red in hot, humid weather. They had two affordable candidates in mind, Curél's Intensive Moisture lotion an
0 1Why are Daiso cosmetics selling so well in Korea?
On Clien's main community board, someone said they were surprised while reading Daiso's online-mall annual report: the top five best-selling new products of the year were all cosmetics. They knew about the buzz around Da
0 0Princess packaging, witch concepts, fruit tubes: miss "old K-beauty"?
A nostalgic post in r/AsianBeauty from a Korean user who grew up with these brands. They miss the K-beauty of around 2012–2013: Skinfood's fruit-shaped hand creams and food theme, cupcake lip balms, Etude's princess look
0 1Hyundai Department Store Main Branch
Located in Apgujeong-dong, the center of fashion, Hyundai Department Store Main Branch is a shopping space made up of Korea’s top luxury brands. It brings together products from popular premium brands such as Mulberry, D
0 0Early flight home from Incheon: move hotels the last night, or not?
A question that pops up again and again: your flight leaves early in the morning, and your hotel is in the middle of Seoul. Do you switch hotels for the final night? The options people usually weigh Stay put and leave ve
0 0What makes Korean sunscreens different? Six reviewed, one debate
On Taiwan's PTT forum (BeautySalon board), someone summed up six Korean sunscreens they had used. Their overview: Western sunscreens tend to be rich and heavy, Japanese ones light and water-resistant but drying, while Ko
0 0Poll: how do you actually reapply sunscreen over makeup?
Reapplying sunscreen during the day is one of the most-asked routine questions, especially for anyone wearing makeup. Korean brands have turned it into a whole product category. The formats people usually choose between
Poll
What's your go-to way to reapply sunscreen during the day?
Pick one to see the results
0 0Which viral beauty product let you down? Honest takes only
Every few months a product takes over every feed, sells out, and then the second wave of opinions arrives. Some hold up. Some quietly disappear from shelves and routines. On skincare forums, the reasons people give for a
0 0Lotte World Tower & Lotte World Mall
Lotte World Mall is a shopping and tourism destination where you can enjoy the latest fashion trends and a refined lifestyle. It is home to Lotte Avenuel, Korea’s largest luxury department store. One-stop shopping and cu
0 0First skin treatment in Seoul, no Korean: how do you avoid the big upsell?
Someone on the Tripadvisor Seoul forum was flying in for a wedding and wanted a "glass facial" for the first time. They don't speak Korean and had found very mixed Google reviews for med spas, so they asked who had actua
0 1eSIM, physical SIM or pocket Wi-Fi for Korea: what did you pick?
Staying online matters more in Korea than in many places, because map apps, taxi apps and restaurant queues all live on your phone. The three options people compare eSIM: set up before you fly, no shop visit. Check that
Poll
How did you stay connected in Korea?
Pick one to see the results
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