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Skin, K-beauty, Korea trips and the beauty industry — ask and share
Which beauty trend should we retire before 2027?
Time for a friendly vote. Some trends from the last couple of years were fun, some were useful, and some we are ready to see leave the feed. The candidates people complain about most on beauty forums: Shelfie flexing: fi
Poll
Which trend should leave our feeds first?
Pick one to see the results
0 0First isotretinoin prescription says twice a day. Is once a day OK instead?
On theqoo's beauty board, someone who had just been prescribed isotretinoin for acne asked a practical question. They had been told to take one capsule morning and evening, but reviews about extreme dryness scared them,
0 1Mugwort, heartleaf, centella: the three "calming herbs" of K-beauty
These plant extracts show up on a lot of Korean products marketed for calming and sensitive skin. They are often used in toners, pads and creams.
0 1China NMPA Announcement No. 70: registering imported cosmetics gets lighter
China's NMPA issued Announcement No. 70 of 2026 on July 29, 2026, effective the same day. It trims cosmetic registration and filing steps, which directly affects imported brands. What changes for imported cosmetics China
0 0"Soothing" ingredients made you redder? When centella or heartleaf does not agree
Centella (cica), heartleaf, mugwort, propolis: in K-beauty these are practically synonyms for "calming". Yet forums have plenty of posts saying "my soothing cream made me redder." Points that come up often Plant extracts
0 0K-ETA exemption runs to Dec 31, 2026: do you still need to apply?
Good news if you are planning a Korea trip before the year is out: the temporary K-ETA exemption has been extended until December 31, 2026, according to Visit Korea. What that means in practice Nationals of the visa-free
0 0"Moisturise while skin is still damp": why everyone says it
One tip that shows up in every dry-season thread is "put moisturiser on right after washing, while skin is still damp." Some quote a specific number of minutes, but the point is simply to seal skin before it dries out. H
0 0Seasonal redness: Do the “Centella Asiatica (CICA)” products commonly used by Koreans actually work?
CICA refers to ingredients related to Centella Asiatica, which are very common in Korean skincare products and often appear in soothing and repairing products. On ingredient lists, you’ll see things like Centella Asiatic
0 3How to check if a Korean clinic is registered to treat foreign patients
When picking a dermatology clinic in Korea, it's easy to go by social media reviews or an agency's say-so. There's one official check you can add: whether the clinic is registered to attract foreign patients. What is it?
0 0Perimenopause dryness plus fragrance allergies: which face creams are left?
On Mumsnet's menopause board, a woman in perimenopause asked for help with a face that had become severely dry. She also has eczema and several contact allergies, fragrance and linalool among them, and said the usual ecz
0 0Myth check: "natural" and "plant-based" don't automatically mean gentle
K-beauty is full of plant extracts, and labels love words like "natural" or "clean." It's easy to assume that means kinder to sensitive skin. That isn't always true. Why plant-based can still irritate Many plant extracts
0 0Poll: which buzzy K-beauty ingredient are you most curious about?
Every few months a new ingredient takes over K-beauty feeds. Right now a handful keep coming up in hauls, reviews and beauty press: PDRN ("salmon DNA"): in serums and ampoules marketed for skin recovery Spicules: the pri
Poll
Which trending ingredient do you want us to dig into next?
Pick one to see the results
0 0Oily skin in tropical heat: a light Korean routine that won't melt off
In Cancún, Barranquilla, Panama or Santo Domingo, oily skin needs a different logic: fewer layers, more watery textures, and consistency. This is what skincare communities usually suggest for that climate: Morning Gentle
0 0What app do you tell foreign friends to download first?
When a friend visiting Korea for the first time asks what apps they should download, what do you all say? Maps, taxis, translation, payments… Recommendations vary from person to person, so I’d like to put them together a
Poll
The app you tell them to download first
Pick one to see the results
0 2Is SPF 50+ enough, or do you need a higher number?
Abroad you'll see SPF 70 or even 100, while most Korean sunscreens simply say SPF 50+. That sparks a recurring debate: "Isn't a higher number always better?" Useful background Korea, the EU and others group everything ab
0 0Korea's VAT refund on cosmetic procedures for tourists has lapsed — a bill to revive it is under review
Foreign tourists used to get back the VAT paid on cosmetic surgery and skin treatments in Korea. The special rule began in 2016 and was extended several times, but it ended at the close of 2025. Where things stand: In Ap
0 0"Drinkable sunscreen": does it work? A Japanese forum is mostly skeptical
On Japan's Girls Channel forum, someone who works outdoors asked for recommendations and real results for "drinkable sunscreen" (飲む日焼け止め) supplements (August 2025). In Japan these are easy to find at drugstores and derma
0 0Tried a "skin diet"? Cutting your routine: better or worse?
The skin diet, or minimal routine, keeps coming back as a topic: instead of ten steps, just cleanse, moisturise and sunscreen. Community reactions are pretty split. "It got better" stories Irritation from layering overla
0 0Sunscreen labels no longer show filter percentages? What changed in Taiwan
On Taiwan's PTT forum (BeautySalon board), someone noticed in a drugstore that the new version of Mentholatum's ACNES sunscreen primer lists its UV filters but not their concentrations, and newer batches of Biore sunscre
0 1Using a booking agency or interpreter for a Korean skin clinic: what to check
Many foreign travellers book Korean dermatology clinics through agencies or interpreting services. It lowers the language barrier, but travel forums also have stories like "the price changed along the way" or "I didn't k
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