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Skin, K-beauty, Korea trips and the beauty industry — ask and share
Anua PDRN serum or Torriden Dive-In: which for combination skin?
In August 2026, someone on the @cosme Q&A board in Japan asked: "I have combination skin and can't decide between Anua's PDRN Hyaluronic Acid 100 Serum and Torriden's DIVE-IN Serum. Which would you recommend?" It was a p
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For combination skin, which would you pick?
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0 0TikTok’s K-beauty formula: bring creators in at the idea stage
TikTok's global product marketing lead explained to Korean press why K-beauty works so well on the platform. Examples from TikTok Shop US Medicube (APR): No. 1 with $16.77M in sales over 30 days Dr. Melaxin (Brand501): N
0 0Olive Young opened its first US store in Pasadena, with five more planned
No need to fly to Myeongdong for the Olive Young experience any more, at least if you live near LA. The Korean health and beauty chain opened its first US store in Pasadena on May 28, 2026. What is inside, per the report
0 0Olive Young's K-beauty edit is now inside 500+ Sephora stores in the US
Since August 20, 2026, Sephora has been selling an Olive Young-curated K-beauty selection across the US. The basics: 19 Korean brands, including Abib, BANILA CO, beplain, Cell Fusion C, make p:rem, Torriden and WELLAGE I
0 0Olive Young Awards 2025: the skincare staples that topped their categories
The 2025 Olive Young Awards recap splits skincare into eight categories: toners, serums/essences, moisturizing creams, masks, cleansing, lip care, sun care and patches. Two headline winners: Toner: Round Lab 1025 Dokdo T
0 0Are Korean creams still worth it in Thailand's heat and humidity?
On Pantip, Thailand's biggest forum, someone in their 40s asked whether Korean creams are still popular in Thailand and which ones to try for wrinkles. They remembered hearing years ago that Korean creams were good and w
0 1"What to buy in Korea for dry, sensitive skin?" 97 answers from Japan
In February 2026, a Japanese traveller in Korea posted on the @cosme Q&A board: "Dry, sensitive skin that breaks out easily, and makeup that slides off once things get dry. Please recommend Korean skincare, from moisturi
0 1Two days in Korea: which beauty buys paid off? 42 answers, mostly sheet masks
In January 2026, someone posted on the @cosme Q&A board in Japan: "I'm off to Korea tomorrow for one night! Which cosmetics were you glad you bought?" It went up the day before departure and still drew 42 answers. What t
0 0Parents hate white cast? Lotion-like sunscreens Korean forum users suggest
On the Korean forum theqoo's beauty board, someone asked for recommendations because their mother wanted a sunscreen that spreads like lotion instead of turning her face white (April 2025). It was a one-line question, bu
0 0Switched to all-Korean skincare at once and broke out. Is K-beauty to blame?
Someone posted this on the @cosme Q&A board in Japan. They have atopic, combination-to-oily skin and wanted to deal with pores and clogged bumps, so over about two months they brought in a batch of popular Korean product
0 0In an Olive Young haul, the item everyone argued about was a setting spray
On Taiwan's PTT forum (MakeUp board), someone shared an April haul from Olive Young in Korea: Espoir's glow foundation, Clio's snowflake highlighter, So Natural's setting spray, a Too Cool For School aegyo-sal pencil, Ba
0 0First trip to Olive Young in Seoul: which sheet mask should you try first?
On Dcard's makeup board in Taiwan, someone heading to Seoul the following week shared a long Olive Young shopping list, including several sheet masks that get recommended a lot online. With sensitive, dry skin, they worr
0 0Monami Store Seongsu: DIY Stationery and Ink Lab in Seongsu-dong
Monami FACTORY, which first opened in Seongsu-dong in 1963, has now been transformed into Monami Store Seongsu. Here, you can get hands-on with Monami products and enjoy a more personal experience by making your own DIY
0 0Why Korean Sunscreens Are Less Likely to Leave a White Cast
Korean sunscreens are often made with the expectation that they’ll be “used every day as a makeup primer,” so formulas that are less likely to leave a white cast are prioritized. There are many types of UV filters availa
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 1Shinsegae Department Store Myeongdong Main: how to work the duty-free floors and food hall
If you only have half a day and want a department store, a duty-free floor and a proper Korean food hall in one stop, Shinsegae's Myeongdong main building is the easy pick. It sits right by Myeongdong Station, and floors
0 0Lotte World Tower, HUNTR/X’s Soul Spot
The piece begins with a line that calls HUNTR/X’s “Golden” to mind, then shifts right into the story of Lotte World Tower, the building that inspired HUNTR/X’s home. After a packed tour schedule, HUNTR/X returns to a hom
0 0Hongdae's photo booth street: how to work a strip of Life4cuts, Photoism and the rest
Hongdae stopped being just a shopping-and-clubbing neighbourhood a while ago. Around the alleys near Exit 9 of Hongik University Station, the last couple of years have packed in a dense run of self-photo studios — Life4c
0 0Euljiro's 'Hipjiro' alleys: printing shops by day, hidden bars by night
Euljiro doesn't look like a nightlife district at first glance. By day it's still full of small printing shops and metal workshops that have operated there since the late 1960s — paper stacked on the pavement, delivery c
0 0Is flaky makeup a dryness problem, or too many skincare layers?
On theqoo's beauty board, someone posted photos of cushion foundation lifting and flaking two days in a row and asked whether the cause was dryness or piling on too much skincare. They had used six layers: toner, serum,
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