Korea has been at the heart of beauty trends, successfully reshaping skincare routines with innovative ingredients like bio‑regenerative actives and formulas that deliver results. Once dubbed a trend, 2025 made clear that K-beauty is here to stay. So if K-Beauty’s growth in 2025 was fueled by innovation and discovery, 2026 will be on ‘slow ageing’. Popular in Korea right now, it’s a shift from the impossible anti-ageing (we are all ageing) that may promise to erase wrinkles, slow the ageing, focusing on constant hydration and gentle, consistent routines to create a healthy foundation for your skin’s barrier to function well, a practice at the heart of K-Beauty principles. But Korea isn’t the only East Asian country known for skin-boosting rituals. Japanese beauty, often referred to as J-Beauty, is just as focused on achieving a radiant, healthy and youthful appearance. At its heart are prevention, consistency, and respect for your skin. No harsh steps, no rushing results, just solid basics done well. The goal is not instant transformation, but gradual, visible improvement over time. Hydration is also at the heart of Japanese skin care. Built in layers rather than relying on one single, heavy cream. J-Beauty brands excel at creating lotions and essences for the skin, applied after cleansing, followed by creams or emulsions. This allows the skin to stay well hydrated without feeling greasy or congested. Texture matters to J-Beauty brands as much as ingredients: The emphasis is on small, consistent steps that support skin health over the long term. Though J-Beauty is not as widely discussed as K-Beauty, it spans centuries. While it may have gained renewed focus as a ‘trend,’ it’s deeply embedded in time-honoured rituals.
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Here is a guide to K-Beauty and J-Beauty, and the brands worth buying.
What Is K-beauty?
One beauty therapist worth following is Kristyn Smith, who explains, “K-Beauty focuses on three core pillars of skin health: hydration, barrier support and long-term results. Rather than pushing the skin into inflammation to see fast change, K-Beauty relies on layered hydration, low-level actives and soothing ingredients that support daily cell turnover without compromising the barrier,” she says. While bespoke facialist Danielle Gamble, also a well-respected figure in the media, believes, “K-Beauty is not about a quick fix and often entails many steps, emphasising the layering of very gentle products.”
What Is J-beauty?
Unlike the Korean approach, Japanese beauty focuses on preservation, aiming to maintain skin in its healthiest possible state. While it’s also deeply rooted in tradition, J-Beauty typically relies on fewer steps to achieve results. “J-Beauty keeps routines minimal and favours lightweight, gentle formulations,” says Danielle Gamble.
Which one should you choose for your skincare routine?
You may think there is not much difference between K-Beauty and J-Beauty, as they are similar and both prioritise skin health. But as Kristyn Smith explains, their approaches can affect the skin differently—and it’s not just because of specific ingredients. “Japanese skin care assumes skin should be preserved, while the Korean approach is more willing to stimulate visible change,” she says.
One key difference is how exfoliation is used in a skincare routine. For example, “Some skin types see more benefit when using actives in conjunction with their hydrating serums,” says Danielle Gamble. In these cases, K-Beauty routines that include low-level actives, gentle exfoliation and layers of hydration may be a better fit. In other instances, certain skin types respond best when the skin is mainly left undisturbed—a philosophy more closely aligned with J-Beauty.
Our favourite J-Beauty brands
Our favourite J-Beauty brands on offer create science-backed skincare and innovative makeup. These include Shiseido, especially in prestige skincare, with Utimune Power Infusing Serum, one of the best serums to slow your skin’s ageing. As well as a range of weightless sun protection, with clever SynchroShield Technology. With ingredients that double down on UV protection, especially when your skin is exposed to heat, water, and sweat. Bioré for affordable water-light sunscreen without that white cast, ideal for under makeup and perfect for oily and combination skin types. They also offer a collection of brilliant cleansers that work hard to get skin super clean while preserving its precious barrier. Canmake offers cute, affordable makeup without compromising on ingredients or luxe-y finishes. Koh Gen Do, experts in foundation finishes, including the Aqua Foundation, which has a cult following with makeup artists. The brand was created by Actress Ai Saotome, who wanted a makeup solution for her stressed, sensitive skin after long days filming under hot lights. You will also find a range of natural skincare products, from cleansers to lightweight serums, created to soothe, hydrate, and boost the skin with an abundance of plant-based nutrients, combining traditional Japanese botanicals and homoeopathy.
Shiseido Ultimune Power Infusing Serum, 75ml, $250. Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence Sunscreen SPF50+, $26. CANMAKE Cream Cheek- CL01 Clear Red Heart, $22. Koh Gen Do Maifanshi Aqua Foundation SPF25, $77.
Our favourite K-Beauty brands
On a mission to boost skin hydration since 1994, if you have not tried the Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask, you have not lived. A staple in my nightly beauty routine, this brand takes glowing skin seriously, and for the most part, you can achieve that overnight. They were among the first to champion overnight skincare, from serums to moisturisers and lip balms that boost your moisture levels while you sleep. Their motto: To be ever-curious about what makes healthy skin healthy, and how to get it for less. Toning pads are a K-Beauty innovation, and Innisfree makes the best. Their skincare offering is cutting-edge, effective, and nature-derived, using ingredients from Korea's Jeju Island and combining natural extracts with scientific innovations to deliver results-driven formulas. Whether you believe the glass skin hype, Medicube is a K-Beauty brand worth trying. It combines dermatological science with potent K-beauty ingredients like PDRN, salmon sperm extract, and cica, derived from the Centella Asiatica plant, in formulas clinically tested to deliver targeted results for skin suffering from acne, open pores, and ageing. We can’t ignore thier beauty devices, namely the Age-R Booster Pro, designed to help with skincare absorption, boost results, and deliver results.
Finally, the Beauty of Joseon is steeped in traditional Hanbang (Korean herbal medicine). With a raft of modern formulations and epic ingredients to nourish skin deeply and gently. Famous for thier effective and affordable skincare, including their viral sunscreens (that work) and green tea and rice-infused toners, to enforce a pleasing, effective routine, which has won them accolades globally.
LANEIGE Lip Sleeping Mask, $34 there are multiple flavours. Innisfree Green Tea Enzyme Vitamin C Brightening Toner Pads, $52 for 60. Medicube PDRN Pink Collagen Capsule Cream, $64. Beauty of Joseon Calming Serum: Green Tea + Panthenol, $29.
Here is a guide, and the brands worth buying.