How To Follow A Japanese Skincare Routine

For many years, everyone talked about Korean beauty products – the so-called K beauty wave — and nobody ever thought about the Japanese skincare routine. However, the overall interest in the Asian beauty regimen has led many people to think about how the Japanese have maintained not just a long life (they have one of the longest natural lifespans in the world!) and incredibly healthy and beautiful skin. Here’s what you need to know about how to follow a Japanese skincare routine.

What Is The Asian Approach To Beauty?

Korean and Japanese skincare routines rest on the same basic principles: gentle, everyday maintenance based on natural products.

For example, many Western regimens take an aggressive approach to specific skincare problems. Let’s say you’re dealing with adult acne. Our habit is to barrage our skin with pimple fighting products that kill the bacteria, clear out pores, spot-treat pimples so they subside quickly, then barrage the scars with every skin lightening ingredient known to man.

Prevention Is Key

For Asians, prevention is more effective than cure. Instead of attacking a pimple, it incorporates gentle cleansing and skin-boosting ingredients that help the body naturally clear out the pores to prevent breakouts, and then boost the skin’s ability to renew and fade scars naturally.

And for Asian beauty, skin shows what you do every day. Aside from a simple but regular routine, they try to heal the skin from within by eating and living well. Skin reflects what you do on a regular day. IF you have a balanced diet, and manage stress and environmental aggressors through proper habits and precautions, then it only makes sense that your skin reflects these healthy life choices. You can’t “fix” a lifestyle problem by overloading the skin with miracle ingredients. What you do and eat every day makes more difference than any overpriced cream.

What Is The Japanese Skincare Regimen?

The Japanese skincare regimen has always rested on simplicity and consistency. Instead of using 10 products, it emphasizes on using less but more effective products and applying them everyday in an effective way.

For example, Japanese skincare regimen rests on four things: cleansing, balancing, hydrating, protecting. So you just need a cleanser that removes dirt and makeup, a toner or essence that softens the skin and restores the pH balance, moisturizing and hydrating serums and creams., and sunscreens or masks that boost the skin’s ability to shield the skin from sun damage and repair itself while you sleep.

So in effect, the Japanese skincare is the gentle, natural and practical balance between Korean and Western skincare. You don’t need 10 products or 15 minutes of patting and applying for the products to work. You can use less products and apply in less steps, but as long as you do it regularly, you see results.

Natural Is Beautiful

Very often, these products are made of natural, organic and plant-derived ingredients. The Japanese often use traditional ingredients like green tea and rice water. But the Japanese also believe in science, efficiency and facts.

So many of the leading beauty products are often based on clinical studies. For example, one of the biggest Japanese beauty trends is using healthy bacteria to balance the skin’s PH. Many of the leading Japanese beauty skincare lines have an essence that contains galactomycytes and other skin-nourishing bacteria. In fact, many of the trendy ingredients – like the gross but strangely effective snail mucus – were discovered through Japanese research.

Less Is More

Many Japanese beauty regimens are streamlined and come from 1 or 2 natural beauty lines, because simplicity avoids irritation. Having too many products increases the risk for ingredients interacting and causing an allergic reaction. That’s why many Japanese regimens will only use 4 to 5 products, with more focus on how it is applied.

For example, the Japanese put a lot of emphasis on patting and massaging. Serums and essences are gently applied on the face with repeated tapping motions, so you also boost blood circulation and reduce stress.

The Japanese also believe that if you have less products, you can apply them more consistently and efficiently. Instead of layering 10 products, you can apply 5 but spend more time massaging them into the skin or paying attention to how your skin reacts to it.

Holistic Approach To Beauty

For the Japanese, skincare is part of a total approach to beauty that includes healthy diet, stress management, and self-care. Your skin reflects what you are feeling and doing. So aside from applying beauty products, also make sure you are paying attention to what you eat and feel.