Planning on taking better care of your skin this year? Well, the Korean beauty market might have just the right thing for you!
South Korea’s beauty industry has certainly had an impact on the west in 2015. Sheet masks and cushion foundations suddenly became popular words and various American retailers such as Urban Outfitters and Sephora started carrying Korean cosmetic brands like Tony Moly or Goodal. Given the repercussion K-beauty had last year, 2016 sounds even more promising as various new trends and innovative skin care categories have already started emerging.
Here are a few products that we believe will rock 2016:
Modeling Rubber Masks & Splash Masks
Sure, sheet masks definitely ruled in 2015 for their practicality, efficiency and fun factor (who’s never tried scaring someone while wearing a sheet mask?), but now that the market is pretty much saturated, consumers are calling for something new. Enter the rubber & splash masks.
Rubber masks are an old luxury spa staple, however there weren’t many affordable and mess-free alternatives for home treatments. This changed when someone had the ingenious idea of putting them in adorable pots with mess-free preparation; just mix in the right ratio of water and stir, stir, stir.
Lindsay Modeling Rubber Mask
Splash masks, on the other hand, are ideal for people who don’t have the luxury of time required for most masks to perform properly. Blithe, the company behind this new product, packed a punch of anti-oxidants and moisturisers into a liquid formula that can be diluted in water and splashed on the face for 20 seconds. Due to the lactic acid in the formula and concentrated ingredients, the splash mask promises to deliver the same result as a 20-minute masking session.
Blithe Patting Splash Mask
Water-free skin care products
More often than not, one of the main ingredients in our skin care products is water (usually found amongst the top 3 ingredients), which raises the question if certain products are really worth their price, given they have essentially been diluted. However, brands like Whamisa are changing this by replacing water with pure botanical extracts that actually benefit the skin. They banned water completely from some of their products and instead use oil and plant extracts to moisturise the skin. Mintel – a market research group -even predicted that water-free cosmetics will dominate the market over the next decade.
NEOGEN Green Tea Real Fresh Foam Cleanser
Whamisa Organic Flowers Deep Rich Essence Toner
Bubble Masks
Bubbles used to be a thing reserved for bubble teas and hot baths, but not anymore! Bubbles also do wonders in getting rid of all that hidden dirt deep inside pores to reveal a fresh layer of smooth, detoxed skin. The idea behind these bubble masks (also known as carbonated or oxygen masks) is that they release oxygen into the skin to thoroughly cleanse while at the same time brightening the complexion. Apart from their potent cleansing action, the fun factor of using these products alone makes them worth the splurge. Observing your own face slowly disappear behind a thick layer of bubbles while enjoying the slightly tingly feeling can be strangely satisfying!
Elizavecca Green Piggy Carbonated Clay Mask
Su:m37 White Award Bubble-De Mask
Sheet masks made out of their main ingredients
Most sheet masks available on the market tend to be made of cotton, cellulose, hydrogel or other materials. However, the new sheet masks are replacing these for natural kelp or rice paper. This way, even more nutrients can be delivered from the mask itself, rather than just the essence it was dipped in.
Tony Moly Kelp Mask Sheet
Tosowoong Rice Paper Pack
Have you tried any of these new products or are you planning to? Let us know in the comments below!
