I've been traveling in Korea for almost a month with my mom and sister. I was born in Korea but left in 1978 with mom when I was just five and this is the first time I've returned since leaving. There are so many observations I've made and emotions I've experienced in the past few weeks, but I plan to write more about that in future posts. I wanted to take a momen to examine Korea's major beauty industry which has translated into a major tourist attraction. Growing up with mom, I am often heard her talking about how Koreans are the best and like so many Koreans, she is so full of pride about her small but thriving country. One of the things that I constantly heard about as a child and adult was about Korean standards of beauty. This standard includes being super thin and having milky white, flawless skin. Wandering through the streets of Korea, it's easy to see that her views comes from directly from the culture with billboards and images all around demonstrating this standard. But clearly seeing how many tourists coming around to shop and buy with reckless and excited abandon, their are many whom aspire to this standard.
Skincare Mania
I've recently discovered that one of the reasons that many tourists come to Seoul is to come in search for younger, cleaner, tighter and in many cases, whiter skin. If you've never visited Seoul, there are literally thousands of shops that sell nothing but skincare products. And they're located right next to each other. It's actually kind of remarkable and at first it feels like an optical illusion 'wait didn't I just see that store? That adorable Korean sales girl trying to shove me into the shop and lure me in with a free face mask, wasn't she just 3 feet behind me?' But it's not an illusion, they are all there right next to each other and ready and willing to sell you the dream of perfect skin.
The products are for all budget ranges and you can buy stuff as cheap as $.40 for a face mask to $500 for a cream that contains snails and gold (yup that's an unexpected combination but apparently is a major trend in skincare). We were informed by the many many eager and convincing sales women that people come from all over the world to buy these products in bulk and I believe them because the packaging in many of these stores showing buy 1 get 1 or packs of 10. And if snails and gold aren't your thing, you can cover your face in cheese, salmon eggs, swallow's nest or if you're feeling more sweet than savory options, there are fruits of every kind like strawberry, kiwi, peach and more.
It's a dizzying and somewhat overwhelming experience, but it's kind of easy to fall under the spell of all of the pretty and fairly priced goods and the girls with pore-less and porcelain skin promising their effects.
Real Life Test
I normally abhor the bullshit pressure that society puts on women to stay and look young, be skinny, be perfect and that all of these products are what make us beautiful. I have spent the past year makeup free and it's been liberating in ways that I never imagined. And I've felt more beautiful than ever. But we are in Korea and it's one of the country's specialties so we succumbed to the pressure and fascination and bought oh, just a few items...
My sister Sylvia, Steemit artist extraordinaire @ladygrey was particularly curious to use the products promising to eliminate blackheads. So Sylvia and mom tried two different products and here are the before and after photos.
It's stick that you rub on with a bit of cleanser
Before on left; after on right
Would love to hear your thoughts on the results, but we felt like there was a dramatic and positive effect after using the blackhead removal products. Their pores were noticeably cleaner and smaller! And note that both products that were used were less than $10 for an item that can be used for probably months.
So I'm not sure that it's a miracle cure, but I do think that there's a nice result from using these products. I am still a firm believer that the best way to care for your skin is simple: sunscreen, washing your face, moisturizing and drink lots of water.
Thanks for reading! And if you like my posts, feel free to resteem/follow/upvote. Gamsa ham meda!
great posts... @sassysandyg
Korea is a great city and your posts exposes us to great contents and product worthy of checking out...
my regards to your mum and sister... find time also to check out my new blog posts
thanks
Thanks @kenhudoy for the comment. We really enjoyed our time in Korea and getting to know our roots. Will post more about our trip soon. And will check out your blog!
Great...will keep an eye...thanks...
War on blackheads!!
No blackhead left behind!
I agree that the pores look cleaner and less clogged.
Looks like you guys joined the Skincare Mania after all! ;) You must have had a ball of fun trying out all those products together =D
It is crazy how many stores and people and business is involved in this skincare frenzy. And yes, we got sucked in! I agree that their pores look better, but I still struggle with the whole beauty industry and its exploitation and unrealistic standards. My sister and mom think I"m a buzz kill. :)
I also think it is rather unrealistic and simply a bunch of fat cash cows getting mercilessly milked. Must admit I bought a box or two of facial masks, but rarely touched it. Maybe only used one out of ten haha..the obsession with forced beauty is not really for me..
I liked that you included the before and after pictures in you post, although I'm not sure I see a big difference. I will trust your word.
The list of ingredients in these products would be helpful. Additionally, what what kind of regulations and oversight does South Korea have over the personnel care product industry. The chemicals and ingredients in personal care products and the potential risk associated with them, is becoming a hot topic in the US. Disturbingly, the US lags far behind Europe in regulating these products. The Environmental Working Group and Think Dirty both try to provide consumers with safety/risks ratings and information about personnel care products. Unfortunately, neither organization is comprehensive, and both still have work to do, in fine tuning their evaluation of the products. Until then, it's up to consumer to educate themselves, and buy accordingly
So sorry for the insanely late reply. I’ve been transitioning from a year of travel and now back to the US. Still readjusting. I don’t know if the photos do justice, but there was definitely a dramatic improvement from just one use of the blackhead treatments. The pores were cleaner, smaller and smoother. But I hear you about regulations and having an understanding of what we put on our skin. To be honest, I don’t know much about Korea’s regulations on these products, but I have to believe that there’s a reason people travel from all over the world just to buy these products. Thanks for the comment and for reading!