In the past five years, South Korea has become the indisputable global capital of all things beauty. Move over, France! But unlike the French beauty industry which is predicated on luxury, Korea’s is all about accessibility. Just look at its most widely exported and coveted product: the sheet mask.
For those unfamiliar, sheet masks are skin treatments in a face-shaped “sheet” form. The masks are made of fiber or cotton and are drenched in serums. There are holes for your eyes, nose and mouth, and for the 10 to 20 minutes you’re wearing one, you look a little like Hannibal Lecter in Silence of the Lambs. Take it off, and your skin is radiant, plump and hydrated.
US and European sheet masks are expensive, and tend to contain the same ingredients we commonly see in skin care products: hyaluronic acid, vitamin C and peptides. Nothing terribly exciting. But Korean brands have turned these masks into an everyday luxury! There are literally hundreds of different types of sheet masks and premium masks include rare ingredients like ginseng, royal jelly, placenta, pig collagen, crushed pearls and snail serum. These are ingredients that are either unavailable in US skin care, or only available to a select group of people who are wealthy enough to afford them.
This month, Eclat Clinical Esthetics is traveling to Seoul, South Korea for our first K-beauty haul! We will be spending time in the biggest markets like Myeongdong to purchase cutting edge skin care products for use in our customized facials and clinical treatments. For your pleasure, we will also be bringing home the most exciting and innovative sheet masks we can find for retail sale in our spa! We hope you will follow us on Facebook and Instagram as we make our way through Seoul on a quest for beauty.