Nearly 95% of the viral K-beauty and “glass skin” TikTok videos analyzed in a 2026 study contained at least one potentially misleading claim.
Researchers analyzed 38 popular videos and presented their findings at the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV) Congress in Vienna in September 2026.
The researchers weren’t warning against K-beauty itself. The researchers placed the blame on the videos. Gentle cleansing, hydration and barrier care are sound habits. The trouble starts when social media turns them into complicated, one-size-fits-all routines without enough attention to skin type, sun protection, or potential irritation or ingredient interactions.
So what does real Korean skin care look like?
Simpler than the videos suggest. And kinder to your skin.
Below, you’ll get the core ideas, the buzzy ingredients, and a first look at the new Mary Kay® K-Beauty collection. By the end, you’ll know which pieces fit your skin.
What Does K-Beauty Mean?
K-beauty is short for Korean beauty. It covers the products, routines and textures that started in or grew out of South Korea.
There is no official K-beauty routine. One person uses four products. Another uses six. The count matters less than the reason behind each step.
Most Korean-style routines share these habits:
- Gentle cleansing that leaves skin comfortable
- Steady hydration, built in light layers
- Daily care for the skin barrier
- Targeted treatments, added one at a time
- Textures you look forward to using
- Broad-spectrum sunscreen every morning
What Is “Glass Skin”?
Glass skin is K-beauty’s most famous goal. Think smooth, plump, deeply hydrated skin with a soft glow.
The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) traces the trend to Korea. Board-certified dermatologist Dr. Samantha Karlin, speaking for the AAD, calls two parts of it smart habits: moisturizing, and wearing a broad-spectrum, water-resistant SPF 30+ sunscreen.
She also flags a risk. Piling on products can lead to clogged pores, irritation and breakouts.
Here’s a healthier target:
Hydrated + smooth + comfortable (plump) + naturally radiant.
Real skin has pores and texture. Glass skin, done well, keeps both and adds glow.
How Many Steps Does a K-Beauty Routine Take?
You’ve probably heard of the “10-step Korean routine.” It helped bring K-beauty to the West. Treat it as a menu you order from.
| Step | Who reaches for it |
|---|---|
| 1. Oil or balm cleanser | Makeup or sunscreen wearers, at night |
| 2. Water-based cleanser | Most people |
| 3. Exfoliant | Occasional use, when skin feels rough |
| 4. Toner | Skin that likes an extra hydrating layer |
| 5. Essence | Dry or dull skin |
| 6. Serum or ampoule | A specific concern |
| 7. Sheet or hydrogel mask | A weekly boost |
| 8. Eye cream | Under-eye care |
| 9. Moisturizer | Everyone |
| 10. Sunscreen | Everyone, every morning |
Most skin does well on four core steps:
Morning: Cleanse → Treat → Moisturize → Protect (SPF)
Evening: Cleanse → Treat → Moisturize
Add a step when it solves a problem. Build the routine around your skin.
The Six Core Ideas Behind Korean Skin Care
1. Clean thoroughly and gently
Korean routines made double cleansing famous. Two cleansers each handle one job.
- First cleanse: An oil or balm melts makeup, sunscreen and extra oil.
- Second cleanse: A gentle water-based cleanser lifts sweat and leftover residue.
Double cleansing helps most at night, after makeup or long-wear sunscreen. On a bare-face day, one gentle cleanse is plenty. Dry or sensitive skin stays happier with fewer cleanses.
2. Build hydration in light layers
K-beauty adds water in thin layers: toner, essence, serum, then moisturizer. Each layer adds a little. Oily skin might use one watery essence and a gel cream. Dry skin can stack a few layers under a richer cream. Every layer earns its place by solving a problem.
3. Protect the skin barrier
Your barrier is the outer layer of skin. It holds water in and keeps irritants out. A stressed barrier shows up as dryness, tightness, flaking, redness, or stinging from products that used to feel fine.
Gentle cleansing and steady hydration keep the barrier strong. Stronger treatments then sit on a solid base.
4. Treat one concern at a time
K-beauty uses plenty of actives for tone, texture, breakouts and lines. The habit worth copying: add one active at a time and watch how your skin responds.
- Starting retinol? Give it a few weeks before you add another active.
- Irritated skin? Cut back to three steps: cleanse, moisturize, protect.
5. Make it a pleasure to use
Balms that melt into oil. Watery essences. Cooling gel creams. Hydrogel masks that hug your face.
Pleasant textures matter for a simple reason: you reach for them. Consistency drives results.
6. Wear sunscreen every morning
Sunscreen protects the glow you build. UV light drives sunburn, dark spots and early lines, and it raises skin cancer risk.
A broad-spectrum SPF 30 blocks about 97% of UVB rays. Apply it as your last morning step. Reapply every two hours when you’re outdoors.
Essence, Serum, Ampoule: What’s the Difference?
| Product | Texture | Main job |
|---|---|---|
| Essence | Watery, light | Hydrates and preps skin after cleansing |
| Serum | Light to silky | Targets one concern, like dullness or lines |
| Ampoule | Concentrated | A stronger or more focused serum |
Brands use these names loosely. Read the label for what each one does.
The Buzzy Ingredients: Snail Mucin and PDRN
Snail mucin
Snail mucin shows up on labels as snail secretion filtrate. It’s a mix of natural compounds studied for hydration, texture and visible aging.
A 2024 review in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology found most studies so far are lab and animal work or small human trials. The authors called for larger trials and more allergy research.
Bottom line: a promising hydrator. Patch test first, since some people react to it.
PDRN
PDRN (short for polydeoxyribonucleotide) is a DNA-based ingredient popular in Korean skin clinics. A July 2026 systematic review in Cureus found 7 randomized trials with 183 people. Results looked positive, with the strongest data in wound healing. The authors called for larger trials.
Most PDRN research uses injections or leave-on formulas. Formula, strength and contact time all shape results. Keep that in mind for the next section.
Meet the Mary Kay® K-Beauty Collection
Mary Kay has turned these ideas into three special-edition products, called the K-Beauty Texture Edit in some markets. The set brings a fresh take to three familiar steps: cleansing, patches and hydration. Each piece is designed to slot into the routine you already use.
| Product | K-beauty idea | Its job |
|---|---|---|
| Mary Kay® Melt-In Cleansing Balm (Special Edition) | Balm cleansing + PDRN | First cleanse; melts makeup and SPF |
| Mary Kay® Snail Gel Face Patches (Special Edition) | Snail mucin + hydrogel | Hydration and glow boost, 2 to 3 times a week |
| Mary Kay® Collagen Moisturizing Gel (Special Edition) | Collagen peptides + gel texture | Light moisturizer, morning and night |
Melt-In Cleansing Balm
The balm starts solid. Massage it onto dry skin and it melts into oil and lifts away makeup, sunscreen and the day’s grime. Add water and it turns milky, then rinses clean. Use it alone or as the first step of a double cleanse, morning or night.
Its clear win is a fast, comfortable first cleanse that leaves skin soft and ready for the next step. The PDRN rinses off with the balm, so judge it as a cleanser first.
Snail Gel Face Patches
These hydrogel patches pair snail mucin with a cooling gel sheet. Mary Kay’s directions: apply to clean skin for 20 minutes, 2 to 3 times a week. Keep them clear of the eyes and lips. Remove, then pat the leftover essence into your skin.
Treat them as a weekly glow ritual on top of your daily routine.
Collagen Moisturizing Gel
A pale-pink, cooling gel cream with collagen peptides. It hydrates for plumper, smoother, glowing skin with a light, cushiony feel. Use it morning and evening as your moisturizer on face and neck, keeping it outside the eye area.
On the skin’s surface, collagen works as a hydrator. The plump look comes from water. For long-term firmness, retinoids and daily sunscreen carry the strongest evidence.
Which piece should you start with?
| If this sounds like you | Start with |
|---|---|
| You wear makeup or long-wear sunscreen most days | Melt-In Cleansing Balm |
| Your skin looks tired, dull or feels tight | Snail Gel Face Patches |
| You love light textures and a dewy finish | Collagen Moisturizing Gel |
| You want the full glass-skin ritual | All three, one at a time |
Add one product, give it two weeks, then add the next. Your skin tells you what’s working.
Is the Collection a Full Routine?
The trio covers three jobs: cleansing, a weekly treatment and moisture. Sunscreen and targeted serums come from the rest of your routine. That focus makes it easy to add to what you already own.
Each morning, pair it with a broad-spectrum SPF, such as TimeWise® Daytime Defender Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 30 or Mary Kay® Sunscreen SPF 50.
Mary Kay has played with K-beauty formats for years. The TimeWise Repair® Lifting Bio-Cellulose Mask drew on the sheet-mask trend. This collection pulls those ideas into one focused set.
A simple K-Beauty starter routine
| When | Steps |
|---|---|
| Morning | Melt-In Cleansing Balm or your usual cleanser → Collagen Moisturizing Gel → broad-spectrum SPF 30+ |
| Evening | Melt-In Cleansing Balm → your regular cleanser → Collagen Moisturizing Gel |
| 2 to 3 times a week | Snail Gel Face Patches on clean skin for 20 minutes, then pat in the essence and moisturize |
Your TimeWise® or Clinical Solutions® treatments go between cleansing and moisturizer. The next post in this series maps that out step by step.
What K-Beauty Gets Right
- Cleanse thoroughly and gently
- Hydrate every day
- Protect your barrier
- Layer with a purpose
- Add one active at a time
- Wear sunscreen every morning
- Choose products you enjoy using
Do those seven things and you have the heart of K-beauty, with or without ten steps.
Ready to try K-beauty the easy way?
Special-edition products are available while supplies last. Book a quick skin consultation to check what’s in stock and match the right K-Beauty piece to your skin.
Every Mary Kay® product bought from an authorized Independent Beauty Consultant comes with the Mary Kay® Satisfaction Guarantee.
Sources
- EADV Congress 2026 press release: “Almost 95% of viral Korean skincare and ‘glass skin’ TikTok videos contain misleading claims” (September 30, 2026)
- American Academy of Dermatology: “Social media skin care trends: Dermatologists reveal the facts” (October 29, 2024)
- Singh et al. “Snail extract for skin: A review of uses, projections, and limitations.” Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024; 23: 1113-1121
- “Polynucleotides and Polydeoxyribonucleotides for Skin Rejuvenation, Postoperative Scar Prevention, and Wound Healing: A Systematic Review of Randomized Clinical Trials.” Cureus, July 10, 2026
- Mary Kay: K-Beauty Texture Edit product information and directions for use
- Mary Kay Inc.: The Mary Kay® Satisfaction Guarantee (marykay.com)
