Great, but why should I use essence and what does it even do? Let’s take a look at the basics and why this is one K-Beauty product you won’t want to miss out on.
What Is It?
An essence is a concentrated skincare product with a formula that targets the skin on a cellular level.
Most essences will target a specific skin concern, like acne, wrinkles, fine lines, dull or uneven skin tone.
What Is Not?
Essence is not designed to replace your toner or to offer an additional step in cleansing. It’s also different from serum.
What Does It Do?
Essences target and treat the skin, as well as prep your skin to absorb your next layer of skincare.
They also lightly hydrate to help your serum and moisturiser sink in. If you’ve ever felt like your moisturiser is just sitting on top of your skin and not dissolving into it, essence is great for fixing this.
What Difference Will It Make To My Skin?
In addition to lightly hydrating your skin and preparing it to absorb your next layer of skincare, using a Korean essence in your skincare routine will make skin smoother and brighter. It will also revitalise it, make it softer and assist in applying makeup more evenly
How Does It Differ From A Serum?
Great question. We previously took a look at serums in one of our earlier blog posts. So how are the two different? Good question, slightly trickier answer.
These days, some essences are quite close in texture to serums, and can even contain similar active ingredients. However, traditional formulas were (and many still are) more watery than serums. Essences were designed to be used after toning and before applying a serum.
Serums are thicker and more hydrating.
Whether you want to use one or both products is up to you, but if you’re looking to add extra hydration and treatment to your skincare routine, you can happily use both.
For more on the differences between serums and essences, tune into this episode of the Korean Beauty Show podcast:
How Do I Use It?
Most essences are designed to be applied to clean skin, or after toning. They can be used both morning and night.
To use an essence, simply tap or pat it into your face (rather than wiping).
Tip: Seeing as most essences have a quite watery consistency, we recommend applying essence directly to your face (either using your hands or a spritz spray) so that you don’t waste any precious product on cotton pads.
Our Top K-beauty Picks
For Dry Skin: we adore COSRX Hyaluronic Acid Hydra Power Essence. Specialising in skin hydration, this revolutionary essence fills the layers of the skin with moisture to repair and revitalise dry and rough skin, while gently caring for sensitive skin.
For Mature Skin: we love APLB EGF Facial Repair Essence. Not only is it perfect to support aging skin, it also targets all the key concerns for mature skin, including dryness.
For Sensitive Skin & Oily Skin: we can’t go past the beauty blogger’s favourite Dr Ceuracle Tea Tree Essence. Formulated with 90% natural tea tree extract, this cult Korean beauty product alleviates uneven skin tone, minimises redness and irritation and improves your overall complexion.
For Acne Prone Skin: one of STYLE STORY’s best-selling products is COSRX Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence. Made with 96% all-natural snail secretion filtrate, this is a powerful treatment that transforms your complexion.
For All Skin Types: the original “Holy Grail” of Korean Beauty essences is Missha’s Time Revolution First Treatment Essence. This essence provides 8 benefits– soothing, smoothing, balancing sebum levels, moisturising, improving skin tone, firming, wrinkle repair and boosting.
Why Should I Use Series
If you’ve ever wondered whether you should be using a particular product in your skincare routine or what it does, STYLE STORY’s “Why Should I Use…” Blog Series is for you! We’ve previously looked at Toners, Serums and Sunscreen.
"In addition to lightly hydrating your skin and preparing it to absorb your next layer of skincare, using a Korean essence in your skincare routine will make skin smoother and brighter."
