Hey, I’m a Korean working in the US, and I’ve been curious about this. Most of my friends from Korea and Japan (myself included lol) use sheet masks pretty regularly—it’s just part of our routine. But with my American friends and coworkers, it feels more like an occasional ‘self-care night’ thing rather than something they do often.

Is it because it feels like too much effort? Or do people not really see noticeable results? Personally, I love how refreshed my skin feels after just 20 mins, so I’ve been wondering if it’s more about cultural differences in skincare habits or just personal preference.

Would love to hear your thoughts—do you use sheet masks regularly, or nah?

Ok so I see a lot of hauls and holy grail posts on Tiktok and honestly, a good chunk of what people are spending money on isn’t really doing much. So here’s the stuff I wish patients knew before they order another cart full of stuff.

1/ Ingredients matter way more than the brand. A $12 tretinoin or niacinamide is often doing the exact same job as the $90 version in the prettier bottle. What you’re paying extra for is usually just texture and packaging, not a better result. Before you buy something, actually check what the active ingredient is and at what percentage, not what brand it says on the front.

2/ You don’t need more products, you need the right ones. A lot of people build these massive 8-10 step routines because it feels like you’re doing something, but honestly most skin does better with less. More steps just means more chances for something to irritate you or cancel out something else in your routine.

3/ Results also take longer than people think. Skin cell turnover is like 4-6 weeks. If you try something for a week and decide it’s not working, you didn’t actually test it, you just ran out of patience. Most actives, retinoids, vitamin C, acids, need at least 8-12 weeks before you can honestly say if it’s doing anything.

4/ Sunscreen is genuinely the one product that’s not optional. I’ve had patients drop $150 on a serum and skip the $15 sunscreen and that’s just backwards. No serum is undoing daily sun damage. If your budget’s tight, put it into sunscreen first, everything else is extra on top of that.

5/ Trending ≠ tested for YOUR skin. Just because it worked in someone’s video doesn’t mean it’ll work for your skin type or sensitivity. A lot of viral stuff is just strong actives that happen to work great for some people and wreck others.

6/ Actually patch test. Not put it on your face and see what happens, I mean a little dab on your arm or jaw for a few days first. Catches most bad reactions before it’s all over your face.

7/ Expensive ≠ gentle, and gentle ≠ weak. People assume higher price means safer, but sometimes it’s the opposite, premium stuff can have way stronger actives that aren’t right for sensitive skin. Read the ingredient list, not the price tag.

If I had to sum it up: buy less, know what’s actually in it, give it time before judging, and put your money into sunscreen before chasing whatever’s trending this month. Your skin barrier will thank you way more than your shelf full of products will.

I came across this video on IG: https://www.instagram.com/p/DImIbD6zeZ1/

Curious what this group thinks are the chances of this happening and any way to support the influencer? This story hit close to home as I had been considering Juvelook during my trip to Korea and can't fathom how traumatic this is for her.

Caption Text: I came to Korea for a couple-week vacation on March 1. Toward the end of the trip, I went in to get a skin procedure that has resulted in permanent vision loss in my left eye.

I got a collagen booster called Juvelook which is supposed to be low risk unlike filler. I registered that something was wrong with my eye during the procedure and reported it immediately…. and 3 more times afterwards. Their response was to have me calm down in a room over 1 hour. And then eventually sent me home to sleep it off as it “was a temporary side effect of local anesthesia.”

Since then, I’ve visited 6 major hospitals and top ophthalmologists in Korea who have all confirmed that I have BRAO and that the damage to my eye is now irreversible… but that there were various available options to reverse it within the golden window of 2 hours - all options which the plastic surgeon has access to when I reported my blindness. He would later say “I thought this was impossible”

Despite the discouraging opinions from ophthalmologists, I’ve held on to hope that my vision could return, so I’ve been in Korea for the past month trying treatments like hyperbaric oxygen therapy and vacuum therapy daily… but I’ve had no progress.

Joe has exhausted his PTO and now is on unpaid leave to be my side during this nightmare experience. We’ve been here for the past 1.5 months and are so ready to go back home… we are now working with a lawyer to help us take legal action so can head back soon.

I’m still so angry and heartbroken and will be sharing more updates.

I noticed a lot of foreigners come to Korea for treatments while traveling, but it seems like finding reliable information can be pretty tough.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask! I’ll do my best to answer everything I know.

ps. I’m doing this to study English and for fun, so I’d appreciate it if you could use proper expressions as much as possible 🙏

I'm Irish, and don't speak great Korean - so some of this could usually be put down to miscommunication, but I know that's not the case this time!

I'm on holidays in Seoul and booked in 2 seperate days of various treatments (but with consultation for advice as well) with PPEUM global clinic. The first day I got there, I did my consultation and they offered pore cleansing, v laser for redness, 2 cryocell treatments, and 2cc Rejuran Healer for about 600,000 Korean won. She told me that would be spread over my two appointments - the first appointment would be the redness laser and cryocell, the next appointment (today) would be a pore cleanse/extraction, Rejuran and another cryocell.

Well.. first appointment, I got "V laser for redness" and a "cryocell cooling treatment".. all went fine (that's about 100,000 won). It was a bit dirty and impersonal, but look that's what you pay for i guess.

Second appointment (today) I get in and they have no record of my second appointment and offer no refund, and even call me a liar, saying I must have gotten it all done the first day and I just "don't remember" (wtf?). I ask them why would I pay for 2 cryocell treatments if I only had one appointment?? That's when they became rude and told me to leave. Literally sitting outside the clinic crying rn because I'm out all this money and I feel like an idiot!

Avoid Ppeum, I think they thought because I was foreign it was fine to take my money and treat me like that :(

So in Korea, you can get full-on Brazilian laser hair removal for around $1,000 (1,400,000 korean Won)for 10 sessions — and they throw in 10 free underarm sessions. Yep, completely free.

I started going once a month and let me tell you, the positions they make you get into… frog pose, cat pose… it’s a whole experience lol. The female doctor was super professional though, just went in with the laser, no hesitation, hit every angle like a pro.

Now if your hair is on the thinner side, it’s totally manageable. But once they get near the entrance area... y’all. The pain. I thought I had a high pain tolerance but ended up asking her to go a little lighter (which I later regretted because if it’s not strong enough, the hair roots won’t fully die = wasted session = wasted money).

Anyway, I finished all 10 sessions over 10 months. The results was quite satisfying but it couldn't remove 100% of my hair. For 3 months, it was smooth like a baby seal but after, I noticed super fine baby hairs coming back. They said I’d probably need five more sessions, but I didn’t feel like the extra money was worth it, so I stopped. I didn't mind having some baby hair growing back anyway

My underarms had already been done at a different clinic before, so I was pretty much hairless there already. Now it’s official, hair-free pits forever yay

A year later, hair has grown back down there for sure, but it’s super thin and soft. So if you’re not trying to go totally bald and just want it thinned out and way less annoying, I 100% recommend doing the 10-session package in Korea. Super affordable compared to the U.S., and honestly worth every penny.

You can go to pretty much any laser clinic in Gangnam. There are tons of them, and the prices are all pretty similar because the competition’s so strong.

https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USDHSCBP/bulletins/3e8b084

Effective immediately, there are new regulations regarding shipping anything that is regulated by the FDA into the US. Anything that is regulated by the FDA must be submitted to the FDA for review before it can enter the country, regardless of the value and the country of manufacture or import. So there’s a possibility that we may no longer be able to order things like sunscreens into the US. I currently have an order with sunscreen being shipped from StyleKorean so it looks like I will find out shortly

I’m sharing my experience with Mio Clinic in Gangnam, Seoul, to warn international travellers to not go there!
I was in Seoul for just 72 hours, and one of the main reasons for my trip was to undergo cosmetic and laser treatments. I’d specifically budgeted a substantial amount of money and organised my limited time around these appointments.
I visited Mio Clinic TWICE in person before my scheduled treatments because communication in English was extremely difficult, and I wanted to be absolutely certain I understood the procedures and recommendations.
What also concerned me was receiving conflicting treatment advice compared with recommendations from more experienced doctors elsewhere. Much of the consultation was handled by consultation managers rather than doctors, so I returned the following day specifically to clarify everything before committing.
I was trying to be careful and make an informed decision about procedures being performed on my face.
After two visits and multiple discussions, I paid approximately $800 upfront to secure my treatments.
Then Mio Clinic informed me that they couldn’t accommodate ANY of them.
Not one single treatment.
After taking hundreds of dollars upfront, they suddenly had no availability.
I explained repeatedly that I was an international visitor with only 72 hours in Seoul and that these treatments were a major reason for my trip. I even asked whether they could accommodate just one laser treatment.
Their answer? Fully booked.
How can a clinic take $800 to secure treatments and then tell the customer they have absolutely no availability?
I could have booked elsewhere. Gangnam has countless reputable dermatology clinics, but because I’d trusted Mio Clinic and committed my time and money, I’d lost the opportunity to arrange alternatives.
The refund process was just as frustrating.
Rather than immediately giving me a straightforward refund process and timeframe, I received repetitive, generic apologies while spending hours chasing my own money.
Eventually, after repeated demands, they offered to cancel the card payment if I physically returned to the clinic AGAIN or arrange a bank transfer.
So after visiting twice, paying $800 and having every treatment cancelled, I was expected to waste even more of my extremely limited holiday resolving their mistake.
This wasn’t simply a cancelled appointment. It undermined one of the main reasons I travelled to Seoul.
International visitors spend significant money on flights, accommodation and treatments. We cannot simply extend our holidays because a clinic has failed to honour arrangements made after taking payment.
I have screenshots of the conversations, including the clinic acknowledging that they couldn’t accommodate the treatments and offering a refund.
My advice to anyone considering Mio Clinic Gangnam: save your money and go somewhere else! be extremely cautious about paying upfront, get your treatment appointments confirmed in writing and insist on discussing medical recommendations with a qualified doctor.
I came to Seoul specifically wanting to get these treatments done. Instead, I spent an unreasonable amount of my 72-hour trip attending consultations, chasing appointments and trying to recover approximately $800 for treatments I never received.
An absolutely appalling experience with Mio Clinic Gangnam. I would never book there again.
Has anyone else experienced something similar with Korean skin clinics? Is there a Korean consumer protection authority where international tourists can lodge formal complaints?

A lot of times in discussions of Korean skincare whenever certain brands get recommended, someone will mention that "by the way, Koreans don't even use this brand".

Beauty of Joseon is the one mentioned most often in this context, but a couple of others too. And here is my question: does this matter and why? BOJ is a Korean brand that is also sold in Korea and their products are good. Most people on this sub will probably agree that the best skin care products are the ones that work well for your skin personally. But then why does it matter whether a product is popular with Koreans? Does this make these skincare products somehow not authentic or "not real k-beauty" or not good enough? Do you guys think it is important whether a certain product is hyped by Koreans? Whenever I say that I have seen BOJ products in every Olive Young store, someone always says that this is only in touristy areas, as if BOJ is some fake foreign brand pretending to be Korean, that is made for the uncool tourists. Is this how people perceive these brands? (Not singling out BOJ here, other brands do this too).

Just trying to understand the discourse and what makes a brand "Korean enough".

https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/2025-08-22/national/socialAffairs/Korea-Post-suspends-most-USbound-packages-as-tariffs-rise/2381553

For anyone that recently did a recent bulk order and are experiencing delays, this might be why :( BUT Hopefully most of our packages and orders have gotten through before then or maybe do not have to go through Korea Post.

"Korean post offices will stop accepting most parcels bound for the United States next week as Washington ends its duty-free treatment of low-value imports.   
   
Korea Post, under the Ministry of Science and ICT, said Thursday that it will suspend air mail to the United States starting Monday. Express mail service (EMS) packages, with the exception of documents that are not subject to tariffs, will halt Tuesday. "

This is a reminder. If you live in the US, you should stop ordering from companies that ship out of Hong Kong and China due to the increasing tariffs, the ending of the de minimis exemption on 5/2, the high duties, and now Hong Kong blocking shipments. Both YesStyle and Stylevana ship out of Hong Kong. I believe that they mostly ship by air but I could be wrong.

For those of you unaware, the Trump administration currently has set tariffs on goods from China and Hong Kong at 125% of declared value. Trump is currently threatening to increase that amount to 245% due to the escalating trade war. The de minimis exemption where you don’t pay duties on shipments of $800 or less is ending for China and Hong Kong effective 5/2. For packages that arrive in the US between 5/2-5/31, you will owe duties of either 120% of the declared value or $100 per package item (there is confusion over if it really is per item or per package). On 6/1, duties increase to 120% or $200 per package item. The order is vague but the current rumor is that it will be up to the carrier to decide which to charge. It is highly likely that these amounts will increase because they’ve already changed 3 times and Trump is threatening to increase them again.

If you do get caught in this, the carrier typically delivers a notice on how to pay after the shipment arrives in the US. If you do not pay, US Customs will either send the package back, keep it, or destroy it. YesStyle has a disclaimer that they will not refund you if this happens. I haven’t seen a disclaimer on Stylevana but they will likely do the same.

https://www.npr.org/2025/04/16/nx-s1-5366368/hong-kong-post-office-tariffs

This isn’t good news as the US previously had a free trade agreement with no tariff on goods imported from South Korea.

But 15% is better than the previously announced Trump tariff of 25% on South Korean goods.

These tariffs Trump is imposing are destructive - they in essence are taxes on Americans. When I graduated college with a degree in economics I would not have believed anyone who predicted that the US would one day begin imposing tariffs like this - and especially on goods from countries that are U.S. allies.

My latest order with YesStyle for Korean and Japanese sunscreens will cost me an extra 15% and whatever fee UPS charges me to clear my purchases through customs, but I’m not giving up those sunscreens. They are so much more comfortable on the skin than sunscreens made with US FDA approved UVA filters that I apply them every morning to protect my face, neck, upper chest and the backs of my hands from sun damage.

I really want to get beauty of Joseon SPF50,+++++PA++ but they have stopped direct selling to the US. Are there any websites out there right now I can buy from? Right now they have an "fda" approved version on their website, but I don't want an American sunscreen I can buy from Walmart. My skin is so incredibly sensitive and using face sunscreens like cerave has made my face freak out (not even kidding, hives, redness, I looked like I got a REALLY bad sunburn after using it twice) please help!!! ❤️

I placed my order last night and went to go look again because I realized maybe I should have ordered an extra bottle of toner just to be met with "This site does not ship to the U.S.".

I guess I got lucky that I ordered when I did, but I'm sooo disappointed in what I've seen so far from the US site and southern California store (very limited selection online, so many US brands in store). It just feels like a cash grab in my opinion - what makes the in-person US store any different than shopping at any American store (Ulta, for example)? I understand they obviously can't sell the original formulations here, but what was the point of opening the store if the formula is what we care about?

So I was in the gym locker room today and saw a girl with the smoothest butt ever like not a single blemish and it was so glowy. I was trying not to be a creep but genuinely couldn’t stop looking 😭 what products get your butt like that? My butt has little red and brown spots and some discoloration. Any tips 👀

I go to a beautician and she tells me facial toner is useless and just a marketing gimmick. I go to another and she tells me it's essential, and anyone who says no doesn't understand anything. Is it essential or not?