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Aesthetic shift: “Glass skin” to “Bloom skin”
In 2025 everyone on social media has been in a race to achieve the viral K-Beauty “glass skin” look. If you don’t know what the “glass skin” look is, it’s a term that has been used by Korean locals for decades to describe the ideal healthy looking skin. According to Allure magazine, “glass skin” refers to the look of a skin that is crystal-clear, poreless, translucent and glowing, literally like glass. It is most commonly associated with the viral 8 step skincare routine that includes layering essence or toners after cleansing to achieve the soft and plump finish.
However, entering 2026 people have been raving about a new aesthetic “Bloom Skin”. Bloom Skin refers to the look of a skin that is less glowy compared to glass skin and focuses on a hydrated natural looking state. Achieving this look is more focused on simple skincare, skin barrier health, and repairing ingredients compared to layering tons of skincare at once. Hence, most skincare brands in Korea are shifting towards simplicity when creating new products. Whether its one ingredient focused products or all in one problem solving ingredients, they are surely shifting to the “simple is best” saying.
High-tech “Smart” beauty
Not only following trends, K-beauty skincare brands are beginning to focus on credibility and research before launching their products. From biomedical engineering to dermatological research, they focus more on transparency and education for their consumers with the goal of maximizing the potential of skincare ingredients to the fullest. Finding the right skincare products for your skin concerns can be overwhelming, especially when you come to Korea and go to offline stores like Olive Young that have hundreds of products waiting for you.
Here are some of our picks for innovative K-Beauty trends in 2026:
1. AI skin analysis: Hwahae App, Olive Young, etc.
A lot of people who are new to Korean skincare will most likely be confused with the amount of brands, ingredients, and products that are available on the market. Thankfully, the K-beauty industry understands the growing popularity and demand for Korean skincare and has created the technology to ease consumer’s shopping experience. Introducing AI skin analysis where AI helps people to identify and recommend what products to purchase without them having to research themselves.
If you are not in Korea, there is one application that is trusted among Korean locals for skincare recommendations, the Hwahae app. It shows rankings of the top purchased skincare products in Korea that are differentiated by several categories and even age groups. It also has the feature of skin matching, where it personalizes skincare products based on your skin data and recommends you which products are the best, the good thing that people mention about this app that it actually considers your skin concerns and sensitivity so that they would not recommend products just because it is trending but based on your skin. Find out more on their website!
Source: Hwahae Google Play
If you are in Korea, one of the places where you can get a skin analysis for free is Olive Young N Seongsu. The store uses a high-tech AI diagnosis called Skinscan by ChoiceDX where they utilize high-definition optical sensors to understand your skin and provide detailed analysis. With the help of beauty consultants present you will get recommendations and limited time discounts to purchase your products. So don’t forget to visit them when you’re visiting Seongsu, and find more information here!
Source: Olive Young N Seongsu Naver
2. Pharmaceutical skincare
Other than trendy brands, many global K-beauty fans are shifting towards pharmaceutical or dermatology approved products as they claim that it provides better or faster results. Products such as PDRN or rejuvenating skin creams are often recommended by people to have more results than regular trendy skincare. Some of the products that are trending in Korean pharmacies include:
- Rejuvenex: healing balm that has a high concentration of PDRN to help skin damage.
Source: Korean Pharmaceutical Information Center
- Acnon cream: cream for inflamed acne that quickly soothes inflammation.
Source: Korean Pharmaceutical Information Center
- Melatoning cream: spot treatment cream for people who have hyperpigmentation like dark-spots or melasma.
Source: Korean Pharmaceutical Information Center
With the rise of interest in pharmaceutical products, pharmacies are changing up their marketing strategies to keep up with the trend. One pharmacy that has been gaining popularity is called READY YOUNG in Seongsu. It is famous for being the pharmacy version of the famous K-beauty store Olive Young, if you are strolling around Seongsu make sure to not miss it!
Source: READY YOUNG Naver
3. Biotech ingredients: Exosomes and PDRN 2.0
The age of anti-aging skincare ingredients might have come to an end in 2026. With the new trend of skin-longevity coming in, many skincare brands have been focusing on the importance of keeping your skin healthy with high-tech ingredients. One of the ingredients that was considered a breakthrough in K-beauty is Exosomes. Exosomes are nano-sized bubbles that bring signals to the skin in order to repair skin barriers, boost collagen productions and calm irritation. Usually exosomes are paired with PDRN, an ingredient deemed as a “skin healer” derived usually from salmon DNA. Salmon DNA is used by researchers as they claim that salmon DNA is strikingly similar to human DNA which in turn speeds up the skin repairing process if paired with exosomes. Many skin care brands have come up with their own version of these biotech ingredients, incorporating them in serums, essence and many other products. One of the most viral products lately has been VT Cosmetics’ Reedle Shot, which many people claim has the effect of getting treatment from a dermatology clinic.
Source: VT Cosmetics Web
Less is more: skincaring makeup
On top of skincare, makeup brands are also catching up to the healthy skin trend, especially after the shift of aesthetics where people have been growing into the natural or no-makeup-makeup-look. Many brands have incorporated skincare ingredients that not only boost the look of the makeup but also provide an all-in-one skin health booster. Take d’alba for example, people might know them for their white truffle facial mist, but they have recently come out with their Serum Glow Fixing Cover Cushion which also has white truffle extract and 10 types of hyaluronic acid. They claim the cushion provides a healthy skin that mimics the finish of getting a facial or procedure from professionals, gaining a lot of attention on social media. Nowadays, makeup brands are in a race to provide the best products while incorporating high-tech skincare ingredients as the trend goes on.
Source: d'alba Web
Keeping up with the latest K-beauty trend can be exhausting or overwhelming with the fast paced nature of Korea’s beauty trend. Which is why Daebak is bringing K-beauty to you wherever you are. If you want to explore K-beauty easily within reach, Daebak K-Beauty will be delivered to your doorstep with a click.
Also discover our Daebak Spring Box for specially curated Korean products!