Showcasing the inherent connection between beauty brands and their countries of origin, CF’s Around the World In Beauty series celebrates the very best products from each continent. Our next stop on the tour is Asian beauty.
Asia is bursting with beauty innovations. After all, it’s the continent that gave us not only two of skincare’s biggest trending categories – K-Beauty, aka Korean Beauty, and J-Beauty from Japan –Â but also traditional healing Ayurvedic remedies from countries such as India.
The former helped transform the skincare market – by launching sheet masks onto the world stage and inspiring the ‘glass skin’ trend for a glossy, smooth skin finish – while the latter continues to bring selfcare and holistic health into our beauty routines across haircare and bodycare.
With so many options available, read on to discover the best Asian beauty brands that the CF team trust to enrich your routine.
Japan
J-Beauty brands offer a paradise for skincare lovers searching for formulas that deeply hydrate, lock-in moisture and provide a healthy-looking glossy radiance to your skin. With innovative textures that pack-a-punch while still feeling lightweight, you can discover watery, gentle lotions that nourish, as well as glow-boosting makeup powders that drape over – rather than sitting heavily on – your skin. Japanese beauty culture also predominately focuses on preventive beauty rituals (rather than tackling concerns after they arise), so you can expect gentle anti-ageing solutions for all skin types and tones.
While other continents 'fight signs of ageing' – Shiseido neatly eptiomises the brilliance of Japanese skincare: its focus on a care-based approach to maximising skin health as we age. Backed by over 25 years of research, Shiseido has supercharged traditional lightweight lotions to help them better deal with our busy, modern lifestyles. That means that the formulas not only hydrate but protect against free radical damage, which keeps the irritating, drying and wrinkling effects of stress, pollution and fatigue at bay.
The Japanese technique of 'double moisturisation' – the layering of multiple lightweight serums and lotions for a really hydrated glow – is the gentle yet effective approach that may help you step away from harsh exfoliators. Sensai delivers it with a particular flourish, using hyaluronic acid-stimulating and deeply nourishing Koishimaru Silk to maximise hydration and the textures of their formulas are second-to-none on the skin.
If you would like your skincare routine to feel more like a luxurious selfcare ritual, turn to Clé de Peau Beauté. From the serums silky smooth textures that you'll actually enjoy applying, to the clever cosmetic scientists behind the balancing formulas, each product is designed to maximise enjoyment and results. This one is powered by a trio of algaes, known for their ability to soothe, brighten and plump all skin types.
One of the largest Japanese-born beauty brands in the world, DHC helped change industry insiders' approach to cleansing. Instead of stripping, aggressive formulas, the classic oil-based formula is celebrated for effortlessly melting away even waterproof makeup, while also providing the perfect opportunity to give yourself a tension-relieving massage.
Liposome by Decorté is one of Japan's best-selling serums and for good reason – it put Nobel Prize-winning liposome technology on the global skincare stage. Liposomes are an encapsulation technique that allows ingredients to penetrate deeper into the skin, and it keeps them there, which is how this moisture-locking formula helps transforms drier complexions.
From skincare-infused complexion products that provide a more natural-looking glow, to creamy lip colours that melt effortlessly into your pout, SUQQU makes accomplishing 'no makeup' makeup easy. The products are all designed to be gentle on your skin and, before you apply them, you can also benefit from the award-winning Gankin facial massage technique that the brand guides you through online to sculpt and brighten.
Hada Labo, which means 'Skin Lab' in Japanese, is the country's leading skincare brand; it focuses on minimalist, hydration-first formulas. If you have dry skin or are using harsher actives like retinoids it is a real skin saviour, powered by hero hydrator hyaluronic acid and super lightweight, layer-worthy textures.
The queen of non-strip cleansers, Curél has been a leader in sensitive skin solutions in Asia since 2008. Originating from over 40 years of dermatological research, the brand focuses on supporting your skin barrier (something it championed long before the wider skincare world caught on), with nourishing formulas even sensitive complexions will fall in love with.
Korea
If there’s a new beauty trend brewing, Korean Beauty is likely to have been involved in it – just consider sheet masks, spot stickers and niche ingredient such as tea and even snail mucin. First introduced to the UK through beauty founders with Korean heritage, many of which live and work in America with joint citizenship, now plenty of original K-Beauty brands have made the jump to the global market too. In fact, the category has grown so big in the UK that it has its own section within big retailers like Boots. Best of all, South Koreans are also renowned for wanting to share (rather than gatekeep) their beauty secrets, meaning clever and innovative solutions for your common concerns, focusing on caring and protective formulas. You can find out more in our dedicated K-Beauty story but here are a few highlights.
Innisfree is a celebration of the rich natural resources of the Korean peninsula, specifically 14 ingredients grown on the fertile mineral-rich volcanic soil of Jeju Island, which you can experience without breaking the bank. A hero ingredient for the brand is green tea, where everything from leaf to stem is used in face creams, serums and eye serums to maximise antioxidant protection against the sun and pollution, as well as moisturisation. It's no surprise that the ingredient is now trending on a global scale.
This lip mask transformed our beauty editor's pout and is always in her hand luggage for long-haul flights: in fact, it even helped her overcome her lip balm addiction. The secret to its success also powers the Laneige brand as a whole – instead of relying on heavy oils to moisturise, it focuses on innovative water-based formulas that are lightweight and work with rather than against your skin for the best results.
Cica is one of the biggest skincare ingredient trends to come out of K-Beauty and we have Dr Jart+'s Cicapair to thank for bringing it to the global audience. Known for being able to soothe redness, irritation and the effects of breakouts, this colour-correcting tint with SPF protection is a quick and easy way to get the glossy, glowy skin that is so popular in Asia, even if you don't have a naturally clear complexion.
Snail mucin may sound, well, a little bit gross, but it's actually one of the biggest social media talking points in beauty right now – with millions of views on TikTok for its hydrating and glow-boosting properties. That's due to K-Beauty brands like COSRX and specifically this world-leading essence. Designed to limit moisture-loss from your skin, the snail mucin filtrate is rich in hyaluronic acid, peptides, and antioxidants. And because it has a lightweight lotion texture you get an instant fresh-faced look too.
Founded by Charlotte Cho, who was inspired by the Korean cultural value of 'jeong' – a meaningful connection between people and places and things – its not hyperbole to say that Then I Met You is one of the most exciting brands in beauty right now. With cabinets full of awards and many a 'best product of the year' nomination, the formulas celebrate Korean ingredients such as persimmon, gingseng and fermented rice that have been supercharged in state-of-the-art research facilities in Seoul. This fluffy cleansing balm will brighten up your face wash routine.
Things are juicy over at Glow Recipe where the Korean-American co-founders are inspired by the skin-replenishing qualities of fruit concentrates (plus actives such as vitamin C and hyaluronic acid) to power their skincare products, which are designed to easily get people talking on social media. Case in point: this cream combines one of Korea's favourite fruit drinks, watermelon milk, with the region's love of a cushion-soft texture, for deep hydration and peptide-based plumping that never feels heavy on your skin.
Peach & Lily actually started as a supplier site that brought the excitement of some of Korean's best K-Beauty brands – including some incredible sheet masks – to the American market. Then, after spotting that gap in the market, founder Alicia Yoon went one step further and launched her own Korean-inspired products, including this best-selling Glass Skin Refining Serum that is packed with glow-boosting actives. The only downside is that the shipping costs outside the States remain high.
India
India has such a rich and notable heritage when it comes to beauty – from its fragrant flower markets that are increasingly inspiring perfumers across the world, to the Ayurvedic herbs and oils that have been trusted for generations to be as health-boosting for your mind and body as they are for your skin. Indian beauty also turns your beauty routine into a selfcare ritual that is designed to nourish and enrich from head-to-toe, with particularly noticeable results when it comes to shiny hair, lit-from-within radiance and even tension-relieving remedies that make you look and feel less stressed.
Indian-American influencer (and Live Tinted founder) Deepica Mutyala might be familiar to you as the individual who went viral in 2015 by showing how to use lipstick to neutralise the appearance of hyperpigmentation. Now, her makeup brand is built off the same science of colour therapy, with products that are specifically designed to help you find the perfect skin tone match. A great example is this is her All-Over Colour Corrector that allows you to instantly balance out dark circles and areas of discolouration.
UMA's Wellness Oil is one of the most recommended 'nervous flyer' travel essentials by CF contributors, and its ability to calm heighten nerves makes sense when you realise that the brand founder, Shrankhla Holecek, has been immersed in Ayurvedic traditions all her life. Her ancestors were Ayurvedic doctors for the Indian Royal family who grew botanical oils in Central India and that same farm-to-face (or pulse point) philosophy enriches the brand to this day.
Founded by leading Indian actress Katrina Kaif, Kay Beauty offers some of the best affordable makeup our beauty director has tried, with brilliant colour payoff and longevity that rivals more luxury price tags. With all the products available in inclusive tones while tackling key concerns for South Asian women including hyperpigmentation, there are solutions for both 'no makeup' makeup and bold looks, whatever you prefer.
Powered by the concept of 'Ayurvedistry' – aka bridging the gap between ancient Indian beauty traditions and modern, science-backed chemistry, Inde Wild was created by Indian-born entrpreneur Diipa Büller-Khosla, inspired by her mother who was an Ayurvedic doctor and dermatologist.The brand is especially known for products like the Champi Hair Oil and Dewy Lip Treatments, but we predict the sun-inspired Hair & Body Fragrance Mist will be your new summer favourite.
Inspired by the playfulness and colourfulness of South Asian ice cream – aka 'kulfi – and with the flavours to match, Kulfi aims to make makeup both more accessible and more fun. No wonder then that the Glossing Lip Balms quickly went viral among UK beauty editors, while the rest of the brand's high pigment, vegan formulas, including this lip-plumping liner, also became makeup bag essentials.
This sibling-founded brand is on a mission to introduce Indian haircare wisdom to the rest of the world, and considering the shine-boosting effects of this award-winning hair oil, it is definitely working. Inspired by the tradition of therapeutic hair oiling, the formula contains Indian botanicals and leading adaptogen ashwagandha to improve the quality and appearance of all hair types. The gorgeous scent only makes the ritual even more enjoyable.
One of India's leading Ayurveda beauty and wellness brands, Kama Ayurveda is a great place to start if you are intrigued by Ayurvedic principles as it not only offers brilliantly nourishing products but some easy-to-follow education on the holistic healing system. Following ancient recipes for oils and serums, each product is recommended according to your dosha as well as your general skin concerns, and, best of all, they'll leave your mind feeling as pampered as your complexion.
Ilody takes plant actives that have been rooted in Ayurvedic rituals for centuries – Ilody means "garden of the gods" in Sanskrit – and gives them a modern twist, which mirrors the founder Deepika Patel's own exploration of her heritage when growing up in London. This illuminating serum is a particularly good example, considering traditional ingredients such as black tea ferment and tremella mushroom are combined with newly trending gentle exfoliators called PHAs to provide an even better skin glow after use.
If you want a quick introduction to the transformative wellness abilities of Ayurveda – Mauli Rituals is a great place to start. A love letter to the ancestorial roots of British-Indian founding couple Anita and Bittu Kaushal, the products include meditative candles, purifying clays and oils based on ancient rituals, as well as more targeted, clinically proven skincare solutions like this retinoid-alternative cream for smoothing wrinkles. It's proof you don't have to be harsh to your skin to improve it.
Inspired by the founder's grandmother who still had long, thick, shiny hair into her seventies, Chämpo (which is the Sanskrit term for shampoo) focuses on the ancient Indian practice of cleansing, soothing and massaging the head to boost hair health. Each product is designed with your Ayurvedic dosha in mind – for example, thinning hair can be linked to the Pitta dosha – meaning each formula brings balance to your scalp and hair while treating your overarching concerns.
China and Taiwan
China is well-known as a centre of global commerce and continues to show promise of rapid trade recovery after the coronavirus pandemic. In fact, according to WWD, the Chinese beauty industry could start to rival those of Japan and South Korea in the next five years, powered by its focus on firming, cleansing and anti-ageing routines. Innovation is rife in the Chinese- and Taiwanese-American beauty entrepreneur space too, with some of the most popularly sought-after brands of the early 2020s stemming from this creative and results-driven demographic.
Notice the wave of 'gentler' retinoids and exfoliating acids that are on the market currently? UBeauty helped kickstart that movement. Founded by Taiwan-born Tina Craig, the products use a patent-pending method of encapsulation that maximises the efficacy of potent actives, and, while the Asian market is known for its layering multi-step routines, the products are designed to offer multitasking benefits for those who prefer a more streamlined routine.
Born to Taiwanese parents, Amy Liu credits both her struggle with eczema and her experience as part of the minority Asian-American community in California with inspiring her to launch her inclusive makeup brand, Tower28. You’ll find the products, including our beauty editor’s favourite blush, in many an insider’s makeup bag.
Forbidden to wear nail varnish as a teenager, Mooncat founder Michelle Lin, a proud first-generation Taiwanese-American, turned that childhood frustration into a passion, and now creates some of the most on-trend nail colours on the market. In fact, you can probably predict what colours beauty insiders are going to be wearing on their nails by checking out what is 'new in' on the brand's website.
BEST OF THE REST
Asia is such a diverse and large continent, and while, currently, India, Japan and Korea dominate, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that there are many countries in the wider region that are slowly but surely building their own influence in beauty on a global scale. First among them is the United Arab Emirates – where investment is arguably at its very highest – and Thailand, with its rich heritage in Ayurvedic therapies. Brands from the minds of Singaporean and Vietnamese founders are breaking through too, due to exciting expertise, which is broadening our beauty routines with fresh new approaches to both makeup and skincare.
Patrick Ta is best known for being the makeup artist behind some of the runway’s most famous faces, including Gigi and Bella Hadid. A ‘king of glow’ the Vietnamese-American’s makeup range has now bottled that flattering ‘lit-from radiance’ he is so known for, with glow-boosting results that look natural and make every skin tone look healthier.
Hearing Nicholas Travis talk about the skincare science behind his Singaporean brand Allies of Skin is fascinating, and his glossy, smooth skin is testament to the fact that the formulas really work. If you like to be ahead of the beauty crowd, you’ll find both current and up-and-coming hero ingredients such as peptides, botics and new age stabilised vitamin C, in plenteous supply within his products.
While travels to Thailand offer incredible opportunities to experience a wealth of beauty tinctures, it’s yet to broadly market them on the world stage. Sudtana is helping change that with its farm-to-face hair nourishing products powered by its organic community of local farmers, which can be shipped worldwide. Try it now before the rest of the beauty world gets let in on the secret.
Probably one of the most successful influencer-launched makeup brands in the industry, HUDA Beauty is the creation of Huda Kattan, an Iraqi-American makeup artist whose parents immigrated to America from Iraq. You have her to thank for powering the super long-lasting liquid lipstick trend and some super covetable eyeshadow palettes. The fragrance brand headed up by her sister Mona – Kayali – which takes you on a fragrance journey through layering scents, is equally beguiling.
Gisou's hair oil is the definition of a viral product but it's certainly not just about hype – it actually has a rich history behind it. Created by Dutch-Iranian entrepreneur Negin Mirsalehi, the brand was founded on her family's six-generation beekeeping heritage, combining her beekeeper father’s expertise with her mother’s (a hairdresser) secret honey-based hair oil recipe. This nourishing honey-infused hair perfume will be your next obsession.
FAQs about Asian Beauty
1. What does Asian beauty actually include?
Asian beauty is not just Korean (K-beauty) or Japanese (J-beauty), although they may currently be the best known in the West. The category can actually cover many regions across Asia, including India, China and Thailand, making it one of the most diverse areas on the beauty map when it comes to innovation. For example, while Korean beauty might focus on product layering and ‘glass skin’, Indian beauty traditions are more focused on holistic solutions, with a strong influence from Ayurvedic principles.
2. Is Asian beauty good for all skin tones and skin types?
Yes, and no. Many Asian beauty brands are actively introducing better inclusivity to our beauty routines in the West, especially those from South Asian founders who strive to celebrate and provide solutions for all skin tones. However, there are still cultural traditions in some areas where ‘lighter skin’ is prioritised, which may limit the diversity of a brand’s shade range. This issue is being addressed by many companies, but it does depend a little on the brand you choose.
3. Does Asian Beauty require a 10-step skincare routine?
Not if you don’t want it to! While the 10-step routine became particularly popular through K-beauty – and can help you super-hydrate your skin – most Asian beauty philosophies are actually about consistency and skin health, not using as many products as possible. Focus instead on targeting your specific skin and wellness goals, not simply adding more and more steps to your routine.
4. What goals can Asian beauty help me achieve?
Asian beauty products are as diverse as the countries that make it up, meaning the category can provide solutions almost across the board from skincare and makeup to wellness essentials. In fact, many of the products are deliberately multitasking, so you can find skincare-enriched makeup alongside mind-calming body and haircare.
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Becki Murray is Citizen Femme’s Beauty and Wellness Director. As one of the only UK journalists to hold a Distinction-grade diploma in cosmetic science, she combines her unique knowledge with an editor’s eye to help you make smarter choices about beauty, wellbeing, and aesthetics. Becki also heads up CF’s spa guide so you could say she’s an expert in the science of relaxation too…
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