Western vs. Asian beauty products – why I don’t discriminate

OMG .. This post (same idea) is literally sitting in my draft as I was planning to talk about this particular point .. It is very sad to see the reaction of some of the asian beauty fans to western products ,, The funny part is western products ( especially reliable lab research based cosmetics from European Pharmaceutical brands ) are so so popular in Asia and dermatologists ONLY recommend them to their patients . There are so many misconceptions about Asian skin care on the internet and some people took it so far ... maybe western brands lack the mid range affordable skin care products whereas in Korea for example choices are overwhelmingly limitless , every other day a new company with new exciting products pops up ..however there is absolutely no consistency , lines get replaced and discontinued so quickly because they don't have strong base consumers like western or other very high end Asian brands. I have been living in Korea for the past 7 years , and some of the practices that I see online don't relate to how koreans take care of their skin . my dermatologist for instance who works for a huge cosmetics lab that produce some popular products is always pushing me to use only western products because they are consistent and based on years and years of research . however that is not my style ; I like to mix it up and use the best of both worlds without discrimination. My skin care cabinet looks exactly like skin care cabinets of my Korean friends and colleagues who have amazing skin; a healthy mix of my Asian skin care staples as well as western products and I achieved a flawless skin with this combination and lots of trial and error .. Bashing someone who recommends a non asian product or thinking they have no clue what a good serum/cream looks like is very narrow minded and laughable here in Asia. A good skin is a mix of genes , extremely healthy lifestyle , products that work for you no matter where they come from. sorry for the long comment but your post was much needed. Love your blog ??

I definitely agree with everything you've written. Predictably reddit isn't too happy with this entry lol (it's been posed there). It's important to keep in my that reddit is mostly white people and /asianbeauty is no different. But It's so creepy how AB tries to "fetishize" Asian beauty and Asians in general and look down on western products. Granted, I am Asian (East Asian specifically) and I don't even use western products because it doesn't work for me not to mention I love the cute Korean product designs so much better, but people should be able to just use whatever works for and not be looked down upon... it's mind boggling. :/

You completely misunderstand this subreddit. We do not condone western products. In fact, many of us integrate both western products and Asian products into our beauty routines. Sunday Riley, Klairs, CeraVe, Stridex, PC, and other Western brands are frequently mentioned. The reason for the downvotes on posts about Western products is that we are a subreddit focused primarily on Asian products. Per subreddit rules, posts completely about western products are irrelevant. This is not due to a phobia of western products but that this is what we come to the subreddit to discuss. It's like going to MUA and talking about skincare. If you take a closer look at threads like our Daily Thread, you'll even see non-AB product recs sometimes. But if you want to discuss a specific western product, SCA is the place to do it.

Haha this speaks out to me! In terms of face creams and makeup, I definitely vote for Korean not because I don't like their western counterparts but because of the specific product (for example, I like Tonymoly Gel Liner better than Stila Liquid Liner). I seem to shop a lot at Koreantown, but I do use plenty of western products, especially for facial cleansers. Believe me, I love Korean ones due to the natural ingredients, smell, and sensation they leave on your face, but I haven't found one that works long term for my skin well yet, because the number of choices are so overwhelming!

You've got some very good points dear. And I agree, each person's skin is different and you just have to find the product that works best for you.

wow thank you for writing this post. i don't understand why people have to discriminate one and love the other. for instance, my cousin is so biased about etude house that she thinks all etude house or korean skincare/make up products are the best and yes, it's tiring to hear about her blabber on and on about how korean products are so good but i'd rather leave her be then argue back. everyone raves about korean products like it's the best while i disagree about that. i mean, in comparison to etude house, i'd still prefer, say, maybelline or revlon because they're cheaper and they do their job. some korean products are just there because of the hype, imho :))

and i agree with you saying what matters is how the products affect us. it's not about the rave or whatever. it's about the impact and how effective they are. i do like japanese bb creams, for instance, because sometimes they have the right shades for me, for asian skin but that doesn't mean i don't like bb/cc creams from western brands. boy do i love maxfactor's cc cream. as for the price, i think it depends on their target budget. i disagree when people stereotype that all western products are expensive, skincare or make up-wise. they can go for the drugstore lines like maybelline instead of the high end MAC, for instance. the same for asian products. i think the whole "asian products are better" thing is also influenced by how....biased they are towards asian celebs like *cough* kpop stars? i don't know. some people are like that in here, they believe in that kind of marketing.

i'm so done with trying out different korean skincare products to be honest. like, i spent quite a budget for etude house's eye cream and stuff and none of them work. as for makeup, i prefer the quality of my judgment. same goes for makeup; my cousin raves about etude's mascara while i don't see the reason why and opt for maxfactor's one more.

hada labo is probably the simplest asian skincare products that i enjoy, by far (and it's japanese lol) ...i feel like japanese products are more...light and natural (water based and all) for my sensitive skin which is why it works more. i used to try clinique's moisturizer and though it works, it's too expensive for my budget so i opt for hada labo which is more drugstore and college student-budget-friendly :))

anyway, my point is, i agree with you. a combination of both is way better and is definitely my option too. i think the problem with reddit is that people there can take things too seriously / wrongly that they twist and put words into your mouth. reddit is probably fun to read but not really to participate in - it can be a scary place imo :))

Reading this post and comments is quite interesting. As a western esthetician kbeauty is [a very fun] rabbit hole but even as someone who's educated in skincare it's overwhelming! I can see how the masses would believe Asian beauty to be of better value than Western. I've only recently began ordering products and so far everything I've tried feels like it's working on the surface, but not on a deeper level within my skin. I'm curious to see how other brands/products compare as I continue to experiment and research.

I'm surprised I don't see more peptides, growth factors, or cancer/sun damage preventing antioxidants being used in kbeauty, perhaps that's due to what another commenter stated: years and years of Western R+D.

I will say my skin looks better and brighter than ever before, and I've used brightening products for years! So I'm hooked. And balance is key, like you said.

I honestly love American skin care products (currently using Jan Marini) due to their acids and exfoliation and fast results. However, asian skin care products pairs well with American skincare because they use more organic/natural ingredients to help offset the dryness that American products can bring.