10 step skincare, sheet masks, snail mucin, sleeping masks, you can’t escape K beauty anymore! It’s no longer just a few cult products but a worldwide phenonom! But before we get stuck into what are the best cruelty free k beauty products, lets look at why is k beauty so good.
First, what is exactly is K Beauty?
K Beauty stands for Korean Beauty and is term used to describe the beauty industry and products from Korea.
Beauty and appearance is a big part of the Korean culture, women spend twice as much on make up and skincare as their American counterparts.
Why is Korean beauty so good?
So many reasons! The sheer wealth of products on the market mean that brands are pitted against each other, forcing competitive pricing, efficacy and innovation. So brands need to truly impress consumers to survive in this hyper-competitive market
Innovation
The technology behind K-beauty are hailed as the most innovative and advanced around, much more so than Western brands – we can thank them for the introduction of BB creams into the Western market in 2012 after using them for 20+ years. They’re said to be around 12-14 years ahead.
Ingredients
Unique products and ingredients epitomise K-beauty. Snail mucin (yes, really), known for it’s healing properties. Fig, mugwort, rice water, lotus flower, centella are just some of the many unique ingredients you often won’t find in other skin care.
The Price
Considering the use of high quality ingredients and cutting edge technology. K Beauty products offer exceptional value for money.
The products work.
No faffing around or making false promises. K Beauty brands know their consumers won’t accept that.
What are the best cruelty free K Beauty Products?
I haven’t tried every cruelty free K Beauty products but I have gone through a lot! Some of these products have been kindly gifted by Wishtrend, one of my favourite K Beauty websites. One of the reasons I love Wishtrend is they only sell cruelty free products. Here are my top picks of cruelty free K beauty products .
By Wishtrend Madelic Acid 5% Skin Prep Water
I don’t understand why mandelic acid isn’t more widely used. Its such a great ingredient it’s a great ingredient but it’s very rare that I find it formulated in products. Mandelic acid is an alpha hydroxy acid but the benefit is that it’s really good for people who have sensitive skin so if you are someone who’s more sensitive to glycolic acid or lactic acid, mandelic acid is your best bet because it’s still going to exfoliate your skin really effectively, but in a way that’s going to cause less irritation. Its also really good if your skin needs a break. I adore The Ordinary glycolic toner which has a really low pH of like 3.6 and I love it. But there are times when my skin needs a break.
The reason I love this one is because it has a very simple but very effective formula, in addition to the 5% mandelic acid there’s also beta glucan, panthenol and licorice root extract which is an amazing ingredient to pair alongside acids because it’s really going to help to brighten any dark spots or hyperpigmentation. Then theres Hyaluronic acid and centella asiatica is going to be amazing for reducing the redness and sensitivity in the skin. If you’re someone who specifically struggles with brightening dark spots hyperpigmentation, this is definitely going to be the product for you. Plus it lasts for ages! Seriously it takes forever to get through.
Available on Wishtrend $22
I’m From Rice Toner
I originally got this as a travel / mini size and flew through it. It’s so hydrating and perfect for layering. I’ve been using it morning and night for months, and I think my skin is overall brighter! This is perfect if your skin is a bit sensitive and dehydrated.
Why rice?
Rice water has been used for its skin benefits for centuries in Asia. It claims to hydrate, firm, balance, fade dark spots and brighten the skin. Now I can’t confirm its anti ageing powers or even if it brightens the skin (I use so many different products, its hard to attribute just one for brightening action) It dose this by forming a a protective barrier over the skin to prevent water loss. You can you use it as a toner and as an essence.
$28 Available from Wishtrend
Cosrx Advnced Snail Mucin 96 Power Essence
Plump, glowing, healthy skin. Yes please! Rubbing snail slime on your face… not as bad as it sounds – I promise. In the early 2000s snail mucin, also known as snail oil, snail serum, snail filtrate, snail slime, or just “the slime,” began popping up in Korean beauty products. For the uninitiated: Yes, snail mucin is the actual mucus snails secrete to protect themselves from cuts and scrapes as they slither through the world. Apparently, the gross factor hasn’t kept beauty lovers at bay.
What does snail mucin do for the skin? Alot! It moisturizes the skin, promotes collagen production, aids in skin healing and regeneration. Snail mucin is packed with nutrients such as hyaluronic acid, glycoprotein enzymes, antimicrobial and copper peptides. Snail mucin is packed with nutrients such as hyaluronic acid, glycoprotein enzymes, antimicrobial and copper peptides
By the way no snails are harmed in collecting the “slime” For Cosrx products, snails are placed over a mesh net in a dark and quiet room. As nocturnal creatures, the snails prefer this environment. For about 30 minutes, the snails are left alone to freely roam the net, leaving mucin in their trails.Throughout the process, there is no external stress applied to the snails or the mesh net to force mucin production.
$21 Available from Wishtrend
Rovectin LHA Blemish Ampoule
A lot of spot treatments can be irritating and drying on the skin. But not this one! It has my beloved niacinamide, 85% Neroli flower water extract to soothe and calm, antioxidant glutathione brightens, 5 (yes, 5) kinds of hyaluronic acid to moisturise and the star ingredient LHA or
Lipo hydroxy acids. Wait another type of acid? Yes, we have AHAs, BHA, PHAS and now LHAs. A derivative of salicylic acid. It’s much gentler than salicylic acid. So perfect for sensitive skin. Lipo hydroxy acids are known to decongest pores, remove dead skin cells and smoothen skin, leading to a clearer, brighter complexion.
$15 Available from Wishtrend
I’m From Honey Mask
The I’m from honey face mask this mask is just well, incredible! it’s worth its weight in gold. I like a lot of the products from the brand “I’m from” because they just have a very high quality level of skincare. For example, this is a honey face mask the percentage of honey in it is 38.7%, that’s extremely generous compared to 99% of the honey products I find out there. This also formulated with macadamia nut oil, sunflower seed oil both which are really going to hydrate. Then there is snail mucin, one of my favorite ingredients for just plumping and softening the skin. And propolis, and Beta Glucan which is known for reducing sensitivity and redness.
The reason I love this mask is every time you use it your skin just feel so hydrated and soft and moisturized afterwards. And the glow! Oh the glow! Plus it’s in a beautiful glass jar I look at it and I’m like wow there are like a million in one ways I want to reuse you.
$38 Available from Wishtrend
Klairs Fundamental Watery Oil drop
Oily dehydrated skin sounds like an oxymoren but it’s very common. It can be hard to find the right product that is hydrating but soaks into the skin without making it feel oily. And this is exactly what this beautiful product does.
Its jam packed full of moisterising and soothing ingredients like Jeju Green Tea Water, Bifida Ferment Extract (probiotics), Rice extract, hyaluronic acid and two types of peptides. All of which help repair and protect the skins barrier. A strong barrier means less transdermal water loss, meaning more hydrated skin.
It has a really nice long pipette which I love! The texture is exactly as the name suggests. Watery oil, so it has a but of slip, but not to oilly and sinks into the skin quickly.
$31 Available from Wishtrend
Klairs Fundamental Water Gel Cream
Like the watery oil drop this a great for oily skin types yet its hydrating enough for my dry skin. I’ve always gone for thicker creams as my moisteriser and I wouldn’t have picked this for myself but I was intreguied when Wishtrend asked if I wanted to try it.
And I LOVE IT! (Obviously its on this list..) I can’t believe how hydrating it is. I used it all through out winter and it kept my skin fully moisterised. It has 63.7% camellia sinensis leaf extract (green tea) which helps calm and brighten the skin as well as being an excellent antioxidant and helps to retain moisture. Plus panthenol (Vitamin B5) delivers hydration to the deepest layers of the skin.
If you don’t like thick creams this is the moisteriser for you. Especially for the summer months if your skin turns into a greasy mess.
$31 available from Wishtrend
Freshly Juiced Vitamin E Mask
Oh the texture of this! And the ingredients! So much love for this cruelty free k beauty product. And yes it’s another Klairs product. Its called a mask but you can use it as a moisteriser and as an over night mask. Lets talk about the ingredients. As well as Vitamin E (an excellent antioxiant) it also has my fave niacinamide, hyaluronic acid, centella and ceramides. All which moisture, soothe, brighten, balance and plump the skin.
And then theres the texture. Stay with me, but its sort of like a pudding. Spongy and bouncy, its really easy to spread on the skin. This best part is it makes the product bounce back into its original shape as if it was never touched. So every time you open the pot it looks brand new. Which is oddly satisfying.
$27 available from Wishtrend
On my favourite WISHTREND website
If you spend over $80 use the code AFFLIATEONLY30 for 30% off!
Or you can get 15% off with my code SARAH15!
Have you tried any of these cruelty free k beauty products? Do you have a favourite I should try? Comment below and let me know.
ps Some of these products were gifted by wishtrend but this post is not sponsored. These are my honest favourites! This post may contain affiliate links but is not affiliate driven.
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