Japanese skincare has been the talk of the show the past recent years, its greatness goes beyond just caring for your skin, but it is also a culture that has been deeply rooted in Japan. For many Japanese women, having that radiant, smooth and plumped skin is their ultimate goal, and that “glass skin” has been a popular hype in the western countries recently!

            If you are visiting Tokyo or Osaka, you cannot miss out on visiting drugstores and local supermarkets, you will be amazed by the options and varieties of skincare products at a very affordable price. Japanese skincare offers wide range of options that aim to cater towards all skin types, from dry, oily, acne-prone, sensitive and delicate skin. However, if you are not planning to visit Japan, but you’re in love with Japanese skincare, here we have an in-depth list and recommendations of Japanese products that will not disappoint you!

 

 

 

Morning routine

Many people fell into the myth of not washing their face in the morning, believing that there will be no built-up dirt while you are sleeping. The truth is, while this might work for people with small pores, those with particularly large pores and acne-prone skin shouldn’t be falling for this theory. Cleansing your face in the morning is quite important, from rolling around in bed, there can surprisingly be a lot of dirt and unwanted particles building up throughout the night.

We find that in a lot of Japanese skincare, hyaluronic acid is quite a popular ingredient for moisture balance. Japanese people are quite obsessed with that dewy and glowing skin, therefore hydration is the key to achieve this look. For morning routine, it is best to keep to it simple yet effective. The product you use on your skin should be moisturising as well as protecting you from the UV rays.

 

 

Night routine

If you wear good amount of makeup don’t forget to spend time taking care of your skin and clean it well before jumping into the bed. The most important thing about night-time routine is to ensure that you remove every last strain of makeup, dirt and sunscreen that can block your pores. It is also important to ensure that your skin is given the right amount of moisture because your skin actually loses hydration while you’re asleep, as the moisture is being used towards skin repairment.

Giving your skin a proper treatment before bedtime is like giving yourself a nice and relaxing bath after a long day at work! It is soothing as well as therapeutic. Applying face mask is a great way to end your night, remember to give your skin a proper reward each day! Therefore, ensuring that you give your skin hydration before bedtime is extremely important. 

 

 

 

Step 1: Cleansing

The purpose of morning cleanser is to clean out dirt and dead skin cells that has been building up overnight, it also washes away the sleepiness and give you a morning refreshment. Cleansers come in all types and textures. If you have dry skin, you may want to look into oil cleanser or foaming wash because they do not strip away natural moisture in your skin. However, with oily or acne-prone skin, cleanser with a milky, non-foaming consistency is highly preferred. Washing away dirt and dead skin will ensure that your skin can absorb the skincare products to its full capacity!!

 

Here are some of our recommendations are:

 

 

Senka Perfect Whip Cleansing Foam

The Shiseido Perfect Whip Cleansing Foam is rich in moisture, it contains naturally derived hyaluronic acid to bring moisture without disturbing the skin. It is enclosed in dense white cocoon foam; its purpose is to slides on pores and absorb dirt and dead skin more efficiently. The forming mechanism allows the cleanser to reach every tiny crease of your face and gently clean with its powerful cleansing system.

 

 

 

Hada Labo Foaming Cleanser

The famous Hada Labo Foaming Cleanser is second to none, it’s known for its extremely hydrating power, that brings the right moisture to your skin. The milky Hada Labo Gokujyun face wash has a high cleaning ability, containing powerful penetrating ingredients that effortlessly wash away dirt and impurities.

 

 

 

Step 2: Exfoliator

Although your skin is super delicate, it is important that you give your skin a scrub and deeply cleansing it at least once a week. By scrubbing, we do not mean harshly rubbing your skin until it turns red!! To exfoliate your skin properly, use a gentle exfoliator that will do its job without damaging your skin. Japanese exfoliators are known to be very gentle on the skin as well as serving the purpose of getting rid of dead skin. Ensure that you get deep into the creases of your nose can help get rid of blackheads and sebum. You can also find cleansers that serve the purpose of exfoliating as well like the Biore Skincare Scrub and Cleanser face wash.

 

 

Step 3: Toner

Toner is an extremely important step that should be added to your skincare routine, although you may be doubting the importance of this step, it actually serves various benefits for your skin. Essentially, it restores the skin’s pH balance which ensures that your skin stays hydrated, youthful and optimal at all time. When the pH level is imbalance, it can cause irritations, redness and enlarged pores.

Toner also helps reduce the appearance of large pores, it allows makeup to spread smoothly and flawlessly. Another hidden benefit of toner is that it prevents ingrown hairs because toner helps get rid of the oil in the oil glands which reduces the oiliness on the surface of your skin. Japanese has many great toners that also moisturise the skin.

We highly recommend the Naturie Hatomugi Skin conditioner/ toner it can be used daily to prepare your skin to better absorb products that are layered on after, it promises to keep your skin moisturised and nourished.

 

 

 

 

Step 4: Essence

Yes, essence is not absolutely essential but if you are aiming for that youthful, smooth and radiant skin, applying an essence can deliver all those wishes. Essentially, it serves the purpose of toner and serum, it is just an ultimate magical product that usually contain enriched premium ingredients to fix all your skin concerns.

Our recommendation is one of the world best-selling essences of all time, SK-II Facial Treatment Essence. This light yet powerful essence deeply penetrates the skin to a cellular level, allowing the skin to truly experience the benefit of its rich ingredients list. The SK II treatment contains 90% or more of its famously known PiteraTM, which promises to deliver a hydrated, rejuvenated and radiant complexion with just a few drops of its miracle essence. 

 

 

 

 

Step 5: Moisturiser

By now you may feel tired and sleepy from following all these steps and just want to jump into your bed. But please don’t forget moisturiser! As we have established by now, hydration is extremely important for your skin. Especially if you have oily, acne-prone and dry skin. The myth about having oily skin means there is no need for moisturiser is completely foolish. Japanese moisturiser is especially amazing at delivering nothing but moisture to your skin, a lot of Japanese products include hyaluronic acid which is a number one ingredient when it comes to hydration.

One of our favourite Japanese moisturisers is, the Hada Labo Gokujyun Hyaluronic Acid Lotion. This fragrance-free lotion contains carefully selected hyaluronic acids, which are highly moisturizing ingredient, aiming to deliver moisture directly into the skin in the simplest form.

 

 

 

Now you may get into your bed knowing that your skin is being well taken care off.

 

 

 

Step 6: Sunscreen

Now a little extra step for the PM time. Sunscreen, sunscreen and sunscreen! If you are one of those people who are too lazy to put on sunscreen, you need to stop that behaviour! We cannot stress how important sunscreen is, not only it protects your precious skin from all the damage that the sun can cause, it also helps with the process of anti-aging.

So, if you want to have that forever flawless skin, we highly encourage you to start using sunscreen. Japanese sunscreen is particularly known for its lightweight and silky-smooth texture. It can protect your skin from up to 50 SPF PA+++ yet so light weight that you don’t feel a heavy burden on your skin!

 

We will introduce you some of our favourite! Anessa Perfect UV Sunscreen, t is the perfect sunscreen that blocks powerful ultraviolet that pierces into the skin barrier. The advanced sunblock aqua booster technology allows stronger UV block when exposed to sweat and water. Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence SPF50+/PA++++, it introduces an advance micro defense formula, allowing the sunscreen to evenly glides onto the surface and preventing an uneven coating of the product to a micro level gap. It also works great as a makeup primer.

 

 

 

 

Step 7: Face mask

Give your skin a little oomph it deserves with some amazing Japanese face masks, Japanese face mask are known for its cute packaging, innovativeness and of course, hydration! Daily skincare routine is obviously very important for your skin, however sometimes your skin may go through a little rough time which can cause dullness, dehydration, acne, dark circles and hyperpigmentation. This is when facemasks come in handy! They’re great at fixing temporarily skin issues overnight.

 

We recommend you try the Lululun Pink Face Mask 7 Sheets,one of Japan’s bestselling sheet masks, it enhances the barrier functioning between skin cells and improves the foundation of your skin. Designed specifically for daily use to deliver various wonderful benefits for healthy skin.

 

 

 

 

Step 8: Lip treatment

After your face is well taken care of, don’t forget your precious lips!! Especially during wintertime, your lips can be dry and dehydrated which can actually be quite painful! Applying a thick layer of good quality lip balm will ensure that you wake up with soft and plumbed lips that make you appear healthier! Nothing is better than beautifully moisturised lips.

Here are some of our favourites lip treatments, the Curel Lip Care Balm it is just great at what it claims to do, it is also great for gentlemen as it has no colour. The DHC Moisturising Lip Balm is also amazing at moisturising your lips, they come in variety of scents and colours!