Most of us don’t need K-beauty explained. Somewhere along the way, nearly all of us went down the rabbit hole, whether that meant ordering from online sellers, hoarding products at Olive Young whenever we’re in Seoul, or studying how Korean makeup artists apply a cushion. Chances are, in the past few years, K-beauty has found its way into your routine—and stayed.
That was clear the moment members of The Beauty Edit community gathered for a K-beauty-themed edition of The Editor’s Room on October 19 at SM Beauty in SM Makati. When we asked them to share the first Korean product they loved, or the one they never let run out, nearly everyone named more than one.
With a room full of seasoned fans, we skipped the 10-step primer and brought in the experts: makeup artist Tamara Pineda, and SM Beauty Senior Marketing Manager Retty Contreras. We put the harder questions to them. How does Korean skincare translate to Manila heat and humidity? Where does layering stop helping? And with a whole floor of Korean and Asian brands, where do you even begin?
Start With Your Skin
Pineda, who loves K-beauty as much as we do, opened with the least glamorous part of any routine: knowing your skin type. The idea was to find a skincare match rather than a hero product. That means a routine built around what your skin does on an ordinary Manila day, not what worked for someone else’s feed.
Many Korean routines were designed for Korea’s changing seasons, cold, dry winters included. Manila’s heat and humidity call for a different approach. Pineda explained the difference between hydrating and moisturizing: Hydrating ingredients, like hyaluronic acid and glycerin, draw water into the skin, while moisturizers seal it in. Even oily skin in humid weather needs both, just in lighter textures.
She also introduced skincare “wardrobing,” which means treating your routine like your closet, with pieces you rotate depending on the day, the weather, and what your skin is doing. From there, she also talked about layering, K-beauty’s signature move, with a reminder not to overdo it. More steps, after all, don’t always mean better skin.
So Much K-Beauty Under One Roof
Once you know what your skin needs, the next question is where to find it. The good news is that much of what K-beauty fans reach for is already in one place at SM Beauty, as Contreras shared.
Mediheal’s wide range of toner pads sits on a shelf above Anua’s complete line, home of the cult heartleaf toner. Torriden, one of Korea’s most sought-after brands, beloved for its lightweight textures and hyaluronic acid line, is also there. So are other favorites: Beauty of Joseon, which draws on traditional Korean herbal ingredients; Biodance, known for its viral overnight collagen mask; Some By Mi, a go-to for acne-prone skin; budget-friendly Deoproce, with options for nearly every skin concern and age; Axis-Y, with its minimalist, barrier-friendly skincare; and Genabelle, among others. Beyond K-beauty, Japanese staples like Senka and Bioré are on the shelves too, along with other Asian beauty gems. Check out our quick guide here:
The key to navigating the shelves is knowing which ingredients your skin needs before you grab anything.
K-Beauty, Personalized
Then came the fun part. Each guest received shopping credits to put toward their K-beauty picks, then decked them out with gems, stickers, and charms. They also got to customize a tote bag with a beauty-themed print to carry everything home.
It seemed fitting that the afternoon ended with everyone personalizing their picks. That was the whole lesson, really: K-beauty works best when you make it your own, and for us, that means making it work for Manila.
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