Is “Glass Skin” Over? Why Korean Skincare Is Going Realer and Simpler in 2025

Once upon a serum-soaked time, “glass skin” was the holy grail of Korean beauty — luminous, poreless, translucent perfection. Skincare routines were 10 steps long (minimum), and ingredient lists read like a scientific novel: niacinamide, peptides, licorice root, snail mucin, tranexamic acid, arbutin, and then some.

But in 2025? That era might be… over. Or at least, evolving.

💧 From “Glass” to “Genuine”: The Texture Revolution

Today’s Korean beauty trend isn’t about looking flawless. It’s about looking real. Think: visible pores, a healthy flush, maybe even some actual skin texture (gasp!). It’s not that glowy skin is gone — it’s just becoming softer, more breathable, and a lot more human.

Gen Z in Korea, in particular, is pushing back against the hyper-glossy, filtered aesthetics that dominated the past decade. They’re not chasing perfection — they’re chasing authenticity. A new wave of “real skin” influencers are posting selfies with minimal makeup, textured skin, and captions like “I skipped toner today and the world didn’t end.”

Refreshing, right?

🧪 The Rise and Fall of the “Skincare Buffet”

This shift isn't just visual — it's also formulational. For a while, Korean skincare was all about MORE: more actives, more steps, more claims. Products often had 8+ hero ingredients, trying to be a brightener, hydrator, barrier repair, wrinkle reducer, and exfoliant… all in one.

But here’s the problem: overloaded products can overwhelm your skin. Dermatologists in Korea started seeing more people with sensitized, irritated skin from trying to do too much. Suddenly, “simple” became sexy again.

Enter: the ingredient minimalists. Brands are now formulating with less but better — maybe one or two key actives at optimized concentrations, paired with calming bases. It’s about strategic layering, not ingredient chaos.

🧴 Goodbye 10 Steps, Hello Skin Breathing Space

More and more Koreans are curating their routines instead of collecting products. A typical modern routine might look like this:

• A gentle, creamy cleanser

• A watery toner with ONE purpose (like soothing or barrier care)

• A single-ingredient serum (maybe centella, maybe green propolis)

• Lightweight, cushiony moisturizer

• Sunscreen. Always sunscreen.

That’s it. No sheet mask marathons. No seven-step layering. Just skin that breathes, heals, and glows quietly.

🧡 So What Does This Mean For You?

If you’ve ever felt skincare fatigue — from 20-minute routines, from chasing unrealistic “glass” skin, or from trying to decode a cocktail of ingredients — this is your permission to slow down. Let your skin be skin. Let it breathe. Let it live with a little personality (aka texture, unevenness, maybe even a freckle or two).

You don’t need the world’s longest INCI list to have great skin. You just need a routine that respects your skin, not overloads it.