The introducers of K-Beauty in Spain, critical of chemophobia: "Unlike food, all cosmetics are processed"

• BEAUTY What is the CSA and why all dermatologists agree on this infallible secret to care for the skin

• SKIN What is 'shot therapy' or shot therapy and why is it in fashion?

Who doesn't like a pink mask or cute patches to treat dark circles?

Undoubtedly, the

Korean

arrived in Spain thanks to an incredible visual attraction:

in pastel colors, with fun, original drawings, never-before-seen textures... products as if taken from a dream that delighted the public. networks.

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What started as a funny beauty ritual, and which lent itself to many

in the Instagram era, has remained in a sector very full of quality formulas at a competitive price.

And we owe a good part of this success to Miin Cosmetics, the gateway for

with its first store in Barcelona, ​​back in 2014.

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Eight years later, this specialized point has added an

store and other points of sale in Madrid, Valencia, Munich and Milan.

After the success of

a book where its creators shared all their wisdom, now comes

(Ed. Zenith), which aims to be a "beauty bible" about its secrets and routines. .

We spoke with her co-authors,

at Grupo NAOS, and

at MiiN Cosmetics, to discover their most useful tips in the world of beauty.

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The #sheetmask hashtag alone accumulates more than a million posts on Instagram.

Why is Korean cosmetics so interested in and why does it move endlessly through social networks?

The flagship product, the cloth mask, has been the perfect excuse to appear constantly.

Bubble masks, with drawings of animals, in multiple colors... When the first articles began to appear in Spain, there was a huge need to sweeten the world of cosmetics and K-Beauty achieved it with all these highly aesthetic elements.

However, this is not enough for Korean cosmetics to stay in a sector as competitive as cosmetics.

They say in their book that it has earned its place due to the value for money and for establishing the 10-step beauty routine, something completely disruptive years ago, when three to four products were used at most in Spain.

How is it different from the western one?

While in the West we trust cosmetics for corrective purposes, in Asia they focus on prevention from a very young age.

They differ in the number of steps, the type of products, the purpose of the cosmetic, and the most common ingredients.

There, sun protection (especially with SPF50+) is essential in any beauty routine since adolescence.

In the West, until recently, it was a step in the routine that we only applied when we went to the beach or skiing.

To this day, in Europe we have learned from Korean innovations and routines and have ended up integrating many of its star steps, treatments and ingredients.

BB Creams, gotu kola, essences, cloth masks, eye patches... They've done it there too!

For example, adopting micellar water.

At ZEN we have just given the simplest and key formula of dermatologists, the CSA: vitamin C and sun protection during the day and vitamin A at night or retinol.

What do you think of these skin care recommendations?

The recommendations will depend on the school and the clinical experience of the dermatologist, since there are also specialists who think that it would not be beneficial to hydrate the skin as a general rule (for example, the school of Dr. Zein Obagi) or that vitamin C would be ineffective (eg Dr. Natalia Spierings).

The ABC routines or the pyramid of Dr. Zoe Draelos are also very famous.

Once we have reviewed the scientific evidence to date, we would quite agree that cleansing, hydration, and protection (from the sun and with antioxidants, such as vitamin C) are a good starting point.

The CSA is a very short way of summarizing a powerful routine.

Although it is only based on three products, it is not exactly an easy routine for the skin.

Vitamin C, being an antioxidant, and sun protection, are two fundamental steps in any routine.

They lay the foundation of skin protection.

Retinol is a cell regenerator, which Dr. Zoe Draelos qualifies as a transformer, located in the second stage of the pyramid.

If we follow her advice, it is important that we include some optimizer in the routine, such as peptides.

I would not dare to affirm that there are more cases of adult acne than before or to infer its causes, perhaps there are simply more cases being reported and there is more interest in image care in general.

We must not forget that acne is a skin disease and that its solution, especially if acne is worrisome, should preferably be found in a medical consultation.

Although, without a doubt, some active ingredients in cosmetics can help a lot in this process.

Currently we start from having gone through a pandemic in which we have had to wear a mask for many hours at a time.

the

It has touched the lives of many people who did not have acne before.

Summarizing the concept: the bacteria found in the area of ​​the mask a perfect humid and warm environment to proliferate, the skin barrier was greatly altered because of the mask and... thousands of people suffered from acne in the jaw area and cheeks.

However, there are many other factors that influence the appearance of acne in adulthood.

It is recognized that stress, poor diet or hormonal changes, especially in women, cause this condition.

They dedicate a chapter to chemophobia.

They will understand that it is normal for people to get lost now that all brands champion this supposed naturalness, and among terms as confusing as bio, eco... Is there any basic notion about it?

It is difficult to summarize this topic in just a few sentences, but we can say that, as consumers, it is very normal for us to be confused due to the bombardment of messages we have received, which associate 'natural' with 'healthier', in a bit the same way What would happen to

Unlike food, all cosmetics are processed.

In the book we analyze the current tendency to unconsciously believe that everything natural is better than synthetic.

How do we read the labels?

Is there a lot of deceit with disguised names?

In principle it shouldn't, since the legislation exists, but the reality is different.

The reader will find in products present in the market

that go beyond the field of cosmetics, such as 'treats acne' or 'treats rosacea', when no cosmetic should claim to treat diseases.

Is the PAO (

) symbol effective for the expiration of a cosmetic once opened?

How do we know if a product is rancid or deteriorated?

The PAO is determined based on certain laboratory tests, so personally I would go by it.

A product that has lost stability shows some change in its properties, such as colour, aroma, viscosity... I would always keep it in a cool, dry and preferably dark place, unless another method of preservation is indicated on the packaging .

It is not my perception.

I also see many people who, after the pandemic and with the current situation, buy

, highly polluting and manufactured with dubious working conditions... I think that concern for this issue also depends a lot on the purchasing power of each person And it's totally legal.

Is sustainability an ambiguous term in cosmetics?

The message that a cosmetic is more sustainable is extremely powerful, yet it is often not applied correctly.

This can generate a misconception towards the consumer of what sustainability is.

In addition, it is a term that in a way is in no man's land.

There is no manual for sustainability in cosmetics.

Officially, no legislature has laid the foundations by which a brand can say that its product is sustainable or not.

This makes each one use and understand it at will, so the consumer is not fully aware of what is behind the concept.

Many marketing and media campaigns have linked sustainability with "more natural" but this is not the case.

Sustainability encompasses much more than the use of plastic in a container or recycled paper bags.

It also has to do with the production of this cosmetic, transportation and storage, the brand's corporate social responsibility policies, the extraction of raw materials, the recyclability of the packaging... It is always understood that cleaning is the first step. most important and even a double cleaning is essential.

However, they warn us not to abuse it.

Why?

Like everything, an excess is harmful and could alter the skin barrier.

For example, people with acne-prone skin may be tempted, in an attempt to improve the condition of their skin, to wash very frequently, thus aggravating the problem further.

How to be able to, you can.

Especially lipstick, eyeliner or

mascara will not cause headaches.

However, it would be convenient to remove other types of product prior to exercising, such as a make-up base, especially on problematic skin.

The best beauty advice...

Use sun protection and be wary of any cosmetic that promises miraculous results.

Another

would be to obtain the information from reliable sources.

On Instagram, for example, @miincosmetics offers helpful advice;

and there are also accounts of independent outreach specialists.

My biggest piece of advice is for consumers to trust science to take care of their skin.

It is important that you invest in dermatologically tested products and clinically proven effective formulas and take advice from dermatologists and pharmacists.

Skin conditions such as rosacea, dermatitis or acne are skin diseases that have to be controlled by doctors.

googling

in forums to skip that step.

Enough of trying to create homemade cosmetics to treat our skin in a miraculous way.

The experts and experts, dermatologists and dermatologists and pharmacists and pharmacists are there to advise us.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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