Korean cosmetics are redefining skin care. Their innovative products have taken the world by storm, giving rise to beauty trends that quickly go viral and stay for years. One such trend is glass skin.
This article explains what glass skin is, how to achieve it step by step, and recommends the most effective products and treatments for this coveted look.
What Is Glass Skin?
Glass skin is a Korean beauty (K-beauty) trend that appeared almost a decade ago in Korea and spread worldwide through social networks. Glass skin was popularized in the West by the famous makeup artist Pat McGrath, when she presented models looking like porcelain dolls at the Maison Margiela Couture Spring 2024 show. It sparked a frenzy among cosmetic professionals and beauty editors who wanted to emulate the clean, smooth, luminous look.
Glass Skin vs. Other Skin Trends
Beauty trends come and go. Some are about sparkle and sheen and others emphasize the skin’s natural glow. Glass skin has enjoyed unwavering popularity for years, competing with similar trends that focus on hydration but provide a different aesthetic.
Mirror Skin
Many skin experts view mirror skin as an upgrade to glass skin. It emphasizes ultra-smooth, reflective skin that looks like a polished mirror. It focuses on rich hydration, exfoliation, and layering light-reflective skin care for a glossy finish.
Glazed Donut Skin
Popularized by Hailey Bieber, this trend favors a dewy, shiny, radiant look that resembles the surface of a glazed donut. The skincare routine is similar to that of glass skin, focusing on deep hydration.
Jell-O Skin
Jell-o skin is firm, supple, and elastic. Achieving this look requires a cosmetic approach and lifestyle habits that promote collagen synthesis.
Cloud Skin
Unlike glass and mirror skins, cloud skin is dewy without being reflective. It involves using hydrating skin care and blurred, lightweight makeup that delivers a diffused glow and a dreamy, airbrushed finish.
Cloudless Skin
This Korean trend sets a challenging goal of achieving smooth, luminous skin without blemishes, dark spots, and other imperfections. In other words, cloudless skin is flawless. It requires consistent and devoted skin care consisting of many steps, products, targeted treatments, and a healthy lifestyle.
Dolphin Skin
Dolphin skin resembles that of the beautiful sea creature. It has a glistening, radiant, sleek, and hydrated look. The trend recommends daily use of rich moisturizers and dewy, light-reflective makeup for a glossy finish.
How to Achieve Glass Skin
To attain glass skin, you need to follow a consistent, multi-step morning and evening skincare routine combined with targeted cosmetic treatments and clean lifestyle practices.
Skin Care for Glass Skin
The essential part element of glass skin care is hydration. Each product in this skincare routine has a distinct purpose – to cleanse, tone, balance the skin’s pH levels, protect the skin from UV rays – but all of them have in common deeply hydrating and moisturizing ingredients. Depending on the type of product, they also contain brightening agents, soothing botanicals, exfoliating plant extracts and enzymes, AHAs and BHAs, antioxidants, etc.
Ingredients to look for in glass skin care include the following:
- Hyaluronic acid – A humectant, this ingredient infuses the skin with moisture for a plump, radiant look.
- Ceramides – Ceramides are emollients, which means they seal in moisture to prevent dehydration and promote a dewy look.
- Glycerin – A common, hydrating skincare ingredient.
- Squalane – Squalane is an occlusive ingredient; it forms a thin, protective film on the skin’s surface to prevent transepidermal water loss and increase hydration. It is anti-inflammatory and non-comedogenic.
- Niacinamide – One of the most potent brightening, oil-balancing, and barrier-strengthening ingredients in skin care.
- Vitamin C – One of the most potent antioxidants in skin care. It brightens the skin, protects it from environmental damage, and supports collagen synthesis.
- AHAs and BHAs – Exfoliating acids gently remove dead skin cells and tighten the pores for a polished, light-reflective appearance.
- Centella asiatica – This powerful antioxidant soothes irritation, supports the skin’s natural barrier, promotes collagen production, and deeply nourishes the skin.
- Green tea – Another natural antioxidant, green tea supports the skin’s resilience and luminosity.
- Aloe vera – This versatile plant moisturizer and soothes the skin, improving its tone and texture.
- Lightweight natural oils – Oils like jojoba, argan, and rosehip are suitable for glass skin care because they deeply hydrate the skin without clogging the pores and leaving a greasy residue.
Note: Learn how vitamin C and niacinamide act when used together.
Lifestyle Changes for Glass Skin
Skin care is vital in the quest for obtaining glass skin, but it’s most effective when paired with a healthy lifestyle. Smoking, lack of sleep, and other poor habits disrupt the skin barrier, leading to moisture loss. It is difficult to make up for it with hydrating topicals.
Consider the following lifestyle modifications if you’re aiming for clean, radiant look.
- Drink at least eight glasses of water to maintain adequate hydration from within.
- Limit the intake of sugars and highly processed foods.
- Limit or eliminate alcohol consumption.
- Quit smoking.
- Aim for seven to nine hours of sleep every night and go to bed before 11 pm, when possible.
- Engage in relaxing activities to relieve stress (e.g., meditation, creative hobbies, etc.).
- Exercise regularly. Daily walks count, especially if you are just starting out.
Treatments for Glass Skin
The quickest and most effective way to rehydrate and rejuvenate the skin is to include targeted cosmetic treatments in your routine. Some of the best procedures for this purpose include minimally invasive procedures that build a stronger skin barrier, increase collagen synthesis, deeply cleanse the pores, and infuse the skin with rich, moisturizing ingredients.
Moxi Laser
Moxi is a newer type of non-ablative laser that heats the skin’s dermal layers without damaging the surface. It helps reduce the appearance of pores and increases collagen production, making the skin look smoother, tighter, and more radiant.
Intense Pulsed Light
Intense pulsed light (IPL) is a type of photofacial treatment that uses laser light to penetrate the skin, stimulating collagen and elastin production. These skin-building proteins help remodel, plump, and firm the skin.
Microneedling with PRP
During microneedling, a device with tiny needles creates micro-injuries on the skin’s surface. Immediately after, platelet-rich plasma (PRP) from the patient’s blood is applied to the skin. The micro-channels created by the microneedling device increase absorption of the rejuvenating growth factors and cytokines present in platelet-rich plasma. The treatment visibly improves skin tone and texture, making it look fresh and luminous.
Chemical Peels
Chemical peels remove the outermost skin layer using solutions that contain varying combinations and concentrations of acids, such as glycolic, lactic, salicylic, and more. These chemicals exfoliate the skin by dissolving damaged skin cells, excess sebum, and impurities, revealing more even-toned, blemish-free skin. It’s important to choose an experienced medical professional for the treatment to avoid damaging and drying out the skin with harsh formulations.
Botox
Botox is an injectable that temporarily relaxes the muscles responsible for skin wrinkling. By smoothing the skin’s surface and reducing the appearance of wrinkles, it helps create a more even look that can enhance the light-reflective, glass-like quality of the complexion.
Hydrating Facials
Facials involve using various skincare products to deeply cleanse, exfoliate, nourish, and hydrate the skin. They are tailored to each patient’s skin type and needs. Some of the most effective facials that provide the smooth texture and radiant glow of glass skin include HydraFacial and Oxygen Infusion.
Our medical professionals at Vibrant Skin Bar can advise you on the best treatment strategy to achieve glass skin or any other beauty goals.
Glass Skin Routine
The glass skin effect comes from layering multiple products, each designed to enhance the skin in a specific way and infuse it with moisture.
Our skin experts suggest the following routine for a glass-skin look.
1. Double Cleanse
Double cleansing is a Korean “invention” and an important first step in the glass skin routine. It involves cleansing twice: first with an oil-based cleanser and then with a gel, cream, or foam cleanser. The goal is to ensure all makeup, excess oil, dirt, debris, and other impurities are thoroughly cleansed and the pores are unclogged.
Our skin experts recommend Osmosis MD Deep Clean Detox Cleanser as the first step. It is formulated with a blend of citrus oils and coconut to gently but effectively eliminate excess oils and dirt.
Follow with Vibrant Cleanse – Biome Enzyme Cleanser. It is an innovative, microbiome-friendly formula rich in barrier-strengthening biotics and exfoliating plant enzymes. It balances the skin’s pH levels, calms inflammation, and prepares the skin for more nourishment in subsequent products.
2. Balance with a Toner
Toners have a specific purpose – to further balance the skin’s pH and sebum production. The goal is to have slightly acidic skin (pH value between 4.7 and 5.7) to maintain the skin’s innate ability to protect itself from pathogenic bacteria and environmental stressors.
Vibrant Tone contains soothing and balancing ingredients like Bio-Fense Probiotic, lemongrass, niacinamide, and willow herb to alleviate inflammation, restore the skin barrier, and support the transformation from dull to glowing skin.
3. Hydrate Some More with an Essence
An essence is an essential step in Korean skin care. It is a watery, concentrated liquid designed to infuse the skin with moisturizing agents so that it better absorbs the active ingredients in the serum that follows. An essence can also contain ingredients for specific skin concerns, such as niacinamide for discoloration or vitamin C for dull skin. Its main purpose is to add a layer of hydration and further plump the skin.
Soondy Centella Asiatica Essence by mixsoon is a lightweight, minimalist essence formulated with 100% Centella asiatica. It promotes collagen production and increases skin moisture to soothe irritated and tired skin.
4. Repair Skin Damage with a Serum
Serums contain concentrated doses of active ingredients to focus on specific skin damage, such as wrinkles, dark spots, rough texture, dehydrated skin, etc.
Desert Vibe Serum is a rich, deeply moisturizing serum formulated with beta-glucan, which is proven to bind more moisture than hyaluronic acid. It contains other balancing and revitalizing ingredients, such as neurophroline, prickly pear, etc. Desert Vibe provides multiple skin benefits, including collagen regeneration, antioxidant protection, and skin brightening, promoting the glass-skin look.
5. Apply Eye Cream
The under-eye area is often the first to signal aging. Dark circles and crow’s feet appear from multiple factors that contribute to premature aging skin, such as lack of sleep, alcohol, smoking, and sun damage. Eye creams can help delay or soften the symptoms and they are vital in the glass skin routine.
Note: Check out our articles on the best eye creams for sensitive skin and eye creams for dark circles to find your ideal pick.
6. Slather on a Moisturizer
After cleansing and prepping the skin, it is ready for a moisture infusion that will invigorate the skin cells. Look for moisturizers with the most effective hydrating agents, such as ceramides, beta-glucan, hyaluronic acid, glycerin, sodium PCA, jojoba oil, aloe vera, etc.
Vibrant Restore contains most of these ingredients, plus hydrating and barrier-strengthening prebiotics and postbiotics, helping all skin types increase and retain moisture.
7. Lock in Moisture with Oils
Face oils deliver deep hydration and seal it on the skin’s surface to prevent moisture loss. Vibrant’s Neuro Vibe is more than a face oil – it’s a superfood oil formulated with innovative neurocosmetic ingredients, which target the brain-skin axis to improve both the patient’s emotional state and cosmetic concerns.
Neuro Vibe is a potent blend of natural oils (avocado, jojoba, grape, rosehip, etc.) to hydrate the skin and give it a dewy look. It also contains Kanabia Sense™, a prebiotic and neurocosmetic ingredient that stimulates oxytocin release, helping to revitalize the skin and support overall wellbeing.
8. Use Sunscreen (The Morning Routine)
Finally, it’s time for sunscreen to prevent UV and environmental damage. This is the final step in the daily glass skin routine.
Skin experts recommend mineral sunscreens with zinc oxide and titanium dioxide as the main ingredients and physical barrier to UV rays. Elta MD UV Daily Broad-Spectrum SPF 40 is a mineral, lightweight sunscreen with hyaluronic acid and vitamin E for added hydration and protection. It is on many “best sunscreen” lists and among our skin professionals’ favorites.
9. Exfoliate Weekly
Exfoliation is an essential weekly procedure if you want glass skin. Use mild exfoliating products with AHAs, BHAs, and exfoliating plant enzymes like papaya and pineapple. They remove impurities from the skin’s surface and unclog pores, enabling better product absorption and a brighter complexion.
AHA/BHA Cream by SkinMedica is an exfoliating cleanser with soothing ingredients that gently scrub away dead skin cells, excess oil, dirt, and debris without stripping the skin of essential oils. It is best to use it 1-3 times per week.
10. Use a Face Mask Weekly
Face masks for glass skin are infused with skin-loving ingredients for a concentrated dose of hydration, pore-cleansing, and nourishment. Use them once or twice per week after cleansing and toning and before a serum and moisturizer.
Vibrant Mud is a clarifying clay mask with detoxifying clays and charcoal that deeply cleanse and unclog the pores, while probiotics and botanicals in the product soothe and moisturize the skin, leaving it refreshed and glowing.
Glass Skin Myths and Misconceptions
In the quest for glass skin, it is easy to confuse strategic layering with an unnecessary use of products containing stripping ingredients and unwittingly damage the skin barrier.
If you want to do the routine right, avoid these mistakes.
Myth 1: Over-exfoliation leads to glowing skin. In fact, excessive cleansing and exfoliation removes protective oils and damages the protective lipid barrier, leading to dry and compromised skin.
Myth 2: Powerful ingredients are faster-acting and more effective. This is partially true. For example, retinol is a potent anti-aging ingredient when used properly. However, excessive, and inadequate use (e.g., applying retinol during the day) can damage the skin. The same applies to AHAs, BHAs, mixing AHAs/BHAs and retinol, mixing retinol and vitamin C, etc.
Myth 3: Glass skin is only for young or oily skin. The truth is that any skin type and people of most ages can achieve the smooth and reflective quality of glass skin with consistent skin care, healthy lifestyle habits, and occasional cosmetic treatments.
Conclusion
Glass skin is not a myth. It is a way of caring for the skin that reflects a healthy lifestyle and results in a natural, smooth, hydrated, and radiant look. It takes time, patience, and information about proper skin care.
If you need product recommendations or help with the skincare strategy, our friendly medical and cosmetic professionals will be happy to advise you.
