Esta página também existe em português: Português (Brasil)
Skincare around the world
Why does the Korean routine have 10 steps and the Japanese one almost none? This page compares the world's great skincare schools and tells the documented history of 7 products and ingredients that changed the industry.
The skincare schools compared
| School | Philosophy | Typical steps | Signature ingredients |
|---|---|---|---|
| Korean | Prevention and layered hydration; skin as a long-term project | Up to 10 steps: double cleanse, toner, essence, serum, sheet mask, eye care, cream, sunscreen | Ferments, centella asiatica, snail mucin |
| Japanese | Ritual simplicity and consistency; fewer products, applied with method | Oil cleansing, watery lotion (keshosui) in layers, moisturizer, daily sunscreen | Camellia, rice, green tea |
| French | Pharmacy dermocosmetics: sober formulas, recommended by dermatologists | Gentle cleansing (micellar water was born here in 1995), cream, sunscreen; little makeup | Thermal water, micellar water, ceramides |
| American | Evidence-backed actives and routine minimalism | Cleanse, one strong active (retinoid, vitamin C or acid), moisturizer, sunscreen | Retinoids (Retin-A, 1971), niacinamide, alpha hydroxy acids |
| Brazilian | Bath and body culture, inherited from 19th century apothecaries | Generous bathing, daily body moisturizing, sunscreen as a tropical country habit | Apothecary botanical extracts (Granado has compounded them since 1870) |
Iconic products and ingredients, with documented history
| Product | Year | Origin | History |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nivea Creme | 1911 | Beiersdorf, Hamburg | The world's first cream with a stable water and oil emulsion, thanks to the emulsifier Eucerit, by Isaac Lifschütz; the name comes from the Latin nix, nivis, snow |
| Granado | 1870 | Rio de Janeiro | Apothecary founded by José Antônio Coxito Granado; in 1880 emperor Dom Pedro II named it official pharmacy of the Brazilian imperial family |
| Niacinamide (ingredient) | 1937 | United States | Conrad Elvehjem isolated the amide form of vitamin B3 while researching the cure for pellagra; decades later the ingredient migrated into skincare |
| Retin-A / tretinoin (ingredient) | 1971 | University of Pennsylvania | FDA approved for acne in 1971, from Albert Kligman's work; patients noticed younger-looking skin and the anti-aging retinoid was born. The story has a dark chapter: early testing on inmates at Holmesburg Prison |
| SK-II Facial Treatment Essence (Pitera) | 1980 | Japan | In the 1970s, scientists noticed the youthful hands of elderly sake brewery workers; after screening about 350 yeast strains they isolated Pitera and launched the first product in December 1980 |
| Bioderma Sensibio H2O | 1995 | France | The world's first micellar water, created by the Bioderma laboratory for sensitive skin and at first distributed through dermatologists |
| Cushion IOPE (AmorePacific) | 2008 | South Korea | The world's first cushion compact, launched in March 2008 after research started in 2007, with over 3,600 tests on 200 sponge types; the inspiration was parking lot stamps |
Every country cares for skin its own way
Skincare is a cultural mirror. South Korea turned the routine into a project: the famous 10-step ritual became a global expression after Korean-American entrepreneur Charlotte Cho, co-founder of the shop Soko Glam, coined the term, spread by American beauty media from 2014 on. Japan cultivates the apparent opposite, few products and great consistency, with the watery keshosui lotion applied in layers. France built its school inside the pharmacy: sober formulas recommended by dermatologists, like the micellar water Bioderma invented in 1995 that the whole world now copies. The United States bet on active-ingredient dermatology, a direct inheritance of 1971's Retin-A. And Brazil has a tradition of its own, of bath and body, going back to 19th century apothecaries like Granado, founded in Rio de Janeiro in 1870 and named official pharmacy of the imperial family by emperor Dom Pedro II in 1880.
Stories that sound like legend, but have sources
SK-II's is the most told: in the 1970s, scientists in Japan noticed that elderly sake brewery workers had age-worn faces but smooth, young hands, from decades immersed in fermentation. The clue led to screening about 350 yeast strains until isolating the one that became Pitera, launched in December 1980. The Korean cushion was born from a mundane object: AmorePacific researchers took inspiration from parking lot stamps to soak liquid foundation into a sponge, and the IOPE Air Cushion of March 2008 created an entire makeup category. And 1911's Nivea Creme only exists because chemist Isaac Lifschütz created Eucerit, the first emulsifier able to hold water and oil together in a stable blend.
Important notice
This is a history and culture page, not advice. Skin is a medical subject: what works for one face can irritate another. Before adopting actives such as retinoids or acids, see a dermatologist. Brands are mentioned in editorial, nominative use; this site is independent and has no ties to any of them.
Sources: nivea.com (official history), Wikipedia and sk-ii.com (Pitera), stories.amorepacific.com and Beauty Packaging (cushion), bioderma.ca (Sensibio H2O history), Wikipedia and the Journal of Drugs in Dermatology (tretinoin), Wikipedia (nicotinamide), granado.com.br and Wikipedia (Casa Granado), Parade and The Monodist (Korean 10-step routine). Snapshot of July 2026.
Last updated: · Methodology and sources