I’m a beauty editor, which means I literally have hundreds of skincare products to test at any given time. This is neither a brag nor a complaint. Although, I suppose it could sound like both. While I consider myself to be an expert in sorting the good from the bad (and the good from the best), there are only a few products that earn my most sincere and precious compliment—that is, they become key players in my personal routine.
All of that is to say that, recently, I noticed something. Many of the skincare products I’ve been using lately are from Japanese brands. In fact, the overwhelming majority of the skincare products I’ve been using lately are from Japanese brands. The products in question are gentle enough to soothe my dehydrated, redness-prone skin, yet active enough to affect positive change. In other words, they hit the skincare sweet spot. Ahead, check out the 17 Japanese skincare products that have become the backbone of my routine, from a skin-soothing cleanser to a lightweight essence-lotion hybrid and beyond.