Charlotte Cho Releases the Ultimate Guide to Korean Beauty
Charlotte Cho, founder of Soko Glam, has released a guide to Korean beauty. (Photo: Yahoo Beauty)
If you’ve ever had a question about Korean beauty, it’s about to be answered. Charlotte Cho, founder of online Korean beauty destination Soko Glam, is releasing her first book and it’s officially the new K-Beauty bible. In The Little Book of Skin Care ($15), Cho talks about the journey that led her to launch Soko Glam in 2012, from her do-nothing attitude about skin care as a teen in California (“I was determined to blaze my own trail, and going to sleep without moisturizing my face — or even (gasp!) washing it — was my forte.”) to diving deep into the world of K-beauty after moving to Seoul after college. The book explores why skin care is at the heart of Korean beauty, all while breaking down the mysteries surrounding double cleansing, getting naked at the spa, and that much discussed 10-step skin care routine.
“I tried to make the book as fun as possible and I think relatable especially because I am from California, born and raised, and I wasn’t into skin care all my life,” Cho tells Yahoo Beauty. “I think also, skin care can be a dry topic; I know no one really wants to talk about ingredients. I think that is what Korea does so well, they make it interesting and fun and different so it’s not a chore.” If there is one thing Cho does in her debut book, it’s exactly that. Sprinkled throughout the chapters are illustrations and graphics by Gemma Correll that are just as cute as the K-beauty packaging you’re bound to fall in love with — which Cho points out is an important element of the beauty game in Korea — and personal skin stories model Soo Joo Park and actress Yeon-seo Oh.
Charlotte Cho’s “The Little Book of Skin Care” is out now. (Photo: Harper Collins)
Whether you’re just diving into the world of Korean skin care or have been double-cleansing for months, Cho’s guide is great for beginners and novices alike. As soon as the book landed on my desk, I skipped ahead to Chapter 7 where Cho breaks down that 10-step skin care routine — something that I’ve been fascinated with for some time because seriously, how do you make something that intense a part of your daily routine? But Cho makes it all super easy to understand while including her product recommendations and breakdowns of tricky ingredients like snail mucin. “Most Koreans don’t use ten products every morning and every night. It’s really all about having just an arsenal of beauty products that you can use when you need them,” she says. “Really, it’s what you need, and that changes on a monthly, weekly, daily basis.”
For beginners, Cho recommends focusing on getting a clean face, which sounds easy, but so many people neglect to properly cleanse their skin on a daily basis (skip ahead to page 103 to get your lesson in Korean cleansing). After that, Cho says you can start to incorporate things like toner, essence, and sheet masks as needed. Since Korean beauty (and Cho’s personal beauty philosophy) is all about taking care of your skin first, you won’t get into the world of fashion and makeup (like cute pineapple shaped lip balms and teddy bear under eye brightener sticks) until Chapter 9.
The book is not only a guide to cult-favorite (and Soko Glam-approved) skin care brands, ingredients, and routines, it also offers a look at Korean culture as a whole, from Cho’s favorite television dramas to her 10 favorite Korean dishes. “I think it just genuinely came out in my story because it was an exploration of beauty. It was also an exploration of culture at the time,” she says of the book. “A lot of the things that I feel pertain to Korean beauty make since once you start to hear the backstory.” If you read this book and don’t immediately start searching for flights to Seoul, you’re doing something wrong.
Purchase The Little Book of Skin Care here.
Related:
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