This beauty brand is a great gateway to Korean inner beauty products
From hit singles like BTS’s Dynamite to exploding Netflix dramas like Squid Game, Korea’s popular culture exports are continuing their impressive surge globally.
Korea’s great cultural wave — also known as “Hallyu” — is categorized by its beautiful actors, singers, and dancers. Given its core as a visual language, Korean pop culture has raised some obvious questions from the rest of us, ordinary folks.
What’s the secret behind Korean beauty?
What products are Koreans using and what habits are Koreans following to maintain that youthful glow?
Inner Beauty is all the rage in Korea
We did a bit of research on the topic — and think we might be onto something. We found that around 70% of Koreans regularly consume health functional foods. These include vitamin supplements (pills, capsules, etc.) and other food products (beverages, snacks) that include special health-oriented ingredients.
In other words, Koreans are loyal consumers of vitamin-packed products. They want to address various concerns in life: growth, aging, energy, digestion, fitness, and more.
One hit category within health functional foods is what Koreans call “Inner Beauty” (in Korean: 이너 뷰티). These are also known as “beauty supplements” or “nutricosmetics”.
Inner Beauty products contain active ingredients that are formulated to address specific skin concerns. These are wrinkles, fine lines, irritation, acne, and more.
THE APRILAB is a best-selling Korean inner beauty brand. According to its CEO,
“If you walk the streets of Gangnam today, you’ll find inner beauty product ads splashed across massive electronic billboards, buses and inside Gangnam’s bustling taxis.
“Every 7/11 check-out counter offers inner beauty products like collagen-filled jellies next to the usual candies and snacks. It seems like every Korean is consuming inner beauty products in 2021.”
A large and growing body of clinical research supports the linkage between consistent consumption of beauty supplements and positive impacts on one’s appearance.
Above all, in Korea, some popular active ingredients include collagen, glutathione, and probiotics. Each of these contributes to or helps a cellular function that can promote youthfulness or help prevent dermatological issues.
For example, collagen is a primary component in human skin; when we age, our natural production of collagen begins to slow down (starting from our 20s!).
Thus, studies show that we can offset some of this natural loss. We can consume collagen in the form of supplements (or naturally collagen-rich foods).
THE APRILAB is a great gateway to Korean inner beauty products
Speaking of collagen supplements, THE APRILAB offers a powerful two-in-one anti-aging supplement called “Time Blast”. It includes both marine collagen (fight fine lines and wrinkles) and milk ceramides (protect the skin barrier).
We get our hands on this blueberry-strawberry “blast”. We love the convenience of taking one small two-gram sachet daily to maintain that sought-after glow.
Participants supplemented with marine collagen saw a significant 35% reduction in wrinkles over a twelve-week period. This is according to one recent clinical study posted on THE APRILAB’s Instagram
‘Super Balance’, however, is our favorite of THE APRILAB’s three products. It’s a mango-flavored probiotic and prebiotic supplement that’s formulated to lower levels of inflammation in the body.
When inflammation occurs in our gut, it can often manifest as acne flare-ups, dry skin, and sensitive skin. Super Balance is an impressive combo.
This is by integrating probiotics to help to balance both the good and bad bacteria in your body and prebiotics to assist with healthy digestion.
Meanwhile, multiple clinical studies — including this one and this one — have suggested probiotics as a way to treat acne in combination with other therapies.
THE APRILAB’s third and best-selling product is ‘Ultrabright’. It is a refreshing citrus-flavored supplement containing a powerful combination of Glutathione and Vitamin C.
Glutathione is an antioxidant produced naturally in our bodies. On the other hand, Vitamin C helps the body to produce and process more Glutathione.
If you’re suffering from acne scars, redness, UV spots, or other hyperpigmentation, Ultrabright is a great option. Through clinical studies like this one, Glutathione has been shown to lighten skin complexion when consumed regularly.
It’s rare that one brand carries a full suite of essential skincare vitamins like THE APRILAB, and we’re also big fans of the giving back component.
For every order, THE APRILAB makes a matching donation to Vitamin Angels, an NGO dedicated to fighting child malnutrition. All of THE APRILAB’s products are made in advanced HAACP production facilities in South Korea.
Still looking for a Christmas gift?
If the answer is yes, THE APRILAB has packed six of its yummy products into a gorgeous silk-matte gift box. It comes with its signature canvas bag, logo water bottle, and a free postcard. In our view, that’s quite a steal at] PHP 1,500!
THE APRILAB’s products can be found on the brand’s official Shopee store here.
