Japanese beauty products and brands to have on your radar

You've heard of K-beauty, now it's time to wise up on J-beauty

There's no denying it, Japanese beauty products are some of the biggest players on the global beauty stage.

The truth is that, like Korean beauty, Japan is responsible for bringing us some of the very best face serum, cleansers and lotions in the world. What's more, it's the birthplace of some of the biggest beauty brand names on the market. Shiseido? SK-II? SUQQU? You guessed it, all Japanese.

Curious to learn more about the country's beauty brands and famous skincare routine? We asked Japanese skincare brand Curél's aesthetic dermatologist ambassador, Dr Catharine Denning, for a bit more insight.

What trends have we borrowed from Japanese beauty?

'From double cleansing to face masks, there isn't much that we in UK can't take from the J-beauty regimen,' Dr Denning says. 'Double moisturisation is a lesser-known trend that I predict to be adopted this year by the UK beauty enthusiasts.

'A great place to start is to use Curél's ceramide-rich, dry and sensitive skin range (actually suitable for all skin types despite the name). This incorporates all of the J-beauty steps and is easy-to-use, feels luxurious but at a high street price point.

'More and more in this country we are adopting the effortless, natural make-up look that the Japanese are famous for and so beautiful and hydrated skin is becoming more of a focus, thanks to our trend setting J-beauty friends.'

Japanese beauty ingredients

'Japanese skincare tends to use naturally-derived ingredients such as green tea, which acts as an antioxidant on the skin. Rice and silk proteins are great for supporting hyaluronic acid production in the skin and so are often found in the hydrating face masks and the lotion step of the J-beauty routine.

'Rice extract is also a good source of ceramides, which are beneficial to repair the skins hydrolipid barrier in compromised skin.'

Japanese skincare routine

Step 1 – Cleanse

'The first step of any routine is to cleanse! Rather than using the foams and gels that we would steer towards in the uk, J-beauty focuses on the luxury of rich creams and oils to cleanse with. The Japanese like to have a luxurious ritual to start and end their day.'

Step 2 – Cleanse again

'Double cleansing is a must in the J-beauty routine, particularly at the end of the day. You'll never feel cleaner when you get into the swing of it'

Step 3 (optional) – Face mask

'The Japanese skincare regimen wouldn’t be complete without a regular face mask with either active or hydrating ingredients to match your skin concern.'

Step 4 – Essence or lotion

'Not a creamy lotion that we would think of in the UK, but rather a liquid, hydrating fluid that's more like a toner consistency. Lotion is used after cleansing at the beginning of your routine to really help the subsequent products penetrate into your skin more efficiently. This is the first moisturisation stage in their "double moisturisation" step.'

Step 5 – Serum (optional)

'There is an increasing trend towards brightening serums in Japan to help with skin texture and even out pigmentation, so often this step is focussed on brightening ingredients.'

Step 6 – Moisturiser

'This step tends to be a bit more bespoke to skin type, with lighter, hydrating gels for oily or acne-prone skins and heavier, often oil-based creams for drier skin needing more nourishment. This completes the second moistuisation step of the double moisturisation process that is so popular in the routine.'

Step 7 – Eye cream

Finish the whole thing off with your best eye cream, patting a little into the delicate skin using your ring finger.

Keep scrolling to learn about some of the best Japanese beauty products you can get your hands on in the UK, including both make-up and skincare buys.