K-beauty Trend Spotlight: Single Ingredient Products

Minimalism is currently big trend in Kbeauty. As Korean beauty customers
become ingredient-savvy, there has been a movement in K-beauty to reduce the number of ingredients in products to simplify skincare routines.

Brands like Huxley have emerged with a minimal skincare approach, a.k.a. Skipcare, and Make P:rem’s Safe Me range uses only 12 to 15 ingredients leading to a new era of Single Ingredient Products

So what are single ingredient products?
A single-ingredient product (or SIPs as we like to call them) is a super concentrated extract of one ingredient, often a plan-based one like mugwort or Centella Asiatica (Cica), usually in the form of essence or serum.

SIPs are gaining popularity as they are skin concern specific and tackle these skin concerns in a highly effective way.

SIPs are also highly favoured by those with sensitive skin as, the limited number of ingredients makes it easier to work out what your skin does and doesn't like, if you ever react to a product.

Are they really single ingredient?
Most single-ingredient products are extracts. During the extraction process, two ingredients may be added to ensure that the product is both easy and safe to use.

The first extra ingredient is almost always a solvent – an ingredient that the main ingredient is dissolved in (which is usually distilled water). This process is the same as adding hot water to your coffee grounds so you can drink it, meaning these products are still considered a single ingredient.

The other extra ingredient is usually a preservative that will keep your product fresh and prevent any nasties from growing in it (bacteria be gone). With SIPs, a small amount of preservative is usually added to the main ingredient before it is extracted, allowing them to pass as single-ingredient products.

What single ingredient products do you recommend?
At TONIC15 like give our skin a SIP to make sure it stays healthy and hydrated.

The I’m From Mugwort Essence has become a favourite among the TONIC15 team,
especially for treating acne and irritated skin. It’s a slightly viscous essence so it’s perfect for when you want to have a mini masking session using an essence & cotton pads.

The Make P:rem Chaga Essence is also a great essence for sensitive or dry skin. In this essence, the chaga has been extracted using a cold-press method making the serum highly concentrated and also allowing it to remain effective for a long time. It has a more watery consistency than the I'm From Essence, so it to be used as a toner as well.

Other Single-ingredient products that are buzzing in Korea

If you’re travelling in Korea, check out the Nug Original Series, a single-ingredient skincare range with a focus on efficacy.

You might also want to check out the Amore Pacific Vintage Single Extract Essence. This product uses green tea leaves from Jeju Island that have been naturally fermented and aged for 100 days to create a powerful anti-aging essence that is jam-packed with anti-oxidants.