Honey skin is all about having plump, smooth and dewy looking skin. Whilst it may have faded a bit, honey skin is the original Korean beauty skincare trend. At its score is using skincare that focuses on deep long lasting moisture and repair. The aim is to create smooth supple and naturally radiant honey like skin. Unfortunately, like many K-beauty trends it fell out of fashion. Mainly because a lot of people found it hard to commit to a complex routine. However, it doesn’t have to be complicated or difficult. In this blog, we’ll review the core ingredients you need to get honey skin with a simple skincare routine.
What is Honey Skin?
Like many skincare trends, honey skin came from South Korea. Here hydration and nutrition have always been at the heart of skincare . The term honey skin was coined to describe skin that looks smooth, supple and richly hydrated. This trend is all about layering lightweight hydrating products to achieve naturally radiant and soft skin. It also focuses on long-term skin health rather than short-term fixes.
Honey skin strikes a perfect balance between hydration, glow and nutrition. It’s about keeping the skin deeply moisturised and plump without looking overly shiny or greasy. The goal is to create naturally glowing, healthy skin that retains water over time. Here’s how it compares with newer more viral beauty trends:
- Glass Skin: This focuses on getting ultra-smooth, flawless and almost glass like skin. Glass skin requires intense hydration, exfoliation and clarifying skincare products. The goal of glass skin and its sibling ultra-expensive skin is clear, shiny and transparent looking skin. In contrast honey skin is more modest and relies on smooth, moist and naturally glowing skin.
- Jello (Jelly) Skin: At the core of this look is bounce and elasticity. Jello skin should be ultra hydrated and have a soft jelly like bounce. This trend emphasises ultra moisture and plumpness over glow. It also centres around both skincare and diet to boost the skin’s elasticity.
- Butter Skin: This is more focused on skin texture and and aims for a smooth “lit-from-within” look. Butter skin needs rich moisture and smoothing to achieve a satin rather than a dewy finish. Unlike honey skin, butter skin relies on both makeup and skincare.
Key Skincare Ingredients to Look for
The key to getting plump, dewy and radiant skin is using the right ingredients. These should boost moisture levels, strengthen the skin barrier and enhance glow. If you’re building a skincare routine for honey skin, look for these key ingredients:
- Honey & Propolis Extract: These natural humectants draw water into the skin, helping to maintain deep hydration while also offering antibacterial and anti-inflammatory benefits. Honey is particularly beneficial for calming irritation, whilst propolis provides antioxidant protection and supports skin barrier repair.
- Snail Mucin: A K-beauty staple, snail mucin is packed with hyaluronic acid, glycoproteins and growth factors that promote intense hydration, skin healing and elasticity. It also helps to repair the skin barrier, smooth fine lines and enhance the skin’s natural plumpness.
- Hyaluronic Acid: One of the most famous ingredients, hyaluronic acid can hold up to 1000X its weight in water. It keeps the skin hydrated, plump and smooth.
- Centella Asiatica (Cica): This is a soothing plant extract that helps calm redness, repair skin damage and strengthen the skin barrier. Cica is ideal for sensitive or reactive skin as it plays a key role in maintaining hydration whilst reducing inflammation.
- Peptides: These amino acid chains support collagen production, improve skin elasticity, and enhance hydration. Peptides are essential for keeping the skin firm and plump which is necessary for the bouncy, supple look of honey skin.
- Ceramides: These naturally occurring lipids act as the glue that holds skin cells together, forming a protective barrier that locks in moisture and shields the skin from environmental damage. Strengthening the skin barrier with ceramides ensures long lasting hydration which is key to getting healthy, well nourished skin.
- Niacinamide: This multi-tasking ingredient hydrates, brightens and evens out skin tone whilst also reducing redness and increasing skin barrier function. It also helps minimise pores and reduce sebum production making it beneficial for all skin types including oily and acne-prone skin.
Skincare Routine for Honey Skin
Getting honey skin doesn’t have to involve a lot of time and money or a complex routine. You can start a simple routine or make strategic changes in your existing routine to incorporate some key products. Here’s our easy skincare routine for smooth, glowing and supple honey skin:
- Gentle Cleanser: Cleanse your skin without removing it’s natural oils. A hydrating cream, gel or balm cleanser removes dirt, oil and impurities whilst keeping the skin soft and balanced. Also avoid harsh foaming cleansers with sulphates, as they can dehydrate the skin, damage the microbiome and weaken the skin barrier. Ingredients to look for in a cleanser include honey extract to hydrate and soothe, glycerin to attract water and centella asiatica to calm irritation.
- Hydrating Toner or Essence: This step helps restore moisture immediately after cleansing and preps the skin to better absorb serums and moisturisers. Look for ingredients like propolis extract to nourish skin and hyaluronic acid for deep hydration. Of course also consider niacinamide to brighten and strengthen the skin barrier.
- Lightweight Serum: A hydrating serum is key to locking in moisture and plumping the skin. Look for ingredients like royal jelly extract or snail mucin to support collagen production, peptides to improve elasticity and beta-glucan for deep hydration. Opt for water-based serums that absorb quickly and deliver hydration without feeling sticky or heavy.
- Nourishing Moisturiser: A lightweight but deeply moisturising cream helps lock in hydration and reinforce the skin barrier. Look for ingredients like ceramides to protect against water loss, squalane to mimic the skin’s natural oils and shea butter to soften and nourish.
- Apply Sunscreen (Mornings Only): Sun exposure can dehydrate the skin, break down collagen and cause skin ageing, so daily sunscreen is essential. Choose a broad-spectrum mineral or chemical sunscreen with at least SPF 30 to protect against UV damage.
Consistent use of this hydration focused routine will help you achieve honey skin over time. You can also use it to boost the effects of and reduce irritation from actives like Retinol or Tretinoin and other prescription skincare treatments. Whilst honey skin doesn’t require professional skin treatments, if you want to amplify your efforts consider collagen building treatments like Profhilo and microneedling.
If you want naturally plump, glowing and deeply hydrated skin, the honey skin trend is worth trying. Even better, honey skin is all about using skincare to nourish your skin from within so that it looks and feels healthy in the long term. You also don’t need to worry about having a complicated or expensive skincare routine, you can get honey skin by using a few key ingredients consistently regardless of your skin type.
At City Skin clinic, we are devoted to personalised skincare. Our virtual skin clinic offers safe and effective products like Tretinoin and Hydroquinone where appropriate to treat skin conditions like acne, hyperpigmentation, melasma and skin ageing. Book a virtual consultation with one of our doctors today. The journey towards great skin starts here.
