[Musings] Intro & An Effort to Deinfluence

"be the change you want to see"

One of the more veteran mods at r/AsianBeauty said that to me early on about something I wanted to see more of on the sub. As obvious as "post the type of content you want to see in a user-generated content space" was...it didn't click until she said it.

I enjoy marketing, business strategies, international relations, and skincare, and how all of that effects and is affected by our ever changing environment, so I started curating a little newsletter on the sub. It was as much for me as for others, and feeling like I "needed" to put something out kept me accountable. Each one took a lot of work. When one of the posts was somehow lost to the void before publishing, I decided to stop, at least on that platform, because it was honestly a pretty big heartbreak. But I really did enjoy the content of the newsletters and had a lot of fun catching up on news in the AB-realm for it. I could continue reading up on such content for my own benefit, but I'd still need something to keep me accountable. So in the spirit of "be the change you want to see", here we are.

It started out originally as "In AsianBeauty News", then it became "AB News" and since I'm on a new platform, I wanted to include a touch of myself (or, my own musings), so I landed on AB Muse. I'm not saying I'm an AB muse, and frankly, I wouldn't even know what that would mean.

I've changed a lot since I first stumbled onto r/AsianBeauty almost 10 years ago, as has the sub. One of my favorite bloggers, who was also a mod too, ended her public AB journey in 2019 with a final post that boiled down to moving on and some disillusionment with what she was witnessing with the hobby she once got so much joy out of. So I thought it would be fun to start my blog with my own little railings. 

The following was originally written by me in February 2023, with some minor formatting changes.

Edit: I deleted the above linked Reddit post as part of a migration as of June, 2023.

The amount of misinformation being peddled out to people by brands and "influencers" has been disheartening to see, especially when it's preying on those of a younger age who are suffering through their own insecurities. Made worse by the fact these “influencers” and brands are looking to monetize and increase likes/clicks/views off of selling people lies and “problems”.

 

Some interactions I’ve had lately made me think what I view as obvious may not be so to some. So, in case you’re new, young, or weren't aware, I hope this provides some insight to what you may see on and off this sub.

 

I do not work in the industry nor claim any sort of authority or advanced knowledge that can’t be found searching the sub or a little googling. I just really hate people who spread misinformation.

What an Influencer Is (to me)

Having a unique voice, good research, thorough testing, or your own style pales in comparison to mastering the perfect flat lay, with carefully-yet-carelessly glimpsed trappings of a successful life…–Snow White and the Asian Pear

 

Probably my favorite AB blogger at the time and former AB mod; no I don’t know her.

 

This sub played a big (if not the biggest) role in popularizing AB in the west and was built by people who, of their own volition, read scientific journals and eagerly shared reviews of new products and knowledge before "skinfluencer" was a thing. It came from a genuine place. People learned from each other here and helped hundreds if not thousands of people with their skin and self-esteem.

 

An influencer should be providing quality content to you outside of just reviewing products they’ve been paid/gifted/discounted to review. They should educate you, help you, and that should be backed up; which is time-consuming and hard. It's much easier for them churn out content by pretending to be knowledgeable and repeat the first thing they’ve heard/skimmed, possibly even off this sub, or just pull lies out of their...

 

If you see some self-proclaimed skinfluencer advising to only use “verified sunscreens” (bs), advising starting retinol/tret/botox as early as possible (unnecessary), being able to discern how “good” or “bad” a product is based only on the ingredients list (impossible), fearmongering "chemicals" (hello H2O), demonizing lines (they're normal), etc. ask why you think they know what they’re talking about because chances are, they don’t. Stop giving them follows/views/clicks/comments/likes. Don’t even hate-comment. Just block and move on. If you wouldn't associate with a liar with an an over-inflated ego in your real life, why are you letting them invade your social media space?

 

You're being used. If you, as an "influencer", are not providing unique content on your platform(s) outside of incentivized reviews, you are not an influencer, you are being used to build the illusion of grassroots popularity/going viral. “But I’m just giving my honest opinions on product they gave me, they’re not asking anything of me.” They paid you in the product/discount to talk about it and you do not have leverage with the company. It's the difference between a celebrity advertising a product vs a no-name who had to go through casting, except you're not even being properly paid. You are dispensable. How many times do you think you can say “this product is shit” before they will just move on to someone who will say glowing things?

AB-Specific

Many KBeauty brands are very social media/viral marketing savvy and the SK government is likely helping them.

Korea provides massive institutional support for SMEs that want to enter foreign markets. Their Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) has offices in most countries and they help Korean SMEs (beauty or else) that are looking to market their products abroad by providing them with consumer reports, market studies, contacts of local distributors and retailers, setting up meetings with potential buyers etc etc etc that is how so many relatively new brands that are virtually unknown in Korea become overnight sensations abroad. –Odile Monod

 

I will admit I am a massive Odile fan because she works in beauty marketing in SK and is often providing additional insight or trying to break down misconceptions. If you think what she says is wrong, I would love to hear it, with backup of course.

 

The South Korean government is well-known to support SK companies abroad across many industries because it helps with SK’s global image and soft power. I have family who worked in electronics who can attest to similar treatment of LG and Samsung. It's true of the entertainment industry as well.

 

So in the skincare realm: do you see a disproportionate number of KBeauty brands being talked about? That new “independent” skincare brand that's popped up out of nowhere? It’s probably not so independent.

You’re likely not missing much with that fast skincare brand’s new product.

But once you've adjusted to accommodate pH, gentle surfactants, and worked out which chemical exfoliants work for your skin, there's not much more to do. Hydrate your skin, then seal it in with a richer moisturizer, and you're set.

 

Desperate to maintain the momentum of new, cutting-edge technology, K-Beauty PR turned to increasingly ludicrous gimmicks like splash masks, sheet masks with injectable ampoules, microneedle masking patches, acupressure masks, and an endless array of sexy new extracts that were supposed to revolutionize skincare yet disappeared from our radar within a year.–Snow White and the Asian Pear

 

Fast skincare brands don’t have their own R&D. Which means they approach one of the major OEM/ODM manufacturers and ask for tweaks off of their existing formulas, which a lot of young skincare brands do. This means a lot of what’s on the market can be very similar (eg: the many brands that share Kolmar’s base sunscreen formula).

 

This is normal practice in many, if not all, parts of the world. Brands that do their own R&D will let you know.

 

Note: having their own R&D doesn't automatically mean it's a great product, only that it's at least likely to be different (YMMV still applies). The ones who don't do their own R&D aren't "bad", it's just means they're likely not too different from other products on the market. Companies who do have their own R&D may still work with these manufacturers to some capacity. Either the brand developed the formula and has the manufacturer produce it, or may just use the manufacturer’s formula for some products in a line. It may help to do a little digging on sites like OliveYoung that indicates who the manufacturer is and makes it obvious if the brand is just the distributor or has a hand in developing the product.

 

So when they don’t have their own R&D, brands are going to try to set themselves apart by whatever gimmick or story they can sell. Whether it’s “clean” ingredients, some exoticism, being “environmentally friendly”, some "new" or “unique” ingredient with magic properties, etc. If it’s truly as revolutionary as they’re claiming it is and at an affordable price, everyone would be in on it, including the big players (like what happened with the ModaModa shampoo).

Or they get “influencers” to say how great it is. 

Most, if not all, of these products are probably going to be okay to an extent. When you’re in your mid-20s or younger/just starting out/don’t already have a solid routine, a lot of these products will work okay to great for you (excluding things that you may be sensitive/allergic to). When they get influencers to do a #trymereviewme type thing, they’re creating the illusion of it being viral, and creating FOMO. Even if they’re not explicitly being asked to write positive reviews, they are still taking pretty pictures/videos and talking about the product which is a review that otherwise wouldn’t have happened (shoutout to u/marcelavy for this line).

 

Incentivized reviews happen on the major ranking sites, so just because you see it topping the rankings there doesn’t mean it’s lending credibility to what you’re seeing on your feed. If anything, it could just mean that the brand has a large social media marketing budget and they're working on gaming your feed as well because you exist in their target age and market.

 

It helps to check who the parent companies are of some of these brands because some of these rankings sites/apps (eg: Hwahae) also have their own brands that for some reason are very popular and have great reviews on those same sites/apps. Hmm…

 

Or they also sell products (eg: OliveYoung, @cosme) so it is to their benefit ($$) to have very “popular” and “highly-rated” products.

 

This sub is not immune. I’m biased, so I think it’s better here than many other places, but wannabe influencers and brands/companies do target us, despite rules against such actions. It's always advised to do a little more digging yourself with some posts you may see and interactions you may have on this sub.

General Skincare

You cannot stop signs of aging. There are signs beyond lines and age spots that gives us clues as to someone’s age. All the botox, fillers, tret, retinol, vitamin C, etc. in the world is not going to stop loss of muscle tone, loss of bone density, structural rearranging, or jaw degradation to name a few. That 40-year old lady who said she hasn’t smiled to prevent wrinkles? Do you really think she looks that much younger than her age? The 45-year old tech guy spending $2 million a year to look young, do you really think he looks that much younger than his age? These are unhealthy behaviors. If you are lucky, you will age. Smile, save your money and time. Enjoy your life.

 

A lot of singular things that people claim to "be a sign" of aging is wrong. Certain bone structures, longer philtrum lengths, nasolabial folds, etc. occur in people who are young too. It's just genetics.

 

“The” product(s)/ingredient(s) to prevent/reverse aging is overblown. True prevention/reversal is not going to happen (yet. Yes, they're working on it and when happens, it's likely not going to be a topical or an at-home device). The “must haves” for anti/well-aging is different for everyone. YMMV always. Not everyone’s skin can handle niacinamide. Not everyone likes Vitamin C. Not everyone’s eyes won’t react badly to retinol/tret. Not everyone can afford it. If you can afford it and it works for you, great. If not, you’re not missing out on anything.

 

"Skin cycling" is not a new idea, just a new term. It's not going to work for you if your skin isn't at a place to handle actives and you're risking worse issues if you don't know where your skin is at. Or your skin could need more than skin cycling says to do. Don't follow a trend, follow what your skin/body is telling you.

 

"Simpler is always better"/"You must have a 20-step skincare routine" is generalizing and wrong. YMMV always. A simple routine works better for some. A multi-step routine works better for some. You need to figure out what works for you. What can be helpful is knowing about the different types of steps/products so you know what is being marketed to you and if it fits in with something you'd like.

 

"Dairy/Carbs/Meat is the enemy" is generalizing and wrong. It is very individual. Much like YMMV with skincare, YMMV with the foods we consume and how our body processes/reacts to it; this is true of all foods (eg: peanuts, corn, shellfish, etc). Some people can drink milk no problem, some people may get acne, some people may get a little gas, some people may need to live on a toilet for a few hours, some people may get anaphylaxis.

 

A lot of the skinfluencers with their own brands/products are friends with other influencers. Just keep that in mind when you see them providing their “honest review” of such products. Also, a skinfluencer isn't going to have miracle access to advanced tech, secret ingredients, and know-how that the R&D folks in the industry haven't seen before. What they will sell? A story.

 

I want perfect skin like…it’s filters/editing/photoshop/makeup. If they say it’s not, they’re lying. If they say they're not lying, they're probably still lying. Or maybe they don’t know many cameras on phones automatically have a beauty filter on. If you’re 1000% sure they’re not lying, congratulate them for having a good skin day meshed with good lighting. It happens sometimes and it doesn’t last.

 

I have friends who work in post production in the entertainment industry and beautifying frame by frame has been a thing for a while. It was expensive and tedious but they’re using AI to help them with this now, so expect to see more seemingly ageless celebs.

 

When you "fix" one thing, you'll probably start fixating on something else. It happens. Maybe you just didn't notice it before because the one thing you fixed was the glaring problem at the time. Be kind to yourself. Time will always win. If you can't make peace with it, this may be signs of a deeper-seated issue; please seek personal help offline.