The ‘glass skin’ Korean beauty trend has risks, experts warn

EDITOR’S NOTE: Have you seen health advice on social media and wondered, “Is that actually good for me?” CNN’s Wellness team explains and evaluates viral trends in this regular series: Fad Check.

Greta Costioli was once known as the “ glass skin girl ” on TikTok. Following the Korean beauty trend, Costioli would layer on product after product — toners, serums, essences and moisturizers — in pursuit of an ultra-dewy complexion.

Costioli, age 29, said that ever since she was a teenager she would apply extra moisturizer for her naturally dry complexion. When the “glass skin” trend became popular on social media, she fully leaned in, including trying one method requiring seven different layers of hydrating toner.

It may sound excessive, but that kind of elaborate skin care routine has become increasingly popular across TikTok and Instagram, where beauty influencers routinely film themselves using skincare products to achieve the glossy, almost reflective complexion known as “glass skin.” Celebrities including Kylie Jenner and Hailey Bieber have amplified the trend, posting their regimens that resulted in similar dewy skin.

The glass skin trend has its roots in South Korean beauty culture, where the term is used to describe a complexion that appears exceptionally smooth and pore-less. The phrase appears to have first come around in the early to mid-2010s and then saw a major spike at the end of 2025 going into 2026, according to Google trends . Those who subscribe to the complex routines say their skin benefits from the layers of hydration, and viewers are hooked on the ASMR-like videos as influencers tap their glass-like faces with their fingers and beauty tools.

Certain aspects of the glass skin routine, such as moisturizing and using sunscreen, are positive steps toward safe skincare, according to the American Academy of Dermatology. However, problems occur when people use too many products, which can lead to issues such as clogged pores, irritation and breakouts, the association said.

Because of the trend’s rising popularity, dermatologists are warning others that the glass skin look may be unrealistic and the skincare routines behind it aren’t suitable for every skin type.

Experts also point out that many of the videos contain advice from non-medical influencers, leading to a lack of basic safety information. New research presented September 29 at the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV) Congress 2026 found that nearly 95% of the most viral videos on the trend contained misleading claims.

“We expected to find some gaps in the quality of the information, but I was surprised by how consistent they were,” Dr. Maria Lúcia Paysano, co-lead author of the study and a dermatology resident at the Professor Rubem David Azulay Institute of Dermatology in Brazil, said in an email.

The study authors screened the top videos across five Korean skincare-related search terms. After exclusions, 38 videos were assessed for dermatological claims and safety information using the Global Quality Scale and modified DISCERN, a tool used to assess the quality and reliability of health information.

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Out of the 38 videos analyzed, only one video mentioned irritation risk, two addressed sun protection and none mentioned contact dermatitis risk or advised consulting a dermatologist, according to the study. About 45% recommended combining several active ingredients without safety advice, and 32% promised immediate results. Overall, none of the videos were produced by dermatologists, according to the study.

“Problems can arise when complex, one-size-fits-all routines encourage the use of multiple active ingredients without considering individual skin type, tolerance or irritation risk. A skincare routine should prioritize skin health and barrier function rather than simply trying to reproduce a viral appearance,” Paysano said.

The bottom line is you can take it too far. For Costioli, who posts her skincare journey on social media, her glass skin routine initially worked well for her, but soon she started having adverse reactions.

“At first my skin really loved it, because I have dry skin and my skin absorbs skincare really well. I got a lot of compliments from people online and offline on how great my skin looked,” Costioli said in an email. “However, I kept compromising my skin barrier quite often, because I was simply using too many products.”

For her, a broken skin barrier looked like small red bumps on her face that would last for a few days. But if she continued with the extensive routines, the bumps would get more aggressive. “It wasn’t something I could keep up doing, so I had to reduce the steps in my skincare routine,” she said.

Experts agree that Korean skincare is not the problem. The concern is that social media can turn simple skincare practices into trendy and complex routines that may not work safely for everyone.

“The proof is in the pudding: none of these videos were created by dermatologists, so it should not be a shock that omissions and misinformation are ensued,” Dr. Mona Gohara, a board-certified dermatologist and clinical professor in the department of dermatology at Yale School of Medicine, said in an email. Gohara, who was not involved with the new study, added that many skincare trends, not just the glass skin, have amplified voices that are not medically trained.

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Additionally, achieving pore-less skin is not possible, as pores are genetic and do not respond to layering products, said Dr. Jane Yoo, a board-certified dermatologist and Mohs surgeon based in New York City.

“When patients try to attain this goal, they may inadvertently be disrupting their skin cycle as the physiologic exfoliation signals are now removed,” said Yoo, who is an assistant clinical professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Yoo was also not involved with the study.

Common skin issues she observes with her patients who have utilized too many products include contact dermatitis, rosacea and acne flares.

Tight, itchy, tender, inflamed, flakey or scaly, and red or darker skin are all signs that someone’s skin barrier may be damaged, added Gohara. To help your skin recover, she recommends pausing scrubs, exfoliating acids and retinoids, and instead cleansing with a gentle, pH neutral, non-soap cleanser and lukewarm water. She added that barrier repair creams can help, and to keep applying sunscreen during the day.

“It’s great to have patients educated on their skin but it’s not a one-size-fits-all approach. You have to know your skin type and work with a dermatologist to see if these products are right for you,” added Yoo.

The good news is, “you can pursue the glow while taking care of the skin beneath it,” Gohara said. She recommends moisturizing often, especially as skin can become drier with age and hormone changes. To boost that dewy look, layer from lightest to heaviest with a light, concentrated hydrating hyaluronic acid serum, followed by a moisturizer and then a barrier repair cream.

Yoo, who is a Korean American dermatologist, often tells patients that they do not need a complex routine for their skin. She typically recommends a four-step approach, including a simple cleanser, an active – such as retinol, Salicylic acid or Vitamin C – a moisturizer and SPF.

“The key is to know thy skin and know what it can tolerate,” Gohara said. “Add one product at a time, start slowly, and wear broad-spectrum SPF 30 or higher every day. Sun damage is one of the biggest vibrance killers, along with stress, smog, smoking, lack of sleep, and yes sugar.”

编者按：你是否在社交媒体上看到过一些健康建议，然后疑惑“这些建议真的对我有益吗？” CNN 健康团队将在本系列文章“潮流检测”中解释和评估这些热门趋势。

Greta Costioli 曾是 TikTok 上被称为“玻璃肌女孩”的人。她追随韩国美妆潮流，一层层地涂抹爽肤水、精华液、精华露和保湿霜，以追求极致水润的肌肤。

29岁的科斯蒂奥利说，她从十几岁起就因为天生皮肤干燥而大量涂抹保湿霜。当“玻璃肌”风潮在社交媒体上兴起时，她也完全沉迷其中，甚至尝试了一种需要涂抹七层不同保湿爽肤水的方法。

这听起来或许有些夸张，但这种繁复的护肤流程在TikTok和Instagram上越来越流行。美妆博主们经常拍摄自己使用护肤品的视频，以打造那种光泽透亮、近乎反光的“玻璃肌”。凯莉·詹娜和海莉·比伯等名人也推波助澜，分享她们的护肤步骤，最终都拥有了类似的水润肌肤。

“玻璃肌”风潮起源于韩国美妆文化，用来形容肌肤异常光滑细腻、毛孔几乎看不见的状态。根据谷歌趋势的数据，这个词最早出现在2010年代初中期，并在2025年底至2026年初迎来了一波热潮。那些遵循复杂护肤流程的人表示，多层补水让肌肤受益匪浅，而网红们用手指和美妆工具轻拍自己如玻璃般光滑的脸庞，这种类似ASMR的护肤视频也吸引了众多观众。

美国皮肤病学会指出，打造水光肌的某些步骤，例如保湿和使用防晒霜，是安全护肤的积极举措。然而，该学会也表示，过度使用护肤品会导致毛孔堵塞、皮肤刺激和粉刺等问题。

由于这种趋势越来越受欢迎，皮肤科医生警告其他人，玻璃肌可能并不现实，而且其背后的护肤程序并不适合所有肤质。

专家还指出，许多视频都包含非医学领域网红的建议，导致缺乏基本的安全信息。9月29日在欧洲皮肤病与性病学会（EADV）2026年大会上发布的一项新研究发现，近95%的热门视频都包含误导性信息。

“我们预料到信息质量会有一些不足之处，但令我惊讶的是，这些信息的质量非常一致，”该研究的共同第一作者、巴西鲁本·大卫·阿祖莱皮肤病研究所的皮肤科住院医师玛丽亚·卢西亚·帕萨诺博士在一封电子邮件中说。

研究作者筛选了五个与韩国护肤相关的搜索词下的热门视频。排除不符合条件的视频后，研究人员使用全球质量量表（Global Quality Scale）和改良版DISCERN（一种用于评估健康信息质量和可靠性的工具）对38个视频的皮肤病学声明和安全性信息进行了评估。

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研究显示，在分析的38个视频中，仅有一个视频提及刺激风险，两个视频提到防晒，但没有一个视频提及接触性皮炎风险或建议咨询皮肤科医生。约45%的视频建议混合使用多种活性成分，但未提供安全建议，32%的视频承诺立竿见影的效果。研究还指出，所有视频均非皮肤科医生制作。

“复杂且千篇一律的护肤流程鼓励使用多种活性成分，却不考虑个体肤质、耐受性和刺激风险，这可能会引发问题。护肤流程应该优先考虑皮肤健康和屏障功能，而不是仅仅试图重现病毒感染后的效果，”帕伊萨诺说道。

关键在于，凡事过犹不及。Costioli经常在社交媒体上分享她的护肤心得，她的“玻璃肌”护肤流程起初效果很好，但很快就出现了不良反应。

“一开始我的皮肤真的很喜欢它，因为我是干性皮肤，而且皮肤吸收护肤品的效果非常好。我收到了很多线上线下朋友的赞美，说我的皮肤看起来很棒，”Costioli在邮件中写道。“然而，我经常会损伤皮肤屏障，因为我使用了太多护肤品。”

对她来说，皮肤屏障受损表现为脸上出现一些红色的小疙瘩，这些疙瘩会持续几天。但如果她继续进行繁琐的护肤步骤，这些疙瘩就会变得更严重。“我没办法一直这样下去，所以我不得不简化护肤步骤。”她说。

专家一致认为，韩式护肤本身并非问题所在。令人担忧的是，社交媒体可能会将简单的护肤步骤演变成时髦而复杂的流程，而这些流程可能并不适合所有人，也未必安全有效。

“事实胜于雄辩：这些视频都不是皮肤科医生制作的，所以出现遗漏和错误信息也就不足为奇了。”耶鲁大学医学院皮肤病学系临床教授、认证皮肤科医生莫娜·戈哈拉博士在一封电子邮件中写道。戈哈拉博士并未参与这项新研究，她补充说，许多护肤潮流，不仅仅是“玻璃肌”，都助长了那些未经医学训练的人的声音。

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此外，纽约市的皮肤科医生兼莫氏显微外科医生 Jane Yoo 博士表示，实现无毛孔的皮肤是不可能的，因为毛孔是遗传的，不会对多层护肤品产生反应。

“当患者试图达到这个目标时，他们可能会无意中扰乱皮肤的自然代谢周期，因为生理性脱屑信号会被消除，”西奈山伊坎医学院的助理临床教授尤（Yoo）说道。尤并未参与这项研究。

她观察到，过度使用护肤品的患者常见的皮肤问题包括接触性皮炎、酒渣鼻和痤疮爆发。

戈哈拉补充说，皮肤紧绷、发痒、触痛、发炎、脱屑或鳞屑状，以及发红或颜色变深，都是皮肤屏障可能受损的迹象。为了帮助皮肤恢复，她建议暂停使用磨砂膏、去角质酸和维A酸类产品，而是使用温和的、pH值中性的无皂洁面乳和温水清洁。她还补充说，使用屏障修复霜会有帮助，并且白天要坚持涂抹防晒霜。

“让患者了解自己的皮肤状况固然很好，但这并非一成不变的方法。你必须了解自己的肤质，并与皮肤科医生合作，看看这些产品是否适合你，”Yoo补充道。

好消息是，“你可以在拥有光泽肌肤的同时，呵护肌肤底层的健康，”戈哈拉说道。她建议经常保湿，尤其是在随着年龄增长和荷尔蒙变化，肌肤容易变得干燥的情况下。为了打造水润光泽，可以按照由轻薄到厚重的顺序，先涂抹轻盈的浓缩保湿玻尿酸精华，再涂抹保湿霜，最后涂抹屏障修复霜。

韩裔美籍皮肤科医生Yoo经常告诉患者，他们的皮肤不需要复杂的护肤程序。她通常推荐四步护肤法，包括简单的洁面产品、活性成分（例如视黄醇、水杨酸或维生素C）、保湿霜和防晒霜。

“关键在于了解自己的皮肤，知道它能耐受什么，”戈哈拉说。“一次只添加一种产品，循序渐进，并且每天都要使用SPF30或更高的广谱防晒霜。阳光损伤是导致肌肤活力下降的最大杀手之一，其他杀手还包括压力、雾霾、吸烟、睡眠不足，当然还有糖。”