Korean celebs are beloved around the world for their flawless, sometimes surreal skin. So it’s surprising to discover that even K-pop stars have to deal with pimples once in a while. Find out how some of your favorite Korean idols battle blemishes and breakouts. K-pop stars — they’re just like us!
Impeccable hair. Ahead-of-the-trend fashion. Killer stage presence. Flawless skin. These are some of the distinguishing marks of K-pop stars. Most of the time, these idols seem so perfect that we forget they’re mere mortals like us. That is, until a pimple or two pop up on their face to remind us otherwise.
That’s right, K-pop stars are more more like us than we think. They, too, are not immune to a surprise zit or bout of acne here and there. They’re just better at damage control and covering it up, thanks to a glam squad, airbrushing, and easily accessible professional skincare treatments.
Luckily for us, some of our favorite K-pop stars aren’t shy about sharing how they solve their skin problems, so we gathered a few of their tricks for you below. While what works can vary by skin type and other factors like lifestyle and stress level, if Suzy and and Sunny are doing it, we’re game!
BTS’s hydration
Even the members of the global phenomenon K-pop group, BTS, aren’t above a pimple or two.
V (Taehyung) once tweeted that he’s found new friends — blemishes on his face.
Some fans were jelly the lucky acne got to keep V company, but the K-idol understandably wanted to get rid of it ASAP. He told Allure that since he travels so much, he dampens cotton pads with toner and applies double the usual amount of moisturizer on planes. In his effort to keep skin hydrated, he also uses Korean skincare brand, Zeroid to strengthen his moisture barrier. He layers — more like slaps on — toner, pimple cream, and a deeply hydrating lotion. You can see him do it here (start around 5:10):
We imagine the heartthrobs need their faces to look as beautiful as possible, so we believe them when they swear by keeping skin, especially troubled skin, moisturized. Jin and RM have confessed their love of sheet masks before, and Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, and V have all been #sheetfaced on camera. So it's no surprise that BTS has recently collaborated with popular Korean skincare brand Mediheal to create a super hydrating, blemish-battling sheet mask set consisting of 10 of the brand’s cult-status masks for troubled, acne-prone skin.
Five of the sheet masks have everything skin needs to bolster its moisture barrier, like hyaluronic acid and ceramide, while the other five feature blemish-battling ingredients like tea tree extract, Centella asiatica, and witch hazel extracts. Any A.R.M.Y. member’s dream come true, the set also comes complete with 14 exclusive photo cards of BTS gorgeousness, which is reason enough to add to cart now.
(Bonus: They're available with our new BeautytapASAP FREE 3-day shipping for U.S. delivery only. Find out more about this new program here.)
Sunny’s triple cleanse
This Girls’ Generation veteran devotes her time and bathroom space on makeup removal. Because she wears so much stage makeup, she says rather than trying to cover up skin problems with more cosmetics, she prioritizes undressing her skin with a thorough double (more like triple) cleanse.
First she removes heavy eye makeup with a facial pad soaked in cleansing oil, then she massages away other makeup and debris with a fresh pump of the same oil cleanser. She recommends filling up your sink (a water basin also works if your sink isn’t the cleanest) with water and a bit of the cleansing oil and rinsing your face with that mix. She finds her skin is more moisturized when doing so. Then she cleans with a foam cleanser to get her skin super clean.
Check out this clip where Sunny herself shows us just how she cleans her skin, with a few more kkul-tips (really genius tips) included.
Changjo’s saline solution
When Teen Top was busily promoting Be Ma Girl, fans noticed that Changjo’s complexion was suffering. A few years later, the star told BNTnews International that when he struggled with acne, saline solution was the, er, solution.
Changjo would soak cotton balls with saline solution and place them on trouble spots. He said the problems would improve in just three days.
Saline solution is known to help treat cuts or infections on skin, and acne is basically a skin lesion, so it makes sense that saline solution can speed up the healing process of pimples as well. In fact, the salt water blend is believed to help kill bacteria, hydrate skin, and prevent excess oil production.
Suzy’s massage
When the mega star made a guest appearance on One Night of TV Entertainment, she dished on her secret to keeping skin looking as flawless as possible. She cleanses her face for at least a whopping 10 minutes, massaging the cleanser over her skin.
But ready for the real trick? Suzy confessed acne tends to pop up when she’s exhausted. On those pesky pimples, she dedicates 20 minutes cleansing and washing while chanting, “Go away, go away.” The pep talk may not be the most scientific method, but hey, if it might give us Suzy’s clear complexion, we’re up for anything.
Catch Suzy flash through a quick tutorial on her massage moves in this clip (starting around 3:18).
What’s your plan of attack when pimples pop up? Which K-pop star acne tip would you try?
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