It’s been 10 years since the first BB cream hit U.S. soil, but K-beauty’s innovative imports—like these two April exclusives from The Beauty Spy— continue to capture our attention.
Light Works
Not your average sheet mask, Ariul L.E.D. Lumi Mask ($29 for five) features a patented hybrid ceramic substance that absorbs external rays of light, like sunlight or indoor rays, in just five minutes. “This generates optical wavelengths that help the mask’s saturated essence infiltrate the skin,” says The Beauty Spy cofounder Chelsea Scott. Once the light is absorbed, the mask emits light—if you move into a dark room it will glow—to show it’s working. “In four-week clinical testing, women ages 29 to 60 noticed improved forehead wrinkles, smile lines, pigmentation, skin density, and moisturization, as well as an immediate skin glow after using the mask once a week.”
Instant Results
With the recent surge in hand-washing, Google searches for hand cream have skyrocketed. Pestlo’s 90 Second Elastox Hand Ampoule ($33) takes hand care to the next level, using a patented blend of 12 types of peptides and 17 different amino acids to visibly smooth skin and minimize the appearance of imperfections, in, you guessed it, 90 seconds. Scott also credits the Ampoule’s patented botanical ingredient Liftonin—it’s derived from oak—for the texture change. “In vivo studies prove it improves skin structure by reducing wrinkles and giving a more youthful overall appearance to the skin.”