K-Beauty

Anything But Mid is hosted by Amy Edwards and Whitney Stropp. Neither host is a doctor and nothing here is medical advice. Lightly cleaned for readability.

Whitney: I'm Whitney.

Amy: And I'm Amy and it's midlife.

Whitney: But you're anything but mid.

Amy: That's right. Almost, almost, it was fine.

Whitney: Yeah, it's fine. I haven't done that part.

Amy: It was great.

Whitney: Ooh, you got all sorts of things over there.

Amy: I know, I have a lot of little goodies over here.

Whitney: I live to see products. I actually was stopped at Target on the way to your house where we record to see if I could get another product, but you have a little Target. Your Target is a little Target.

Amy: Our Target always feels like it's going out of business.

Whitney: Little Target.

Amy: It's there's no one there, it's a ghost town. I remember I went the first time I moved out here and I went to that one, I was like I asked someone there and I was like, "Are y'all about to close?" And they were like, "No. No." And I was like, "Okay, there's no one there."

Whitney: Yeah, and it's I think it's funny because the area that you live in in Steiner, like there's a lot of Target customers in here, I would think, like moms, a lot of moms, you know, running around with their elementary school children.

Amy: You'd think. Yeah, but our Target is the quiet zone. It's like nobody's there ever.

Whitney: Yeah. Well, it's kind of hard to see from the street, too, I think, until you're already past it.

Amy: Yeah, you have to turn into like an apartment complex. It's really weird.

Whitney: Yeah, that's a little weird. Target, come on, dude.

Amy: Bizarre.

Whitney: Anyway, but yeah, I went in there, and I was looking to get us some new pajamas. But it was Lil Target. And they were all so boring and ugly.

Amy: They didn't have any? It was. Sorry.

Whitney: Yeah.

Amy: Although, I will say that Target is kind of a pleasant experience cuz it's just quiet and easy. And so when I have to go to Target, but it's weird cuz where I live out here, there's really nothing. There's nothing. There's only that Target. So, you'd think it would be packed.

Whitney: That's-

Amy: That's what I'm-

Whitney: But it's too small. It doesn't have the things. Yeah, I don't know where people are going to get their Target items.

Amy: I don't either.

Whitney: They're just using Amazon.

Amy: Yeah. That's the truth.

Whitney: Yes, they are. Jeff Bezos got his wish of nobody ever leaving their home.

Amy: Relentless.

Whitney: I can't think of a mid moment, Amy. I think maybe going to Target and looking for pajamas might

Amy: Yeah, that's a good one. Let's see. I thought I had a couple written down here. Let me see if I have a mid moment. I feel like something new hurts everyday when I wake up. That's my mid moment. Yesterday, I woke up, my I hadn't done a damn thing, we've talked about this before. I woke up, and my left ankle Yeah. was as if something inside of it just like got caught on something else. It was like just It was just Little snag. so bizarre. It was like a tendon was caught on a bone or something, and it was just like And now it's fine. But it's just like, is this what getting older is?

Whitney: Yes.

Amy: I asked myself.

Whitney: Sadly, I believe so.

Amy: Fucking hey!

Whitney: My poor mom, she's 79, and she told me a couple of days ago that she was like feeling bloated at the top of her stomach in the like almost rib in the rib cage area. She's like, "There's like literally a bulge, and I don't know what it is, and I've done nothing." And just so happened she was going to get a 3D heart scan yesterday for some other issues. And she got the results this morning, and we were kind of looking them over. And she has a hernia, a little hernia where her stomach has pushed through her diaphragm. And so, that bulge is actually her stomach.

Amy: Ah. Oh, my god.

Whitney: And she is just like so sad. She's like, "Well, this is fucking sucks getting older." And I was like, "I know." And it just happened out of nowhere.

Amy: Oh, my god.

Whitney: And it's because that mesh around your Again, we are not doctors.

Amy: We are not doctors.

Whitney: And I'm probably saying this all wrong, but there's netting around all of your organs. And as you get older, the those get less taut and strong. They're not as strong.

Amy: Oh, I thought it was the muscle in front of it. The muscle splits, that's what I thought it was.

Whitney: No, a hernia is where an internal organ bulges out of its

Amy: Yes. Oh, I've had one.

Whitney: spot.

Amy: Oh, I've had a few. And um I

Whitney: And I think that's part of what the mesh does, or the the netting around every organ.

Amy: Oh, I had one. I got them when I was pregnant. And then, and so once I wasn't pregnant anymore, the stress kind of went away cuz I had one, one here at my leg joint.

Whitney: Mm-hmm. And it was literally a bulge?

Amy: It was so gross. I could just poke it in. I I think it was just like something in my I don't know. It was just like behind the muscle or whatever, it was like a split and it was just pooched out, and I could poke it in.

Whitney: Yeah. What organ was it? The beauty of pregnancy.

Amy: It was so gross. And And then I had one on my belly button that didn't go away after pregnancy. It was a It didn't go away. And so This is my story. Listen to this. So, it was bulging like right at the bottom of my belly button, and I hated it. And I would poke it in, I don't know what organ it was. It was something and I would poke it in, and it would poke back out. And I was like, one day I was in the shower and

Whitney: Oh, yeah, you get that belly button. Oh. It didn't go away, so you had it removed? Oh, my gosh. Yeah. Oh, no. You did something to yourself.

Amy: No, I didn't. I didn't. I was in the shower, and I saw it and I was like, "I am so fucking sick of this fuck this thing, I'm getting it fixed. I'm getting rid of it. I'm getting rid of this hernia. I don't even care what I have to do." And like right when I got out of the shower, I started feeling bad. And that night I started feeling bad. And the next day, I got up and I could I just I felt like shit. I mean, my stomach hurt, and Kevin, my husband at the time was like, "You look you look green." And I was like, "Something's wrong with me."

Whitney: Yeah. Oh, my god.

Amy: And I I I started researching. I was like, "Maybe I have appendicitis." So, I researched and they were like, "If you can't like jump up and down and it's a pain on the" I want to say on the right side. You have appendicitis. So, that evening I was supposed to go to a event, and so this is like 24 hours later.

Whitney: Right, because, of course, you're trying to delay it. You're like, "I'm fine. It'll get rid of itself." Like you're not going to the ER. Right.

Amy: Yeah. Like I'm just being dramatic. I'm being dramatic. So, finally, he's like, "I'm taking you to the ER." We had a sitter and everything, so I I go to the ER, and they test me for appendicitis. And sure enough, the doctor's like, "Acute appendicitis." And he's like, "We've got to make three incisions." And he shows me the three incisions, and one is on the belly button. And I go, "Hey, can you fix this hernia that I've got right here?" And he goes, "Oh, yeah. No problem." And I was like, "Holy shit."

Whitney: Oh, my god. And you're like You manifested it in the shower.

Amy: I manifested appendicitis. And I got my hernia fixed. So, the moral of the story for me is be very, very careful what you say to your body because your body is absolutely listening, and that's not the only example I have of things in my body that I've manifested. I could tell a couple other stories. But uh but that one like really, I was like

Whitney: Yeah. Listening. Right. Well, share one more. I want to know.

Amy: When he said that, I was just like my eyes, I was like "I literally yesterday decided to get rid of this, and it's gone." And it was gone. He sewed it up.

Whitney: Yeah. And your body But so was your appendix.

Amy: Who Who needs an appendix?

Whitney: I feel like there's a reason for it.

Amy: No, there's not. No. You don't need an appendix. I don't have one. I was like, I wonder if you lose weight if you get your appendix out. How much does an appendix weigh?

Whitney: Okay. Right. It was probably not enough to notice.

Amy: Unfortunately. The other story? I can think of I know I have several more, but and one more.

Whitney: That's so crazy. Yeah, I want to hear another.

Amy: My legs, I was looking at a photo of myself with someone else and her legs were very thin, and I was like, "Man, I want thinner legs. I want I want thinner legs." I was looking at the photo. And let's see. Also, that day that particular day I I remember looking at the photo and wanting thinner legs and I was just mad about that. And then, I also was so ready to quit breastfeeding. And I was like, "I'm done. I don't want to breastfeed anymore." My daughter was 11 months, and I was like, "I'm over it." And the next day the next day, I got both my wishes. The next day, I I was running and I hit an uneven part of the sidewalk, and my toe caught and I hyperextended my femur over my tibia, smashed my tibial plateau, and tore my ACL. And so, I had to go immediately into the hospital, I had to have major knee surgery. If you're looking, maybe you can see, I have a scar here and actually a scar on the inside, too. I have a plate and a bunch of pins.

Whitney: Yeah. Mm-hmm. Well, how how did your legs get thinner? Oh, shit. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, that's weird. I feel like I can see the plate in your leg, though.

Amy: You can. You can. You can see the plate. Yeah, but it's right there. So, I'm going to have to I have a plate and a bunch of pins. And my legs got instantly thinner, and I had to quit breastfeeding because of all the drugs in my system. And I was just like dumbfounded.

Whitney: in process. Not sure that's the way I would have wanted to do it.

Amy: No, it's very scary, right? You it's just amazing it says something about the power of our mind. Now, maybe that wasn't why I had the accident, I don't know, but I do know I got both my wishes that I was wishing literally the day before. The next day, and I was like, "I am going to be real careful."

Whitney: Yeah. Well, I do think, you know, whether or not most people have that type of experience, we've talked about it before. You're Yeah. That's like intense, but you absolutely, your mind is a powerful, powerful tool and your body is listening.

Amy: It's very traumatic. Yeah. So, I always say now if I want something to change, like the hernia or whatever, now I always say, "In a healthy way." I'm like, "Oh, I want this happen, but in a healthy way. In a very healthy way. In a healthy way only if it's necessary," whatever. So, I'm like super cautious.

Whitney: Yeah, but in a healthy way. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Just very intentional with your thoughts and your words. Yeah. All right. Well, today let's get on with it.

Amy: Moving on.

Whitney: All right, so you know I've been talking about my skin. Like we talked we we talked about the BBL HEROic and and then I went back, I don't know if I shared an update.

Amy: Yes. BBL HEROic. You haven't.

Whitney: I went back that after a week, I did not feel like I saw the results that I was expecting because in the past, don't drop your water.

Amy: Right. Right. I know. My god.

Whitney: In the past, with IPLs and stuff, a lot has come up to the surface and sloughed off, right?

Amy: Right.

Whitney: And I was just like even though you said, "No, I feel like I see a difference." I was like, "I don't see a difference." So, I went back in there and I said, "Hey," I marched back in there and I just said, "You know, I just I'm a little disappointed in in the results." And so, she pulled up my before pictures, and then I could see, "Oh,

Amy: I do. Your skin looks good. Is that how you marched? Cool.

Whitney: it's not the spots necessarily that are being removed, it is this underlying It's almost like you had a filter like a a pigmentation filter over all of the areas and and she removed one."

Amy: Wow. Wow.

Whitney: So, after seeing it, I was like, "Oh, that's cool." And and then I was like, "Okay, I'll I'll do it again." So, we were going to set up I haven't called them yet, but we were going to set up another one and do the MOXI this time, which you did, the BBL MOXI. And what do you think about the results?

Amy: That's cool. Uh-huh. I did the MOXI. Yep. I liked it. I liked it, I'm excited to do it again. It wasn't it didn't hurt that much, didn't take that long to look better or whatever.

Whitney: Yeah. And that that's what I think I was expecting was more of downtime or more very physical, obvious differences.

Amy: Yeah. They wouldn't do it for me because I've been using glycolic, which was kind of annoying because I've been asking around now and they said, "You can't use glycolic for a week before you do it," and that's bullshit. Somebody else told me three days and then my other friend, shout out to Kashla. She is like always doing everything, and she was like, "I get a MOXI all the time, and I use glycolic and I use retinol and everything's fine." And so

Whitney: Yeah. I think it depends on your sensitivity, your skin sensitivity. Mine's very sensitive.

Amy: She's like a professional. Yeah. And mine's not that sensitive.

Whitney: So, I go home that day and I'm like, "All right, I'm going to schedule something at some point after everything calms down." But then my skin wasn't calming down. Things were getting weird. Like I showed you, I started getting a rash, like weird rashes, a lot of flushing and hot. You know, you can go back

Amy: That's right. Yeah. Were those related?

Whitney: Yes. So So, I was like getting frustrated by it all and then I was trying to keep my skin calm and I was putting all this beef tallow on it, which in retrospect

Amy: Oh, my god. Yuck. Ugh. God, I hate that trend so much.

Whitney: That's because you're vegan, vegetarian. Anyway.

Amy: That's disgusting. It's going to clog your pores. I don't know why anyone is using beef tallow. Sorry, I am totally anti-beef tallow. That is nasty. It's going to clog up your skin.

Whitney: It's very moisturizing. Okay. I had no idea that that was going to cause that kind of reaction, but I had it It's very moisturizing, and I have super, super dry skin. But you are correct, Amy. It can clog your pores. And so anyway, nothing was helping, and I was like, "What is going on? I feel like my skin is rougher, and drier, and angry at me when I'm trying to do these things." Then I go and get a hydro

Amy: Hydrafacial?

Whitney: Yes, I went and got a Hydrafacial cuz I thought it was hydrating. Well, it was intense and it is hydrating, but I thought it was going to be plumpy and dewy and

Amy: Have you never had a Hydrafacial before?

Whitney: I guess not. So, I went into that.

Amy: You weren't hydrated and dewy and

Whitney: No, I was my skin was angry and my skin was dry and it was red and it was weird. So, of course, after a while, I'm like, "This is so frustrating." And I start doing some research and I'm talking to my mom and and a couple of things happened. The first thing that I found out with my bestie, ChatGPT, is that all of the things that I was doing plus my Minoxidil,

Amy: Weird.

Whitney: so Minoxidil is opening up your blood vessels.

Amy: It enters the picture again.

Whitney: This damn Minoxidil. And so, it's creating a better blood flow, right?

Amy: Oh.

Whitney: And then I started taking NAD+, which is for for brain focus and stuff

Amy: Oh. How do you take that?

Whitney: You take it with pills.

Amy: It's a pill.

Whitney: It's a pill, and and it was all for for brain focus.

Amy: You are always taking so much. I would think I have a rundown of it by now, but I don't.

Whitney: I know. Oh, god. No, there's so much. But I just started the NAD+ once I went off the Bryan Johnson protocol because I tried

Amy: So, that's no more?

Whitney: That's no more. I ended it. It's done. Bryan and I have broken up. Anyway, but but then I thought, "Oh, now I can do the NAD+ cuz it's not going to be an overload." So, I didn't really think anything of it, but that also increases blood flow. So, I'm doing things on the inside and on the outside and my skin can never recover.

Amy: You ended your subscription. Gotcha.

Whitney: And so, I was like, "Oh." And then also, it was like the beef tallow actually creates a a layer, a blanket over your skin and so the heat can't be released. So, all of that, it was the perfect storm. It was the perfect storm. And then I'm talking to my mom, and she's like, "Oh, you need to get on my beauty routine." And she's doing Korean products.

Amy: That does not surprise me. Okay. Okay.

Whitney: One of my very best friends, shout out to Bonnie, is Korean and she's always talking about her skincare and stuff. Her mom even will give us things when she comes back from Korea.

Amy: Ooh, cool.

Whitney: And and we hear a lot about K-Beauty, and it's everywhere. It's everywhere. And I was like, "All right, I'm going to do a deep dive into this and see is it really legit?" Because like you said, I have purchased so many things. I did the whole Goop product line for a long time, and I was just like, "I don't know." But I've trusted her ingredients, but I just didn't feel like I got any

Amy: Yes. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah.

Whitney: real results from it. And I'm also, to be quite honest, not consistent. Like I'll do a little Goop and I'll do a little this, and I'll do a little of that after a while and not be consistent. So, my mom was raving on about her skincare, I ordered it and just started using it, but I decided to do

Amy: And where do you order from?

Whitney: So, this is the exciting part, you can order it from Amazon.

Amy: Oh. Oh, I don't like ordering any face products from Amazon. I don't do any face products from Amazon.

Whitney: But guess what else? Okay, well, I do. But guess what else? Target.

Amy: Don't. Okay.

Whitney: Target has a whole K-Beauty area, but guess what Target doesn't have it? Your little Target.

Amy: Your little Target does not have it because the one thing I wanted one thing that we could try. Well, aren't we boycotting Target anyway these days for some reason?

Whitney: Maybe, probably.

Amy: Yeah, I think we are. I think we are. So, you know what? Go seek it out on the internet someplace.

Whitney: Yeah, there's there's plenty of places, but what I loved about First of all, Target's going to make it, and I'm getting ahead of myself on my book report, but it's it's affordable. All right, so let's start at the beginning, Korean skincare, aka K-Beauty.

Amy: Okay, that's all right. Okay. I buy all my products, too, at Dermstore, by the way.

Whitney: Oh, yeah.

Amy: I fucking love Dermstore. It it's you know you're getting the real thing. On Amazon, I don't trust that.

Whitney: Okay. Do you get it quickly? You have to make sure that where you're buying it is from the actual store. Like in Amazon, you have to look at the top and be like, is this the Nike store or is this Kalamazoo, China?

Amy: I That's Right.

Whitney: You know? And then you have to do it that way.

Amy: You do. That's true, but I still I still don't I don't order any supplements or any face products from Amazon.

Whitney: Yeah. All right, well,

Amy: At all. I don't trust them, I don't.

Whitney: I do. Okay.

Amy: Okay. Okay.

Whitney: All right. So, anyway, South Korea is the superpower of skincare.

Amy: Yes, they are. Yes, they are.

Whitney: All right. And they are the top exporter of cosmetics. And what's so great is because they are South Korea is so like their their people expect the best and they also, you know, there's so many products available in South Korea that they're not expensive because they have to fight with each other to get the consumer. Yes. Thank you.

Amy: Competition. Competition. Okay.

Whitney: So, that's exciting. So, we're going to be talking about affordable, science-based skincare, K-Beauty. All right. And their focus is different than the US. So, the US, we're all about after the fact. Let's burn it, let's bury it, let's, you know, blast it, and it's reactive.

Amy: Mm.

Whitney: Korean beauty care is all about helping your skin before it needs it. It's like giving your skin a hug.

Amy: I feel it's too late now.

Whitney: No, it's never too late, dude.

Amy: Well, that's true.

Whitney: All right, so Korean skincare is preventative and the goal that they have is to nourish the skin. You know that they say glassy skin? Yes. They want to create the protective outer layer

Amy: Glass skin. Okay.

Whitney: and keeping it hydrated and healthy and resilient from aging.

Amy: So far, I'm in. So far.

Whitney: Yeah. So, we've I think we've touched on this a little bit, but the thing about the Korean products is there's some wild ingredients in there.

Amy: Like the snail mucin?

Whitney: Yes. So, snail mucin, they use it for deep repair and hydration. Fun fact, if you have a shellfish allergy, snail may be a problem for you.

Amy: Cuz it has a shell.

Whitney: It's a shell, it's not a fish, but it's a shell. And if you're allergic to dust mites, apparently, too. So, if you have those allergies, then do a little patch, you know, test patch, don't slather it all over you. There's another ingredient called Centella Asiatica or Cica, and it's the gold standard for soothing sensitive or irritated skin. There's always there's also something called Hanbang. I'm probably saying it wrong. It's traditional medicine. So, you'll like this, Amy, it's the herbs and it's like ginseng and green tea, and it's not animal-related. And those things are easily absorbed by the skin.

Amy: Oh. Okay.

Whitney: Okay, there's also salmon sperm.

Amy: Oh, yeah, we've heard about that.

Whitney: And that's called PDRN. Now, I did a little bit of deep diving on this cuz I was just curious. Apparently, salmon have 95% identical human DNA.

Amy: What? We're only 5% different from a salmon?

Whitney: Is that crazy? Salmon DNA is 95% identical to human DNA.

Amy: That's so weird.

Whitney: That blows my mind. So, when it's broken down into the PDRN, your skin cells recognize these as building blocks to repair themselves. They think it's them. Like, "Oh, look. Here's our skin here." Now, I did do a little research cuz I'm like, "Okay, well, if we're trying salmon sperm that's 95%, why don't we just use human sperm 100%?"

Amy: I mean, a lot of men say that it's good for your face.

Whitney: Oh, they're like, "Let me."

Amy: They love to say that.

Whitney: They really do. Well, it's not true. There is No, you cannot rub sperm on your face. You can't rub your partner's sperm on your face.

Amy: That's too bad.

Whitney: It would've been a lot cheaper. I'm not sure that it would be

Amy: I have mixed feelings there.

Whitney: Well, you can do it and let us know how it goes.

Amy: No, I don't want to.

Whitney: But here's the truth, the scientists that take the salmon sperm, it's not just like they grab it and slap it in a bottle. There's a process to it. It's high heat, it's enzymes, because the DNA is a long chain and they have to chop up that chain so that your pores and your cells can get it. Like if it's if it stays in the long chain, it's not actually going to be absorbed. It's too big. That's what she said.

Amy: Well, a lot of places are doing like salmon sperm facials and stuff, right? Have you got one?

Whitney: Yeah, it's legit. No, that's what I went. So, Target has a Korean product that's the the the salmon sperm. Or no, wait, actually it's the snail. I don't think they have the sperm. They have the snail.

Amy: Oh. Okay, okay.

Whitney: Maybe they do, I don't remember. Anyway, so yes, you know, no matter what your partner says, slathering his sperm all over your face is not a good idea for skincare. All right. Maybe other reasons, but anyway.

Amy: Good to know.

Whitney: Now, you may be asking, Amy, "Where's the science behind this? Does this actually work?" And the answer is yes, it does. Many of the ingredients have substantial scientific backing. They are proven, proven, proven. So, the snail mucin,

Amy: Mucin?

Whitney: Mucin?

Amy: I think.

Whitney: I think so. It claims to repair skin and heal scars. So, that snail mucin is the secretion that you see when the little snails are making their move across the concrete, and it is literally a barrier. It is meant to keep their their bodies protected, right? It's rich in these things,

Amy: Huh.

Whitney: glycolic acid, I've heard of that,

Amy: How did they get snail mucin?

Whitney: I'm going to tell you, allantoin, I don't know what that is, and glycosamin- blah, blah, blah. Anyway,

Amy: Okay. What was the first? Oh, glycolic acid. Okay.

Whitney: glycolic acid's the one I know and there's the other ones, but it has it has those three ingredients in it and clinical studies show it accelerates wound healing and increases fibroblast proliferation, the cells that make collagen. It's legit. It's been proven. And I there's just so you know, cuz you love studies, 2025 study in Dermatology Times confirmed its efficiency in improving skin texture and reducing fine lines over an 8-week period.

Amy: Cool.

Whitney: Okay. Snails are not harmed

Amy: I was wondering. I mean,

Whitney: in order to get their mucin. As a matter of fact, many places they put these snails in a dark room on this like mesh area and the snails just freely move about however they want and that mesh is what's collecting their slime.

Amy: Gross.

Whitney: So, no snails are harmed. I cannot say the same for the salmon.

Amy: Wow. No.

Whitney: I think the salmon are already being caught for food, and now they use they get this for the skin. So, can't say the same about that. All right.

Amy: Makes sense.

Whitney: Then the Cica, this or the Centella Asiatica, I don't even know how to say it. Tiger grass is what they call it. It claims to soothe irritation and fixes a broken skin barrier. The merit, very high. It contains active compounds like things I can't pronounce, and it's legit. It's one of the most studied botanicals in dermatology.

Amy: Okay. Tiger grass.

Whitney: Yes, it's it's Cica, C-I-K-A is the short term. Tiger grass is the slang for it.

Amy: I never heard of it. C-I-K-A. Okay.

Whitney: C-I-K-A, no, C-I-C-A.

Amy: C-I-C-A. Okay.

Whitney: But Centella Asiatica, I'm sure I'm pronouncing it wrong. Anyway, it's one of the most studied botanicals. Research consistently proves it reduces inflammation and stimulates type 1 collagen, making it a legitimate, medical-grade ingredient for sensitive skin. It's called tiger grass because legend has it that tigers in the wild would roll around in patches of Centella Asiatica to heal their wounds after a fight. We're not sure about the tigers, but there is science to back it up. It significantly speeds up skin's recovery process.

Amy: Cool. Cool. Wow.

Whitney: And all of these items are in Korean skincare. Talked about the salmon DNA, the PDRN. It's a skin booster. The claim is it reverses aging at a cellular level, which we love. That's why we like the BBL HEROic. Cellular level is what we want. It's changing the cell. Yeah. It's not just skin, you know, surface. The merit is very high, and it's still emerging, but clinical trials show that PDRN increases collagen synthesis by up to 30% and speeds up tissue repair by 40%

Amy: We want cellular level. Okay. Wow.

Whitney: compared to standard moisturizers.

Amy: Okay. I like that.

Whitney: I'm so excited by all of this.

Amy: And which one is this? This is

Whitney: This is the PDRN. This is the salmon sperm.

Amy: P Oh, the salmon sperm. Okay.

Whitney: The salmon sperm.

Amy: Okay. Okay.

Whitney: So, it's very exciting, but you will have sperm on your face.

Amy: Okay, I want that.

Whitney: PDRN is great for thinning skin, which is what we're going to have to start dealing with. My poor mom deals with it, one just a tiny little, you know, bump into something, and it's a huge a bruise.

Amy: Do they make like a body treat like a full lotion, body

Whitney: They have moisturizers, but I don't think it's they're not in huge tubs, you know.

Amy: Well, shoot.

Whitney: You'll have to buy quite a bit of it, but yeah, they're putting this in moisturizers.

Amy: Okay, good.

Whitney: So, the how would you how would how you would use the PDRN is you cleanse and you tone, and then you put the serum on, and you gently pat it into the skin instead of rubbing cuz that helps with absorption. I didn't know that. I've always seen people pat,

Amy: I'm a I'm a face patter. I'm a face patter.

Whitney: and I didn't understand. It's because it absorbs better, I guess. It's not getting all over your hands.

Amy: Mhm. I I heard that a million years ago and I I I thought too, wiping your face can cause like wrinkles or problems. So, I am a pat pat pat. And I always use a a fresh towel. Always use a clean towel.

Whitney: Yeah. Oh, I use the same towel.

Amy: And Oh, no. Don't stop doing that.

Whitney: Well, it's just hanging on the in the bathroom, and I just dry my face with it.

Amy: Get just buy more and throw that one or use the other side.

Whitney: I don't use hand towels. It's not a hand towel. All right. Well, I'll get some new towels.

Amy: Okay. I like clean towels. That's just me.

Whitney: Listen, you're smart. That is part of skincare, 100%.

Amy: I'm clean.

Whitney: I'll do better. But I don't shower as much as you.

Amy: I don't know. I don't know.

Whitney: Anyway, you can put you cleanse and tone, then you put the serum on, and then you can layer it up. And and this is part of the Korean way, is layering.

Amy: Oh, that's part of the Korean way is layering?

Whitney: There's Yes. Yes. And I'm going to give you the steps at the end of this. It's not like a 10-step thing. It's four steps.

Amy: Okay, good. Phew.

Whitney: It's very easy. With the Cica, the tiger grass, you have to be patient, all right? It's not instant. It takes 4 to 8 weeks of consistent use.

Amy: Okay. Okay.

Whitney: And you if you don't want the salmon sperm, which is the most biologically active repair,

Amy: Oh, no, I want it. I want it.

Whitney: there is a plant-based. If you want a user-friendly, daily serum that absorbs instantly for facial care, it's X-skin skincare. It's excellent for that glass skin look without any of the risk of fish allergies. They use ginseng, green tea, or rice to to get it, but

Amy: No. I want the salmon.

Whitney: I kind of like the 95% human.

Amy: I want that. I want that.

Whitney: Yeah. But there is an option if you have a shellfish allergy or don't want salmon. All right, then the fermented ingredients is the other part of Korean skincare that's different from the US. They use things like rice and ginseng. They claim it's better absorption and more antioxidants. The merit is solid. Fermentation breaks down large molecules into smaller ones that can penetrate the skin barrier easily.

Amy: Mhm. Interesting.

Whitney: All right, the scientific proof. Research shows that fermented rice, sake filtrate, contains a higher concentration of amino acids and organic acids than its non-fermented counterpart. And it increases skin hydration.

Amy: Are they eating these things, too, so they're getting the results like that?

Whitney: Maybe. I don't know, because if that was the case, then why would they go to the Yeah, I don't know.

Amy: Yeah, I don't know. Okay.

Whitney: I don't know. Oh, you know what? Actually, this is what's The ingredients do work, but delivery matters. A high-quality snail mucin essence will do wonders, but a snail-scented soap likely won't. I don't know.

Amy: Okay. Snail-scented soap?

Whitney: I don't think there's any snail-scented soaps.

Amy: This smells like snails.

Whitney: But you want to look for the active ingredient to be in the top five on the label to know that it's good. All right. Now, I know what you're thinking, if this stuff is so advanced, why doesn't my local drugstore sunscreen Oh, sunscreen is huge. We know for a fact that that is the number one skin protector to do first, above all else, skin sunscreen, right?

Amy: Mhm.

Whitney: The US sunscreen hasn't changed since like, let me look at my notes, 1999.

Amy: What the fuck? Why?

Whitney: All right, here's exactly why. The US FDA regulated sunscreen as an over-the-counter drug, while Korea treats it as a functional cosmetic. So, because it's an over-the-counter drug, the US hasn't fully approved a truly new modern chemical UV filter since '99. So, we're literally using the '90s technology on our 2026 faces. The sun is different, the ozone layer's gone, all that shit, and nothing has changed. Meanwhile, the Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety is out here approving filters like something called Tinosorb S and Uvinul A Plus, and these are large molecule filters. They're too big to be absorbed into your bloodstream, so they protect your skin. They stay on top of your skin.

Amy: Yeah. Oh.

Whitney: They don't sting your eyes, they don't leave you looking like a Victorian ghost.

Amy: Oh, nice.

Whitney: Yeah, they just they cover your face and they keep that

Amy: Like this is white.

Whitney: there there's a different UV, and it was somewhere in my notes and maybe it'll come up later, but there's different rays coming from the sun and the Korean sunscreen is protecting us from a deeper ray than the UVA ray. So,

Amy: Yeah, there's like UVA, UVB.

Whitney: Yeah, this is something different that

Amy: What?

Whitney: that I can't remember off the top of my head. I read it somewhere, but I didn't put it in my notes. But anyway, so if you don't want to use any other Korean product, at least get the sunscreen because it's being updated to all the, you know, environmental factors that we're dealing with now and constantly being studied.

Amy: Do you have some over there? I keep staring at these products. I want to get my hands on these.

Whitney: I do. So, this So, this is this is what um this this is not something you can get at Target. It's called HERA SUN MATE. Here it is. This is something that my friend's mom brought back from South Korea for all of us, all of her friends to start using. So, this is what I use. I put it on my face, on my neck, on my chest, and it is your sunscreen and a moisturizer and a primer. All in one.

Amy: Nice.

Whitney: It's really nice.

Amy: Okay, cool.

Whitney: I this is expensive. This is like I want to say like $100 maybe?

Amy: Oh, okay.

Whitney: I don't know. But a lot of these Korean things are not expensive at all, especially if you go to Target. $25, $20 for the routine. All right, speaking of the routine, how do you actually start, Whitney?

Amy: How do you start?

Whitney: I'm overwhelmed. I don't know what to do.

Amy: I am.

Whitney: So, if you want a future face like South Koreans,

Amy: If I want to what?

Whitney: a future face.

Amy: A future face? Is that what they call it?

Whitney: I'm calling it that.

Amy: Oh, okay, okay.

Whitney: If you want that glassy skin look, you only need four things. You need a double cleanse, so it's actually five because the double cleanser. First, you use an oil-based cleanser.

Amy: Ooh, okay.

Whitney: No, listen, if you're putting sunscreen on your face, your regular cleanser is not getting rid of it. Oil gets rid of oil.

Amy: Got it.

Whitney: So, if you're and I didn't know this until this research. If you're putting a sunscreen on your face, which you should, the only way to truly get rid of it at night or in the morning is to use an oil-based cleanser. So, there's a couple of oil I can't read this cuz it's so freaking tiny, but there's this company called

Amy: Let's see.

Whitney: Sulwhasoo.

Amy: S-U-L-W-H-A-S-O-O.

Whitney: I don't know if y'all can see that. I ordered a little trial off of their actual website.

Amy: Nice.

Whitney: And so, these are their trials base things, but it's an oil cleanser and it's a then you use a water-based cleanser, so there's two cleansings going on. Get rid of all that sunscreen stuff, oil-based things, and then clean your skin with the water-based. And then you do a hydrating toner, all right?

Amy: Mhm.

Whitney: Not the alcohol-based ones from the '90s, these are watery skin plump face things. This one is Haruharu Wonder, this is what I use.

Amy: Black rice hyaluronic.

Whitney: You can get that at Target. It's black rice, yes. And it helps keep

Amy: Smells kind of like black rice.

Whitney: Yeah, it helps create that glassy glassy look on your skin, yeah.

Amy: Really?

Whitney: Then, this is what I don't have yet, it's coming tomorrow. It didn't get here in time. And then I ran to Little Target because these products are at Target, but they didn't have any of the K-Beauty stuff at your Little Target. So, but the snail mucin or essence, that's your next step. That's the secret sauce for healing. So, you do the double cleanse, the oil, the water-based, then you do the hydrating toner like this one that's the rice, then you put your mucin on, or if you've got your salmon sperm, and that's the secret sauce, and then you put your sunscreen on. And that is your daily routine. That's it.

Amy: Oh. Oh. Well, then what do you do at night?

Whitney: You do the same thing without the sunscreen.

Amy: You don't use any glycolic or

Whitney: This is all This is in there. Like this

Amy: It's already in there?

Whitney: Well, the hydro whatever that's called, that that's that's in there. But no,

Amy: Yeah. Yeah. Hyaluronic. Okay.

Whitney: This is if you want retinol and stuff, yes, you can add to the routine, of course.

Amy: You can add, you would add that maybe at night.

Whitney: That's where ChatGPT comes in.

Amy: Oh, okay.

Whitney: And you ask him how to handle it. But this is just of if you get overwhelmed by things and you want to just start something that you will truly see a difference in 4 to 6 weeks, this four-step alone is going to help you tremendously. And you know why, cuz I just went through all that scientific nonsense. It's not nonsense. Scientific studies.

Amy: Yeah, you did. You did.

Whitney: So, it's legit. Now, the Target K-Beauty brand list, and we're going to put this in the show notes as well as this little routine. I've already sent it to you.

Amy: Yes, you have. I saw it. Good job.

Whitney: Here are the heavy hitters currently available at the K-Beauty section and the Ulta Beauty section at Target. Round Lab. Round Lab is a current clean beauty king in Korea famous for their birch juice and Dokdo sea water lines.

Amy: Okay. This This is a Dokdo.

Whitney: That's a That's a cleanser.

Amy: That's a cleanser.

Whitney: That's a cleanser, yeah. So, that's one brand, Round Lab. COSRX, COSRX.

Amy: That I saw that one when I was looking at Dermstore, they had that.

Whitney: Yeah, COSRX is the brand that made the snail mucin mainstream. Look for their advanced snail

Amy: That's the one I used to have. I had advanced snail mucin.

Whitney: Okay. Yeah.

Amy: And then I didn't

Whitney: They made it mainstream.

Amy: I didn't know what I was doing.

Whitney: Yeah. The Haruharu Wonder, which was this,

Amy: The black rice.

Whitney: specializes in fermented black rice, great for anti-aging and barrier repair. There's also somethings called SKIN1004 known for using high-quality Cent Cica, the tiger grass,

Amy: Oh, yeah.

Whitney: from Madagascar to soothe the skin. Then there's Anua, which is This is what my mom is using. This is her cleansing oil, the current leader for acne-prone, sensitive skin.

Amy: Oh, I need that. Okay.

Whitney: And I'm going to give it to my son, too. Yeah, that's what my mom told me to get, and that's what she's using and she swears she notices a difference.

Amy: Really?

Whitney: Yes. There's also a product called ma:nyo famous for their deep cleaning oils and fermented serums.

Amy: I'm feeling overwhelmed. This is a lot.

Whitney: I know, but it's all at Target. It's all at Target,

Amy: I don't shop at Target for things on my face. That's a mental leap that I'm having to make, like

Whitney: You can That's fine, you can order You can I bet your wherever you

Amy: Dermstore, yeah. I pulled it up, but because I don't I don't use anything on my face that is doesn't come from like the the

Whitney: top of the top. That's fine, I'm speaking to the budgeters in our listener pool.

Amy: Well, I like I Well, no. I spend money on my face.

Whitney: Some of this stuff is $25, $20. Like I said, you can get, if you don't don't want to jump in full force, you can go and find the little trials where it's like a travel set where it gives you everything to get started.

Amy: I guess I'm wondering, am I being duped by all the things that I think I need from American skincare

Whitney: Yes, you are.

Amy: and so, should I give this a run, you know, like and spend less in trying it?

Whitney: Yes. 100%. That That is what I gathered from all this research. The Koreans know what they're doing. They don't skimp, but they're they're using quality ingredients that actually have the science behind it. And they don't have the crazy And don't don't get me wrong, there are higher-end, like I said, this HERA sunblock is, you know, expensive. But Target also has a Korean product that's not as expensive. So, you can go higher end, but if you don't want to jump in with that, try the lower end first. It still has all the ingredients that we're talking about in this episode with the science behind it.

Amy: Okay. Right. I guess I just have been brainwashed.

Whitney: We're all brainwashed. We should just be eating good food and then not taking all these supplements. Anyway, that's my bottom line. I think the K-Beauty thing is definitely the way to go. I'm going to be using it, I already started. My mom has been using it for weeks and says she notices a difference in 79-year-old skin.

Amy: Okay. Really?

Whitney: Yes, and she's never done high-end anything.

Amy: Can you notice a difference on her or

Whitney: Well, I'm not getting up close and personal, but like she's saying when she puts her makeup on, she notices she gets in that magnifying mirror like we all do. And she notices things going on smoother, it's just everything feels better, yeah.

Amy: Oh, yeah. Really?

Whitney: Yeah. And it's affordable if you if you go to Target.

Amy: And I mean, when you're talking about affordable, too, you could put it all over your whole body.

Whitney: Exactly, you get that salmon sperm or that snail mucin and take a bath in it.

Amy: Sorry. This is very helpful.

Whitney: Yeah. I'm excited.

Amy: How long have you been doing some of this stuff?

Whitney: Well, I have been doing the sunblock for like over a year because I I was introduced to it last summer. These other things I've just started, and like I said, my mom was the one that got me looking further into it. My Korean friend's been speaking about it forever, but I'm like, "Yeah, yeah, you're Korean, you you're just saying that." But it's legit.

Amy: It's legit.

Whitney: And they are they are taking it in a different direction. US is about blasting and boiling and branding and all of that,

Amy: Yeah. Harsh.

Whitney: and harsh and reactive, and the Korean way, I love they're saying they have a happy heart, saranghae, saranghae. That's what my friend always says, saranghae. It means I love you, happy heart. Anyway, they're they're gentler and they're

Amy: Oh. Oh, I love that. Okay.

Whitney: Wow. they have the science. It's it's real.

Amy: Yeah? Okay. Okay.

Whitney: All right.

Amy: I wonder why it's just now catching on here.

Whitney: It's been a thing for a while, but I I don't think

Amy: Well, no, it has for for years.

Whitney: Yeah, I I think with things like social media where people are just talking about it more on those mediums. But my Korean friend has been talking about it for 10 years.

Amy: Yeah. Wow.

Whitney: They're just They're, you know,

Amy: Have you heard of this brand, Erborian?

Whitney: I have not.

Amy: I'm seeing that on Dermstore, so.

Whitney: Yeah, there are there are several different levels of of, you know, of skincare lines out there. And and as always, just because it says it's Korean doesn't mean that it you just take it for what it is. Look at the first five ingredients and make sure that they're some of the ingredients that we've talked about here today

Amy: Yeah. Okay.

Whitney: before you dive in, but

Amy: Smart.

Whitney: the research that I did on all of these Target products are legit.

Amy: Wow. Okay. Yeah. Okay, thank you.

Whitney: Welcome to glassy skin.

Amy: No, I need this. I mean I mean like I I want to know.

Whitney: Yeah, I want to know, and I'm doing all the the US things and my I felt like my skin was just very angry with me.

Amy: Yeah. Yeah.

Whitney: But of course, I was doing too much.

Amy: Well, no, but it's interesting. Like, you know, we do have that mindset of treating the like of being reactive. Like we do. Like, oh, I've got this problem, let me fix it. And

Whitney: And we want fast. We like fast results. So, like even when I was looking into the laser therapy and stuff, I'm like, "What what's the fastest I can get this," you know? And I'm terrible at routines, so I'm just committing to this Korean routine. Beauty care routine.

Amy: Like morning and night?

Whitney: Morning for sure, but okay, nighttime, too.

Amy: Why not at night?

Whitney: I'm tired.

Amy: Yeah, I know. I'm tired, too.

Whitney: But it's not that big Here's the thing, it's just like any any routine. It Once you get used to it, it becomes a habit. I'm too I'm too tired to take my makeup off, but I still take it off every night. So, it's not a big deal. It's a mental hurdle I'll just have to get over of like, this is my routine now.

Amy: Yeah, I've started doing it like after dinner. I'm like,

Whitney: You're done.

Amy: I can't wait. I can't wait or I'm too I'm so tired. And then, I'm like mad that I have to do it and I'm so tired.

Whitney: I saw something, I think it was on Mel Robbins, she posted something recently where she was like, "There's two types of people in the world. There are the people that you walk into their bathroom and their counter is completely bare. Everything is put away in its place. Or there's the counter where everything's on top." Which one are you?

Amy: What do you think?

Whitney: Everything on top?

Amy: No! I'm everything put away. What are you talking about?

Whitney: I thought I was I thought I was going to say that, but then I thought for some reason you're going to change it. Yeah, no, I'm I'm everything on top.

Amy: No. I know you are.

Whitney: And so, if I put everything away except for this skincare routine, I think that will help me.

Amy: Maybe.

Whitney: Because right now I got all kinds of shit on top of there. No, I knew you were put everything away.

Amy: You knew that. Come on. Virgo over here. All right, what are you? Well, we want to know. Tell us. What what you are. Tell us anything. Tell us a mid moment, tell us something you want to hear us talk about, tell us stories that you've got. Email us, anythingbutmidpodcast@gmail.com.

Whitney: That's right.

Amy: And DM us. Follow us on Instagram.

Whitney: That's right.

Amy: What else?

Whitney: And go do whatever the hell you want.

Amy: Oh, that, too. Do what you want.

Whitney: Bye.