Mochi-Hada and what a dessert has to do with Japanese skin care, the meaning of Hanbang and Glass skin as beauty ideal

The beauty ideal of Japanese women? A really wonderful, round, white, soft dessert. Rice cake, or just "Mochi-Hada". Mochi-Hada looks a bit like a little steam noodle and is filled with all kinds of tasty (and not so tasty) things: Peanut butter, sweet bean paste, strawberry pieces...everything finds its way into the cakes made of sticky rice mass. And why should a Japanese woman's face be Mochi-Hada again? Because these cakes are wonderfully soft, tender, white, even and plump on the outside. The "softness" concept, by the way, is a theme that permeates all Japanese skin care. Many Western beauty products are "trimmed" for high efficiency, but are often quite aggressive. In Japan, on the other hand, gentle, natural skin care formulations and active ingredients such as algae/seagrass or wakame, rice, camellia etc. have been used for centuries. The cultural ties between Japan and Korea are also noticeable here. Although in Korea one rather strives for "Glass skin" instead of "Mochi-Hada" skin, traditional, natural active ingredients are also used here, often called "Hanbang" active ingredients.

Hanbang stands for traditional, holistic medicine, which is based on a pronounced use of herbal remedies. Particularly important here is the biological further processing through fermentation, which makes active ingredients particularly concentrated, bioavailable and possible allergens almost completely reduced. But also the Asian skin care industry - no matter if Korea or Japan - is oriented towards the West. This is where the latest and most effective skin care innovations are developed, which Asian beauty companies use to improve their own formulations and make them even more efficient. By the way, a characteristic feature of Hanbang plants and bioferments is their high content of antioxidants and their corresponding slow-aging capacities. Bamboo, ginseng and green tea are among the most frequently used.