Glass skin

'Glass skin' describes a look: skin so smooth and hydrated that it reflects light evenly, like glass. It came out of Korean beauty and is now used to sell a great deal of product.

What genuinely produces it is unglamorous — consistent hydration, a healthy barrier, gentle exfoliation, and daily sun protection over months. Layering hydrating products does make skin reflect light better in the short term, which is why ten-step routines photograph well.

What is worth saying plainly is that a large part of the look is pore size and skin texture, and both are substantially genetic. Someone with naturally fine pores will reach it with three products; someone without will not reach it with fifteen. The photographs that set the standard are also lit, filtered and frequently retouched.

It is a fine thing to want. It is a poor thing to measure yourself against, and the routines sold to achieve it are often long enough to damage a barrier — which produces the opposite of the look.

Hydration, sunscreen, patience. That is the honest version.