What Karlie Koss has in common with Mary Poppins

If there’s anyone who has mastered the art of a quick change, it’s Karlie Kloss: As a Victoria’s Secret Angel and one of the most in-demand faces in the fashion industry, the jet-setting supermodel—who turns 23 today—has a career that takes her from photo shoot to commercial set to red carpet.

So, have you heard about essence yet? And more importantly: Have you figured out what it is?

“Essence is the heart of the Korean skincare routine, and it is a skincare category that was created in Korea,” Charlotte Cho, co-founder of Soko Glam, tells us—something you may have gleaned while reading up on the Korean skincare routine. If you’ve been searching around and looking for the next trend as big as BB cream, your search may end here. “But there’s a lot of confusion behind the product,” Cho said. So, let’s clarify.

Immediate hydration

The easiest way to define essence is first to figure out what it is not. This is not toner, but you wouldn’t be blamed for thinking that it is. They’ve got a similar slip to them. But unlike your drugstore bottle of witch hazel, essences by and large come in beautiful (often glass) bottles that look excellent on your countertop. They are also not meant for cleaning. With higher doses of active ingredients, essence is meant to deliver those deep into the skin after you’ve gone through the process of cleansing (two or three times, if you’re thorough).

It’s got your hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and other natural extracts for an immediately hydrated and comforted feel, according to Janet Pardo, senior vice president of product development at Clinique, who helped create Clinique’s Even Better Essence Lotion. It also balances pH once you’ve stripped the skin of oils. This is what you add to make you feel like you again.

Use separate products

But at the same time, essence isn’t a serum, which comes in a smaller vial at higher concentrations. “There’s only so much you can pack into an essence or a watery lotion,” Pardo said. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t use it. Women in Asian markets have sworn by it for decades, Pardo continues, and now that they’re filtering into the American market, technology is only getting better.

Though it may be of interest: As essences make their way stateside, some companies have blurred the lines between essences and toners with ‘treatment’ toners/essences/lotions meant to take care of two steps at once. Korean experts still advise using separate products for optimal results.