Cooling skincare is often associated with products used during the summer.
For years, cooling has been associated with a seasonal sensory experience, particularly in hot-weather products such as toner pads, sheet masks, and gel creams.
However, the way cooling is viewed in the Korean beauty market is gradually changing.
In the summer of 2026, amid prolonged heat waves in Korea, “Cooling Beauty” products designed to address sensations of heat in the skin and scalp gained attention. The category is also expanding beyond facial skincare to include sun care, scalp care, and body care. International beauty media have likewise highlighted Korea’s Cooling Beauty market as a distinct trend.
What is particularly interesting about this shift is that cooling is no longer limited to simply providing a refreshing sensation during the summer.
Skin can feel hot and uncomfortable not only because of high outdoor temperatures but also during everyday activities such as spending time outdoors or exercising.
Against this backdrop, cooling is evolving from a seasonal sensory experience into a broader skincare experience that addresses sensations of heat and discomfort in the skin.
Does Skin Only Feel Hot in Summer?
High temperatures are one of the main environmental factors that can increase the sensation of heat in the skin.
However, the skin can also feel hot outside the summer months.
During exercise, the body adjusts blood flow to the skin to dissipate the heat it generates, and skin temperature may change depending on exercise intensity and the surrounding environment.
Spending extended periods outdoors or in hot environments can also make the skin feel hotter or more uncomfortable than usual.
Rather than assuming that demand for cooling is limited to summer skincare, it is therefore important to consider when consumers’ skin feels hot or uncomfortable.
After outdoor activities or exercise, when the skin may feel hot, consumers may seek a product experience that provides an immediate sense of comfort.
These varied use occasions help explain how cooling can extend beyond seasonal products into a broader range of skincare concepts.
How Can High Temperatures Affect the Skin?
The skin is continually influenced by its external environment.
Changes in environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, and ultraviolet exposure can also affect skin condition.
In one study examining the relationship between temperature and the skin barrier, exposing the skin of healthy adults to hot water increased transepidermal water loss (TEWL), skin pH, and erythema. Increases in TEWL and erythema were also observed when the skin came into contact with a 44°C heat source.
However, these findings should not be interpreted to mean that even a slight increase in skin temperature causes the skin barrier to break down.
The temperatures and exposure conditions used in the study may not reflect the conditions under which skin temperature rises in daily life. Skin condition can also be influenced by multiple factors—not only temperature but also humidity, ultraviolet exposure, and duration of exposure.
Another study found that applying heat at 42°C to the skin for 30 seconds affected the skin penetration of a specific ingredient, but no skin barrier damage was observed based on TEWL measurements.
Rather than relying on a simple formula such as “heat equals skin damage,” it is therefore more accurate to understand temperature as one of several environmental factors that can influence skin condition.
Feeling Cool Is Not the Same as Lowering Skin Temperature
There is an important distinction to consider when discussing cooling skincare.
The cooling sensation consumers experience when using a product may not be the same as an actual, measurable reduction in skin surface temperature.
One well-known example is menthol.
Menthol stimulates the cold-sensing receptor TRPM8, which is involved in the skin’s perception of cold. This can create a cooling sensation without physically cooling the skin. Human studies have also demonstrated a relationship between stimulation of this receptor and perceived coolness.
Research has also shown that the intensity of the cooling sensation produced by menthol does not necessarily correspond to the actual change in skin temperature. In other words, a strong cooling sensation does not necessarily mean that skin temperature has decreased by a corresponding amount.
It is therefore important to distinguish between two types of cooling:
Sensory Cooling refers to the cooling sensation consumers experience when using a product.
Physical Cooling refers to a measurable change in skin surface temperature before and after product use.
This distinction is important not only for consumers but also for brands developing cooling products.
Product design and evaluation methods may differ depending on whether a brand wants the product to feel immediately cool upon application or to demonstrate an actual change in skin surface temperature after use.
Cooling Is Not Just About an Intense Cooling Sensation
Menthol is commonly used to deliver an immediate cooling sensation.
However, a more intense cooling sensation does not always create a more comfortable user experience. Studies involving menthol have found that both the cooling sensation and perceived irritation tend to increase as menthol concentration rises.
For products developed with sensitive skin in mind, it may therefore be more important to consider how comfortable the skin feels during use than simply to increase the intensity of the cooling sensation.
In some recent K-Beauty cooling products, cooling is combined with other product characteristics, such as soothing care and a lightweight feel, rather than being emphasized on its own.
The skincare experience does not end with the cooling sensation felt upon application.
The overall product experience is also shaped by whether the skin feels excessively dry afterward, retains sufficient moisture, and is left with a comfortable, non-sticky finish.
A cooling product experience can therefore be designed around a combination such as:
Cooling + Soothing + Hydration + Comfortable After-Feel
This approach treats cooling not as an isolated sensation, but as part of the overall experience a product provides for skin that feels hot.
Cooling Can Be Applied Across a Range of Product Formats
Another interesting aspect of Cooling Beauty is that the concept is not limited to a single product category.
It can be applied to a wide range of formats, from toner pads and sheet masks that can deliver a direct cooling experience to mists, serums, gel creams, and sun care products.
In the Korean market, the range of cooling-related products is also expanding beyond facial skincare to include scalp care and body care.
However, not every product requires the same type of cooling experience.
For products intended for use after exercise or outdoor activities, quick and convenient application and a fresh finish may be important.
For everyday soothing care, hydration and a comfortable user experience may matter more than an intense cooling sensation.
For sun care products, one approach is to combine the core function of UV protection with cooling and a lightweight feel.
In other words, the same keyword—“cooling”—can be translated into very different products depending on the intended use occasion and consumer needs.
What Should Brands Decide First When Developing a Cooling Product?
Simply wanting to create a “cooling product” may not be specific enough to establish a clear development direction.
Brands should first determine what kind of cooling experience they want to provide to consumers.
The development direction may vary depending on whether the priority is an immediate cooling sensation upon application, a demonstrable change in skin surface temperature after use, or a combination of cooling with soothing and hydration.
When the product will be used is another important consideration.
The required formulation and sensory feel may differ depending on whether the product is intended for intensive summer care, use after exercise or outdoor activities, or everyday soothing skincare.
Brands also need to consider how the intended cooling effect will be communicated to consumers.
Communicating a cooling sensation and presenting an actual change in skin surface temperature as a product benefit are two different approaches.
In particular, if an objectively measurable effect such as “lowering skin temperature” is used as a key product message, it is important to consider appropriate testing and evaluation methods for the finished product rather than relying only on the presence of a cooling ingredient.
Ultimately, cooling is not a product characteristic determined by a single ingredient or technology. It requires consideration of the product concept, use occasion, target consumer, formulation, desired user experience, and communication approach.
Conclusion
Cooling skincare has long been associated with the refreshing feel of products used during the summer.
More recently, a wider range of products has emerged to address sensations of heat in the skin and scalp. Cooling is also being combined with other skincare needs—including sun care, soothing care, and hydration—across a broader range of products.
What matters in this process is not simply how cold a product feels.
The cooling sensation consumers experience may differ from an actual change in skin temperature, and how hydrated and comfortable the skin feels afterward can also form part of the overall product experience.
Brands may therefore need to ask different questions when planning a cooling product.
Rather than asking, “How can we make it feel colder?” brands can ask:
“In what situations will this product be used, and what kind of cooling experience should it provide?”
Neo Mirae works with brands to develop products informed by evolving beauty trends and each brand’s ideas.
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