A military barracks with its drills, uniforms and rigid routines is probably the last place you’d expect to find men comparing sunscreens or discussing what works after a shave. Skincare is still often associated with beauty counters and a little self-indulgence. But in South Korea, compulsory service has become an unlikely skincare classroom.
Most able-bodied South Korean men spend part of their late teens or twenties in an environment that can be fairly punishing on the skin. Depending on the branch, active-duty service lasts between 18 and 21 months. Army recruits, for instance, begin with five weeks of basic training that includes combat and chemical, biological and radiological defence drills before being assigned to their units.
Long hours outdoors, sun exposure, sweat and regular shaving are not exactly conducive to keeping skin healthy, which is why making cleansers, sunscreens and moisturisers readily accessible through military PX stores and the Armed Forces Welfare Agency’s online Wa-Mall feels like a practical necessity.
South Korean reporting has also noted growing interest among Gen Z soldiers in Korean military skincare suited to outdoor training and repeated UV exposure. This is not a new phenomenon. A 2014 study comparing 150 soldiers with 156 civilian men in their early twenties found that more than 90% used toner and lotion and more than half used sunscreen and foam cleanser. Soldiers were also more likely than civilians to use essence and aftershave.
But the charming part is what happens around these products. A 2024 Seoul National University anthropology thesis on makeup and masculinity among Korean men in their twenties found that skincare rituals during compulsory military service could foster camaraderie between men. Grooming knowledge moved through peer groups and taking care of one’s face became something men could discuss, observe and learn from one another.
Male friendship is not always famous for its fluency in personal care. In many groups, skincare advice still begins and ends with “wash your face”. In the barracks, however, products and recommendations pass naturally between people living, training and getting ready alongside one another. Someone knows which sunscreen works best during hours outdoors. Someone else has figured out what calms their skin after shaving. Skincare becomes one more piece of practical knowledge passed around the room.
It’s so unexpectedly sweet that Korean military skincare is becoming another form of barracks knowledge: polish your boots, keep your kit in order, reapply your SPF. The routine may be personal, but figuring it out has become communal.
And for every man outside the gates still insisting skincare is too complicated, the Korean military has accidentally produced a fairly devastating rebuttal. If someone can fit sunscreen and moisturiser around drills, inspections and compulsory service, what exactly is your excuse?
Also read:
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