Japan has brought us sushi, matcha tea, the gel pen and the much-loved emoji but now there is something even more incredible afoot, the Gankin massage! What was once a surreptitious beauty speciality to the stars, either for red carpet events or for the runway, it has now become the mantra and method for the Japanese skincare and makeup brand, SUQQU.
This beauty method was created by ‘exploring the relationship between stiff facial muscles and sagging skin.’ Unlike many facials, the Gankin massage is more of an exercise for the face, where muscles are stretched and blood is stimulated to flow better. By doing such exercises regularly each week, this Japanese massage promises to slow down the aging process and inhibit the use of invasive anti-aging procedures. It’s the most natural way of maintaining youthful skin.
I was fortunate enough to be invited to the SUQQU counter in the beloved English department store, Selfridges. In all respects, the counter was more of a sectioned-off boutique, where SUQQU products were organised to stand proudly and where clients could be seated for a relaxing facial treatment. As soon as I arrived I was treated so graciously and I was made to feel that I was in a serene spa, away from the hustle and bustle of the shoppers. My SUQQU facial therapist was Shumana, one of the loveliest brand ambassadors I have met and one who was immensely informative when it came to understand the Gankin massage and the products.
She started off by providing some insight into the history of the massage and the science behind it. She said by placing your fingers on certain pressure points of the face and using a heavier hand than normal to push all the toxins away to the lymphatic drainage system, you ensure healthier and plumper looking skin that has more youth and glow. Like any good facialist and beauty ambassador, she asked questions about my skin type and what products I was most comfortable with. Based on my answers she determined that I was a perfect candidate for the SUQQU Light Solution Range, a set of products that are sensitive and soothing and great for individuals like me that deal with hyperpigmentation. It was now time to go through an organised step-by-step to achieve the best of your skin potential. Even though my SUQQU experience happened during the day, I believe doing this massage in the evenings works a lot better because your skin can rejuvenate effectively overnight.
Traditionally the order of the stages for the Gankin massage would follow as cleansing, using the SUQQU Musculate Massage & Mask Cream and then one of the SUQQU skincare ranges. My massage was tailored to demonstrate primarily, how the various products worked so the stages were rearranged to give me a bespoke experience and that is how I have outlined it below.
Cleanser
The first step to my Gankin massage is cleansing; you want to rid your skin of any dirt or impurities that you have picked up throughout the day. Despite SUQQU using their Reset Cleansing Milk during my massage, I’m a stickler for cleansers that I’ve been using for some time so when I do the massage at home I use my Elemis Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm (£41.00). It’s a ‘powerful, deep cleansing balm that dissolves make-up, daily grime and pollutants.’ It is filled with a number of different oils that not only help to clean my skin but they also provide the hydration and nourishment I need for my skin type. Although I do not use the same cleanser as was used during my SUQQU experience, I still maintain the same cleansing technique. I take a generous amount of the balm, melt it between my hands and apply it to my face. I vigorously rub the balm into my skin so as to remove makeup and dirt and then taking the SUQQU Sponge Cloth – dampened I must add – I remove all the balm from my face. What I’m left with is a clean skin base and a skin texture that is soft to the touch.
The SUQQU Light Solution Range
Now that the skin is clean, the next stage of the pre-Gankin massage is to use one of the skincare ranges from SUQQU. I would highly, highly recommend investing in their skincare ranges because they have been meticulously designed to work incredibly well. As SUQQU advises, these ranges ‘prepare the ideal skin condition for better permeation of beauty ingredients, and leaves the skin resilient yet soft.’ Even if you feel that you don’t have the time to do such a massage, these skincare ranges already do eighty percent of the work and you wake up with skin looking and feeling youthful and revived!
SUQQU Light Solution Essence (£85.00)
SUQQU says: “The formula blends well into the skin, directly and quickly infusing rich moisture to skin that needs hydration after a face wash and the SUQQU’s Gankin massage. It also softens and prepares the skin for better permeation.”
This Essence…this Essence; all I can say is I’m addicted! I religiously apply this Light Solution Essence after every face wash. It’s one of those products where you instantly see a positive change to your skin. It is a lightweight texture, that once warmed in your hands, starts to thin out into a water-like consistency and when applied to your face, it’s immediate hydration. Your face looks like it’s just been in a pool of water. As the skin starts to absorb the product, it looks fuller and plumper and glows! The Light Solution Essence is a great way to build hydration and nourishment into the skin and even if you just buy and use the Essence, you will see a drastic change to the condition of your skin. It’s like a potent boost of moisture for parched or even normal skin. It helps to maintain the overall elasticity.
SUQQU Light Solution Lotion (£60.00)
SUQQU says: “Delivers moisture deeply to every corner of the cornified layer (the outer layer of skin), leaving the skin well-hydrated and clear.”
Don’t let the name ‘Lotion’ fool you, because this is a lotion unlike any you have used before. It looks more like a gel toner, but with all the hydrating properties you desire. You should remember SUQQU’s skincare ranges have skin technology written all over them, with special attention paid to ingredients and how they can work on a cellular level to deliver products that can reach every layer of the skin. So, while their products may not fit the conventional or traditional ideas, they work so effectively, you will forget about what should be what. I take a few pumps of the Light Solution Lotion and apply it to a cotton pad and then I press the pad onto my skin rather than rubbing it in. I make sure to coat every area of my skin’s surface to get optimum results. The Light Solution Lotion was created to ‘help the skin produce moisture from within, leaving the skin fully hydrated and radiant’ and this is exactly what it does! The constant addition of hydration and nourishment for the skin is exactly what is required to keep it youthful. SUQQU has understood that young and glowing skin isn’t something that has to be complicated; it’s the simplicity of keeping the skin moisturised that keeps its condition healthy.
SUQQU Light Solution Fluid (£100.00)
SUQQU says: “Covers the skin’s surface with a layer of protection to retain moisture, support the skin’s barrier function and create elasticity.”
This is the last stage to my pre-Gankin massage and one that I do not take for granted. After all the moisture you have worked so hard to permeate into the skin, it’s now time to create a protective barrier to keep it all in. This is where the Light Solution Fluid comes into play. It has a thin creamy texture and becomes almost like water once it is warmed in your hands; two or three pumps is all you need and gently pat it onto your skin. Your skin immediately feels like it’s being safeguarded from toxins coming in and from hydration going out. It’s like your own personal skin guardian. The glow that has been slowly emanating from using all the other products, is now heightened to such a degree following the use of the Light Solution Fluid.
The SUQQU Musculate Massage & Mask Cream (£66.00)
SUQQU says: “A special cream for the Gankin Massage, offering concentrated hydration and leaving the skin resilient, elastic and beautifully translucent.”
The prep is now done, so it’s time to use a product that is not only designed to work in tandem with the Gankin massage but it is so luxurious that your skin will feel and look priceless! I think it’s difficult to explain the steps of the Gankin massage through words purely because it can become quite verbose, therefore an illustrative and briefly descriptive step-by-step can be viewed below:
Ultimately the SUQQU Musculate Massage & Mask Cream is rich and thick and allows for the user to continually massage the skin without the product drying out or absorbing quickly into the skin layers. It gives you the slickness you need to massage every muscle in the face in just one go. If you choose not to massage the face, this cream is perfect as an overnight mask particularly in the colder months, as it will enrich your skin with the powerful properties of geranium extract and citrus fruit extract.
My final thoughts
SUQQU has often been considered as the go-to brand for East Asian or Western skin types and colours, but what I have realised is that it works equally well for brown and dark skin types. Granted some of the makeup may not work as effectively for brown or darker skin tones, but the skincare ranges definitely will. From the use of natural ingredients to skincare advanced technology, this brand is fast becoming salient and one that everyone will be waiting in line for. What makes SUQQU so unique is their Gankin massage. They have intelligently showcased how their products work with a skincare methodology that is so tangible and so involved. The customer knows that they are purchasing and participating in something that will truly work. Above all else, SUQQU has understood the variations in our skincare peaks and troughs and so it has designed ranges that help with sensitivity, dryness, oiliness, hyperpigmentation and blemishes. Forget Botox injections and lasers, this is what you need. The Gankin massage along with SUQQU’s products are by nature the simplest and qualified beauty method to get younger and more glowing skin. By promoting perpetual blood flow to the face, by pushing out all the toxins and by relaxing the muscles in your face, you’ll be Gankin-ing every day for the rest of your life.
Talk about Gankin style, this massage will truly make your skin sing and dance like it’s floating on air!
