It seems like everyone around the world is catching on to Korean skincare products, from ampoules and serums, to sheet masks and cleansers. And for good reason: K-beauty has become known for pushing the envelope—from their unique textures, advanced and effective ingredient formulations, to their packaging, formats, and affordable price points.
“K-beauty leaves no stone unturned, and it’s why skincare brands are pivoting to formulating and manufacturing their products there, too,” says Charlotte Cho, founder of Korean retail platform Soko Glam.
Most skin-care lovers are familiar with the likes of Cosrx, Innisfree, and Dr. Jart+, but thanks to social media, the genre has absolutely exploded, giving us even more access to the up-and-coming South Korean brands that are being added to the 10-step skin care routines flooding our FYPs.
“Koreans are serious about their skin care,” adds Cho. “They also know what they want, like innovation, gentle ingredients, pleasing packaging, and they don’t want to pay a fortune for it.”
So to help you lean in, we’ve gathered the most innovative, price-savviest, and all-around best Korean skincare products to incorporate into your routine for bouncy glass skin.
The best Korean skincare products, as picked by the WH editors
Best Cleansing Oil
Anua Heartleaf Pore Control Cleansing Oil
A major player in the Korean Skincare game, Anua has an entire heartleaf skin-care collection that is uber popular. Heartleaf is a plant native to Southeast Asia that’s long been used in traditional Chinese medicine because it’s rich in polyphenolic flavonoids, which have ample anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antibacterial properties. The Heartleaf Pore Control Cleansing Oil is gentle on the eye area, melting away makeup, excess sebum, and blackheads as you emulsify the formula.
Best Cleansing Balm
Then I Met You Living Cleansing Balm
Then I Met You is the culmination of years of trying thousands of Korean skin care products. Their cleansing balm, The Living Cleansing Balm, has won 15 industry and people’s choice awards in a matter of a few years and is the bran’s bestselling product because of its luxurious, sorbet-soft texture.
Best Serum
Sulwhasoo First Care Activating Serum VI
Sulwhasoo is one of those brands that feels like it’s been around forever, and have become some what of a classic thanks to its potent use of ginseng, which is a powerful adaptogen that multi-tasks hard for skin, delivering benefits ranging from energising to increasing glow to brightening to visibly firming. The First Care Activating Serum is timeless and brings instant vitality and glow to the skin.
Best Essence
Cosrx Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence
There is no way you’ve seen any Korean Skincare video on social without this product mentioned. Founded in 2013, right before the K-beauty boom, Cosrx has garnered internet and TikTok fame for its simple and affordable skin care solutions. While you may balk at first at applying snail mucin on your face, you’ll be a believer as soon as you try this essence. Just be careful – some people have had breakouts from this one so patch test and use sparingly.
Best Gentle Exfoliant
Mixsoon Bean Essence
Similar to the snail mucin, Mixsoon’s Bean Essence offers up a syrupy texture. The key ingredient at play here is soybean ferment extract, which replenishes moisture lost from, well, everything life throws at you. Another fermented ingredient, pomegranate, serves up gentle exfoliation, which allows you to feel residue forming as you massage it into your skin.
Best Night Mask
Belif Aqua Bomb Sleeping Mask
Have dehydrated skin? Belif’s lineup consists of products designed to seriously hydrate. Even oily skin can benefit from extra moisture, as excess sebum production can indicate dehydration. The Aqua Bomb Hydrating Sleeping Mask ensures that skin stays plump and free from dry spots while you get your beauty sleep.
Best Lip Mask
Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask
Probably the most popular of the products outside the Korean Skincare realm, Laneige’s main focus is moisturising all of the skin on your face. Their lip sleeping mask is packed with nourishing shea butter, murumuru butter, and coconut oil to keep your pout looking its best – and smells absolutely divine.
Best Sheet Mask
Dr. Jart+ Ceramidin Skin Barrier Moisturising Mask
Dr. Jart+ concentrates on gentle formulas that support the skin barrier and reduce irritation with science-backed ingredients like ceramides and cica. There are too many excellent products to choose from, but this sensitive skin-friendly sheet mask is an ELLE favorite due to its soothing superpowers.
Best Moisturiser
Aestura Atobarrier 365 Cream
This moisturiser is designer to be slathered onto your face, neck, décolletage, and hands- and is the perfect rich night cream. The fragrance-free formula hydrates like a dream and is suitable for all skin types, including sensitive skin. At the heart of the moisturiser is squalane, vitamin E, and triple-lipid capsules containing ceramides, cholesterol, and fatty acids — together, these skin-restoring ingredients are responsible for up to 100 hours of hydration.
Best Toner
Pyunkang Yul Essence Toner
Pyunkang has been around for decades, gaining popularity internationally over the last decade for its clean, gentle formulas that always keep the skin barrier in mind. The Essence Toner helps revive and reset skin when it’s irritated or tired. Put it on right after cleansing and before the rest of your skin care products.
Best Toner Pads
Anua, Heartleaf 77%, Clear Pad
If you’ve looked at a ‘glass skin’ routine on TikTok this product has probably came up. The Anua toner pads perfect the balance of purifying and replenishing the skin with gentle and effective ingredients, and don’t contain any artificial fragrances or colorants. Toner pads are extremely popular in Korea and are used before applying makeup to prep and calm the skin.
Best Vitamin C Serum
Goodal Green Tangerine Vita C Dark Spot Serum
If you’re looking for something to tackle hyperpigmentation, Goodal’s Green Tangerine Vita C Dark Spot Serum is your best bet. Infused with a powerhouse brightening blend of cold-pressed green tangerine extract (70%, to be exact), niacinamide, and arbutin, it’s no ordinary dark-spot-fading serum. The formula also contains Centella asiatica (also known as cica), green tea extracts, and sodium hyaluronate to assure you that there won’t be any instances of irritation.
Best Sunscreen
Innisfree Daily UV Defense Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 36
Lightweight, hydrating, smooth-gliding, invisible, and white-cast-free, Innisfree’s Daily UV Defense Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 36 is a bargain at just $16. The chemical sunscreen is spiked with green tea and cica to soothe any signs of UV-induced (or otherwise) irritation, as well as sunflower seed oil for lightweight moisture.
Best Retinol
Iope Retinol Expert 0.1%
If you’re looking to start retinol but are worried about irritating skin effects, the Iope Retinol Expert 0.1% is gentle enough to use on all skin types. Padded with hyaluronic acid and panthenol, this serum has been through 10 iterations since its conception almost three decades ago, so you know it’s been thoroughly tested and perfected.
Best Eye Cream
Haruharu Wonder Black Rice Bakuchiol Eye Cream
Bakuchiol functions similar to a retinol, increasing cell turnover thereby stimulating collagen production and diminishing signs of raging such as fine lines, wrinkles, skin laxity, and overall photodamage. This gentle, quick-absorbing formula is spiked with fermented black rice and bamboo shoot bark extract to promote a brighter and even skin tone, while madecassoside (derived from the cica plant) to soothe and prevent irritation.
Best Pimple Patches
Cosrx Acne Pimple Master Patch
Cosrx Acne Pimple Master Patches are so popular, they’re constantly sold out. These hydrocolloid patches help heal acne overnight (or during the day, because blemishes wait for no one) by acting as a barrier against bacteria, further irritation, and your own pimple-picking habits, and extracting impurities so your pimple deflates faster than ever before.
Best Scrub
Jelly Ko cinnamon toast sugar scrub foam
This delicious-smelling scrub gently exfoliates, dissolving the dirt and debris that’s cloggs pores. It melts into a creamy foam, so super easy to apply and is packed with ceramides and Vitamin E to ensure your skin stays soft and hydrated.
Best Starter Kit
AHC Starter Youthful Skin Kit
FT AHC’s best-sellers, this pack is perfect for either travel or if you’re wanting to just test the products out. They feel rich and luxurious and absorb into the skin really well. A little goes a long way with these four.
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