Korean skincare is oh-so-popular and for very good reason. Some of the most innovative beauty brands in the world hail from Korea, pioneering skincare formulas packed with traditional, natural ingredients and free from harsh chemicals. Heartleaf, centella asiatica, and snail mucin (yes, really) have quickly become indispensable to anyone looking to nail their glass skin routine, with cutting-edge products like essences and ampoules transforming beauty routines everywhere.
The ethos behind the best Korean skincare brands is simple: gentle, effective treatments that prioritise healthy skin. If you’re ready to curate the ultimate Korean skincare routine, we’ve rounded up the best products for every skin type to help you get started.
Our Top 5 Korean Skincare Products
Before diving into the details, here are our all-time favourite Korean skincare must-haves:
1) Beauty Of Joseon Relief Sun: Rice + Probiotics – One of the best Korean sunscreens on the market – a lightweight, super hydrating formula, with SPF50+ protection. Find out more about the best Beauty of Joseon products in our roundup.
2) COSRX Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence – A glow-boosting essential for glass skin. Your skin will be hydrated and glowing after using this. Discover even more of the best COSRX products and fall in love with the powerful ingredients the brand is known for.
3) Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask – As the ultimate overnight lip treatment for smooth, plump lips, it went viral for a reason. Treat yourself to all the best Laneige products, for your most hydrated, plump skin and lips yet. Don’t forget to check out all the best Laneige lip mask flavours for even more inspiration too.
4) SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Light Cleansing Oil – A gentle cleanser that suits all skin types, removing stubborn makeup and targeting impurities. Discover more of the best SKIN1004 products and treat your skin to the benefits of centella asiatica.
5) ANUA Heartleaf 77% Soothing Toner – A calming toner for even the most sensitive skin. Embrace the benefits of heartleaf and discover all the best ANUA products to give your skin a glow.
The Best Korean Cleansers & Face Washes
Whatever your preferred cleanser texture—oil, foam, gel, or cream—Korean cleansers deliver exceptional results.
COSRX Low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanser: This refreshing gel cleanser refines texture, clarifies skin, and protects its natural pH balance. The perfect first step in your skincare routine, your skin will be left thoroughly clean, without being stripped.
SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Light Cleansing Oil: Infused with calming centella asiatica, this oil gently removes makeup and impurities while soothing breakouts. If you’re looking to try double cleansing, give a Korean cleansing oil a go.
ANUA Heartleaf Quercetinol Pore Deep Cleansing Foam: If you love a foaming cleanser, you’ll want to give this ANUA one a try. Featuring finely ground heartleaf powder, salicylic acid, and anti-sebum properties, this foam purges pores, exfoliates, and nourishes skin.
Discover all the best Korean cleansers, to get even more detail on what’s best for your skin.
The Best K-Beauty Toners
Korean toners are skincare game-changers. Whether your concerns are acne, sensitivity, or dryness, there’s a toner for you.
ANUA Heartleaf 77 Clear Pad: Perfect for relieving acne and tight pores. This double-sided pad exfoliates and clears congestion on one side, while heartleaf and madecassoside calm redness on the other.
Beauty Of Joseon Green Plum Refreshing Toner: AHA+BHA: This toner gently exfoliates, unclogs pores, and fades pigmentation for a brighter complexion. Enriched with green plum water, 3% glycolic acid, and 0.5% salicylic acid, it removes the dead skin cells, controls sebum production, smooths and brightens, whilst also stimulating cell turnover – which fades pigmentation and acne scars.
TirTir Milk Skin Toner: Formulated with centella asiatica, rice bran extract, and witch hazel extract, this toner alleviates irritation and deeply moisturises the skin. A blend of niacinamide and hexapeptide-8 delivers an antioxidant effect and prevents fine lines. Offering intense, lasting moisture and soothing care, this toner is your dry skin’s BFF.
For a more detailed breakdown of the best Korean toners, check out our full guide.
The Best Korean Essences
If you’re wondering what a skincare essence is, it’s a K-Beauty staple designed to deliver deep hydration, restore balance, and provide nourishment to your skin.
COSRX Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence: A lightweight essence that deeply hydrates the skin, and boosts elasticity. Enriched with snail mucin, the essence works to protect the skin barrier by preventing moisture loss, a must-have for winter skincare routines.
mixsoon Bean Essence: Combining natural AHAs and amino acids, this essence brightens and strengthens the skin. Fermented pomegranate gently exfoliates, while fermented soybeans and barley deeply nourish for a radiant, youthful complexion.
SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Probio-Cica Intensive Ampoule: This essence-ampoule hybrid is enriched with fermented Madagascan centella asiatica. It soothes irritation, deeply hydrates, and strengthens the skin barrier with panthenol and allantoin.
The Best Korean Moisturisers & Creams
Hydration is at the core of Korean skincare, and these moisturisers deliver intense nourishment and the hydration your skin deserves.
Beauty of Joseon Dynasty Cream: With ginseng root and rice bran water, this cream brightens, smooths, and strengthens the skin barrier—perfect for winter or sensitive skin. The rich cream delivers intense hydration, leaving your skin plump and dewy.
Laneige Water Bank Blue Hyaluronic Acid Intensive Cream: This balm-to-cream formula hydrates, soothes, and protects dry skin with hyaluronic acid. It will help your skin better absorb moisture and keep it hydrated for longer. Perfect for soothing skin barriers, relieving dry skin, and leaving you with a glowing complexion.
Dr. Jart+ Cicapair™ Tiger Grass Colour Correcting Treatment: Not quite a moisturiser, not quite a foundation, this hybrid wonder product is a must-have in any K-Beauty collection. This green-to-beige cream corrects redness, hydrates, and protects the skin barrier with tiger grass (also known as centella asiatica). One of the best Korean creams around, it protects the skin with instant colour-correcting results. You can layer it under your foundation, or wear it alone for a more natural look.
Get the details on all of the best Korean moisturisers in our deep dive guide.
The Best Korean Serums & Ampoules
Korean serums and ampoules target everything from fine lines to pigmentation. Wondering ‘what are ampoules’? They are even more powerful targeted serums, layer both into your routine for enhanced results.
Beauty of Joseon Revive Eye Serum : Ginseng + Retinal: Boosts collagen and smooths fine lines with 0.02% retinal. Gentle enough for sensitive skin, this formula uses ginseng root extract to deeply moisturise.
TirTir SOS Serum: A soothing serum that calms irritation, boosts elasticity, and brightens with cica, allantoin, and liquorice root extract, perfect for relieving irritated sensitive skin.
AXIS-Y Artichoke Intensive Skin Barrier Ampoule: The artichoke in this ampoule works to shield the skin from external stressors to repair and strengthen the skin barrier. It also includes harkweed extract, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory ingredients to heal the skin by reducing redness and dryness.
The Best Korean Sunscreen Products
K-Beauty sunscreens are known for their lightweight, skin-nourishing formulas. There are many reasons to wear SPF, luckily these Korean formulas will help encourage you to apply sunscreen daily.
Beauty Of Joseon Relief Sun: Rice + Probiotics: This is one of the best face sunscreens around as far as we (and TikTok) are concerned. A silky SPF50+ sunscreen that hydrates and strengthens the skin barrier without leaving a white cast. You get powerful UVA and UVB protection, while probiotics and rice extract work together to shield your skin barrier from environmental stressors and deeply nourish your complexion. Plus, it absorbs quickly and seamlessly. What’s not to love?
Thank You Farmer Sun Project Water Sun Cream: A lightweight, non-sticky sunscreen that hydrates while protecting against UV damage. Factor 50 protection means your skin will be well protected from damaging rays. We love the glowing base it leaves us with, creating a dewy, even base for makeup to sit on top of.
SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Hyalu-Cica Silky-Fit Sun Stick: We love a sunscreen stick as it makes reapplying on the go so much easier. This portable sunscreen stick doesn’t just protect the skin from harmful UV rays but is also perfect for sensitive skin thanks to centella asiatica for soothing redness, as well as hyaluronic acid for a dose of hydration.
Like the sound of the K-Beauty approach to SPF? Find out more about all the best Korean sunscreens in our detailed guide.
The Best K-Beauty Lip Products
Want to upgrade your lip care routine? You need to try some of the best Korean lip products around…
Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask: A vitamin C-rich overnight mask that hydrates and smooths lips while you sleep. It went viral for a reason, coming in a range of tasty flavours, this lip mask really is effective. Apply overnight and wake up with your most supple lips yet.
Holika Holika Good Cera Super Ceramide Lip Oil Stick: Who doesn’t love a lip oil? This oil-based balm nourishes lips with shea butter, olive extract, and ceramides. Lips will be soothed, protected and hydrated. Just wait ‘til you see the results.
COSRX Refresh AHA BHA Vitamin C Lip Plumper: Plumps, smooths, and hydrates with a blend of AHA, BHA, and vitamin C. If you like your lips to look and feel fuller, this is the Korean lip product for you.
The Best Korean Face Masks
You can’t try Korean skincare, without treating your skin to a Korean sheet mask. Take your pamper session to the next level with the best Korean face masks around.
innisfree Super Volcanic Pore Clay Mask: There’s something about a clay face mask that is so satisfying. This deeply cleansing and purifying mask uses Jeju volcanic clay to unclog pores, cleanse impurities, minimise the appearance of pores, and absorb excess sebum. You’ll be left with a smooth, clear complexion that feels squeaky clean.
Biodance Bio-Collagen Real Deep Mask: You will have seen these viral Biodance sheet masks all over TikTok by now. They’re intensely hydrating and work to smooth fine lines, boost elasticity, and shrink pores, all with the help of collagen, oligo-hyaluronic acid and probiotics.
Laneige Bouncy & Firm Sleeping Mask: Wake up to radiant plump skin thanks to this overnight mask. It works to firm and revitalise skin with peptides and hyaluronic acid for glowing, plumper-looking skin.
The Best Korean Acne Treatment Products
Whether you’re dealing with acne or just the occasional breakout, there are plenty of K-Beauty products that can help soothe and treat your skin.
COSRX Acne Pimple Master Patches: These hydrocolloid patches are a go-to for healing and protecting breakouts while speeding up recovery and preventing scarring. Just pop one over an active or emerging spot to shield it from harmful bacteria, draw out sebum and fluid, and keep the area hydrated to help your skin heal faster. They do it all.
AXIS-Y Mugwort Pore Clarifying Wash Off Pack: With 61% mugwort, this wash-off mask clears pores, calms inflammation, and exfoliates dead skin cells. Thanks to the antibacterial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antifungal benefits of mugwort, this mask totally revitalises skin, while adzuki bean granules unclog pores and smooth rough skin.
COSRX One Step Original Clear Pads: A quick easy-to-use spot treatment from K-Beauty favourite COSRX. These are pre-soaked essence pads that sweep away impurities and unclog pores for refreshed, clearer skin. Formulated with willow bark water and betaine salicylate, these pads gently exfoliate the skin and break down pore-clogging build-up, effectively keeping breakouts at bay.
There’s a Korean skincare product for everyone, no matter your skin concerns. Explore our range of the best Korean skincare and revolutionise your routine.
