Thousands of Reviews and Product Breakdowns Later, I've ID'd the 10 Best Korean Skincare Brands
These products are taking over the beauty space for a reason (and we're completely into it).
My skin has gone through a lot of eras, and I haven't always documented or shared them with pride. While I appreciate how far I've come with my approach to skincare since kicking off my career as an editor, there have definitely been setbacks here and there (most notably, after a move to New York City). However, since diving into K-beauty (or Korean skincare) after having informative conversations with several dermatologists and aestheticians, I've finally pulled together a product lineup powered by key ingredients commonly found in Korean skincare.
K-beauty is elevating not just our product lineup but our approach to self-care as a whole. "It encourages you to listen to your skin rather than fight it," board-certified internal medicine physician Zion Ko Lamm, MD, tells Who What Wear. "The routines are built around hydration, barrier repair, and gradual change instead of quick, aggressive fixes." According to Lamm, adding just one or two steps to your routine—such as an essence or ampoule—is enough to improve your skin's tone, texture, and resilience over time.
Wondering which potions made it into my and my fellow editors' vanities? Scroll on for a closer look at our favorite Korean skincare formulas and the brands behind the success of K-beauty, with recommendations and application tips from experts in the field.
Top K-Beauty Skincare Brands and Products
Anua
Here's a lightweight, fast-absorbing Korean moisturizer that uses a combination of PDRN (skin-revitalizing salmon DNA), deeply hydrating hyaluronic acid, and hydrolyzed collagen to plump and smooth skin, revealing a healthy-looking glow. The cream's hero ingredient, PDRN, improves your skin's appearance by promoting synergy between the formula's key ingredients, promoting improved dermal hydration for just over four days.
Customer Review: "This facial cream feels nice and moisturizing, soothing, and hydrating and it contains the viral ingredient PDRN which is very popular right now. I like the formula and have not experienced any redness, irritation, or residue after using it."
Anua's daily moisturizing cream strengthens the skin barrier with three types of ceramide capsules (key for replenishing the lipid layer) combined with a moisture-boosting blend of panthenol, ceramides, and hyaluronic acid. Not only is the cream noncomedogenic and ideal for all skin types, but it's fast-absorbing. Plus, the 3 Ceramide Panthenol Moisture Barrier Cream is also gentle enough for use in your a.m. and p.m. routines.
Customer review: "I love this product! It provides deep hydrating as it's a thicker cream, but doesn't feel heavy on my skin. It is perfect for my really dry skin, especially in these dryer months of the year. The ceramides hydrate while also help strengthen barrier."
Senior beauty editor Jamie Chevron dubbed this hydrating mist one of the best skincare products of the summer thanks to its action-packed formula and instantly refreshing results. She favors this fine mist over others because of its complex infusion of PDRN, hydrolyzed collagen, and hyaluronic acid, which work together to deeply hydrate, protect, plump, and strengthen the skin barrier with each spritz.
Customer review: "I love using the Hyaluronic Acid Hydrating Capsule Mist during the day when I need a bit of moisture. I just take the spray out and mist my face. I love how it keeps my face moisturized and does not irritate my skin at all."
If you haven't incorporated a cleansing oil into your skincare routine, you've been missing a crucial step to achieve the glass skin of your dreams. Anua's best-selling cleansing oil eliminates makeup residue, blackheads, and sebum with a formula powered by soothing heartleaf extract. While it's ideal for all skin types, it works particularly well for sensitive and acne-prone skin.
Customer Review: "This is my first time using a cleansing oil and this stuff is great! Melts your makeup right off, so no black eyes from mascara residue that tries to stick around. It gets it all without a bunch of harsh scrubbing or a bunch of re-wiping and it leaves your skin so moisturized and soft."
Beauty of Joseon
If toners usually end up being too dry for your sensitive or dehydrated skin, I'd recommend giving Beauty of Joseon's Ginseng Essence Water a go. At just $18 a pop, the gentle formula works hard to not only wipe away excess sebum and impurities but also hydrate and smooth the freshly cleansed skin in its wake. Associate beauty editor Alyssa Brascia loves that it's gentle enough to use with her rosacea and that the price isn't sky-high.
Customer review: "This is officially my 6th bottle, which should tell you everything you need to know. This toner is the MVP of my routine. It’s incredibly hydrating but light enough to fit beautifully with everything else I slosh on my face. It’s one of those rare products where you can actually feel the difference when it’s gone. It’s an absolute steal for how well it works. 10/10, would (AND WILL) buy a 7th time."
Everyone deserves an ultra-creamy moisturizer that can immediately sink into the skin and deliver long-lasting hydration, and the Beauty of Joseon Dynasty Cream is one of the best Korean options on the market. It leaves the skin dewy, plump, and bouncy by blending the yummy benefits of rice water, ginseng root water, and niacinamide for balanced, healthy skin. Its rich texture absorbs in seconds without feeling sticky and layers beautifully beneath makeup and SPF.
Customer Review: "The Dynasty Cream works wonderfully on my mature skin. It feels rich but not heavy, has a light pleasant scent and provides excellent hydration without feeling greasy."
Chevron lauds this supercharged SPF as one of the best Korean sunscreens that money can buy. Not only is the chemical formula extremely effective against the sun's harmful rays (it boasts SPF 50+ protection), but it's also infused with soothing ingredients like rice ferment and fermented grain extracts that are especially great for acne-prone skin. It's never greasy, pore-clogging, or starchy—but it is a constant sellout risk, so I'd buy this two-pack to stock up while you can.
Customer review: "I really love this sunscreen! It feels light on my skin, absorbs quickly without leaving a white cast, and keeps my face hydrated. Perfect under makeup and no irritation at all. Will definitely repurchase!"
Another game-changing product worth adding to your double-cleansing routine is the Ginseng Cleansing Oil. In it, ginseng seed oil protects the skin from external stimuli and soybean oil effectively removes dirt, sebum, and makeup. It's also softly scented with the calming ginseng note, transforming your everyday skincare routine into a spa-level self-care ritual.
Customer Review: "I love that’s it’s not heavily fragranced. It’s got a nice soft woody scent. Very smooth lightweight oil that emulsifies well. I definitely feel like my skin was softer and got a better clean after using it. It took my daily makeup off with no problem."
If you've been on the hunt for an exfoliating mask that's gentle enough for use on sensitive skin, your search ends here. This revitalizing, wash-off mask is made with rice hull powder to clear dead skin cells and target impurities; rice lees extract to brighten, moisturize, and exfoliate the skin; and honey to soothe and hydrate. It can also improve the look of acne-prone skin to help you achieve a smoother, healthier complexion.
Customer Review: "This mask gently exfoliates and leaves my skin feeling soft and refreshed. The ground rice removes dullness without being harsh, and the honey adds a nice boost of moisture. After rinsing off, my skin looks noticeably brighter and has a natural glow, making this a lovely treat in my skincare routine."
Whether you get a full eight hours of sleep every night or have some night owl tendencies as I do, having a revitalizing eye serum on hand like the Beauty of Joseon Revive Eye Serum can help combat puffy, dark, and tired-looking under-eyes. Lamm appreciates the eye serum's light and effective formula with retinol, liposomes, and ginseng root extract. "It hydrates, firms, and helps with fine lines without irritating the delicate under-eye area," she says.
Customer Review: "This cream is so gentle on the eyes. While so many different eye creams irritate my eyes, this one does not. I use this every day and every night and it has helped my eyes look more refreshed!"
Round Lab
On a trip to Seoul, Chevron beelined to Olive Young's sunscreen aisle to drop this dreamy SPF in her bag. "I fell in love with this sunscreen at first application," she previously wrote of her favorite K-beauty SPF. "It has a lightweight, creamy texture that honestly feels more like a moisturizer than a sunscreen, and it also has zero sunscreen-y scent, so I really could be convinced it's merely a skin-plumping face cream," she added. The unconventional formula is ultra lightweight, noticeably plumping, and infused with soothing birch tree sap. It's one you'll wish you had in your collection yesterday.
Customer review: "I have been using this sunscreen for more than a year now, and I definitely love it! It is so lightweight and leaves my skin feeling smooth and moisturized; it doesn’t make my skin oily, [and] doesn’t leave white spots. I have made my whole family use this product."
Beauty editor Kaitlyn McLintock fell hard for this effective and surprisingly affordable K-beauty brand when it landed in Target stores, but the first product she relies on every night is the brand's cleansing oil. The formula is packed with skin-loving minerals and plant oils, removing the day's makeup, sweat, oil, and general gunk in a flash. If you double cleanse, this is the perfect first step in your routine.
Customer review: "This is the first cleansing oil I've used that hasn't made my acne worse. And it actually takes off all of my makeup. It's a great first step paired with the Dokdo cleanser. I'm a huge fan of this oil and am excited to make it part of my routine. Highly recommend!"
McLintock says this toner may be her favorite from the line for a few reasons. The gently exfoliating formula not only removes dead skin cells and general buildup, but simultaneously hydrates and strengthens the skin with a lightweight mixture of rich minerals and deep sea water. Plus, it's only $11.
Customer review: "This has done wonders for my dry, sensitive skin. I've had zero problems using it, even over really angry eczema patches (if anything, it appears to have been helping heal them). I love that it doesn't leave any residue or weird texture after it absorbs, but my skins feels noticeably more hydrated. My pores are less noticeable after having used this toner for a couple months."
Biodance
No Korean skincare brand does a hydrating sheet mask quite like Biodance. Its Bio Collagen Real Deep Mask uses oligo-hyaluronic acid to hydrate the skin's surface and penetrate deeper layers. "It does require commitment, but it's worth it! It leaves your skin so hydrated—I love using it post-travel," says Lamm. This mask also uses ultra-low-molecular collagen to achieve maximum absorption while additional skin-loving ingredients improve tone and texture.
Customer Review: "These are amazing. I use them overnight once a week. I am 43, so fine lines are becoming a bit noticeable. I wake up with plumper skin, and the glass skin look persists after my morning skincare routine. If I go longer than a week without using one, I can see that my skin looks [more dull]."
If you have sensitive skin and want a radiant glow without discomfort, use a mild toner in your daily routine, like Biodance's Skin Refining Mild PHA Toner. Ideal for addressing dryness and uneven texture, this toner contains 8% PHA (a must for exfoliating dead skin cells and supporting the skin barrier) while the addition of a five-layer ceramide and fatty acids prevent dryness and support the skin barrier. It's the easiest way to elevate your approach to skincare in a simple step.
Customer Review: "This toner is great! I've been using it every day for the past few weeks. The toner soaks into your skin quickly leaving you with a nice glowy radiant look. It also lightly exfoliates, which is amazing because my skin does have some texture. This has helped so much with that though!"
If you need an equally effective alternative to a liquid toner, get your hands on the brand's Cera-Nol Gel Toner Pads. Biodance's lightweight gel sheets are infused with with the key active ingredients found in its best-selling collagen mask (i.e., D-pantehnol, hyaluronic acid, and five-layer ceramide) to provide instant soothing effects for dry and sensitive skin while forming a moisture barrier. Designed with sensitive skin in mind, these pads are non-irritating and promote a refreshed, dewy glow.
Customer Review: "I am addicted to toners. This pad is so soothing to my skin and I use it after cleansing at night. It has a gel like consistency so it's not running and it just feels yummy on your skin. I will definitely repurchase."
Yes, you can use a probiotic complex to get your skin to its healthiest state. This Skin Glow Vital Ampoule, for example, has a unique formula powered by a skin-revitalizing probiotic complex, hydrating low-molecular hyaluronic acid, and beta-glucon to improve skin vitality. It locks moisture into the surface of the skin while also delivering deep hydration to every layer to help strengthen and improve your skin's natural immunity.
Customer Review: "First, the packaging feels very premium! Love that they are separated into four little containers which makes it easier to take when traveling or going to gym. The serum absorbs quickly into the skin without leaving any sticky or oily residue, making it a great choice for use both day and night. I also have Biodance skin-glow essence cream and love to use both of them mix together!"
VT Cosmetics
VT Cosmetics' two-in-one, non-drying clay mask and foaming cleanser purifies pores using green tea to absorb excess sebum and draw out impurities while a soothing Centella and green tea complex works to reduce visible redness. It also has retinol, which refines skin texture and helps tighten enlarged pores. To use this as a clay mask, the brand recommends evenly applying it with a silicone brush every three days. For a daily cleanser, lather with water and gently massage onto the skin before rinsing
Customer Review: "This product is such a time-saver! I love that it works both as a mask and a cleanser—perfect for busy mornings or evenings when I don’t have time for a long routine. The texture feels gentle, doesn’t strip my skin, and leaves it soft and calm. After using it, my face looks clean, fresh, and less irritated. A great product for sensitive skin and everyday use."
The brand describes this targeted treatment as the "zero step" of your skincare routine since it gently clears impurities and activates your skin’s natural renewal process with dragon's blood (known for its calming and antioxidant properties) and micro silica to improve absorption. The dragon's blood, in particular, is excellent for targeting early signs of aging since it works as an antioxidant shield to prevent loss of elasticity.
Customer Review: "This one is a very good serum that helps make skin look smooth and bright. It feels light and absorbs quickly without leaving any stickiness. The serum works well to reduce wrinkles and makes the skin feel firmer. It also helps with redness and gives a nice healthy glow. This serum is easy to use and suits all skin types. It really helps improve the skin’s texture and leaves the face looking fresh and glowing. A great choice for anyone wanting to keep their skin young and radiant."
I've never met a balm I didn't like, and the PDRN Essence Stick Balm is one of my favorites at the moment. It's an essence, serum, cream, moisturizer, and makeup enhancer all-in-one that just happens to be the perfect size to tuck in your bag as you're heading out the door. It also happens to be one of Lamm's favorites. "[It's] a convenient on-the-go product that hydrates and soothes," she says. The balm uses PDRN, collagen, and ceramide to reduce the appearance of fine lines, enhance skin elasticity, and deliver a luminous glow.
Customer Review: "Perfect for keeping in my bag for helping my skin when it gets dry through the day! I love the glow it gives. I also keep one in my nightstand to use before bed."
Designed to be used every three days for targeted treatment, The Reedle Shot 300 is a skincare booster for refining the skin tone, boosting radiance, and achieving a glowing complexion with consistent use. Stronger than the brand's Reedle Shot 100, it combines the benefits of Centella asiatica extract for improved absorption with hyaluronic acid and propolis extract. Not only does it instantly improve the skin texture, but it delivers a calming effect.
Customer Review: "Great quality and easy to use! The Reedle 100 Shot worked perfectly right out of the box. Solid build, consistent performance, and great value for money. Highly recommend!"
Laneige
Now that you've found a sleeping mask that can take care of your skin overnight, why not give your lips the same treatment? TikTok persuaded me to give this viral product a try, but I've continued using the Lip Sleeping Mask because it just works. Currently offered in 11 flavors (I like Vanilla and Berry), the formula uses shea butter, coconut oil, vitamin C, and more to soften the lips while delivering moisture and antioxidants while you sleep.
Customer Review: "This product is excellent. Exactly as advertised. Comes with a tiny applicator, which is helpful since I have long nails and would be difficult to get the product out without scraping it. The moisture last a very very long time. I absolutely love it and would buy it again."
After being in the market for a high-performing Korean sleeping mask for a couple of months, I came across this one. A must-have for combating dryness, dullness, and redness as you catch some beauty sleep. Formulated with soothing and skin-loving ingredients like niacinamide, squalane, and vitamin E, it also uses cica to calm and sooth irritated skin overnight. It's also unscented, making this the perfect option for sensitive skin.
Customer Review: "For nights when my skin feels stressed this mask is the equivalent of a warm, comforting hug. This mask has a richer, creamier texture that feels instantly nourishing on my skin. Waking up, my face doesn't just look better. It feels balanced, and deeply comforted. This mask has become my go-to emergency reset for a happy reset."
You can never have too many options for gentle toners that work with all the versions of your skin as the seasons change. This one is a two-in-one formula combining the benefits of a rich moisturizing cream with the lightweight texture of a liquid toner. The formula's ceramide and peptide complex firms and hydrates the skin while white leaf tea extract ensures it's soothed with amino acids. It's also refillable and offered in different sizes.
Customer Review: "My skin craves this toner the second I wake up, it’s lightweight but instantly soothes my face and brings hydration. A little bit of product goes a long way, I just drop a few drops in my palms and pat it gently into my skin. I have also noticed after a week of consistent use my skin has a longer lasting hydrated feeling."
Laneige's The Water Bank Blue Hyaluronic Cream Moisturizer is a cutting-edge barrier-boosting cream powered by Korean skincare technology that deserves a place in your daily routine for long-lasting hydration. Powered by blue hyaluronic acid, the cream visibly firms your skin and reinforces your moisture barrier with a combination of the brand's patented Pepta-Panthenol Complex and squalane. I also love that it comes in a refillable pot to help cut down on plastic use.
Customer Review: "This face cream has such a cute outer packaging. The texture of the cream is moist and fine, and it feels comfortable and non-greasy on the face. It is very suitable for use in [the] dry autumn and winter. I love it!"
Medicube
Korean toners have the moisturizing part down pat—but milky toners like this elixir from Medicube take things to the next level. Brascia chooses this toner on days when her eczema is a bit more prominent, and she especially relies on this smoothing, pore-sealing potion during dry, brisk winters. It's especially great when used in tandem with the celeb-loved Medicube Booster Pro.
Customer review: "This is my first bottle of the PDRN Milky Toner, and I will be buying it again. It leaves my skin soft, plump, and very hydrated. My skin is dry, and I live in [a] very hot climate, so I apply two layers. It only takes a few drops per layer to cover your face."
This Medicube moisturizer combines advanced Korean technology with a fast-acting ingredient that's popular in Korean skincare: glutathione. Encapsulated within phospholipid capsules designed to mimic the skin's structure for maximum absorption and effectiveness, the glutathione used in this formula targets uneven skin tone and tired skin. The end result? A complexion that's glowy, clear, and smooth without having to book a facial.
Customer Review: "I absolutely love this product! I have sensitive, acne-prone skin with some signs of aging, and this has been a game-changer. The texture is fantastic—lightweight, non-greasy, and absorbs, beautifully into my skin. It leaves my skin feeling balanced and comfortable. Highly recommend it for anyone with similar skin concerns!"
Wondering which pore pads Lamm always keeps on hand? "[The Zero Pore Pads] are a favorite for gentle exfoliation and oil control. I also really appreciate [the brand's] devices, which offer at-home skincare tech," she says. Each one is infused with salicylic acid (BHA) and patented pore-care ingredients to reduce pore size and clear sebum and oil from clogged pores to reveal visibly clearer and smoother skin in seconds. It truly is as simple as that.
Customer Review: "These pads are incredible. I had a breakout that I couldn’t figure out what to do to clear up and these pads have somehow made my pimples go away. Also it does leave a sticky finish but I like that because it feels dewy and not dried out. And the little plastic tweezers that rest inside the container are great to keep things hygienic."
Designed for individuals with sensitive skin, this gentle facial cleanser helps to control sebum, maintain moisture, and minimize pores with great ingredients like chlorogalum leaf, root extract, and wintergreen leaf extract to exfoliate dead skin cells without irritating the skin. The formula also features quince, which works by tightening your pores to leave your skin glowing and even. It provides the perfect base for the rest of your skincare routine.
Customer Review: "As a 35-year-old woman who still experiences occasional breakouts, I really love this product. I have combination skin, and it works great for me! It doesn't leave my skin too dry or oily. It has seriously improved my overall skin appearance and helped reduce the occasional breakout."
Superegg
Enriched with botanical extracts, antioxidants, and non-stripping cleansing agents, this foaming cream cleanser melts away impurities, makeup, and excess oil while restoring the skin's natural balance. It uses moringa oil to cleanse and hydrate the skin barrier, and a blend of vitamin C, turmeric, and holy basil leaf works to brighten and protect, leaving the complexion smooth and plump.
Customer Review: "This is my all-time favorite cleanser. Ever since I ran out, I haven’t stopped thinking about it. It’s so gentle, creates the most luxurious micro-foam, and leaves my skin feeling perfectly clean without stripping it. My skin always felt soft, balanced, and refreshed after using it—honestly, it’s the best cleanser I’ve ever tried."
This silky-smooth, serum-inspired lip treatment by Superegg has been popping up frequently on my Instagram feed for a good reason: It instantly transforms the look of dry, chapped lips and leaves them baby-soft. This fast-acting treatment uses a multi-peptide complex to promote collagen production and smooth over grooves while the Derma-Clera (a patented plant extract from Korean medicine) soothes and strengthens the skin's protective barrier.
Customer Review: "Infinite Layers is by far my favorite lip product. It makes my dry lips feel instantly smooth, soft, and comfortable—and that feeling lasts. I just love it. I don’t think I’ve ever gone through a lip product so fast!"
This Superegg daily treatment essence improves skin clarity and hydration while softening skin texture and refining the appearance of enlarged pores with Tremella mushroom, niacinamide, and the brand's patented White Duplex to replicate the nutrient profile of egg white to support the skin's natural balance. This essence also provides deep hydration, refines tone, and keeps the complexion looking clear.
Customer Review: "I’ve been using the essence for a few weeks now, and my skin in much calmer and less red. It’s the only new thing that’s been incorporated into my routine so super excited to stick with it to see more results down the line."
This gel moisturizer uses a formula with panthenol, squalane, and essential fatty acids to help improve moisture retention and boost skin barrier function. While the collagen-boosting peptides promote the appearance of smoother-looking skin, helichrysum italicum flower water, green tea, and Centella asiatica work together to soothe irritated skin. The formula features another popular Korean ingredient, snow mushroom, to add weightless hydration.
Customer Review: "This serum moisturizer is a skincare routine must-have. Love the packaging and so easy to take on the go. Has a light, gel cream texture that absorbs quickly and works well on its own or under makeup. Leaves my skin plump and dewy. Another winner from Superegg!"
Sulwhasoo
Ginseng is the holy grail for dull skin, and Sulwhasoo has many products to revive it, including the Concentrated Ginseng Rejuvenating Eye Cream. The eye cream is dermatologist-tested, gentle yet effective on all skin types, and powered by skin-strengthening ginseng actives, elasticity-boosting ginseng peptide, and a blend of ginseng lower extract and retinol.
Customer Review: "My skin has benefited extremely from the consistent use of Sulwhasoo products. Ginseng is one of my favorites—the texture of the cream and the smell are heavenly. The smooth texture allows the serum to go on my face without a grainy texture. My skin feels extra soft and smoother under my eyes. Wish I had found this product sooner."
Sulwhasoo's Gentle Cleansing Oil stands out to me because it melts away makeup and oil-based impurities, leaving your skin refreshed and moisturized with the brand's signature Hydra Capture Complex (four herbal ingredients to help skin stay hydrated) and Korean Traditional Herbal Oil Complex to target dust, dirt, oil, and makeup. It even works on waterproof mascara!
Customer Review: "I can't recommend this cleansing oil enough! I love how it cleans my face and leaves it feeling soft. I have sensitive skin, but I haven't had any irritation, which is a huge plus in my book. I will continue to buy this product."
Sulwhasoo's visibly firming Concentrated Ginseng Rejuvenating Serum is infused with ginseng actives, ginseng peptides, and ginseng capsules with retinol capsules to reduce the look of fine lines and wrinkles. The capsules work by bursting upon application, improving the look of plumpness and skin resilience while delivering the nutrients needed to support a youthful appearance for the complexion.
Customer Review: "This serum is lightweight but the results definitely pack a punch! I love how gentle it is on my skin while leaving it feeling softer, cleaner, and clearer. It’s easy to use, dries quickly, and makes me skin look amazing!"
This hydrating cream was the first product I ever tried by the brand, and I'm still in love with it. It's formulated with the brand's patented anti-aging ingredient paired with ginseng berry that underwent 15 stages of extraction and concentration over 1000 days of cultivation. The ginseng berry is known for its potent anti-aging and skin-protecting benefits since it acts as a powerful antioxidant, encourages even tone, and helps increase skin hydration.
Customer Review: "It's very luxurious and moisturizing for my aging skin. I live in a dry climate, so wearing it both morning and night helps. I have noticed a subtle softness in my skin beginning to take place since using it. I have been using it for 3-4 weeks."
Innisfree
Lately, I've been on a toner-pad kick and keep finding myself coming back to these ones by Innisfree. Ideal for acne-prone skin, this set of daily toner pads is soaked with gentle retinol technology and salicylic acid to enhance skin turnover while sloughing away dead skin cells. The formula also has a soothing green tea complex to help maintain the skin's barrier health, while the addition of cica and allantoin keeps things soothed.
Customer Review: "These toner pads feel refreshing and gentle while still giving a light exfoliation! My skin looks smoother and clearer after consistent use. The pads do not sting or leave residue and the formula feels balanced enough for daily use without causing dryness or irritation!"
Adding a gentle vitamin C serum to my routine has made the biggest difference in combating my skin's dullness, and I couldn't have done it without this one. It has potent antioxidants (vitamin C, vitamin E, and ferulic acid) that help brighten and fade dark spots, a green tea–derived enzyme to offer gentle exfoliation, and a blend of tangerine extract and niacinamide to turn up the radiance.
Customer Review: "Great vitamin C serum that has been helpful in getting rid of dark spots. I have very sensitive skin, and it is gentle and has not broken me out. It has a scent that is not too overpowering. I would overall recommend this serum, especially at it's great price point."
As someone with a deeper skin tone, finding a high-performing sunscreen that doesn't leave my skin with a gray tint while offering protection against UVA and UVB was challenging until I found this sunscreen. It's infused with skin-loving ingredients like green tea, sunflower oil, and cica to nourish the skin while providing an invisible, no-white-cast shield for all skin. Plus, it layers well beneath makeup.
Customer Review: "I really love this sunscreen. It applies easily with no white cast. It dries down nicely and it doesn’t feel like I have anything on my face. It doesn’t irritate my eyes or break me out like some other sunscreens do."
I was introduced to Innisfree's Cherry Blossom Glow Jelly Cream shortly after my move to New York City prompted sudden skin dryness. In a matter of weeks, I witnessed my skin spring back to life after adding this jelly to my routine. Its bouncy, lightweight formula delivers the ultimate dewy glow with soothing cherry blossom flavonoids, brightening niacinamide, and hydrating sugar beet–derived betaine.
Customer Review: "I haven’t finished the whole jar yet, but I’ve been using it for three weeks and can already see such a difference in my skin—it’s truly glowing. The ingredients are super clean and it’s inexpensive, can’t recommend enough!"
The Benefits of Using Korean Skincare
Korean skincare is lauded for being gentler yet somehow more effective than most Western formulas. "Some of my longtime favorites are Beauty of Joseon, VT Cosmetics, Medicube, Anua, Biodance, Illiyoon, and IOPE," Lamm muses. For the physician, what sets these brands apart is their focus on skin-barrier support and gentle yet effective formulas that work with all skin types.
That's right—you've just unlocked a treasure trove of formulas for sensitive and acne-prone skin. "A lot of them blend hanbang (traditional Korean herbal medicine) with modern science, which makes them feel both rooted in tradition and clinically smart," continues Lamm. These formulas are also generally easy to use, ideal for layering with additional skincare and makeup, and using ingredients that are drawn from centuries of Korean skincare practices. Wondering why there's such a spike in the products we've been seeing grace your Instagram and TikTok pages? They're viral because they deliver exactly what they promise: skincare that emphasizes hydration, prevention, and maintaining a healthy skin barrier.
Popular Ingredients in Korean Skincare
If you're not sure what ingredients to keep an eye out for as you embark on your Korean skincare journey, you're in luck. Lamm just identified the four that make a notable difference in the look and feel of your complexion with hundreds (if not thousands) of years of proof to back them up. Remember: While products from Korean skincare brands may be going viral, the unique practices and traditions they draw from are anything but a trend.
- Mugwort (artemisia): Ideal for calming sensitive or acne-prone skin. Its anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties make this ingredient a staple in calming products.
- Ferments: Ingredients like galactomyces and bifida support the skin barrier and microbiome.
- Licorice root extract: A gentle brightening agent that can help calm redness and inflammation. It's especially useful for people with rosacea or post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation.
- Korean traditional medicine (hanbang): Often formulated with synergistic herbal blends rather than single-ingredient spotlights. It includes lotus, astragalus root, or rehmannia (an ingredient that's gentle, balanced, and great for longevity).
Using Korean Skincare
To begin incorporating Korean skincare products into your routine, focus on the basics and avoid the complicated multistep routines that, while seemingly effective for some, may not be as effective for others. "You don’t need a 10-step routine. Start with the basics: a gentle cleanser, hydrating toner or essence, treatment serum, moisturizer, and sunscreen," says Lamm. She recommends applying products from thinnest to thickest, paying attention to how the skin reacts and adjusting as needed.
When it comes to K-beauty, it's also helpful to remember that consistency (as well as thoughtful product layering and tailoring things to your own skin) is key. Lamm also highlights the importance of giving yourself and these products time to work their magic. "These products are designed to support long-term health, not just short-term results," she explains.
Why Trust Who What Wear?
At Who What Wear, we know that beauty isn't one-size-fits-all. Over the years, our editors have tested thousands of products—including skincare, makeup, haircare, and nails—while also working closely with trusted experts, like renowned dermatologists, celebrity makeup artists, and other leading industry insiders. Together, this ensures every guide is well-researched, inclusive, and relevant to you.
We focus on formulas that deliver, whether they're affordable favorites or luxury investments. Our product selection is based on tangible results, ingredient know-how, and what we'd truly recommend to our closest friends and family members.
