Whether its sheet masks or double cleansing, the beauty industry owes a lot to Korean skincare products, which tend to be backed with years of scientific research and formulated with only the best ingredients.
Advocating multi-step routines, what makes South Korean skincare brands so amazing is their focus on hydration. Every product has a distinct role but they all come together to help create the ultimate glow.
Although getting to grips with K-beauty’s renowned 10-step regime could be a little overwhelming for newcomers, the important thing is to tailor every regimen to your skin type and start slow, so as to not overwhelm your skin.
To make the process easier when it comes to diving into the world of Korean skincare, we’ve picked out some luxury and budget-friendly products that’ll slot easily into your existing routine.
In such a competitive field, there’s no shortage of choice but keep scrolling for our favourite Korean skincare products to shop right now. Each product – be it a moisturiser or snail mucin – helped bring us one step closer to achieving the flawless, plump skin for which K-beauty is renowned.
How we tested
Over the course of a few weeks, we tested a total of 38 products from 12 brands, before choosing our favourites. Among K-beauty’s USPs is to minimise pore congestion and promote a healthy skin barrier, so, we paid close attention to how well the products performed in those areas.
We considered how our skin felt both immediately after initial use of each product and at the end of the testing period. We looked for products that really wowed us and made a noticable different to our complexion. Keep reading for our full verdict.
The best Korean skincare products for 2024 are:
Laneige lip sleeping mask
With nourishing shea butter and hyaluronic acid, this balm doesn’t budge throughout your night’s sleep, and you will wake up with lips that are velvety soft. The formula is plumping, fine-line filling and smells good enough to eat. We found the silky smooth texture of the balm to be non-sticky and enjoyed that it didn’t have an unpleasant taste like some overnight masks we’ve tried. Using it nightly, we were amazed to find that our lips seemed slightly bigger at the end of the trial period. We’ve been using the mask religiously and will certainly be buying it again.
Buy now £21.00, Lookfantastic.com
Dr Jart+ ceramidin skin barrier moisturising cream
Choosing the best moisturiser is usually quite subjective, with skin type, finish and price all factors to consider. That said, this Dr Jart+ offering really is a ‘one size fits all’ option. Nourishing and lightweight, its thick texture made us wary at first but, after testing, we were relieved to discover it prompted neither excess shine nor breakouts. The price is higher than some other products listed here but given it offers a skin reset for irritated complexions, we think it’s worth the splurge. You could even interchange it with a more affordable cream on days when your skin feels more resilient.
Buy now £38.00, Spacenk.com
CORSX advanced snail 96 mucin power essence
If you’ve not heard of COSRX’s snail mucin essence, now’s the time to get acquainted with this product. It’s slippy (a little goes a long way), leaves your skin looking youthful and bouncy and, despite its odd mollusc-based origins, is a real hero for irritated skin. Mucin is a snail secretion that works as an antioxidant, protecting the skin and can even help minimise fine lines and wrinkles.
COSRX’s formula is unscented, and we found it left our skin looking quenched and pillowy. It’s a no-brainer purchase, especially for those winter months when the cold seems to suck all the life and moisture out of your skin.
Buy now £27.99, Lookfantastic.com
Hero mighty pimple patches
Blemish patches are relatively new to the market, and generation Alpha love them. We’ve been getting on board with the hype, too, and these ones from Hero Cosmetics are by far the best we’ve tried. Discreet and effective, they feature a type of hydrocolloid, which is a substance that absorbs all the puss, gunk and germs your blemishes produce (lovely).
We used the patches on spots that had either come to a head or were recently popped. We found our blemishes were out of sight in around half the time they usually take to heal. Plus, if you have a habit of skin picking, these nifty little patches will serve as an antidote.
Buy now £8.79, Amazon.co.uk
Glow Recipe watermelon glow niacinamide dew drops
This serum has proved popular with everyone from teenagers to forty-somethings and, with its oil-regulating niacinamide, brightening coffee extract and hydrating glycerin, it’s really no surprise. We found the drops lightweight and quick to sink into the skin, sitting under make-up beautifully, giving us a healthy glow. The drops didn’t encourage excess shine, and afforded us more time between setting powder top ups throughout a day at work in London, where shine-inducing environmental factors – pollution, germs, and so on – are rife.
Buy now £32.00, Amazon.co.uk
Beauty of Joseon red bean water gel
Beauty of Joseon is a Korean brand that’s on the up at the moment, and we’re anticipating a big social media blow up anytime now. It’s already big with users on TikTok and, since becoming stocked at Beauty Bay, it’s become even more accessible for us here in the UK.
This red bean water gel was our favourite product from the brand during testing, and it left our oily skin feeling hydrated with a satin (but not shiny) finish.
It’s scent-free, almost sorbet-esque in texture and, we think, would be a wonderful summer moisturiser if placed in the fridge before use.
The red bean helps to absorb sebum (skin oil), while the peptides included are a gentler approach to anti-ageing, so, it is just as suitable for those with hormonal skin as it is for post-menopausal women looking to keep fine lines at bay.
Buy now £15.44, Amazon.co.uk
Thank You Farmer sun project water sun cream, SPF 50+
Approved by beauty expert Caroline Hirons, this is one of the ‘cleanest’ beauty formulas we tested for this feature. The sun cream is a delight to use, with a formula that’s non-sticky and non-greasy. We enjoyed everything from the sleek packaging to the feel of the formula on our skin – it worked well under make-up, too.
The formula’s mistletoe extract, aloe vera and mallow all promote healing, while the hyaluronic acid sets out to keep the skin hydrated as the day goes on. Our one gripe? The included alcohol might not get on so well with super dry skin types.
Buy now £15.70, Amazon.co.uk
Then I Met You living cleansing balm
This luscious cleansing balm is a first-class make-up remover that makes melting away everything from stain-prone red lipsticks to waterproof mascara a breeze. Caroline Hirons-approved, it features olive oil, brightening grapefruit and shine-balancing rosemary in a texture that’s smooth, comforting and a delight to use.
Texture is an important USP for Then I Met You, with the experience of skincare (as well as the results it prompts) at the core of the brand. Using this balm as a first cleanse at the end of a long day worked to reset our skin after exposure to pollution, germs and a build-up of sebum, and we found our skin felt happy after use. With various botanical oils included, however, we might question the suitability of this formula on skin prone to irritation.
Buy now £30.40, Cultbeauty.co.uk
Erborian CC creme
It’s been around for a long time and it’s not going anywhere, because it really is the best CC cream, in our opinion. Erborian’s offering comes in three shades – clair, dore and caramel (with a more inclusive darker shade in the works) – but dispenses from the tube as a peppery white cream. The idea is it features ‘encapsulated pigments’, which react with the skin upon contact, to create a more natural skin tint to enhance your complexion.
Hydrating, weightless and ever so simple to apply (you can just use your hands), this CC crème is just as effective when used as make-up, a redness soother or a moisturiser. It even features centella asiatica to boost circulation and minimise irritation. We enjoyed using it as a transitional cream between bare-faced summer and foundation-heavy winter, and relished the ‘your-skin-but-better’ finish it gave us.
Buy now £20.50, Boots.com
Naturium the glow getter multi-oil hydrating body wash
With a loyal customer base, this oil-to-gel body wash is naturally fragranced with vanilla, coconut, peach and apple extracts – the scent isn’t overpowering and leaves more of a subtle baby powder freshness. Post-use, it left our skin looking silky and hydrated, and in the colder months when lathering up with moisturiser in a freezing house seems unimaginable, we’ll be using Naturium’s glow getter oil to take the edge off winter dryness.
It may seem expensive but you get a 500ml bottle for your hard-earned cash, and, thanks to the body wash’s oily nature, one small pump stretched across our whole body, leaving us clean as a whistle. What’s more, its oily slip allows for friction-free shaving, so you needn’t spend extra on a foam.
Buy now £18.00, Spacenk.com
Innisfree super volcanic pore clay mask
Oily skin types, rejoice, for a clay mask that tightens pores without leaving the skin dehydrated is here. Using volcanic clay from Jeju island – a Unesco World Heritage Site – this mask applies like mud before drying onto the skin in a light suede colour. Unlike other clay masks we’ve tried, it didn’t pull our skin so tight that we couldn’t talk, nor did it leave us in desperate need of skin hydration post-use. Indeed, thanks to the gentle nature of its volcanic ash base (and the added glycerin), our skin felt comfortable yet smoothed after just 10 minutes of wear.
Buy now £16.80, Cultbeauty.co.uk
Peach & Lily glass skin refining serum
Could the key to ‘glass skin’ be as simple as buying a single serum that promises a pillowy, glossy complexion? We think so, thanks to the antioxidant East Asian mountain yam, hyaluronic acid and youth-boosting peptides included in this formula. Unscented and slippery, the serum goes a long way – a pro given its high price – and leaves the skin feeling stretchy and filled.
We felt the serum worked as a hydrating hero as well as a brightness booster, with our complexion looking dewy after just one application. The serum sinks into the skin immediately and layers beautifully with moisturiser and SPF. For dryer skin types, you might find you need to layer it with a deeper dose of hydration but, as a dose of water versus oil-based hydration, it’s a really lovely addition to a beauty routine.
Buy now £72.00, Barefacebeauty.shop
The verdict: Korean skincare products
Every product in this edit trumped the other 26 formulas we tested, however, our top pick is Laneige’s lip sleeping mask, which left our lips looking fuller and more voluminous. Meanwhile, Dr. Jart+’s ceramidin skin barrier moisturiser worked wonders as a complexion calmer, and we’ll certainly be stocking up on the Hero pimple patches, especially given their relatively affordable price point. Overall, K-beauty is leading the way when it comes to gentle yet active skincare, and we’d happily plump for a full face of Korean formulas.
Want more recommendations? Check out our guide to the best French skincare brands, from La Roche Posay to Avéne
