K-Beauty Glow Up: The 20 Best Korean Skincare Products for Every Skin Concern and Budget (2024)

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Active Ingredients: Probiotic-derived Complex, squalane | Skin Type: Balanced, dry | Size: 2.3 fl oz | Cruelty-Free: No

With a cooling gel texture, this light overnight mask is just what we need after a long day to rehydrate dry skin. As the last step in our nighttime skincare routine, our skin quickly drank it up before bed. Plus, the combination of squalane and probiotics delivers major moisture all throughout the night. You will wake up to refreshed and revitalized skin with a strengthened skin barrier ready to face the new day ahead.We just wish the product came in a pump for a more sanitary application.

Who It’s For

For those who prefer a one and done product, this overnight treatment does all the hard work while you sleep. It harnesses the power of an intensive face mask with a night cream all at once.

Active Ingredients: Keratin, hyaluronic acid | Skin Type: Dry | Size: 7.7 fl oz | Cruelty-Free: No

This product conditions the skin with keratin while also delivering a dose of hyaluronic acid to boost moisture. Right after you cleanse, massage in this super potent formula and allow it to absorb for 15 seconds before applying your cream of choice. Getting into the habit of using this essence will improve the overall radiance and softness of your skin.

Who It’s For

Those with especially dry skin will love how much this quenches thirsty skin without being as thick and greasy as a moisturizer. When your skin is cracked and flaky it can be tempting to reach for the heaviest cream available but this essence penetrates the skin deeper providing a longer-term solution to prevent your skin from constantly drying out.

Active Ingredients: Rose flower water, witch hazel water, papaya fruit water | Skin Type: Balanced, oily, dry, combination | Size: 11.49 oz | Cruelty-Free: No

This gentle cleansing water is a K Beauty favorite—and not just because of its chic, minimal packaging. It’s laced with essential oils, papaya extract, and hazel water meant to help illuminate and smooth your skin. Use it all throughout the day whenever your skin needs a quick refresh.

Who It’s For

Anyone who feels their skin often looks tired and stressed can benefit from the gentle exfoliating properties of this toner that work to simultaneously wipe away dead skin cells and calm the complexion.

Active Ingredients: Lady's mantle, malachite, plantin, oat husk | Skin Type: Dry, combination | Size: 1.69, 3.38 oz | SPF: None | Cruelty-Free: No

The texture of this product feels plush as the consistency hits the sweet spot between a cream and serum. It glides on to provide moisture and relieve dryness while also smoothing out the skin’s surface for a more even base. All we need is a small amount to hydrate our entire face and the bouncy feel works amazingly under makeup. It definitely leaves our skin dewy, so those with oily skin may find this makes their skin too shiny.

Who It’s For

If you hate the feeling of heavy creams on your face but know your dry skin can’t go without, sub in this gel-cream to reap all of the hydrating benefits without the sticky feeling. It melts into the skin and absorbs so quickly, you’ll be pushed to find a more lightweight moisturizing option.

Active Ingredients: Niacinamide, ceramide NP, asiaticoside, madecassic acid, asiatic acid, adenosine, madecassoside | Skin Type: All | Size: 0.51 fl oz | Cruelty-Free: Yes

This handy, bright tube is easy to tote around, and the formula inside helps reduce redness, sensitivity, and dryness. It contains madecassoside, which is known to calm inflammation, as well as ceramides to help restore the skin barrier. Niacinamide brightens dull skin and delivers anti-aging benefits. While it’s still ultra moisturizing, it doesn’t leave a heavy, greasy residue behind. We also love how the hot pink packaging brightens up our bathroom shelf.

Who It’s For

This cream is such an all-rounder that it makes an ideal skincare staple for everyone. Suitable for all skin types, even delicate ones, it’s hydrating and improves elasticity while at the same time also calming irritation.

Active Ingredients: Japanese honeysuckle, Licorice | Skin Type: All | Size: 0.67 fl oz | Cruelty-Free: No

This formula, with star tightening ingredient red ginseng, works to strengthen and firm the delicate skin around the eyes while reducing puffiness. While it's certainly an investment price-wise, you can feel the luxury, partly thanks to the cooling metal applicator that de-puffs under eyes. Pro tip: Stick your eye cream in the fridge overnight to help de-bloat a puffy face.

Who It’s For

If you have been trying to get a grip on those pesky eye bags, investing in this soothing eye cream will help improve the thin and delicate skin all around the eye area. It also comes with a cooling applicator which makes the process of applying this cream extra relaxing and reduces swelling.

Active Ingredients: Sea buckthorn, persimmon extract, olive oil, vitamin E | Skin Type: All | Size: 3.17 oz | Cruelty-Free: Yes

What starts off as a balm quickly turns into an oil as you massage it into your skin. The rich and powerful formula melts away makeup and dirt gently with nourishing ingredients like vitamin E and olive oil. Add warm water to emulsify the product and clean your skin effectively and wash away any products, sunscreen and excess sebum. It's important to note though that the formula doesn't meet our Byrdie Clean standards, as it contains PEGs, aka polyethylene glycol.

Who It’s For

Turn your nightly cleanse into a mini home facial with this dreamy cleansing balm. It is lightly scented with rosemary and grapefruit to add an aromatic element to removing your makeup and combined with the massaging technique to break down products.

Active Ingredients: Jojoba seed oil, argan oil, squalane | Skin Type: All | Size: 6.7 ounces | Cruelty-Free: Yes

One of the easiest Korean skincare products to add to your routine is a cleansing oil, which breaks down dirt, sunscreen, and makeup as the first step of your cleanse. Out of all the different cleansing oils we've tried, this one from Ma:nyo is one of the best. Not only does it gently remove all of our stubborn makeup and sunscreen, but we've also seen our blackheads disappear with consistent use. The secret is that the formula combines 14 different plant-derived oils, including jojoba oil, plus squalane. While the brand says the formula is safe to use around the eyes, some have reported irritation, so you may want use it in that area with caution.

Who It's For

This TikTok-favorite cleansing oil has sold 10 million+ bottles and for good reason. It removes all makeup, sunscreen, and grime with ease and you can actually see your clogged pores and blackheads dissolve. Plus, your skin is left hydrated from the 14 different plant oils. It's a staple in everyone's cleansing routine, especially if you notice makeup and sunscreen being left behind by your regular cleanser.

Active Ingredients: Vitamin E, hot springs water, vitamin C | Skin Type: All | Size: 3.3 oz | Cruelty-Free: No

Get nourishing hydration and a relaxing cleanse all at once with this luxurious balm that comes with a spatula for a hygienic application.Suitable for all skin types, it gently removes even the most stubborn eye makeup by melting away product and dirt effortlessly.

Who It’s For

We all love how well waterproof mascara holds up until it comes time to try and take it off at night. If you turn your eyes raw red from using harsh products to remove your makeup - switch to this cleansing balm and see not only how well it takes off your makeup but also how much better your skin looks afterwards.

Read Full Review: Laneige's Lip Sleeping Mask Gave Me Soft Lips Overnight

Active Ingredients: Vitamin C, shea butter, coconut oil | Skin Type: All | Size: 0.7 ounces | Cruelty-Free: No

After testing 25 different lip masks, Laneige came out on top with this iconic formula. Infused with vitamin C, shea butter, coconut oil, and murumuru butter this super cute lip mask helps to soften and plump your lips overnight. It also is great to use during the day as it imparts a glossy, juicy sheen on your lips. A little goes a long way, so the jar should you last you a long time, plus it comes with a spatula for easier application. Do note that it does contain a subtle fruity fragrance.

Who It’s For

Dried, chapped and cracked lips both look and feel uncomfortable. If you’ve tried every lip balm and still feel like your lips are in desperate need of more moisture, apply this lip mask before bed and whenever you feel parched during the day.

Active Ingredients: Bamboo sap, ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate, camellia japonica seed oil | Skin Type: All| Size: 1.05 oz | Cruelty-Free: No

One of the reasons K Beauty is so popular is because of its skin first attitude and how it automatically integrates skincare into its makeup products. This cushion compact is a prime example of this as it provides some serious skincare benefits that improve hydration and radiance, while also delivering seamless coverage that looks and feels like your skin, only better.However, the shade range is a bit lacking as there aren't any options for deep skin tones.

Who It’s For

The SPF 50 in this product makes it the ideal makeup for anyone looking to stay protected while also achieving a light veil of coverage. Here at Byrdie we also prefer to apply a separate layer sunscreen to ensure full UV protection but as sun damage is one of the main causes of aging, anything that offers an extra shield to our faces as well as improving the appearance of our skin is an absolute winner.

Active Ingredients: Lactic acid, glycolic acid, lemon fruit extract, sodium hyaluronate, papaya fruit extract | Skin Type: Normal, dull | Size: 30 single-use pads | Cruelty-Free: No

Looking for exfoliating pads that make you choose between a physical and chemical exfoliation? With these, you don’t have to. Lactic and glycolic acids provide the chemical exfoliation, while the innovative 3-layer pad delivers the physical component. Removing dead skin cells has never been so easy than when using these innovative pads that also contain hyaluronic acid for hydration. Due to the strong ingredients, we recommend those with sensitive skin to use them with caution.

Who It's For

These pads were made for the days when your skin is looking dull and needs an instant pick-me-up. They are so easy to use and as you don’t need to use them everyday, one jar will last you at least a few months.

Read Full Review: This Glass Skin Serum Has a 25,000-Person Waitlist—So I Tried It

Active Ingredients:Madecassoside,niacinamide, hyaluronic acid | Skin Type: Dry, balanced, oily, combination | Size: 0.5, 1.35 oz | Cruelty-Free: Yes

This gel texture slides on to give you that coveted “glass skin” complexion—a poreless, clear, and radiant look. The formula—a mix of peptides, hyaluronic acid, and peach extract is designed especially to improve the long-term health of your skin by enhancing radiance and reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.After consistent use, our skin looked more radiant, smoother, and more even-toned.

Who It's For

Who doesn’t want a glass-like finish to their skin? Suitable for every skin type whether you are looking to invest in your first ever K Beauty product or want to expand on your existing collection, this serum tackles a multitude of concerns from redness, acne, dullness, dryness, and even excess oil.

Read Full Review: I Tried This Legendary K-Beauty Serum and It Repaired My Barrier

Active Ingredients: Green tea seed oil, hyaluronic acid, amino acids | Skin Type: Oily, combination, dry, balanced | Size: 2.7 fl oz | Cruelty-Free: No

Don’t let this small bottle fool you—it’s packing a powerful punch of Jeju green tea that essentially creates a layer of protection over your skin. All it takes is one pump for the product to work its magic on our complexion and leave it looking more radiant and glowing and feeling strengthened and balanced. Even when we overdid it with exfoliation, this serum saved our skin barrier. It does take a few minutes for the serum to absorb, but that isn't a dealbreaker for us.

Who It’s For

If you have environmental concerns about the impact of your beauty products, this serum is formulated with sustainably sourced ingredients and packaged in a recycled bottle without a metal pump. Those ingredients include five types of hyaluronic acid and green tea extract to both nurture and smooth the skin’s surface and enhance its luminosity.

Active Ingredients: Amino acids, antioxidants, white leaf tea water | Skin Type: Balanced, dry, combination, oily | Size: 5 oz | Cruelty-Free: No

Streamlining your beauty routine is the newest K-beauty trend and this 2-in-1 formula is a great way to start. “Cream skin combines a toner and moisturizer, so it offers lightweight hydration that doesn’t feel heavy on the skin,” says Garshick. This one is packed with amino acids to boost the skin’s barrier and give a more plumped up appearance.

Who It’s For

This 2-in-1 skin solution enables you to have a multi-step beauty routine in one simple application. Whether you always prefer a slimmed down skincare regime or are just looking to have product on hand for lazy days, this toner and moisturizer combo make achieving great looking skin easy and hassle-free.

Read Full Review: Glow Recipe's Watermelon Glow Sleeping Mask Is a Treat for Skin

Active Ingredients: Watermelon, hyaluronic acid, alpha hydroxy acids, pumpkin extract | Skin Type: All | Size: 1.01, 2.7 oz | Cruelty-Free: Yes

We love getting professional recommendations, and this mask is dermatologist Garshick' favorite Korean skincare product. “Not only does it include hyaluronic acid to help hydrate the skin, but it also contains alpha-hydroxy acids to help exfoliate, so it leaves my skin looking renewed and refreshed,” she says. While it is designed to be used overnight, we found it also worked as a quick-skin-fix to plump and illuminate our skin when left on for just 10 minutes.While we enjoy the fruity watermelon scent, it may be too strong for those trying to avoid fragrance in products.

Who It’s For

While you may not need it every night, when your skin is looking extra parched, do it a massive favor and apply this bouncy formula to remove dead skin cells and deliver hydration. Adding in this one simple step a couple of times a week, will have you waking up to a more radiant appearance.

Active Ingredients: Bifida ferment lysate | Skin Type: All | Size: 1.69 fl oz | Cruelty-Free: No

An amplified version of a serum, ampoules contain higher concentrations of active ingredients. This one in particular contains 10 probiotics with the aim to improve the look of wrinkles, strengthen skin’s elasticity, and smooth skin’s texture.

Who It’s For

This night serum throws everything it can at the skin to fight the signs of aging. So if you are looking for a K Beauty solution to tackle fine lines and wrinkles, lift and improve elasticity the combo of probiotics in this product could be just what you need to get your skin feeling supple again.

Active Ingredients: Diamond mineral powder, ceramide hydration gel | Skin Type: Balanced, dry, combination, oily | Size: 1 fl oz | Cruelty-Free: No

Here’s another hybrid to fall in love with. It works as both a hydrating serum and lightweight primer to repair dullness and dryness and smooth over the skin right before you apply makeup. It also extends the wear of your look and is infused with a diamond mineral powder to give your skin a subtle light reflective glow. It's important to note though that the formula doesn't meet our Byrdie Clean standards, as it contains PEGs, aka polyethylene glycol.

Who It’s For

This priming serum is perfect for soft glam makeup fans as it creates a glowing base that never crosses over to sparkly or shimmering territory. Not only does it give your look a hint of luminosity, it also makes the products applied over it hold up for longer and keep your makeup looking freshly applied for hours.

Active Ingredients: Volufiline, pomegranate extract, hydrolyzed marine collagen | Skin Type: All | Size: 4 pairs | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Formulated with firming and brightening properties—like fermented coconuts)—this mighty mask is an essential pick-me-up. Simply place over each breast and let the serum work for 30 minutes for the best results. Do note that you may need to use two pairs if you have larger breasts.

Who It’s For

Korean skincare really does have every area covered. Once you have your face routine perfected it may be time to look into this breast mask to keep the skin on your chest looking just as soft and smooth.

Active Ingredients: Botanical extracts, Icelandic glacier water | Skin Type: All | Size: 100 pads | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Winter can be harsh on skin, so it only makes sense that these hydrating toner pads have gone viral on TikTok in recent weeks. Formulated with botanical extracts, rosemary leaf oil, allantoin, and Icelandic glacier water, these K-beauty essence pads work wonders on dull, dehydrated skin—just a swipe or two hydrates and soothes irritation, dry patches, and an otherwise lackluster complexion.

When we tested the product on our own skin, we discovered there are two ways to get the most out of it: as a spot treatment or as a quick, all-over treatment. For the former, you apply the pad to a specific area—similar to an acne spot treatment—and leave it on for 15 minutes. If you want to do a quick, all-over treatment, you can just wipe the toner pads across your skin morning and/or night.

Who It's For

If you have dry skin, these moisture-infused pads will enhance your skincare routine, no doubt. The serum-filled pads deliver tons of hydration with each swipe. Also nice: each jar comes with 100 pads, so you'll surely get your money's worth.

FAQ

• How do you apply Korean skin care products?

  "There is definitely a ritualistic process when it comes to applying Korean skincare. These products are meant to be applied with purpose and intention,” says Dr. Fahs. “It’s a nice reminder to slow down and enjoy the ceremonial practice, even if it just means not allowing yourself to rush through the steps.” You may also see a lot of emphasis on gently tapping products into the skin versus rubbing them in. This is partially because the tapping is thought to help increase circulation to the skin to aid in absorption, she explains.

• Are Korean skin care products cruelty-free?

  Some, but not all. “While many Korean skincare products do not test on animals, this is not the case across the board. Certain countries, including China, require testing on animals in order to sell products in the country, so some K-beauty brands that sell products in the region are required to do so in compliance with the country’s law,” says Dr. Fahs. Check for the cruelty-free or Leaping Bunny Certified label (for US and Canadian brands) to be certain.

• How do you layer Korean skincare products?

  The order you apply skincare matters. At night, the first step is to double cleanse. Then once you have removed all of your makeup and have your face clean, it’s time to start with your skincare. If using an essence this goes on first, then your serum and finally your chosen moisturizer.On nights when you are opting for a sleeping mask you can skip these steps and apply this immediately.

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3. OyetakinWhite P, Tribout H, Baron E. Protective mechanisms of green tea polyphenols in skin.Oxid Med Cell Longev. 2012;2012:560682. doi:10.1155/2012/560682

4. Kim S, Jang JE, Kim J, et al. Enhanced barrier functions and anti-inflammatory effect of cultured coconut extract on human skin.Food Chem Toxicol. 2017;106(Pt A):367-375. doi:10.1016/j.fct.2017.05.060