New to K-Beauty? Try These 19 Amazing Korean Skincare Products

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By IPSY Editors
Published on August 22, 2021
Close-up of a young Asian woman putting cream on her face
Close-up of a young Asian woman putting cream on her face

We’ve long looked to South Korean beauty brands for brilliant, multitasking skincare products that brighten skin, nix pesky pimples, and exfoliate away dead skin, all while introducing surprising and innovative ingredients like veggie essences and snail mucin (yes, really!). Best of all, many of the most beloved K-Beauty products are now available stateside. Save yourself a plane trip around the world and scroll down below for Ipsters’ favorite Korean skincare products, alongside IPSY editor top picks that can be yours in just a few clicks. Whether you’re on the hunt for a formula packed with amino acids, major moisturizers, or extra exfoliators, there’s a product on our list for every skin tone and type.

1. The Best Exfoliating Sleeping Mask:

GLOW RECIPE Watermelon Glow Sleeping Mask

GLOW RECIPE Watermelon Glow Sleeping Mask
GLOW RECIPE Watermelon Glow Sleeping Mask

By day, you’re a multitasking whiz—so why let that stop when you’re catching some zzz’s? Slather this K-Beauty overnight mask on, and your smooth skin dreams will become a reality. According to Ipsters’ rave reviews, it’ll leave your skin feeling extra soft without leaving marks on your pillows. The scented watermelon extract gets an extra push from AHAs, leaving you with glowing skin when you wake up.

2. The Best Clay Mask:

INNISFREE Pore Clearing Clay Mask With Super Volcanic Clusters

INNISFREE Pore Clearing Clay Mask With Super Volcanic Clusters
INNISFREE Pore Clearing Clay Mask With Super Volcanic Clusters

Clay masks can be tough on skin, but this cult favorite mask from INNISFREE brightens, softens, and gives pores a smaller appearance without over-drying. The secret? Jeju volcanic clusters, aka hardened volcanic lava hailing from Jeju Island in South Korea, that absorb just the right amount of sebum while lactic acid acts as a gentle exfoliant.

3. The Best Rich Moisturizer:

BELIF The True Cream – Moisturizing Bomb

BELIF The True Cream – Moisturizing Bomb
BELIF The True Cream – Moisturizing Bomb

Winter has nothing on this insanely powerful moisturizer that hydrates your skin without leaving a sticky or greasy feeling (and feels as light and refreshing as one, too).

4. The Best Acne Patches:

COSRX Acne Pimple Master Patch

COSRX Acne Pimple Master Patch
COSRX Acne Pimple Master Patch

What did we do before pimple patches entered our lives? Stick one of teeny transparent hydrocolloid dressings right on top of a blemish to watch it diminish in size within hours and protect it from outside bacteria (and your own hands, let’s be real).

5. The Best Cleansing Balm:

BANILA CO Clean It Zero Cleansing Balm Original

BANILA CO Clean It Zero Cleansing Balm Original
BANILA CO Clean It Zero Cleansing Balm Original

Dry skin has met its match with this hypoallergenic cleansing balm that soothes and repairs even the most sensitive skin. Save the scrubbing for the tub—this formula goes on smooth as a balm before transforming into an oil and then a milk cleanser, moisturizing skin before nixing the remnants of your mascara or eyeshadows. That means no double cleansing is necessary, and you’ll still get extra glowy skin. Ipsters tell us that this balm is “absolutely fantastic” and “one of my favorite things.”

6. The Best Gel Face Wash:

GLOW RECIPE Blueberry Bounce Gentle Cleanser

GLOW RECIPE Blueberry Bounce Gentle Cleanser
GLOW RECIPE Blueberry Bounce Gentle Cleanser

Your favorite summer berry makes a surprise appearance in this powerful all-in-one cream cleanser, makeup remover, and mask. The antioxidants in the berries give your skin a helping hand at fighting off the effects of dry weather, while hyaluronic acid pumps extra moisture onto your face and AHAs exfoliate away your dead skin cells. Who knew such a hardworking product could come in such an adorable purple package?

7. The Best Essence:

AMOREPACIFIC Vintage Single Extract Essence

AMOREPACIFIC Vintage Single Extract Essence
AMOREPACIFIC Vintage Single Extract Essence

Essences are, well, essential to K-Beauty, and once you experience this tried-and-true formula, you’ll understand why. Made with antioxidant-rich fermented green tea extract, it adds a lightweight layer of firming and anti-aging power to any skincare routine.

8. The Best Toner:

ETUDE HOUSE Moistfull Collagen Facial Toner

ETUDE HOUSE Moistfull Collagen Facial Toner
ETUDE HOUSE Moistfull Collagen Facial Toner

This isn’t like the drying toners you grew up with. Instead of stripping skin of moisture, this formula infuses it with hydrolyzed collagen and protective white lupin, leaving skin bouncier, more hydrated, and prepped for serums and moisturizer.

9. The Best Eye Cream:

INNISFREE Intensive Hydrating Eye Cream With Green Tea Seed

INNISFREE Intensive Hydrating Eye Cream With Green Tea Seed
INNISFREE Intensive Hydrating Eye Cream With Green Tea Seed

Eye creams should be a few things: extra hydrating, super gentle, and full of protective ingredients. This one checks every box, thanks to its creamy texture and green-tea-infused formulation.

10. The Best Vitamin C Serum:

MISSHA Vita C Plus Spot Correcting & Firming Ampoule

MISSHA Vita C Plus Spot Correcting & Firming Ampoule
MISSHA Vita C Plus Spot Correcting & Firming Ampoule

Vitamin C has become a staple in beauty routines across the globe, and Korean skincare is no exception. This formula delivers encapsulated vitamin C and collagen to the skin for effective absorption, making it a one-two punch for anti-aging power.

11. The Best Moisturizing Serum:

SWEET CHEF Kale + Vitamin B Serum Shot

SWEET CHEF Kale + Vitamin B Serum Shot
SWEET CHEF Kale + Vitamin B Serum Shot

Kale isn’t just for your lunchtime salad. Give your skin some well-deserved leafy greens with a serum shot from SWEET CHEF. The vitamin B in this lightweight formula is perfect for tackling redness and dry skin, while the aloe vera helps heal breakouts. A few drops is all you need to give your face a burst of extra minerals and nutrients.

12. The Best Glass-Skin Serum:

PEACH & LILY Glass Skin Refining Serum

PEACH & LILY Glass Skin Refining Serum
PEACH & LILY Glass Skin Refining Serum

There’s a reason this product is synonymous with an entire skincare movement. “Glass skin” is the concept of dewy, lit-from-within, almost translucent skin in Korean beauty—and this serum can help you achieve it. But with a slew of active ingredients—niacinamide to even skin tone and brighten, hyaluronic acid to moisturize, peptides to plump fine lines, and more—it’s one you can reach for no matter what your skincare goal is.

13. The Best Color Corrector:

DR. JART Cicapair™ Tiger Grass Color Correcting Treatment SPF30

DR. JART Cicapair™ Tiger Grass Color Correcting Treatment SPF30
DR. JART Cicapair™ Tiger Grass Color Correcting Treatment SPF30

Redness, be gone! Apply this green-tinted color corrector to cheeks, nose, or anywhere you want to neutralize ruddiness, especially on makeup-free days. Bonus: This formula already has sunscreen built right in.

14. The Best Peel-Off Mask:

I DEW CARE Sugar Kitten

I DEW CARE Sugar Kitten
I DEW CARE Sugar Kitten

There’s a good chance you’ve seen this holographic peel-off mask while scrolling through your Instagram feed, but it’s not just for looks: There’s real ruby powder in there to fight dullness, along with hydrating hyaluronic acid and soothing rosewater.

15. The Best Serum for Pores:

SWEET CHEF Beet + Vitamin A Serum Shot

SWEET CHEF Beet + Vitamin A Serum Shot
SWEET CHEF Beet + Vitamin A Serum Shot

Don’t be fooled by the cute pink packaging: This is one tough skincare product. It’s packed full of vitamin A from the beets and seaberry fruit extract included in the formula. That means your skin gets smoother and your pores will be clearer with just one shot. Use this as an extra treat in between your regular toners and serums!

16. The Best Oil Cleanser:

HUANGJISOO Pure Perfect Cleansing Oil

HUANGJISOO Pure Perfect Cleansing Oil
HUANGJISOO Pure Perfect Cleansing Oil

Korean skincare routines are big on the double-cleansing method, which involves first using a cleansing oil to remove makeup, followed by a gel or foam cleanser to wash away excess sebum and any other impurities. Made with jojoba oil, apricot seed oil, and primrose, this gentle formula is so effective, it can be used without a follow-up cleanser. Plus, it’s non-comedogenic.

17. The Best Eye Mask:

SOO'AE Panda Eye Brightening Mask

SOO'AE Panda Eye Brightening Mask
SOO'AE Panda Eye Brightening Mask

This sheet mask is the cutest way to pump on the moisture and add glow to all skin types, since you can sow some love to winter-worn skin with natural ingredients like vitamin B3. Ipsters love the cooling feeling that hydrogel delivers, plus how soft it makes their skin feel.

18. The Most Hydrating Sleeping Mask:

JEJU:EN Aloe Gel Sleeping Mask

JEJU:EN Aloe Gel Sleeping Mask
JEJU:EN Aloe Gel Sleeping Mask

A quick trip to South Korea’s Jeju Island might not be in the cards for your next vacation, but that doesn’t mean you can’t reap the benefits of the mineral-rich water. When paired with ultra soothing and healing aloe gel, you’ve got a formula that will fight off dryness while you sleep. There’s nothing we love more than a multitasking skincare product. Ipsters rave about this “amazing” sleep mask that “leaves my face looking so fresh!”

19. The Best Sheet Masks:

LAB FOR YOU Tomato and Pumpkin Sheet Mask Set

LAB FOR YOU Tomato and Pumpkin Sheet Mask Set
LAB FOR YOU Tomato and Pumpkin Sheet Mask Set

Move over, PSL. Pumpkin is making the leap into face masks, alongside another familiar superfood: tomatoes. Tomatoes may be a summer salad staple, but thanks to this sheet mask, they’re now an every-season treat for your face. When paired together, these two natural ingredients are the perfect way to relax and help out your skin. Ipsters report that these masks are “very moisturizing” and “super gentle for sensitive skin.”

Want personalized skincare picks delivered to your door each month with the IPSY Glam Bag? Take our Beauty Quiz now to get started. Already an Ipster? Refer your friends to earn points, which you can use toward products. Either way, don’t forget to check us out on Instagram and Twitter @IPSY.

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