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When it comes to creating killer skincare products that work wonders for all skin types, Korean skincare brands seem to outperform their Western counterparts by a long way.
When they’re constantly bringing new ingredients to the market, there’s little reason not to be influenced by the range of exciting products you can find on the shelves of any K-beauty store. From world-class toner pads, serums that pack a hydrating punch, and creamy cleansers that promise to remove all of your makeup in a flash, it’s no wonder why Korea has become known for its best-in-show skincare industry.
One product in particular that Korean brands have consistently excelled at is creating phenomenal moisturizers. A good moisturising cream that hydrates and nourishes the skin barrier is one of the most important products to add to your routine, and Korean brands certainly know how to do it best. In this article, we’ll be discussing some of our favorite Korean moisturizers and why you should consider adding them to your skincare routine right away.
How We Choose Our Favourite Moisturizing Creams
Choosing a good moisturizer is like picking out a good white t-shirt or staple pair of jeans, it’s a non-negotiable part of your skincare routine that makes a big difference.
When we’re looking for the next best moisturizer, there are a few things we’re looking for; cost, effectiveness, formulation, and results. For the ideal moisturizer, we want something that feels good on the skin, provides enough hydration, contains high-quality ingredients, and is good value for money — not asking for much, right?
Whether you have acne-prone skin, oily skin or dry skin, a good moisturizing cream is something that you should never leave out of your routine. Not only are moisturizers full of hydrating ingredients that will keep your skin barrier intact, but they will also lock in all the other products you applied before it; ensuring they really sink into your skin and deliver on their promised results.
One of the common misconceptions is that if you have combination skin, you don’t need to worry about using skincare products with hydrating ingredients — but this couldn’t be further from the truth. All skin types need a moisturizing product, but you may be looking for slightly different things to care for your skin in the best possible way.
Our Favorite Korean Moisturizers For All Skin Types
When it comes to Korean moisturizers, it’s hard to go wrong. Whether you’ve got dry skin, sensitive skin or combination skin, the real problem will lay in picking just one of the best Korean moisturizers that will work for you better than any of the others in a seemingly never-ending lineup.
Like any other skincare product, some are made for sensitive skin, whereas some offer to brighten skin and improve skin elasticity. It’s all about figuring out what your skin type is, and what you need in a skincare product rather than going off recommendations of what works for other people.
You may be focussing on fading acne scars or boosting hydration, whatever it is, it’s easy to find the right moisturizer that matches all of your requirements.
Luckily for you, we’re here to take some of the guesswork out of picking your next skincare product. We’ve narrowed it down to the very best Korean moisturizers that we think are going to work for the vast majority of skin types. So, once you’ve figured out what skin type you have and what your skin needs, take your pick of the 5 products listed below.
SOME BY MI – AHA, BHA, PHA 30 Days Miracle Cream
First up on our list is the perfect product for anyone who struggles with skin texture. The SOME BY MI 30 Days Miracle Cream comes packed with a mixture of AHAs, BHAs, and PHAs; exfoliating acids that slowly buff away dead skin to reveal brighter, tighter skin beneath.
This is a great entry product for people who want to start getting into chemical exfoliation but are worried about irritating their skin. Although this moisturizing cream does pack a punch in the acid exfoliation department, it also contains ingredients like centella asiatica extracts and tea tree leaf water that will provide deep hydration to your skin and keep your moisture barrier intact.
This is a very unique Korean moisturizer as it goes above and beyond what you would normally expect from your daily face cream. It may not be thick enough for people with super dry skin, but if you’re looking for something that targets some of your major skin concerns (like dark spots, uneven texture, or dullness) while containing ingredients that soothe skin irritation in a flash, this is most certainly the product for you.
Dear, Klairs – Midnight Blue Calming Cream
If you want something that is specifically targeted towards people with sensitive skin, look no further than the Dear, Klairs Midnight Blue Calming Cream. This is one of the most popular and best Korean moisturizers out there because it works wonders for irritated skin.
If you’ve got dry skin that often feels tight and uncomfortable, or if you have combination skin that gets a bit oily throughout the day, you’re going to love this K Beauty moisturizer. Its superstar ingredient is Guaiazulene, an extract from chamomile that provides instant relief for irritated skin. It also contains Centella, a common ingredient in Korean moisturizers that tones down redness and hydrates all skin types.
You can use this as your daily moisturizer, but it also doubles up as an intensive mask for when your skin is feeling extra sensitive, or as a cure to a particularly bad sunburn. With its combination of soothing ingredients, this is the perfect cream to keep within reach on your skincare shelf.
COSRX – Advanced Snail 92 All-In-One Cream
You may have already heard of the popular COSRX range because of its not-so-secret ingredient, snail secretion filtrate. The COSRX advanced snail cream is a popular pick for people with dry skin who want that extra hit of hydration in their daily skincare routine.
Whether you have super dry skin, acne-prone, or sensitive skin, this is an absolute game-changer of a product. Snail mucin is a powerful ingredient that soothes irritated skin after breakouts, and provides an exceptional amount of hydration that puts hyaluronic acid to shame.
Suppose you have dark spots or want something that’s going to be anti-inflammatory enough for irritated skin. If you do, there’s no better product out there for you at the moment than this innovative cream — you may just have to forget about the forget that it contains snail mucin!
Beauty of Joseon – Dynasty Cream
Beauty of Joseon is usually a brand that we discuss when talking about the best Korean SPFs, after all, they are known for their incredible sunscreen that doesn’t leave the face greasy and works wonders for dry skin. But, it’s not just their SPF that everyone should have on their shelves, this popular K beauty brand also has a fantastic moisturizer.
The Beauty of Joseon Dynasty Cream is a water-based moisturizer packed full of hyaluronic acid that provides an aqua bomb of hydration to restore the skin’s natural barrier, diminish the appearance of fine lines and help counteract uneven skin tone.
Hyaluronic acid is a superstar ingredient in the world of Korean moisturizer picks, but this cream in particular really nourishes the skin better than most. Just a small layer applied morning and night will feel like a cushion of hydration that leaves your skin feeling comfortable and nourished throughout the day — absolutely perfect.
UNIK – Centella Calming Gel Cream
The final moisturizer we have on today’s list is another unique formula that most skin types could benefit from. The UNIK Centella Calming Gel Cream is often on the list of the best Korean moisturizers, and rightfully so it provides long-lasting hydration, anti-inflammatory properties, and defence against skin irritation, all in a perfect gel-cream formula.
This moisturizer is mainly targeted towards those with sensitive skin or dry skin, but the oil-free formula and natural ingredients make it a perfect pick for anyone who wants to keep their skin hydrated. There’s a reason that this is considered one of the best Korean moisturizers, because of its ability to improve skin elasticity and instantly provide a soothing sensation to dry or irritated skin.
Whether you’ve had a reaction to a certain skincare product, or just generally have sensitive skin, with this moisturizer you won’t have to worry about making the situation any worse.
Korean Moisturizers for Sensitive Skin
When you have sensitive skin, you have to be a little more careful about the products you use on your skin. You don’t want anything that will be too harsh and cause irritation, but you also want products that will hydrate and soothe the skin. Depending on your age, you may also want products that promise to increase collagen production and prevent the early signs of ageing like fine lines and wrinkles — it’s a lot to ask for!
When you’re getting started looking for a moisturizer, look for products that contain soothing ingredients like green tea, hyaluronic acid, amino acids, vitamin E, jojoba oil or polyglutamic acid. You should also look for products that are marketed towards people with dry skin types, or that are dermatologist-tested.
In terms of formula, a gel-like consistency which you often find in k beauty products is a good place to get started. These products, like belif the true cream are often oil-free but have enough nourishing ingredients to get rid of rough patches and soothe the skin.
How to Choose a Moisturizer For Combination Skin and Oily Skin Types
When you have combination skin types, you’ll be looking for a moisturizer that eliminates excess oil but leaves the skin comfortable and hydrated. Hydration is one of the main selling points of many Korean moisturizers, but that doesn’t mean that they’re only made for dry skin types — in fact, a common misconception is that oily skin doesn’t need as much hydration, but this couldn’t be further than the truth.
If your skin leans on the oily side, look out for ingredients like tea tree, salicylic acid, niacinamide, or glycolic acid, that gently buff away at the skin to remove anything that could go on to cause acne. These ingredients are still suitable for people with sensitive skin as they will leave the skin soft and skin feeling smooth.
You can also incorporate other Korean skincare products that help your skin, like an all-over sleep mask to boost the power of your moisturizer. These additional products can provide some of the more targeted oil-control properties, while you let your moisturizer do what it needs to do — hydrate your skin.
Incorporate a Korean Moisturizer Into Your Routine
Korean skincare products are a go-to in our daily skincare routines; with advanced formulas and interesting ingredients that you don’t often find in mainstream Western skincare brands, many of us have been able to completely transform our skin with a few choice product additions.
We hope that out of the 5 moisturizers we mentioned above, you found one that sounds right up your street. So, what are you waiting for? Shop all of these products online, we personally shop from YesStyle, for easy shipping worldwide (use code YESSTYLE to get 10% OFF as a new customer when you place an order of more than US$35) and improve your skincare routine today.
What moisturiser do you think you’re going to buy?
