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The best Korean skincare products that you’ll be wanting to add to your skincare routine right away!
My love for Korean beauty products has been well-documented on Volumes of Beauty.
Over the past few years, after trying a variety of Korean skincare products, many of them have found their places as absolute staples in my routine.
Korean skincare products may not be as easy to get your hands on as many other drugstore brands. But trust me, even though you’ll have to order online and wait a pretty long time for your products to remove, they’re definitely worth it.
Today I’m going to be rounding up my favourite Korean skincare products that have completely changed my my skincare routine for the better.
All of these products are perfect for adding into your cheap 10 step Korean skin care routine.
Cleansers
Banila Co Clean it Zero
Starting this post off with the product that’s probably my favourite Korean beauty product of all time, the Banila Co. Clean it Zero cleansing balm.
I did a post comparing this to the Heimish All Clean Balm and this was the one that came out on top.
This is the best cleansing balm I’ve ever come across. It’s able to remove the most stubborn of makeup instantly and makes your skin feel smooth and hydrated afterwards—it’s perfection.
Heimish All Clean Balm
Although I prefer the Banila Co. Balm, the Heimish All Clean Balm is still seriously good and definitely worth the money.
It removes makeup like a dream, even waterproof mascara and also makes my skin feel amazing after.
If you can find this easier and cheaper than the Banila Co balm, get this. There’s really not a whole lot of difference.
COSRX Low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanser
If you want a refreshing gel cleanser for use in the morning, the COSRX Good Morning Cleanser is my favourite.
It’s a lightly foaming cleanser that leaves my skin feeling awake and clean before going in with the rest of my skincare products.
It’s perfect for most skin types, the only people who might not like it is if you have super dry skin.
Serums
Purito Centella Unscented Serum
This Centella serum from Purito is perfect for anyone who suffers from redness and irritated skin.
It’s formulated with Centella Extract and Niacinamide which are 2 of my favourite ingredients for irritated and blemish-prone skin.
I use this every night and have noticed such a difference in my skin since using it, it’s a holy grail product for sure.
Some by Mi AHA-BHA-PHA 30 Days Miracle Serum
The AHA-BHA-PHA products from Some By Mi are all really good, especially the serum. It’s a range that’s specifically targeted to reduce redness and blemishes in 30 days.
The mixture of acids in the serum help to promote cell turnover, leaving you with brighter and clearer skin.
I don’t like to use this every day as the name would suggest as it can be a little strong. I use it 2-3 times a week and still have noticed a big difference in my skin.
Klairs Freshly Juiced Vitamin C Drop
It can be hard to find effective Vitamin C products that don’t cost the earth and this product from Klairs has been a great budget discovery.
Vitamin C is the perfect ingredient to use in your routine if you have dull or tired-looking skin. It’s a product that I absolutely swear by and can’t go a day without using.
At just under £20, this is a nice easy-to-use Vitamin C that feels great on the skin but delivers some seriously exceptional results – say hello to brighter skin in only a couple of weeks!
Moisturisers
Soon Jung 2x Barrier Intensive Cream
When it comes to mositurisers I want something that is luxuriously rich without being super thick and heavy. This moisturiser from Etude House does everything I could want.
This nourishing cream instantly hydrates dry skin and is best used overnight, but it feels perfectly lightweight.
It’s the perfect Winter moisturiser that anyone with dry skin will love.
Laneige Cica Sleeping Mask
Night creams are essential and this Cica Sleeping Mask from Laneige is one of the best.
If you want to calm down redness and irritation, look out for products with the word ‘Cica’ in their name – it’s the perfect ingredient.
When I put this on as the last step of my nighttime skincare routine, I always notice how clear and bright my skin looks in the morning.
Some By Mi AHA-BHA-PHA Miracle Cream
Like the serum that I mentioned earlier, the AHA-BHA-PHA range from Some By Mi has been one of my favourite Korean skincare discoveries.
This Miracle Cream is probably my most-used product of the range, it’s a great cream to use in the evening.
I also don’t use the AHA-BHA-PHA serum and moisturiser at the same time, that would be too strong so make sure to use one or the other.
Dr Jart Ceramidin
Dr Jart is a Korean brand that is a lot easier to get your hands on in the UK and US, being sold at a variety of online stores – which is great because I love their products.
Their Ceramidin range is formulated with Ceramides, a great ingredient to help with hydrating and nourishing the skin.
The Ceramidin Cream is a favourite of mine, it’s texture is unique as it’s not as dewy and liquidy as some other moisturisers that I use, which I love. It just really feels like it gets right into your skin and intensely mosturises it.
SPFs
Heimish Artless Glow Base
Korean beauty brands are known for their excellent SPFs so it was hard to narrow this category down.
One of the easy stand-outs was the Heimish Artless Glow Base, an SPF 50 that also has a subtle shimmer to it so it gives your skin the most beautiful glow.
It creates the perfect base for makeup to go over, but I also love using this when I’m not wearing any makeup because of the healthy glow it gives.
Missha All Around Safe Block Essence
Next up is the Missha Sun Essence, the reason why it makes it to my top picks is because the texture is a little dryer than the others. It’s not completely matte but doesn’t give your skin the intense dewy, shiny look.
So it’s great for people with oily skin that don’t want to look too oily throughout the day but still want to use a high SPF.
Purito Centella Green Level Unscented Sun
Finally we have my all-time favourite SPF, the Purito Centella Green Level SPF.
There’s currently a bit of controversy around this product as there was a independent test of this that found it only had an SPF of 12 – which is an issue.
I hope that this issue gets sorted soon so that I can repurchase because it’s easily the nicest SPF I’ve found – absolutely no white-cast, easy to blend in and feels super hydrating.
Other
Laneige Cream Skin Refiner
If you have dry skin, I may have the perfect product for you- the Laneige Cream Skin Refiner.
This is a toner/moisturiser hybrid that makes your skin feel silky and smooth every time. If you need every bit of moisture you can get, this is the product to add into your routine.
It’s recommended by everyone for good reason, it’s seriously good and feels insanely luxurious.
Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask
The Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask is a cult-favourite product for a reason, it’s one of my favourite hydrating lip balms. It’s not quite as good as the Nuxe Reve de Miel lip balm, but definitely a close second.
Although it’s a night mask, you can easily use it any time throughout the day.
It’s an absolute must-have during the Winter as it makes my lips feel smooth and hydrated instantly.
Dr Jart Cicapair Tiger Grass Color Correcting Treatment
This product is making the rounds on Tik Tok at the moment as being a miracle cream for getting rid of redness and I can confirm that it really is incredible.
This is a colour correcting cream that goes onto your skin green and then blends into your skin colour, neutralising all signs of redness in the process.
If you like minimal makeup, you need to try this product as it completely elimiates the need for foundation.
iUNIK Centella Calming Gel Cream
There seems to be a theme of calming products in this round-up but it’s purely because this is what Korean skincare does the best!
This Centella Calming Gel Cream is the most refreshing and calming product I’ve found. A quick layer of this and my skin feels hydrated and less irritated instantly.
If you have oily skin this would work great as a lightweight moisturiser that doesn’t clog your pores. If you have dry skin this would work well as a treatment under moisturiser.
COSrx Acne Pimple Master Patch
If you haven’t used a pimple patch before, let this be the reason you get some!
These patches are formulated with ingredients that help to irradicate pimples overnight. It’s a small silicon patch that you put over the spot which will draw out all of the impurities.
These are great because not only does it include the ingredients that fight the blemishes, it also creates the physical barrier over the spot which prevents you from being able to pick it or from any more dirt get into it.
They’re super affordable, being under £3 so I make sure that I always have a pack of these on hand.
