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With skin care, it’s easy to fall into the more-is-more trap. So many of us want our retinols strong and our acids stronger, and we’d much rather correct problems — acne, dry spots, redness, sunburn — than prevent them in the first place.
But Korean skin care turns all that upside down: The focus is on hydration, maintaining the skin barrier, and wearing sunscreen no matter what. “It’s about products that are gentle on the skin, not harsh active ingredients,” said David Kim, a dermatologist in New York City. A product’s texture “is a big thing, too,” he adds.
Sure enough, the 16 favorites here stand out for their mellow effectiveness and yummy composition. To arrive at this list, we polled Wirecutter’s beauty and style teams, checked in with several K-beauty experts, and then swiped, slathered, and lathered our way through dozens of contenders. Each of these picks is sure to uphold a tenet of K-beauty: cleanse, treat, moisturize, and protect.
Starter set for two-step cleansing – Then I Met You The Cleansing Duo
“Double cleansing” is a common practice in Korean skin care that removes makeup, sunscreen, and general grime with an oil-based product and then washes away residual dirt and sweat with an ultra-gentle, water-based froth. And the juicy balm and tenacious gel that make up the Then I Met You The Cleansing Duo take the guesswork out of pairing disparate products. “I absolutely hate an extra step, which makes it all the more meaningful that I love how these two feel on my face, and how they play together,” one Wirecutter staffer said. Loaded with nourishing olive and grapeseed oils, the sunshine-hued balm leaves skin smooth, refreshed, and makeup-free. The gel combines antioxidant rice ferment filtrate (aka sake) with hydrating glycerin, which gives the cleanser its stretchy, gooey texture, and it foams up nicely with water.
Gentle exfoliating cleanser – CosRX Low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanser
If you come from the “bubblier is better” school of face-washing, the frothy CosRX Low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanser is just the thing to turn you into a Korean skin-care believer. When it’s mixed with water, this tenacious gel foams up beautifully and has a pH of around 5 — a near match to skin’s natural, slightly acidic levels — so it won’t throw your oil levels out of whack. While traditional acne washes often contain salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide, which can dry out and irritate some complexions, the CosRX cleanser relies on a low dose of the milder tea tree leaf oil. (Be warned, though, that some of our staffers have been turned off by the medicinal smell.) This is the only cleanser both gentle and effective enough for editor Hannah Morrill’s hormonal adult acne. “It seems to keep breakouts at bay without scorching my skin,” she said.
A gentle, hydrating cleanser – Round Lab Birch Moisturizing Cleanser
Right out of the tube, Round Lab Birch Moisturizing Cleanser is a clear, colorless, and oomphy gel. While the CosRX cleanser goes after acne, this one babies dry complexions and leaves no tight-skin aftereffects. The moisture-boosting glycerin, birch sap, and hyaluronic acid leave skin supple, smooth, and hydrated. “This might be the most neutral-scented, gentle — but still effective — cleanser I’ve tried in a long time,” said newsletter editor Brittney Ho. “It’s both cleansing and moisturizing, so when I rinse it off, I’m left with happy, bouncy skin that’s fresh and clean.” Also, more than one tester commented on the cute packaging, which seemed more in line with that of luxury products, not a cleanser that costs less than $20.
The non-vegan snail mucin – CosRX Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence
K-beauty TikTok absolutely loves a product demo of snail mucin, the filtered secretion of live snails, which studies suggest may improve skin’s overall hydration, texture, and elasticity (notably, this is not a vegan product). The CosRX Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence is 96% snail-secretion filtrate, and it’s the key to achieving “glass skin,” the smooth, radiant, and dewy K-beauty complexion ideal, which is gorgeous on its own but also a flawless base for makeup. Our staffers loved that the thick emulsion sank in quickly and left skin looking practically poreless and feeling soft. Admittedly, a few among us were expecting this essence to stretch more dramatically — on TikTok, it almost looks as if they’re playing cat’s cradle. We could never achieve more than a rubber-band-like expansion.
Glassy without gooeyness – Peach & Lily Glass Skin Refining Serum
Some staffers craved lacquer-sleek skin but wanted an animal-free alternative to snail mucin. And they lavished gold stars on the Peach & Lily Glass Skin Refining Serum. This water-based product gets its gooey dewiness from a sugar derivative and the antioxidant niacinamide, a form of vitamin B3 that has been linked with improving skin’s tone and texture. One staffer has been using this serum for five years and loves that “it feels cool and refreshing as you massage it in, then it creates a sheer, silky finish.” Boosted with hyaluronic acid, this moisturizing serum has notable staying power: Another frequent user noted that the formula almost “reactivates” when she washes her face at night.
Refreshing exfoliant for acne-prone skin – Some By Mi AHA-BHA-PHA 30 Days Miracle Toner
Some By Mi AHA-BHA-PHA 30 Days Miracle Toner has three exfoliants: surface-buffing citric acid (AHA), pore-excavating salicylic acid (BHA), and brightening lactobionic acid (PHA). Yet you wouldn’t know it from how it leaves skin feeling, which is “extra clean but not crackly and tight,” according to one staffer. That might be due to the inclusion of gently soothing components like witch hazel and niacinamide; the former removes excess oils, while the latter imparts moisture. If you prefer acne fighters with a strong smell and skin-firming aftereffects, this toner may be too gentle. But the low-key Some By Mi formula still delivers impressive brightening results. “I love the slightly tingly sensation and the subtle candy cane scent,” one staffer said.
The prettiest giftable cult-fave balm – Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask
The Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask had more fans among Wirecutter’s staff than any other item on this list — and many of us didn’t even realize the cute little pot comes from a K-beauty brand. Granted, “sleeping mask” is a bit of a double misnomer. Not just for night time, it actually makes for a yummy, luscious daytime gloss. Plus, its smooth, satiny texture strikes us as too sheer to earn true “mask” status. Fragrance is a huge part of the allure, and it comes in a handful of irresistible, playful scents, such as gummy bear, grapefruit, and berry (as well as an ever-rotating roster of seasonal limited-edition options). It also has appeal beyond the nice fragrance, with ingredients like hydrating shea butter and antioxidant vitamin C, and at least one tester said she started using the berry flavor in place of lipstick because it adds moisture and a pretty pinkish cast.
Moisturizing go-to – Aestura Atobarrier365 Lotion
Imagine a brick wall built without mortar. When you encounter the term “skin barrier” — as you inevitably do when exploring K-beauty — it essentially refers to your skin cells (bricks) and the fats (mortar) that hold them together, keeping your skin protected, supple, and resilient. The ultra-mild Aestura Atobarrier365 Lotion contains ceramides, fatty acids, and cholesterol for repairing the skin barrier. “It’s so gentle, hydrating, and well formulated, they use it in tertiary hospitals in Korea,” said dermatologist David Kim. Wirecutter staffers loved the bottle’s convenient pump and the sheer, dewy results.
Luscious cica cream – Hanyul Artemisia Soothing Gel Cream
Hanyul Artemisia Soothing Gel Cream has a singular texture that starts out bouncy, feels satiny as it’s massaged in, and then absorbs quickly for a cool, smooth finish. “The texture is nice, not greasy, and makes my skin so silky,” one staffer said. The formula contains hits of two K-skin all-star ingredients: soothing niacinamide and cica (short for centella asiatica), an anti-inflammatory botanical hydrator known for calming redness. During testing, our staffers definitely noticed the mellow nourishment; one found it to be the best hydrating layer over her nightly retinal serum. The fragrance, however, was polarizing. Some testers loved that it was grassy and earthy and had spa vibes, while others felt it was too strong for their tastes.
Bouncy gel for oily skin – Belif The True Cream Aqua Bomb
A little goes a long way with Belif’s The True Cream Aqua Bomb. A dab disappears into skin to give it a subtle glow and a light layer of lasting moisture, thanks to glycerin. This juicy gel’s sheer texture made it a favorite among our testers with oily and acne-prone skin. “It’s one of my all-time faves. I have supremely acne-prone skin, and this stuff is so light, it doesn’t clog my pores,” editor Hannah Rimm said. The refreshing, herbaceous fragrance was also a plus with testers.