6 Best Korean Skincare Brands (that never disappoint!)
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-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------If you are looking for some tried and true korean skincare brands to incorporate into your daily skincare routine, you’ve come to the right place. As someone who, unfortunately, was not blessed with good skin, I’ve spent many years trying out different skincare products from different brands in search of the best ones that could help achieve different skincare goals - whether that be calming redness, fading dark sports, evening out skin texture, or simply just improving hydration and overall health. Through trying out the brands’ products across all product categories, and assessing them based on things like:
Efficacy (and validity of product claims)
Formulation/ingredients
User experience (with both packaging and application)
Cruelty-free, and
Value/affordability
I’ve put together a list of 5 best korean skincare brands that have consistently put out great skincare products regardless of product category. So whether you’re looking for a gentle cleanser, a hydrating toner, or a brightening serum, you won’t be disappointed with these brands!
The Best Korean Skincare Brands
1. Beauty of Joseon
The Beauty of Joseon skincare brand leverages traditional skincare ingredients and practices from the Joseon Dynasty, which lasted from late-14th century all the way to early 20th century. By honoring beauty rituals that stood the test of time, and combining natural ingredients, such as rice, ginseng, and other medicinal herbs, with more modern ingredients, they’ve managed to create gentle, yet highly effective skincare products that work even on sensitive skin.
Based on the many I’ve tried, their products do exactly as touted - for some (like the glow serum), their effects start showing up after just one use. And across the board, the application of the products is easy, with good absorption, and without any residual stickiness, oiliness, or unpleasant feeling.
Standout Products:
Beauty of Joseon Daily Relief Sunscreen (favorite!)
🧴 Learn more about their brand here.
2. Hera
Hera is a skincare and makeup brand that a friend from Korea introduced to me and I absolutely loved. Driven by a mission to help people feel confident and radiant in their skin, the brand has created luxurious skincare products that are highly effective for all skin types and leave the skin with a healthy and plump glow.
Not only is the packaging beautiful, but the products tend to take on a thicker consistency, lending to that luxurious feel where you know the ingredients and formulation are high-quality. They are also accompanied by a light, pleasant smell, adding to the overall user experience.
Standout Products:
🧴 Learn more about their brand here.
3. Pyunkang Yul
Pyunkang Yul is a minimalistic skincare brand that aims to use only necessary ingredients to create potent skincare products that deepy hydrate and soothe the skin, while strenghtening the skin barrier. This is completely evident once you try their products - regardless of the product, it feels so clean on application and always leaves the skin feeling supple and refreshed.
FWIW, the essence toner was the first of their products I tried; and it drastically helped my skin go from being overly sensitized and what seemed like chronically inflamed, to a more calm and stable state that wasn’t super red and sometimes painful.
Standout Products:
🧴 Learn more about their brand here.
4. Aestura
Aestura is a skincare brand that is specifically designed for those with sensitive skin; however they are still good for the range of skin types, including dry or damaged skin. Coming from a highly scientific and medical / pharmaceutical research-backed approach, their formulations are extremely effective at tackling skincare problems, while feeling very nourishing.
The brand uses a range of great ingredients, including ceramides for barrier protection and cica for calming care. And on-brand with its focus on research-backed formulas, its products are clinically tested and dermatologist-approved.
Standout Products:
🧴 Learn more about their brand here.
5. Skin1004
Skin1004 is a skincare brand that focuses on natural ingredients to create very clean, lightweight, and potent products. Of note, all of their products are infused with Centella extract specifically from Madagascar, which is of the highest quality. This allows them to provide intense soothing that can help calm even the most irritated skin.
Given Skin1004 products’ highly soothing properties, they are especially beneficial for sensitive skin. However, the brand also offers products that are effective for acne-prone skin, promoting skin healing without clogging pores. So overall, their products could be a safe and beneficial add regardless of skin type.
Standout Products:
🧴 Learn more about their brand here.
6. iUNIK
iUNIK is another minimalistic skincare brand that aims to provide gentle and simple, yet effective, skincare products for people of all skin types. They believe that the skin is a powerful thing that knows how to take care of and heal itself if provided the right environment. As such, their products supplement the skin’s own function with clean, natural ingredients and complementary formulations. Fittingly, its name stands for “Ideal, Unique, Natural, Ingredients, Knowhow.”
Standout Products:
🧴 Learn more about their brand here.
And there you have it - 6 excellent korean skincare brands to incorporate into your skincare arsenal. Hopefully they work out as well for you as they have for me. And if you try any of them out, or have any other brand / product recommendations, I’d love to hear about it 😊