The K-beauty market is projected to be worth $13.9 billion by 2027, so it’s safe to say that we’re big fans of Korean skincare. And it’s no surprise why: The best Korean skincare brands lead the charge in innovation, are sensitive skin-approved (K-beauty is focused on increasing hydration and reducing inflammation), and are sold at a super accessible price point. “Korean beauty goes hand in hand with skincare knowledge and empowerment,” explains Alicia Yoon, the South Korea-born founder of Peach & Lily. “I love to see people engaging on the level of skin histology, skincare ingredients, and identifying personalized ways to care for their skin.”
While rituals like double cleansing and harnessing the calming powers of watermelon originated in East Asian cultures, they’ve made their way stateside. Brands like Laneige, Glow Recipe, and Sulwhasoo have become cult-favorites—and quickly at that. From elite Korean sunscreen formulas to game-changing, glow-boosting essences and the use of ingredients like matcha, niacinamide, and ginger, the K-beauty contribution to skincare is unmatched. As such, we’ve taken the time to round up the best Korean skincare brands that deserve a spot in your routine.
Laneige
The brand might have a Parisian name, but LANEIGE—which means “fresh snow” in French—was founded in Seoul, South Korea in 1994 by Amorepacific, the corporation behind several of the brands in this list. Known for their iconic sleeping lip mask, they have begun to branch into more skincare items with face moisturizers, toner, essences, and more.
The cult-favorite lip mask from LANEIGE is everything you could want in a lip balm, with all the sweet goodness of a lip gloss from the beauty supply store, but without the stickiness. Sweet fragrance aside, the antioxidant-rich mask can recover even the most dry and cracked lips, so you better stick up for winter now. The only struggle you'll have is deciding which flavor to buy.
Peach & Lily
Founded by Alicia Yoon in 2012, Peach & Lily not only offer their own selection of skincare items, but also sell iconic K-beauty brands like Lagom, Banila Co., and Miwaji. Yoon places a focus on education: “I wanted to pass on the joy that came with taking control of your skin.” To this end, you can find informational skincare guides on the site, with one explaining the famous multiple-step Korean skincare routine.
Yoon’s current must-have is this Vitamin C treatment: “I have persistent dark spots from being pregnant and I love that this formula is 20 percent stabilized Vitamin C that's gentle on skin. Perfect for delivering results I want to see for stubborn spots while keeping it gentle for my sensitive skin.”
AMOREPACIFIC
A luxury Korean skincare brand, AMOREPACIFIC is the namesake brand of the Amore Pacific corporation, which operates well known Korean beauty brands LANEIGE, Sulwhasoo, Innisfree, and more. With a focus on ingredients enriched with green tea, AMOREPACIFIC seeks to provide skincare that penetrates skin with natural and moisture-enhancing formulas.
Pro tip: Apply this cream in front of a vanity mirror while you’re wearing a silk robe and feel like a movie vixen from the '20s. The silky formula stays firm when applying and covers every inch without needing to go in for a second round for pesky dry patches.
Soon Skincare
Friends Lisa Ballstaedt and Kayla Bertagna founded Soon Skincare in 2017 and officially launched in October 2018. What started as a goal of creating a Korean-inspired sheet mask that won’t slip off your face quickly became a leading K-beauty skincare brand.
Lisa and Kayla were right—a flimsy and slippery sheet mask has got to be one of the biggest pet peeves in skincare (besides a broken serum pump). If you haven’t had the honor of using a gel mask over a sheet mask, pick up a few of these collagen infused masks, because you’ll never go back to the paper thin mess that you’ve probably torn in the past.
Banila Co
Founded in 2006 in South Korea, Banila Co. isn’t new to the Korean skincare game. In fact, their ever-popular cleansing balm is purchased every 3.1 seconds. With a focus on a simplified routine, this skin-first brand boasts hybrid products to cut back on the mounaint of steps in your routine.
Banila’s cleansing balm will get rid of the toughest glitters, paints, and eyelash glue without clogging pores or irritating your already sensitive skin.
Glow Recipe
Christine Chang and Sarah Lee founded the fruit-focused skincare brand in 2017 after working together at L’Oreal. What started as an online retailer for other Korean skincare brands turned into what we now know as Glow Recipe. Their products are known for taking a single piece of fruit and making it the star of the show.
Glow Recipe has made a very valid point for watermelon products, thanks to their award-winning favorites containing a summer-favorite snack. The Vitamin A and C-enriched watermelon combined with the skin texture-improving niacinamide work wonders for large pores. “Growing up, our grandmothers rubbed watermelon rinds on our heat rashes during hot summer months and we experienced first hand the healing power of watermelon and how soothing and hydrating it was for the skin,” Chang previously told Marie Claire.
Sulwhasoo
Pronounced “Suhl-ha-soo," this skincare brand was founded on the philosophy of balance and harmony. Bringing together natural ingredients and innovative skincare practices since 1966, Sulwhasoo is one of the best-selling luxury brands of Amore Pacific's roster of brands. Keeping with the founders' dedication to holistic skincare, the brand is still a favorite of many thanks to its texture-smoothing formulas and subtle fragrance.
Ginseng isn’t the only hero ingredient taking the reins in this cleansing formula. A light makeup remover, this oil targets all residue to gently wash away dirt and makeup without leaving skin feeling greasy.
Soko Glam
Charlotte Cho founded Soko Glam in 2012 with her husband David to bring Korean beauty practices to the United States. Today, Soko Glam boasts a curated collection of Korean skincare brands. The couple also have a wildly successful and award-worthy Korean skincare brand, Then I Met You.
One of the multiple steps in a K-beauty routine is the water-like elixir (an "essence"). Kind of like a refresher course before the skin-satisfying serums, this essence is a lightweight prep for your skin that also keeps your pores from getting clogged.
The Crème Shop
If there's one thing K-beauty brands know how to do, and do well, it's give us cute packaging with magical formulas inside. The Crème Shop is a leading example of this, boasting skincare products that make you feel like a kid again. They've had collaborations with famous characters like Hello Kitty, DreamWorks Trolls, and BT21.
The brand is here to remind you that your inner child deserves a chance to have fun. Whether it’s genetic or you’ve just stayed up way past your bedtime, your under-eyes deserve some love, so do it while also taking Instagram-worthy pics of the adorable cow print patches.
Mediheal
One of the vital steps in a Korean skincare routine is a serum-filled sheet mask. It’s also a beloved tool for self-care nights. Mediheal is the place to go for all things sheet masks, and has expanded into other skincare items as well. Founded in 2009, Mediheal actively works with scientists, dermatologists, and other skin experts to make sure its products have the best and most updated ingredients.
If you’re ever not sure what type of Korean face mask to get, just grab one from Mediheal—the trusted brand is always a safe bet. Their large inventory of sheet masks doesn't disappoint, with formulas for all skin types and ones that help with targeted concerns like acne, uneven texture, and enlarged pores.
Sweet Chef
Sweet Chef mixes up concoctions of natural herbs, vegetables, and vitamins that our skin loves. Founded by the creators of Glow Recipe, the goal of this Korean skincare brand is to create nutrient-enriched natural formulas with ingredients like celery, turmeric, beets, kale, and more.
If your skin is crying for a glass of water, it desperately needs the hydration abilities of hyaluronic acid. Your skin barrier will thank you, and the vitamins from the cold pressed celery will help balance skin, especially when dealing with any inflammation.
innisfree
Inspired by the W.B. Yeats poem of the same name, innisfree is a Korean skincare brand that uses the natural ingredients found on the island of Jeju to enhance skin in the cleanest way possible. For every skin need, there's a Korean moisturizer, sheet mask, clay mask, or serum. Hero ingredients include green tea, pomegranate, volcanic cluster, and soybean.
One of the downfalls for oily skin is the sebum that traps pores. The Jeju volcanic cluster cleanses deep to absorb the oily sebum in pores, while lactic acid works to gently exfoliate the face. An easy two-in-one choice for a weekly treatment that keeps oiliness at bay.
Cosrx
Having been in development since 2002, Cosrx (which stands for Cosmetics + Rx) was officially launched in 2013 by founder Jun Sang Hun. The brand keeps it to the point with simplified packaging and ingredients that get to the root of skincare concerns with reparative ingredients like cica, snail mucin, and propolis.
Liquid toners and exfoliants can be very annoying for one reason—the application. Sometimes you use too much, sometimes not enough, but these pre-soaked cotton pads make for a quick step after cleansing and before serums. It’s a mild exfoliant, so it won’t leave your skin feeling tight or dry.
Dr. Jart+
When you ask someone about their favorite Korean skincare brand, chances are they’ll probably mention Dr. Jart+. This brand bridges the gap between art and dermatological science—that’s where the abbreviated name comes from; it means “Doctors Joins Art." Now a part of the Estée Lauder brand, Dr. Jart+ sticks to its founders' goals of creating innovative products that have become a staple in Korean skincare.
One of Dr. Jart+'s many cult-classic formulas, this product boasts the inflammatory ingredient centella asiatica (also known as cica). With over 200,000 "favorites" on Sephora, this is a miracle worker for those who tend to get red and don’t want to worry about finding the right foundation shade to cover it up. Also, it has SPF 30.
LAPCOS
Chances are, you’ve seen these sheet masks all over social media. They’ve been around since 2017 and have a massive celeb fan base, including everyone from Emily Ratajkowski to Camila Mendes. Their “born in Korea, evolved in Los Angeles,” tagline perfectly encompasses the brand. LAPCOS leverages the holistic, Korean approach to beauty with the easy, breezy California way of life. While the brand started off exclusively selling sheet masks, they’ve expanded into shampoo, skincare, and body masks through the years.
Take care of your skin barrier with this ceramide-packed sheet mask. The formula is deeply hydrating and calming, leaving skin moisturized post use. The dewiness is unmatched.
Venn
This new-ish brand has been on the scene for just about five years–and they’ve already developed a cult following. Their entire ethos revolves around balancing the skin’s microbiome, aka the flora and organisms living on the skin’s surface. Every product in the line is designed to deliver nutrients, probiotics, and prebiotics that will strengthen the skin.
Because K-beauty revolves around everything soothing and calming, you can expect their exfoliating products to be non-irritating. This one in particular softly sloughs away dead skin cells thanks to a blend of gentle fruit enzymes.
Belif
The science behind Belif was cooked up in an herbal apothecary centuries back. Now, the botanical blends discovered years ago have been leveraged in the skincare space. The result? Deeply hydrating, toxin-free skincare that won’t irritate even the most sensitive skin types.
Anyone who despises the feel of a thick cream, but is in desperate need of hydration needs to scoop up this water cream. It feels like air, yet still manages to leave skin incredibly bouncy.
Meebak
If redness is your primary skin concern, this brand, which launched in 2019, should be on your radar. One of the primary ingredients in their line is cica, which has unmatched soothing and skin-evening powers. “We don’t add heavy premiums like many brands out there, and instead focus on delivering our brand promise of younger, brighter, happier skin,” brand founder Heeji Kim said in a press release shared with Marie Claire.
Sensitive skin? Dry skin? Irritated skin? Allow us to introduce you to this uber-rich, very soothing cica-powered moisturizer. It’ll help strengthen your skin barrier, reduce dryness, and leave your complexion with a gorgeous glow. It is on the thicker side, so you may want to save it for your nighttime skincare routine.
Peach Slices
Chances are you’ve seen the brand’s “Snail Rescue” line go viral on TikTok. If you’re unfamiliar, allow us to give you a crash course. This brand is Peach & Lily’s little sister. It leverages Korean-loved skincare ingredients like snail mucin, along with honey and yuzu to gently exfoliate skin and control shine.
Formulated with 95 percent snail mucin, which is essentially glycolic acid and hyaluronic acid combined, this toner is perfect for treating acne without drying out the skin. Just put some of this liquid on a cotton pad and wipe it across your face after cleansing.
Son & Park
This Korean beauty brand is best known for its Beauty Water, which combines witch hazel and papaya extract, along with soothing rose water. This single product is a total game-changer.
This cleanser-meets-toner is the perfect product for a simple routine—it’s the definition of multi-tasking. It manages to exfoliate, calm, and hydrate all at once thanks to its expert blend of ingredients.
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