If you’ve been sleeping on Korean skincare, now’s the time to wake up. From cult favourites like COSRX, Laneige, and ANUA to science-backed staples from Dr. Jart+, Purito Seoul, and Medicube, our lineup has something for every routine. Whether you’re searching for an affordable Korean skincare brand with gentle, skin-loving formulas or a luxury K-Beauty brand to elevate your glass-skin glow, you’ll find it here.
Wondering which Korean skincare is best? We’ve rounded up the must-know names that deserve a spot on your shelf, no matter your skin type or budget.
Why Is Korean Skincare So Good?
Korean skincare brands have become some of our most-loved staples—and we’re not the only ones obsessed. It’s almost impossible to scroll through TikTok without coming across someone raving about their favourite K-Beauty products. Thanks to cutting-edge ingredients like centella asiatica (AKA cica), heartleaf, and snail mucin, they’ve quickly become essentials in skincare routines worldwide. Ampoules (powerful Korean serums) and essences (enhanced Korean toners) have been taking the beauty world by storm, along with many other amazing Korean skincare products that help you achieve that coveted glass skin glow. Don’t just take our word for it though, try out some of these brands to see for yourself how good Korean skincare is…
The Best Korean Skincare Brands
Korean skincare is renowned, but which brands are truly the best? We’ve rounded up our top picks, from those that dominate TikTok to hidden gems, here’s a deep dive into the best K-Beauty brands.
Beauty of Joseon
Taking a natural, skincare-first approach to beauty, top Korean skincare brand Beauty of Joseon is here to change up the game. Inspired by traditional Korean herbal medicine recipes handed down from the Joseon dynasty, this innovative brand uses clean and functional formulations that have been tried and tested to deliver flawless results, whether you’re looking to target roughness, dehydration, or dull skin. Dive deeper into the best Beauty of Joseon products to find your next K-Beauty must-have.
The Best Beauty of Joseon Products
SKIN1004
If you’re looking for skin-soothing skincare that’s light, breathable, and non-comedogenic, you need look no further than SKIN1004. All of their products are powered by high quality, antioxidant-rich centella asiatica extract, which soothes and calms the complexion, leaving your skin super fresh. Whether you want to minimise your pores, soothe your skin or brighten your complexion, you’ll find the solution in the best SKIN1004 products.
The Best SKIN1004 Products
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Laneige
A staple in K-Beauty for years, Laneige is most well known for its array of Korean lip care products, but it also creates hydration heroes that don’t clog pores and leave your skin glowing. Their Glaze Craze Tinted Lip Serum is a favourite for a reason as it delivers deep, plumping hydration in seoconds, while the Water Bank Cream is a game-changer for lightweight, effective hydration. Discover the best of Laneige to see why this brand is so beloved.
The Best Laneige Products
Medicube
Medicube is a science-backed Korean skincare brand known for its clinically tested, dermatologist-developed formulas that deliver real results, especially for acne-prone, textured, and oily skin types. If you’re wondering which Korean skincare is best for tackling enlarged pores or breakouts, this brand should be top of your list. With high-performance actives like AHA, BHA, and collagen, as well as their cult-favourite skincare devices, Medicube is redefining at-home Korean skincare for those who want visible, fast results.
The Best Medicube Products
SOME BY MI
The name SOME BY MI translates to “something by a miracle”, which reflects the brand’s natural approach to skincare to achieve real, visible, lasting results. Catering to sensitive and acne-prone skin types, SOME BY MI create truly simple yet gentle and effective skincare. Putting a spotlight on AHAs, BHAs, and PHAs, these ingredients help to gently exfoliate the skin to improve texture, improve tone, and decongest pores to reduce acne breakouts and blemishes.
The Best SOME BY MI Products
ANUA
ANUA champions simplicity, offering skincare that promotes a healthy complexion via a simple skincare routine. Their formulas focus on pure, organic ingredients, with heartleaf at the core of their range. Treat your skin to hydrating, soothing, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant-packed products to see just why ANUA is one of our most beloved K-Beauty brands. From Korean cleansers to powerful Korean ampoules, this is the self-care-focused brand your routine has been craving. Discover the best ANUA products to experience soothed, hydrated, and happy skin for yourself.
The Best ANUA Products
Purito Seoul
Purito Seoul combines the words “purify” and “to” (meaning “soil” in Korean), reflecting the brand’s philosophy of creating pure, effective skincare rooted in nature. This Korean skincare brand is a go-to for gentle, minimal-ingredient formulas that focus on strengthening the skin barrier. Their Wonder Releaf Centella Cream Unscented is the perfect example, reaching superstar status thanks to its soothing, skin-repairing powers. Whichever one you choose, expect nourishing textures, and calming formulas packed with centella asiatica, ceramides, and panthenol.
The Best Purito Products
Belif
A global favourite, Belif takes inspiration from centuries-old herbal medicine and natural ingredients, meaning their full range is innovative, high-performing, and clean. Aiming to balance the skin so it’s visibly soothed, smoothed, and brighter, they use popular Korean ingredients like ginseng, sage leaf, and lady’s mantle extract. Some of their ingredients also mimic the skin’s natural lipid structure, so the actives can penetrate deeper into skin to make their products even more effective at rebuilding and strengthening the skin barrier.
The Best Belif Products
Biodance
A luxury Korean skincare brand, Biodance focuses on delivering premium formulations that mimic the skin’s natural structure. Known for their patented biomimetic tech, they create formulas that enhance absorption and support deep skin regeneration. Their hero product, the Bio-Collagen Real Deep Mask, is a TikTok and dermatologist favourite, thanks to its skin-plumping, firming effects and ultra-soothing feel. If you’re looking for skincare that offers a truly spa-like experience at home, Biodance is the brand to watch.
The Best Biodance Products
haruharu wonder
haruharu wonder is committed to developing clean and natural skincare, so everything they create is gentle, nourishing, and effective. ‘haruharu’ translates from Korean to English as ‘everyday’, which captures the simple, daily routines available amongst their effective range. Our favourite is their black rice range. It unsurprisingly features fermented black rice extract, which is packed with antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals that help fight off free radicals, reduce inflammation, and improve skin elasticity. The result? Hydrated, healthier-looking skin that has a more even skin tone and texture.
The Best haruharu wonder Products
COSRX
We’ve been obsessed with COSRX ever since they landed on BEAUTY BAY. With countless five-star reviews, COSRX creates simple, no-fuss formulas that deliver real results. Whether you’re looking for gentle cleansers, hydrating Korean moisturisers, or Korean toners, this is a go-to K-Beauty brand. It’s impossible to mention COSRX without mentioning how they sent snail mucin viral across social media. Don’t let the name put you off though – their Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence holds next-level reparative properties, strengthening stressed-out skin barriers and deeply nourishing your complexion. Looking for something that will banish breakouts for good? Then the COSRX Salicylic Acid Daily Gentle Cleanser is the one for you. Discover more of the best COSRX products to understand exactly why COSRX is thought of as one of the best Korean skincare brands around.
The Best COSRX Products
mixsoon
You may have seen this brand flooding your FYP, and for good reason. mixsoon is a premium K-Beauty brand that combines fermented ingredients to leave you with glass skin. Their bestselling Bean Essence brightens skin to give a youthful-looking complexion, thanks to the power of red bean essence – something you’ll find across plenty of mixsoon products. You’ll also find centella asiatica across their range, ideal for soothing skin. Their effective skincare provides organic formulas tailored to your skin’s needs, encompassing everything from eye creams to toners.
The Best mixsoon Products
AXIS-Y
AXIS-Y offers climate-inspired skincare tailored to individual needs. With no parabens, artificial fragrances, or mineral oils, their natural, skin-friendly formulas deliver healthy, balanced skin every time. From targeted spot treatments to Korean sunscreens, AXIS-Y has something for everyone. Find mugwort, artichoke, and quinoa among the effective natural ingredients that’ll leave your skin clear, hydrated and glowing.
The Best AXIS-Y Products
Dr. Jart+
A pioneer of K-Beauty, Dr. Jart+ specialises in cica-based (AKA centella asiatica AKA tiger grass) products that can soothe even the most temperamental of skin types, as this wonder ingredient is known for its calming, redness-reducing, and barrier-restoring properties. From their powerful sheet masks – some of the best Korean face masks around – to their viral colour-correcting treatments, Dr Jart+ knows how to treat and calm skin very effectively. If you’ve not tried this brand before now’s the time, it’s one of the best Korean beauty brands around for a reason.
The Best Dr. Jart+ Products
Holika Holika
Known for effective, nature-inspired formulas, Holika Holika is loved for simple, effective formulas that harness the power of nature’s best ingredients. Holika Holika’s sheet masks more than live up to their reputation. Add one to your skin prep routine before your next event for a glow like never before. Find aloe, shea butter, green tea and more among the powerful ingredients used across Holika Holika, all specially chosen to give your skin the nourishment it needs.
The Best Holika Holika products
Thank You Farmer
Thank You Farmer champions simple formulas that boost your skin’s natural defences whilst delivering noticeable results. Their standout Korean SPF products suit every skin type, encouraging sun safety as part of your everyday routine. Thank You Farmer isn’t just known for their SPFs though —they offer a full range of products designed to keep your skin nourished and protected all day, every day.
The Best Thank You Farmer Products
I’m From
For spa-level, luxury skincare with iconic K-Beauty ingredients, I’m From is the brand to know. Each bottle, tube, and pot is packed full of nourishing, restoring formulas that feature natural ingredients and are totally cruelty-free. If you’ve been following K-Beauty for a while you’ll know how effective an ingredient rice is which is why it features across I’m From’s range. You can find rice toners and serums to perfectly balance your skin, among many other products that will leave you glowing.
The Best I’m From Products
good light
Committed to gender-inclusive beauty, good light celebrates all skin types through their products. Their skin-soothing lineup, featuring the beloved Taste of Space Lip Milk, offers a range of nourishing products crafted for everyone, focusing on gentle, inclusive care. Hydrate, treat and soothe your skin with good light’s lineup.
The Best good light Products
innisfree
innisfree merges nature and science to create high-performance, sustainably sourced skincare. Their scientists studied over 3,301 green tea varieties before selecting one with 16 amino acids, leading to the ultra-hydrating Green Tea Seed Hyaluronic Moist Sun Serum SPF 50. With 15 island-sourced ingredients across the range, including bija, cherry blossom, and jeju volcanic clay, innisfree’s products showcase the best of Korean skincare. Try innisfree today and discover why it’s quickly becoming a favourite.
The Best innisfree Products
Round Lab
Inspired by Korea’s natural landscapes, Round Lab is a clean beauty brand with products featuring ingredients like birch tree, black soybean, and mugwort, to name a few. Treat your skin to some of the best ingredients Korea has to offer when you introduce Round Lab products into your skincare routine.
