I recently decided to switch all of my skincare over to Korean beauty products because I discovered that they have a specific term (“soobooji”) for my skin type, which is skin that is oily but also dehydrated. While you may not have this particular problem, the skincare products I found are all great for hydration, so you may find these helpful for winter time.
My first purchases were from Beauty of Joseon. Their Calming Serum was a common recommendation by some of the first videos I watched. It has green tea (hence the green color) and panthenol in it. I also got the Red Bean Water Gel, which is a pretty pink color, and the Revive Eye Serum with ginseng and retinal. I think the eye cream has gone viral, the Calming Serum does seem to help with redness, and I love how the Water Gel feels. It’s a nice topper at the end of my routine to add extra hydration.
Arencia’s Deep Water Surge line seemed perfect for what I needed and I picked up their serum, serum 30, and soothing cream. I love their aesthetic and packaging, and it doesn’t hurt that this line is my favorite color! But besides those superficial aspects, I really enjoy the texture of all of these products. The serum is watery, but that’s what dehydrated skin needs. The serum 30 has a fun gel texture and is great to use at night for hydration. And the soothing cream is unique in that it has a matte finish, which is perfect for oily skin, but still feels moisturizing.
For a toner I have Eqqualberry’s Swimming Pool, which seems to be very popular. I haven’t used it as much as my other products, but it’s supposed to be moisturizing and exfoliating, which is good for removing the outer layer of dehydrated skin and allowing moisture to get through. Eqqualberry does have a lot of other products that look interesting though, so I’m excited to try other things from this brand.
I think my favorite thing about the Glacier Water Hyaluronic Acid Serum from Mixsoon is that there’s an adorable waving polar bear on the bottle. However, it’s not just about looks; I also love how the serum feels. It has a thicker, slightly stringy texture, kind of similar to snail mucin, but we don’t have to worry about whether it’s cruelty-free.
I saw lots of recommendations for Skin 1004’s Centella line. I ended up getting the Ampoule and foam cleanser, though I did want to try the oil cleanser and soothing cream too, which if you live near a Costco I spotted these recently in stores. Though these products are only newly added to my routine, I’m looking forward to trying more from this line.
I did also notice that K-beauty products seem to come in much larger quantities at much lower prices than American brands. Most of the items I got were under $20 and the toners and even some serums (including Mixoon’s) come in a whopping 300 ml or 10oz. It seems like the standard size for serums in the US is typically only 1oz and toners come in about half the 10oz size.
I’m definitely a K-beauty novice though and may have just found the most trending products. If you have your own recommendations of Korean skincare I’d love to hear them!
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