Your guide to K-beauty brands and the cult products flying off shelves

Best for: soothing sensitive skin

Triple action moisturising is the aim of the game, and boy, does this ampoule deliver. Soothing sensitive skin and protecting against external irritations, this nourishing formula uses 80 per cent Houttuynia Cordata Extract, a plant native to Southeast Asia, to super boost the skin with moisture and nutrients.

Key features:

• Contains quercitron, an ingredient derived from Heartleaf for soothing sensitive skin
• Triple moisture supply effect – panthenol, hyaluronic acid, and betaine
• Cleans pores without clogging

Best for: dry skin

If you are yet to try the viral snail mucin essence then take this as your sign to add to cart immediately. This lightweight formula will instantly hydrate and nourish your skin using the magic that is found in snail secretion, yes snail secretion. It helps to brighten dull skin and tackle texture and damage while providing a glow all day long. 

Key features:

• 96% snail mucin to repair damaged skin and improve skin elasticity
• No animal testing: no snails are harmed and snail mucin is obtained in a safe and natural way
• Lightweight and moisturising

Best for: regulating the skin’s moisture and oil balance

For those of us who fell down the rabbit hole of pretty packaging with not such pretty product formulas, then this one is for you. A damaged skin barrier is one thing, but it’s all whole other thing leaving it unaddressed.

Luckily for you, the gods of Korean skincare have spoken, delivering a real healing ampoule regulating the skin’s moisture and oil balance. Formulated with naturally derived Centella Asiatica extract to strengthen the skin barrier, it doesn’t get much better.

Key features:

• 100ml
• Cruelty-free
• Made from Centella Asiatica extract

Best for: acne-prone skin

Another product that took social media by storm is Mediheal’s toner pads. Mediheal’s range of toner pads comes in various formulations to suit your skin needs – and if you’ve never heard of a toner pad before, let us enlighten you. Toner pads are pre-soaked cotton pads with skin-nourishing ingredients. You can swipe one toner-soaked pad across your face to distribute the product. However, as these pads are, well, soaked, in product, you can pop them on your face as you would a traditional sheet mask (and we’d highly recommend you do so, too).

The Madecassoside blemish toner pad in particular is formulated to help calm and reduce the appearance of blemishes and dark spots on uneven, post-acne skin. Its rounded corners makes it easy to fit onto your skin, too.

Key features:

• Formulated for acne-prone skin
• 100 pre-soaked pads
• Rounded corners for a more comfortable fit

Best for: dry and sensitive skin

Innisfree has certainly become a favourite in the world of K-beauty. Their selection of serums and treatments is unmatched. Most of the ingredients in their well-loved skincare range are sourced from Jeju Island in South Korea, and we love this green tea seed hyaluronic serum – now more than ever thanks to its new fragrance-free formula. This serum features its hero ingredient, Beauty Green Tea, created using more than 3,300+ green tea varieties with a higher amino acid content that provides intensive hydration and enhanced skin elasticity.

Key features:

• Feature hero ingredient: Beauty Green Tea to provide intensive hydration
• Lightweight formula
• Features hyaluronic acid to alleviate deep hydration
• New fragrance-free formula

Best for: dull skin

If you want a healthy glow to your skin, the glow serum by Beauty of Joseon will be your new holy grail. It is enriched with 60 per cent propolis extract and 2 per cent niacinamide to hydrate and nourish, reduce the appearance of pores, and aid with inflammation. Brighter and clearer skin is just one drop away!

Key features:

• 60% propolis extract
• 2% niacinamide
• Contains anti-inflammatory properties to help prevent acne

Best for: soothing and nourishing skin

Honey has long been hailed as a skincare saviour, included in any homemade mask recipe for centuries. It offers countless benefits, including healing properties, moisturisation and antioxidants that protect against free radicals that contribute to the appearance of ageing. I’m From has tapped into this and created a deliciously nourishing mask using South Korean honey to restore your glow. 

Key features:

• 38.7% natural Mount Jiri honey from South Korea
• Contains hydration ingredients, including propolis, bee venom, jojoba seed oil
• Perfect for dry and dull skin

Best for: removing makeup in your double cleansing routine

If you’re into the habit of double-cleansing, a cleansing balm like this one from Banila Co should be permanently in your skincare routine. Banila Co’s Clean It Zero will remove all traces of makeup and grime, leaving you fresh-faced and hydrated. This cleansing balm is hypoallergenic and transforms from a sherbet-like texture into a smooth oil when applied to the skin. Once you’ve massaged the balm into your skin, activate it with water to emulsify the oil and stubborn, water-proof makeup will stand no chance – plus, it cleanses without stripping the skin, too.

Key features:

• Formulated with active botanicals, hot spring water, vitamin C, and vitamin E
• Perfect first step of a double cleansing routine
• Does not strip the skin

Best for: brightening skin tone

Looking to achieve that coveted glass-skin look? The Klairs Freshly Juiced vitamin drop serum is the product you need. Packed with vitamin C, this serum is gentle yet effective at brightening and improving skin tone and texture. Plus, it’s a great option for those with sensitive skin as well as those who have a preference for clean ingredients, too.

Key features:

• Vitamin C to help fade dark spots and improve skin tone
• Easy-to-use dropper design
• Made with clean beauty ingredients

Best for: a glass-like glow

Introducing the latest iteration of this powerful serum: the Sulwhasoo First Care activating serum VI. Sulwhasoo leverages Ginseng technology to promote your skin’s natural radiance, boasting a fast-absorbing, skin-friendly formula that will leave you looking lit from within. Plus, as it is powered by the brand’s MASTER COMPLEX technology, it not only dissolves quickly into the skin, but it also boosts the absorption of products applied on top.

Key features:

• Contains Sulwahsoo’s MASTER COMPLEX substance that dissolves quickly into skin and boosts absorption of other skincare products applied on top
• Hydrates and nourishes the skin
• Helps skin to achieve a glass-like glow

Best for: boosting skin elasticity

Korean beauty is often known for its face masks, and this innovative formula infused into a classic sheet mask uses retinol and rejuvenating ingredients to target anti-ageing and encourage firmness in your skin whilst leaving it soft and supple. Suitable for all skin types, this sheet mask contains retinol, retinal, and bakuchiol to also boost skin elasticity.

Key features:

• Contains retinol, retinal, and bakuchiol to boost skin elasticity
• Features 10 types of hyaluronic acid for deep hydration
• Patented Elastic-Liposome technology that delivers active ingredients into the deeper layers of the skin
• Suitable for all skin types

Best for: dry lips looking for intense hydration

A cult-classic and award-winning lip mask that will leave you with a picture-perfect pout overnight, the Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask is a must-try K-beauty hack that you’re guaranteed to love. Pick from an array of flavours and get your beauty sleep to awaken sans flakiness and dryness. Its hero ingredient? Hyaluronic acid, of course.

Key features:

• Features hero ingredient, hyaluronic acid, for deep, intensive hydration
• Four scents to choose from
• Overnight treatment