She continues to highlight Korea's strong social connectivity online, noting platforms like Cyworld preceding Facebook and the country's exceptionally fast internet connections. This connectivity fosters a massive online community where skincare information is constantly shared. Yoon mentions Hwahwae, an app with millions of subscribers reviewing skincare formulas and tracking ingredient safety and profiles.
"For brands to excel and stand out among demanding and highly discerning Korean consumers, they must exceed expectations in efficacy, ease of use, delightfulness, and value," says Yoon. This intense competition drives continuous innovation in the industry.
Vogue’s top picks
- Best moisturiser: Dr. Jart+ Cicapair Cooling Gel Moisturiser For Redness, £38
- Best mask: Laneige Water Sleeping Mask, £26
- Best treatment: SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Asiatica Ampoule,
£13£12 - Best toner: Innisfree Green Tea Enzyme PHA Toner, £28
- Best essence: Mixsoon Bean Essence,
£27£20 - Best cleansing Oil: Sulwhasoo Gentle Cleansing Oil, £18
- Best exfoliator: Mediheal Photo-Enzyme Peeling Pad,
£24£20
Step 1: Oil-based or balm cleanser
According to celebrity aesthetician Alicia Yoon, the first step in any 10-step Korean skincare routine is an oil cleanser. Oil-based impurities like excess sebum, makeup, and SPF are best removed with oil because like attracts like, a principle familiar to those who can remember their high school science class.
Medik8
Lipid Balance Cleanser
This cleanser effortlessly removes stubborn makeup and SPF and rinses off easily without any residue or greasiness. It’s enhanced with antioxidant moringa extract, which helps to pull out impurities.
Sulwhasoo
Gentle Cleansing Oil
If you decided to experiment with a waterproof cat eye or went for a full-coverage foundation look, you’re going to need something that removes everything easily and thoroughly. This means no rubbing, tugging at the skin, or worrying about emerging with raccoon eyes. This product melts everything off and leaves your skin fresh and hydrated in the process.
Step 2: Water-based cleanser
The second step is, you guessed it, another cleanser! Double-cleansing is essential in K-beauty routines, though its since been adopted in skincare routines all over, including Victoria Beckham’s. By following up with a water-based cleanser, you can properly remove water-based impurities like dirt, sweat, and grime. Yoon suggests opting for a low pH, sulfate-free, calming cleanser to give skin a gentle kickstart or choosing a treatment cleanser suited to your skin concern. However, if you have acne, she suggests using an acne-specific cleanser to deep cleanse down to the pores. Aesthetician Mandy Epley recommends this step for the evening only, not as part of your morning routine.
Cosrx
Low PH Good Morning Gel Cleanser
This gel cleanser is safe for all skin types to use, helping maintain the barrier rather than stripping it. Its pH-balanced and contains tea tree oil and BHA to soothe the skin and banish breakouts.
Primera
Perfect Oil To Foam Cleanser
Epley loves using this oil-to-foam cleanser as it effectively cleanses the skin. Simply rub it on dry skin, then wet your hands to start the foaming process, leaving a squeaky clean finish.
Step 3: Exfoliator
Depending on your skin type and exfoliator, this might be a daily or weekly step – make sure to read the instructions on the label. Yoon explains that on the days you’re exfoliating, you should do so after cleansing.
Mediheal
Photo-Enzyme Peeling Pad
You may be committed to a ten-step routine, but doesn’t mean you can’t simplify the process. These exfoliating pads are easy to use and help remove dead skin cells, reduce sebum, blackheads, whiteheads, and breakouts, and minimise pores.
Sioris
My Soft Grain Scrub
This exfoliator is made from 86% oatmeal sourced from organic farming. The unique formula leaves the skin noticeably cleaner and smoother.
Step 4: Toner
Next come the toners. While toners may have a negative connotation in your mind, nowadays there are many that aren’t harsh, stripping, or astringent, especially if you choose a K-beauty option. “Korean toners are incredibly hydrating, and their main job is to focus on balancing the skin, including the skin’s pH level,” says Yoon.
Innisfree
Green Tea Enzyme PHA Toner
A favourite of Epley, this toner comes at a great price point and is suitable for all skin types. Sensitive skin types, in particular, will love it as it’s non-irritating.
Be The Skin
Botanical Nutrition Power Toner
Yoon recommends this toner because it drenches the skin with hydration through a co*cktail of herbal ingredients (cucumber and thyme extract, and witch hazel) that nourish and soothe.
Step 5: Essence
Toners and essences may offer similar benefits, but they’re not exactly interchangeable. Yoon explains that the main difference lies in their primary functions: a toner helps balance the skin, while an essence floods it with hydration. If your toner is deeply hydrating, it can double as an essence. Depending on the essence, they may also contain more concentrated ingredients and benefits compared to toners. “Think of essences as hydrating elixirs that can also deliver lightweight treatment benefits,” says Yoon.
Mixsoon
Bean Essence
Formulated with anti-oxidant-rich ingredients, this bean essence is one of our favourites. It leaves the skin incredibly supple, soft, and luminous over time.
Beauty Of Joseon
Ginseng Essence Water
This product is composed of moisturising ginseng water, niacinamide to strengthen the skin barrier, and a small dose of BHA to mildly exfoliate the skin.
Step 6: Prescription topicals
“If you are using any prescription topicals, you would typically apply them directly onto dry skin once everything is patted in, either right after cleansing or right after your toner and essence,” explains Yoon. Every prescription has its nuances, so check in with your doctor on where exactly this would fit into your routine.
Step 7: Treatments
The next step is your treatments: serums and ampoules. “Depending on the formula, the order might differ, but the general rule of thumb is light to heavy in texture to optimise absorbency,” says Yoon. You’ll want to choose a serum that either hydrates, brightens, firms, and/or calms to achieve luminous, smooth, clear skin. Ensure it can be easily paired with other treatments without concern.
Peach & Lily
Meso Ampoule
Per Yoon, this serum is loved by A-listers in Korea for the hydrolysed sponge in the formula, which has a microneedle-like effect on the skin to help visibly fade stubborn scars.
Skin1004
Madagascar Centella Asiatica Ampoule Facial Serum
This lightweight ampoule absorbs into the skin easily and isn’t sticky, so you don’t have to wait too long before moving on to the next step. Gentle and hydrating, even those with the most sensitive skin types or eczema can use it without worry – instead, they'll notice a soothing and calming sensation.
Step 8: Eye cream
Don’t forget eye creams! Yoon advises choosing one that suits your eye area and addresses specific concerns you’re targeting. The eye area is sensitive and prone to milia, so always make sure to patch test. “Remember to dab on the product rather than tugging and pulling,” she adds.
Haruharu Wonder
Black Rice Eye Cream
This eye cream is infused with bakuchiol, a plant-based alternative to retinol for those who want something more gentle. It also contains vitamin-rich black rice, which helps nourish the sensitive skin around the eyes.
Laneige
Retinol Firming Cream Treatment
If you’re using retinol all over your face at night, it’d be a real shame if you let the under-eyes fend for themselves. This pure retinol eye cream is creamy yet lightweight – just remember, a little goes a long way!
Step 9: Moisturiser
It’d be a crime to skip moisturiser, which is why this step comes last to seal it all in. According to Yoon, Korean skincare offers incredible textures and exceeds expectations with sensorial experiences. This is particularly true for Korean moisturisers, as the final step not only provides skincare benefits, but also significantly affects how your skin looks and feels after application.
DR.JART+ Cicapair
Cooling Gel Cream
Redness doesn’t chance against this soothing repair gel cream. Unlike many moisturisers that feel heavy on the skin, this one absorbs immediately and leaves behind a soft, selfie-ready finish.
Youth Glow Vita Cream
According to Yoon, this cream is often credited as the OG Korean brand that truly focused on being clean for both skin and the earth. “This cream has a delightful and unique lightweight, custard-like texture that instantly refreshes and soothes.”
Step 10 PM: Masks
This is a bonus step for nights when you have extra time or want to treat yourself. Masks are an incredibly diverse and fun category in Korean skincare. “Depending on the mask, its application might vary, but typically, they are used after cleansing and toning. What comes next is up to you: some prefer to complete their entire skincare routine after masking, while others may simply want to lock in the benefits with a moisturiser,” says Yoon. Her motto: Have fun with your skincare, pay attention to your skin, and see what it needs.
Laneige
Water Sleeping Mask
Jam-packed with amazing ingredients like glycerin for hydration, dimethicone for preventing water loss, and zinc sulfate, which can be effective for mild acne.
Glow Recipe
Watermelon Sleeping Mask
You can sleep with this mask on as it slowly sinks into the skin, revealing an otherworldly glow when removed.
Step 10 AM: SPF
And in the mornings, the final step is SPF, rain or shine. “With the diverse and modern sun filters that can be used, Korean sunscreens are typically weightless, invisible, and feel more like a light moisturiser or soothing serum than the sunscreens we might be familiar with stateside,” says Yoon.
Lagom
Sun Gel
One of Yoon’s favourites, this sun gel is effortless to wear and reapply, never causing breakouts or irritation to sensitive skin.
Belif
The True Cream Aqua Bomb Hydrating Sunscreen
This sunscreen is a moisturiser-sunscreen hybrid, so each time you use it, you’ll notice plump, bouncy, white-cast-free skin. With an SPF of 45, you can wear it with confidence, knowing you’ve completed your 10-step routine with the ultimate protector.
Meet the Experts
- Alicia Yoon is a celebrity aesthetician and founder of Peach & Lily.
- Mandy Epley is a master aesthetician at Mandy Epley Skin Studio
- Natalia Barzotti is a licensed aesthetician and lead medical aesthetician for Dr. John Laura in Newport Beach, California.