Even if I wasn’t a beauty editor, I would’ve made it my mission to research and sample the best Korean skin-care products. Most skin-care lovers are familiar with the likes of Cosrx, Innisfree, and Dr. Jart+, but thanks to social media (and retailers like Amazon and Soko Glam), we have increasing access to some of South Korea’s up-and-coming brands, like Anua, Mixsoon, and Round Lab. (Speaking from personal experience, if you’re able to make a trip out there, nothing beats the sublime experience that is visiting an Olive Young store.) “Koreans are serious about their skin care,” says Charlotte Cho, cofounder of Soko Glam and Then I Met You. “They also know what they want, like innovation, gentle ingredients, pleasing packaging, and they don’t want to pay a fortune for it,” she adds.
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Even the Korean approach to treating acne is gentle and features hydrating, calming ingredients. To name a few, there’s niacinamide, green tea, hyaluronic acid, and Centella asiatica (aka cica), Y. Claire Chang, MD, a board-certified dermatologist at New York City’s Union Square Dermatology, previously told Allure.
Korean skin-care brands have long upped the standards for the global beauty industry — and if we’re being honest, our standards as well. Double cleansing has forever changed our skin (and the state of our pores) and Korean sunscreen formulas are second to none. Get comfortable because we gathered the most innovative, price-savviest, and all-around best Korean skin-care products to incorporate into your routine for bouncy glass skin.
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