I know I’m way behind on the trend, but luckily, trying Korean beauty products never goes out of style. My fellow Who What Wear editors have helped a lot in terms of where to start—they’ve recommended everything from the best Korean skincare to the best Korean makeup brands, and I couldn’t be more grateful for their insight. Trying a new beauty category can be overwhelming, but thanks to their recs, I’ve narrowed down my K-beauty favorites.
I’ve found that Korean beauty brands excel in one skincare category in particular: moisturizers. Not only are their ingredient lists pretty impressive, but many won’t cost you more than $35—a welcomed feat when you could use a wallet-friendly moisturizer. On top of that, there isn’t a day that goes by where I don’t see a new K-beauty moisturizer blowing up on TikTok. There’s one in particular that the TikTok beauty community continues to rave about long after its release. Keep scrolling if you’re looking for a Korean moisturizer and could use a few recommendations. I’ve included some TikTok community faves along with a dermatologist’s picks.
It’s easy to see why beauty TikTok has taken a liking to this moisturizer. The consistency of its gel-cream formula makes it a great option for those with combination skin. Plus, it gives you the most gorgeous, glass-like glow, according to one of many glowing TikTok reviews. It really plumps up the skin with high doses of hyaluronic acid and polyglutamic acid, a deeply hydrating peptide. Plum brightens the skin and helps give it that dewy radiance. As a bonus, the formula is noncomedogenic, making it safe for those with acne-prone skin. It’s also especially helpful to have on hand if you use strong acne medications that really dry out your skin.
“Squalane and hyaluronic acid work to make this a powerful overnight mask. Squalane mimics the skin’s natural oils, and hyaluronic acid attracts and holds water in the skin.” — Brendan Camp, MD, a board-certified dermatologist
“This is a lightweight, oil-free moisturizer is packed with minerals, antioxidants, and humectants to hydrate and fortify the skin.” — Camp
“Green tea offers antioxidant properties, and hyaluronic acid helps keep skin hydrated in this lightweight moisturizing and smoothing face serum.” — Camp
Although I was initially skeptical about trying anything with snail secretion filtrate in it, I can definitely say this CosRX formula gets my stamp of approval. It’s more of a serum than a cream, but it has a thick, gel-like consistency that really helps lock moisture into the skin to keep it from getting dehydrated throughout the day. It helps enhance your skin’s natural glow and even helps repair damage to the skin barrier.
I’m a big fan of the viral TikTok sunscreen from Beauty of Joseon. It glides on like a moisturizer and never leaves a white cast. After I bought it, it quickly became my daily go-to. The brand’s Dynasty Cream is equally as good. To keep skin hydrated and vibrant, it’s packed with skin-nourishing ingredients like squalane, niacinamide, rice-bran water, and ginseng water, a highly revered ingredient in Korean beauty.
This minimally formulated cream from Pyunkang Yul offers dry, combination, and sensitive skin a layer of rich, creamy hydration. The brand uses no water in its formula, opting instead for astragalus extract for a more moisturizing effect. Astragalus is rich in nutrients like isoflavonoids and calicosine, which keep skin firm and healthy.
This silky, lightweight cream contains a ginseng complex that delivers a potent blend of antioxidants and leaves skin feeling smooth, plump, and hydrated. Squalane, baobab, and hyaluronic acid also give the skin a dewy radiance upon application.
This moisturizer from CosRX is a creamier version of the brand’s essence. It utilizes a combination of soothing ingredients to help enhance your natural glow. Snail secretion filtrate, adenosine, and panthenol aid in skin repair, provide hydration, and help minimize active blemishes.
Ask the Who What Wear beauty team for their thoughts on Peach & Lily, and you’ll receive a unanimous love letter to the brand. This best-selling moisturizer contains matcha, peptides, niacinamide, panthenol, and lotus—ingredients that work well for all skin types. This cream floods the skin with hydration, protects against environmental stress, adds luminosity, and helps clarify and balance acne-prone skin.
While Neogen Dermalogy’s Real Ferment Micro Essence ($22) was the first product to inspire me to try the brand, this probiotic cream quickly became a favorite of mine as it helps acne-prone skin. Probiotics nourish the skin barrier and help keep environmental aggressors (like acne-causing bacteria) out. I find it pairs great with a bacteria-clearing cleanser like Renée Rouleau’s Rapid Response Detox Cleanser ($43). It’s a gentler approach to fighting acne than harsh creams because it soothes sensitive, reactive skin.
For sensitive skin, this cream from Sur.Medic+ is designed to instantly calm and protect. It’s enriched with skin-nourishing ingredients like ceramides, panthenol, and guaiazulene, which soothes skin irritation. It helps reinforce the skin barrier and prevents excess moisture loss.
Sulwhasoo’s Concentrated Ginseng Cream is definitely a splurge, but its glowing Sephora reviews speak for themselves. It helps firm, renew, and refresh the skin with Sulwhasoo’s signature ginseng saponin, an ingredient that improves the look of fine lines, firms the skin, and helps protect it from environmental stress.
This moisturizer from Íunik contains beta-glucan, a natural polysaccharide extracted from mushroom yeast. It has a higher moisture count than hyaluronic acid, making it a great option for dry skin types. It also helps improve skin elasticity and regeneration abilities.
