How to Master the 10-Step Korean Skincare Routine

The first (and arguably the best) step in your Korean skincare routine, oil cleansing helps skin to feel as good as it looks. Skin 1004 Light Cleansing Oil is perfect for effortlessly removing makeup and adding hydration before your second cleanse. A lightweight but powerful cleanser, it’s formulated with Centella Asiatica Extract to soothe irritation and Plant-Derived Oils helps preserve the skin’s moisture balance. Now you’re fresh and prepped, it’s time for round two.

Key ingredients: Jojoba Oil, Rose Geranium Oil, Olive Oil, Sunflower Seed Oil, Bergamot Oil, Rose Damask Oil

Once you’ve washed away the day, it’s time to call on a gentle water-based cleanser to keep your complexion ultra clean. For this, we love AXIS-Y’s pH balanced cleanser - where the clue is definitely in the name. Refreshing and gentle, it’s the perfect way to start the day, removing all impurities to leave a soft, clean canvas for the rest of your routine. And in the evening? The very same, only after your first cleanse.

Key ingredients: Birch Sap, Green Tea, Chamomile, Calendula

The key to exfoliation isn’t going hard and fast, but gentle and slow. Too much too soon, and you’ll compromise your skin barrier and inflame your complexion. Little and often will mean you take longer to see the results, but you’ll get there with your skin health intact. And so for this step, we turn to Mixsoon Bean Essence. A multi-award-winning Korean beauty product formulated with Soybean to brighten and gently exfoliate for a glass-like complexion. We’ll take two.

Key ingredients: Soybean Ferment Extract, Fermented Barley, Pomegranate, Pear Juice

Want glass skin? Adding moisturising toner is the key. With Hyaluronic Acid and Ceramides, this formula aims to hydrate skin on multiple levels - and fully delivers. Along with Centella Asiatica and Niacinamide, this bestseller locks in moisture and boosts complexions, prepping the skin to better absorb the following routine steps. And if you need extra hydration? Try the Korean Seven Skins method (seven applications of a hydrating toner) before the rest of your ritual for dry skin no more.

Key ingredients: Centella Asiatica, Ceramides, Hyaluronic Acid, Niacinamide

Now your skin has been double cleansed, exfoliated and toned, it’s ready for some serious hydration in the form of a powerhouse serum. For this stage in your Korean skincare routine we recommend Yepoda’s Glow Hero - the clue’s in the name here. Offering the effectiveness of a serum and the nourishment of an oil, this hybrid is powered by Bakuchiol to boost hydration, elasticity, and, of course, bring all the glow.

Key ingredients: Bakuchiol, Jojoba Oil, Bisabolol, Aloe Vera

One of the most important steps in the K-Beauty routine, this rubber mask takes self-care to a whole new level. A two-step treatment to leave skin hydrated and refreshed, it delivers glowing results instantly and over time. Infused with Hyaluronic Acid to deeply moisturise, this nourishing mask not only calms inflammation, but accelerates the skin’s rejuvenation process for ultimate healing. Just use it once a week and watch your skin barrier sing.

Key ingredients: Hyaluronic Acid

Your next essential step? Eye cream. There to protect your delicate undereyes as much as target any concerns, the right choice can brighten dark circles, smooth and plump - just like this one from Erborian. In the creamy, cushiony formula, you’ll find a potent blend of longevity herbs, which are traditionally used across Asia to help skin look radiant and full of energy. When combined with a shot of Caffeine and Niacinamide, each application leaves eyes looking wide awake. As an ideal makeup base, we use this both morning and night to reap the results.

Key ingredients: Caffeine, Niacinamide

Using age-old traditional methods to support modern skin goals, this all-in-one Korean moisturiser never lets us down. Arguably our favourite step, it’s filled with Rice Water, Ginseng, Squalane, plus Niacinamide to regenerate and repair the skin. Also helping to plump, soothe and hydrate, there really isn’t anything this cream can’t do. As with most steps in this routine, smooth on twice a day for optimum results - or whenever your skin needs a little extra love.

Key ingredients: Rice Bran Water, Ginseng Water, Squalane, Niacinamide

Lip care is just as important as skincare. So when Laneige burst onto the scene with their cult lip sleeping mask, it became a staple in our routines. For softening, smoothing and hydrating even the driest lips, you’ll find this formula is packed with Vitamin C and Coconut Oil in abundance. Ideal for use overnight, Laneige recommends using overnight 2-3 times a week for gentle exfoliation, but we also keep one with us whenever our lips need a pick me up during the day.

Key ingredients: Vitamin C, Antioxidants, Coconut Oil

The best Korean sunscreen for dewy, hydrated skin, there’s a reason this SPF has become such a bestseller. Filled with Centella Asiatica Extract and Bamboo Water, it’s the skincare-SPF hybrid we never go without. Perfect for calming skin, it’s sensitive skin friendly and leaves zero white cast - making it an ideal choice for every skin tone. To get the full SPF50 protection, we recommend letting your moisturiser sink in for at least five minutes beforehand so it can work its magic. Your skin will thank you.

Key ingredients: Centella Asiatica Extract, Bamboo Water