The best Korean moisturizers are the crème de la crème of K-beauty. Unstoppably hydrating, these moisturizers make glass skin glassy, dewy skin dewy, and our bank accounts happy. (Most of these picks are less than $30! We love to see it!) And it adds up: If you continually allow your skin to get dry, signs of aging like fine lines and wrinkles are more likely to form, says Choi Bo Youn, director and head dermatologist at Dr. Skinny Clinic in Gangnam, Seoul. To make finding your perfect match easy, we chatted with editors and experts to round up our favorite Korean moisturizers for your slathering pleasure. Enjoy!
Our Top Picks
Frequently Asked Questions
Best Korean Moisturizer Overall: Belif The True Cream Aqua Bomb
Why it’s worth it: Belif’s True Cream Aqua Bomb is packed with the most hydrating ingredients on the block, like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, and a ton of herbal goodies to soothe and cool your skin. It absorbs fast and is the perfect follow-up to your cleanser and toner. In her 2019 review of the cream, former beauty editor Devon Abelman wrote, “Imagine someone lobbing a water balloon at your face—minus the pain and shock of it popping—that’s how slathering on The True Cream Aqua Bomb feels. It gives skin that kind of rush of hydration.” Enough said.
Tester feedback: “The cooling jelliness of the Belif The True Cream Aqua Bomb was a godsend for my post-July 4, dry, red skin,” says contributing commerce writer Annie Blackman. “It feels so comforting to rub on, and I know the hyaluronic acid is doing me favors I can’t even understand yet.” While it’s free of synthetic fragrances, Blackman says it still smells super good, “like clean, cold water,” she notes. The fresh scent can also be attributed to natural extracts in the formula, like rosemary leaf oil and lime flower oil.
Key ingredients: hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, oat kernel extract, calendula | Who it’s for: everyone | Fragrance-free: yes
Best for Combination Skin: Beauty of Joseon Red Bean Water Gel
Why it’s worth it: Beauty of Joseon is one of the best Korean skin-care brands for honoring (and reimagining) the traditional skin-care ingredients used in K-beauty, like red bean, ginseng root water, and rice bran water—with the Red Bean Water Gel as evidence. The formula is ideal for skin-producing excess sebum, which the body does when it overcompensates for a weak or diminished skin barrier. The red bean kicks into gear to reduce the feeling of oiliness, and the peptide complex helps maintain the skin’s natural amount of growth factors, minimizing the effects of fine lines and crèpeiness.
Tester feedback: “This is the perfect summertime moisturizer for my combination skin,” commerce editor Sarah Han gushes. “The formula is a clear gel with a slight cooling effect that wakes up my skin in the morning, gives me a touch of dewiness, and layers beautifully underneath my sunscreen and makeup. (Pilling, who?) I love Beauty of Joseon’s Dynasty Cream for the colder months when my skin is a bit drier, so basically, this brand has me covered all year round.”
Key ingredients: Haenam red bean extract (44%), peptide complex (SH-Oligopeptide-1 / SH-Oligopeptide-2 / SH-Polypeptide-1) | Who it’s for: people with combination or oily skin | Fragrance-free: yes
Best for Tired/Dull Skin: Innisfree Cherry Blossom Glow Jelly Cream
Why it’s worth it: Jeju cherry blossom is the key player in Innisfree’s Cherry Blossom Glow Jelly Cream, which amps up glowiness with the help of niacinamide and betaines, a hydrator derived from sugar beets. The brand credits the bouncy, weightless moisturizer with helping achieve the ever-coveted glass skin look TikTok has generously couriered from Korea in recent years. Gently rub in the cooling gel-cream morning and night, after cleansing and toning.
Tester feedback: Associate beauty editor Annie Blay is among this moisturizer’s legions of fans. “I love how hydrating yet deeply moisturizing Innisfree’s Dewy Glow Jelly Cream is,” Blay says. “The clear gel doesn’t evaporate on the skin but hydrates with a cooling lightweight feel that lasts all day.”