Korea’s Best Beauty Exports

When it comes to beauty innovation, no country has shaped the conversation quite like Korea.

Since breaking into the mainstream in 2010, K-beauty has evolved far beyond a passing trend to become a permanent and influential force in the industry — and rightly so. Korean beauty brands have spent decades perfecting formulas that champion calming ingredients, skin barrier support, and deep hydration, with many achieving cult status worldwide.

With a category as expansive and ever-evolving as K-beauty, knowing where to start — or what’s truly worth the investment — can feel overwhelming. That’s why we’ve curated an edit of the very best: Korean beauty exports that deserve a place in your routine.

Erborian CC Crème

This K-beauty bestseller combines light, natural-looking coverage with several skincare benefits to create the ultimate complexion enhancer. Acting as a primer, moisturiser, and concealer in one, the lightweight CC Crème layers perfectly on the skin to lock in hydration and provide much-needed SPF 25 protection. Encapsulated pigments adapt seamlessly to your skin tone, while centella asiatica and hyaluronic acid hydrate, soothe, and calm the complexion. The result? A soft-focus finish that blurs imperfections without masking the skin.

Then I Met You Cleansing Balm

Loaded with nourishing ingredients, this sorbet-soft cleansing balm transforms into a sumptuous oil to gently melt away makeup, sunscreen, and excess sebum, without stripping the skin of its much-needed natural oils. Suitable for all skin types, it contains a blend of fatty acid-rich sea buckthorn oil to moisturise and boost skin regeneration, olive oil to calm the skin and support the skin barrier, and persimmon extract to promote a brighter tone. Antioxidant-rich grapeseed oil and vitamin E also provide nourishment and protect skin from environmental stressors.

Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask

Laneige’s overnight leave-on lip treatment is well deserving of its cult status. Formulated with vitamin C, shea butter, murumuru butter, and coconut oil, it works overnight to deliver moisture and antioxidant protection to the lips, ensuring that, by the morning, they are nourished, supple, and baby-soft. This nightstand staple comes in a number of different flavours, including Cotton Candy, Matcha Bubble Tea, Berry, Gummy Bear, and Vanilla.

Cosrx Advanced Snail 92 All In One Cream

Perhaps one of the most famous K-beauty products on our list, the Cosrx Advanced Snail 92 All In One Cream is packed with 92% snail mucin, which is known to hydrate skin, reduce the appearance of ageing, and soothe acne. Its gel texture helps replenish hydration, soothe irritation, and improve skin elasticity, absorbing quickly and leaving no greasy residue. When used regularly, it supports the skin barrier, reduces redness, and even helps fade post-acne marks, making it the perfect suitor for those with sensitive or breakout-prone skin.

Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun Rice + Probiotics SPF 50+

Beauty of Joseon’s beloved sunscreen protects and primes with SPF 50+. Viral on TikTok for its lightweight formula, this nourishing cream absorbs almost instantly leaving neither a greasy residue nor a white cast. Infused with 30% rice extract and fermented grain extracts rich in vitamins, amino acids, and minerals, it moisturises and soothes the skin, leaving the complexion dewy, bouncy, and bright. Expect big results from this budget-friendly bestseller!

Skin1004 Madagascar Centella Ampoule

Light, breathable, and non-comedogenic, Skin1004’s Madagascar Centella Ampoule is formulated with Madagascan centella asiatica to nourish and soothe the skin. A fan-favourite among many K-beauty devotees, the water-based serum intensely hydrates and balances sebum levels to reduce acne, dry patches, and skin irritation. Even better? It stimulates collagen production to promote skin repair and improve firmness and elasticity, helping reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles over time.

Venn Age-Reversing All-In-One Concentrate

If you’re not put off by price tags, Venn’s Age-Reversing All-In-One Concentrate is the perfect multi-corrective cream to introduce to your routine. Suitable for all skin types, it is packed with 89.7% active ingredients, including maitake mushroom, green tea leaves, French maritime pine bark, and milk thistle root to hydrate, firm, and reduce visible signs of ageing. Its star ingredient, Ginsenoside Compound K, is a powerful plant-based alternative to vitamin C that is derived from panax ginseng. Working alongside Venn’s patented Solubilisation Technology, Ginsenoside Compound K delivers all the collagen-boosting and wrinkle-smoothing benefits of vit C without the risk of irritation or potency loss.

Haruharu Wonder Black Rice Hyaluronic Toner

This gentle, fragrance-free toner floods the skin with lasting hydration and protection, working immediately and over time to deliver results. Hyaluronic acid draws moisture deep into the skin, helping to strengthen the moisture barrier, while antioxidant-rich black rice extract defends against environmental stressors. Made with 95% naturally derived ingredients, its lightweight, non-sticky formula absorbs quickly, leaving the skin calm, supple, and perky.

Thank You Farmer Sun Project Water Sun Cream SPF 50+

Thank You Farmer’s bestselling sunscreen formula offers daily SPF 50+ protection that is breathable and hydrating, sitting perfectly under makeup. Feeling more like a cream than a traditional sunscreen, its unique texture blends easily into the skin to leave a gorgeous natural, dewy finish with no white cast. Hyaluronic acid keeps skin moisturised through the day, while mistletoe extract supports the skin barrier and helps defend against external stressors.

Dr.Jart+ Cicapair Tiger Grass Color Correcting Treatment

Considered one of the world’s best colour correctors, Dr.Jart+’s Cicapair Tiger Grass Color Correcting Treatment neutralises redness, while also enhancing skin and blurring imperfections for a near-flawless complexion. With an impressive ingredient list that features centella asiatica complex, extracts of resurrection plants, and raspberry leaf, this cream protects, strengthens, and calms inflammation. Plus, sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and panthenol boost moisture, soothe the skin, and reduce signs of fatigue.

Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dew Drops

Looking for a shortcut to a gorgeous glowing complexion? Glow Recipe’s Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dew Drops is the perfect pick. This skincare-makeup hybrid combines brightening niacinamide, antioxidant-rich watermelon extract, and hydrating hyaluronic acid to visibly improve dullness and uneven tone instantly, with results that continue to improve over time. The lightweight gel-serum blends effortlessly into the skin, layering seamlessly under or over makeup, whether used as a highlighter, primer, or all-over complexion enhancer.

Anua Niacinamide 10% and TXA 4% Serum

Anua’s hero brightening serum is powered by 10% niacinamide and 4% tranexamic acid to reduce the appearance of dark spots, discolouration, acne scars, and enlarged pores. 2% arbutin is included to delay melanin production, correct pigmentation, and brighten the complexion. Plus, hyaluronic and polyglutamic acids hydrate and retain moisture, while 3-O-ethyl ascorbic acid — a unique type of vitamin C — penetrates deep into the skin to enhance radiance, promote collagen production, and protect the skin from environmental damage. It’s a must-have for achieving your glass-skin goals.