The Best Korean Skin-Care Cyber Monday Deals Are Almost Gone

I could write a love letter to the Red Bean Water Gel. We’re like this locks fingers. The red bean- and peptide-infused 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.

Congested pores? Away with them. The key ingredient in this moist, Kaolin clay mask is 30% Haenam red bean extract. TL;DR The rich saponin in red beans helps suck up excess sebum and gently exfoliate your skin. True to its name, the Red Bean Refreshing Pore Mask also provides a cooling sensation upon contact.

Ginseng is bursting with anti-inflammatory properties which is ideal if you deal with puffiness. “I love the ultra-nourishing and soothing formula with the added (gentle) kick of retinal,” cosmetic chemist Ramón Pagán. As a refresher, retinal “only requires a one-step conversion to the active form of retinoid acid, unlike retinol which requires a two-step conversion,” board-certified dermatologist Hee Jin Koh, MD, a board-certified dermatologist based in New Jersey, explains. In other words, it’s more effective and less irritating.

Get you an essence that can do it all. Beauty of Joseon’s Ginseng Essence Water. I can attest this formula is super hydrating and soothing, which isn’t surprising since it’s made of 80% ginseng root water. There’s a teensy bit (0.5%) of BHA for a gentle dose of exfoliation and 2% niacinamide to help even out any discoloration.

This isn’t the exact same as the TikTok-viral Beauty of Joseon sunscreen but it is compilant with U.S. FDA regulations and just as moisturizing as the others. Meet the Daily Relief Sunscreen SPF 40, a chemical sunscreen with rice extract and vitamin E to soothe skin.

Cosrx needs no introduction. This Korean skin-care brand is home to the TikTok-viral Snail Mucin 96 Power Essence, a terrific candidate for boosting moisture and tackling hyperpigmentation. The texture is so fun (and surprisingly not tacky seconds after applying) and it gives my skin lots of love, glow, and bounce.

Pair the beloved Repairing Essence with the just-as-adored Advanced Snail Peptide Eye Cream. Content director Kara McGrath enjoys how the silky, lightweight texture reflects light without any added sparkle. “It also plays super well with makeup: There’s none of that dreaded pilling when I layer my go-to concealer on top,” she says.

If you want a night cream that goes above and beyond, reach for the Cosrx Ultimate Nourishing Rice Overnight Spa Mask. With more than 68% rice extract, it effectively guarantees that you’ll wake up to smoother, softer skin.

What’s better than one peptide? Six, of course. Add a few pumps of The 6 Peptide Skin Booster at any point after cleansing to amplify the skin-loving effects of your serums, ampoules, or moisturizers. This liquid is extremely lightweight yet carries its weight, smoothing and plumping skin all the while.

Cosrx’s Vitamin E Vitalizing Sunscreen SPF 50+ is a seriously moisturizing chemical sunscreen, trust. Its hero ingredient, vitamin E, guards your skin against free radical damage and replenishes moisture levels. It also contains mattifying silica and cotton extract, which curbs excess oil.

Laneige’s Lip Sleeping Mask is an all-time Allure editor-favorite—and it took home a 2024 Readers’ Choice Award, proving it’s a go-to among readers, too. “It moisturizes lips for hours on end—no reapplication needed. I apply the smallest amount of this stuff on my dry lips at night and am guaranteed to wake up with soft, hydrated lips in the morning.,” says shopping editor Angela Trakoshis.

Remarkably light, it exits the pump ready to remove makeup and sunscreen, and the moisture it imparts lasts long past the second step of your double cleanse (and its refreshing herbal scent will make you want to circle back around to step one).

“This cleanser gives a generous amount of product with just one pump, melting off all my makeup—including mascara—without leaving raccoon eyes or smudges,” says associate manager of special projects Talia Gutierrez.

I’ve been using Sulwhasoo’s First Care Activating Serum for years and don’t see myself stopping anytime soon. Here’s the lowdown: I always double cleanse whether I’ve worn makeup or not, and my skin sometimes feels a little dry afterward, but this toning serum (which is meant to be used post-cleanse, FYI) always fixes that and leaves my skin feeling baby-soft.

It’s a little thicker than your usual toner or serum and replenishes my skin’s moisture levels without feeling heavy or sticky. It’s not the cheapest, but in my opinion, it’s worth every dollar.

“Skin1004’s moisturizers never miss in my book, and the Madagascar Centella Hyalu-Cica Moisture Cream is no exception,” former Allure editor Devon Abelman says. “It’s featherlight but imparts a refreshing sensation as you rub it onto your skin. It feels like my skin is literally gulping it down and putting its ingredients right to work to make my complexion glassier than ever.”

I don’t use toner pads every day, but boy, do I love ’em. While you can sweep them across your face in one quick go, I like to leave two or three pads on for about five minutes to really let the cooling goodness sink in. Skin1004’s Madagascar Centella Quick Calming Pads consist of 49% Centella asiatica that helps curb the frequent redness I experience.

Dr. G is the OG. No, really, the R.E.D. Blemish Clear Soothing Cream is a best seller in South Korea because it’s super lightweight yet drenches the skin in five type of skin-soothing cica, niacinamide, and panthenol—all of which can help reduce inflammation and fortify the skin barrier. Redness? Don’t know her.

Hello, satisfying skin care. Dr. G’s Brightening Peeling Gel is a crowd-pleaser for a reason. It gives the gift of gentle, non-irritating exfoliation—so gentle you probably won’t even feel it, though you will see the balls of dead skin form—through low, medium, and high cellulose particle concentrations. To counteract the exfoliation, a trio of hyaluronic acid, aqua ceramide, and vitamin nourish and hydrates the skin.

If you didn’t know: Salmons are good for the skin. Well, polydeoxyribonucleotide (PDRN), to be exact—which is a popular type of injectable in Korean clinics. Iope formulated a 38% plant-based Bio-PDRN for a vegan serum that firms and plumps skin. This one has no scent and is just overall very pleasant to apply—I sometimes even apply it morning and night. It also has 20,000 ppm of caffeine to boost cell regeneration—perfect to go along with my daily cup of coffee.

The Heartleaf Pore Control Cleansing Oil is by far one of the most popular cleansing oils on Amazon—the numbers, 80k in the past month alone, don’t lie. This one is good for congested skin, as it helps clear up blackheads while washing away makeup and a day’s worth of debris. Heartleaf is central to the formula, too, easing any irritation your skin might’ve run into.

Glass skin is within reach with Anua’s Niacinamide 4% Tranexamic Acid Serum. This pink juice uses ceramides and hyaluronic acid to soothe, hydrate, and brighten dark spots.

Allure editors are such big fans of the Aestura Atobarrier 365 Ceramide Lotion that it won a 2024 Best of Beauty Award for best light moisturizer. Yes, this deeply hydrating elixir placed in the face category, but it was formulated for use on every inch of your body—and on your baby’s, if you happen to have one. “It is gentle and great for those with dry, sensitive skin,” Claire Chang, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in New York City, says.

“This silky, milky formula absorbs at lightning speed and leaves my skin cashmere-soft,” attests former Allure editor Devon Abelman. “I love a pump for body-care products and appreciate that Aestura has one for quick, mess-free application.”

“I have mild rosacea and a lot of dry patches on my midface, and I immediately swap to Aestura’s cleanser when they flare up,” says Allure contributor Sarah Y. Wu. “From a practical standpoint, it’s easy to coat my entire face evenly because of the bubbly texture, but it also just feels really nice. More importantly, this cleanser always leaves my skin incredibly smooth, soft, and soothed.”

You might’ve heard about Hailey Bieber using this snazzy device but Medicube’s been in the game for a minute. The Age-R Booster H is based on Korean skin booster shots, like Rejuran and Exosome, and creates temporary passageways to help the actives in your skin-care products penetrate more deeply.

Medicube is known for its hi-tech skin-care devices like the Age-R Booster Pro, but it also makes plentiful creams, moisturizers, and cleansers. The Collagen Jelly Cream is a good example, with firming and barrier-boosting benefits as well as brightening niacinamide.

I don’t have a video to prove it but can vouch the Mixsoon Bean Essence is good stuff. It’s both hydrating and gently exfoliating, powered by four types of fermented ingredients: soybean, barley, pomegranate, and Korean pear. It’s a fabulous pre-makeup prep step—Korean makeup artists swear by it, too!

First comes the Bean Essence, then comes the Bean Cream—duh! This formula is somewhere in between rich and lightweight, absorbs quickly, and layers well under sunscreen and/or makeup. Four fermented ingredients—bean extract, Korean pear, pomegranate, and barley—do the heavy lifting in terms of dousing skin with moisture, smoothing skin, and providing antioxidant protection during the day.

Mixsoon essences keep it really simple. Your skin doesn’t always need the fluff, especially when it’s irritated from said fluff (or the blistery winds outside). The Soondy Centella Asiatica Essence consists of just good’ ol, dependable cica.

Haruharu Wonder’s most popular products are spiked with fermented black rice, which drives intense moisture into the skin. This Black Rice Hyaluronic Toner is super hydrating and cooling. Associate beauty director Sarah Kinonen said of the product: “I’m met with immediate hydration and dewiness—a perfect prep step for the rest of my routine.”

Another great retinol-alternative formula is the Haruharu Wonder Black Bakuchiol Eye Cream. It softens the look of fine lines and gently boosts elasticity around the extremely delicate under-eye area using gentle bakuchiol, a retinol alternative.

A cleansing balm that works like a pencil sharpener? K-beauty made it—and Dr. Althea Pure Grinding Cleansing Balm is a TikTok favorite. Unlike most cleansing balms, which come with plastic spatulas, this one has a built-in dispenser that churns out ribbons of balm like thin sheets of pasta. “It can dissolve my waterproof 3CE and Clio mascaras in one go, which is my ultimate test for any makeup remover—and it never irritates my eyes or makes me break out,” says Allure contributor Sarah Y. Wu.

Listen up: The 345 in Dr. Althea’s 345 Relief Cream corresponds to the number of blemish relief (3), nourishing (4), and soothing (5) ingredients in this lightweight cream for those who want to target blemishes and discoloration.

Silky, lightweight, fragrance-free (no foul odors here!), and a joy to use. Oh, we’re describing Dr. Althea’s Gentle Vitamin C Serum. This formula has visible oil capsules suspended in water for maximum potency—the capsules break upon contact with skin. Inside the capsules is the vitamin C itself sourced from Hippophae rhamnoides fruit and 3-O-ethyl ascorbic acid. To combat irritation, there’s also camellia sinensis leaf.

I don’t have sensitive skin so I use the Vitamin C Boosting Serum, which has already sold out!

Powder Room, one of Korea’s most popular beauty-specific platforms, deemed Ma:nyo’s Panthetoin Essence Toner as the best toner of 2024. An all-star moisturizing ingredient lineup of panthenol, sunflower seed oil, hyaluronic acid, squalane, ceramides, and macadamia nut oil cocoon skin with the toner’s silky lotion-like formula to make skin feel as soft as a baby’s, Abelman says.

Belif’s The True Cream Moisturizing Bomb is a deliciously cushiony—but not too heavy!—cream that’s, in my opinion, the perfect cold-weather counterpart to the ever-so-popular Aqua Bomb. Alongside peptides, ceramides, and squalane to support your barrier is oat kernal extract, which reduces inflammation.

Any eye cream with a cooling applicator and/or formula is a winner in my book (and for my puffy undereyes). I’m already a a fan of the original Belif Aqua Bomb moisturizer so it’s no surprise the Refreshing Aqua Bomb Eye Gel ticks off all the boxes: Caffeine, hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, vitamin C help calm down puffiness, dryness, and dark circles. The formula dries down so quickly, too.

Sometimes I need something a step up from my usual nighttime creams. Hanyul’s Yuja Vitamin Sleeping Mask is chock-full of—wait for it—yuja fruits harvested from the Goheung area. In the clip to the right, you can see me mouthing the words, “It smells so good,” because there are six yuja fruits (rich in vitamins B, C, E, and P, whew) in a single jar. Aromatherapy aside, this jelly leave-on mask immediately plumps my skin and I wake up looking a little more fresh-faced and less dull. (Nothing’s a miracle worker, considering my wonky sleep schedule.)

Introducing the Hanyul Chestnut Shell Pore Clearing Clay Mask, your gateway to flawless, glass skin. Crafted with care, this unique formula harnesses the power of organic chestnut sourced from pesticide-free farms in Korea’s Buyeo province, where tradition meets innovation.

Formulated with BHA and finely ground chestnut, this mask goes beyond surface cleansing. It penetrates deep to unclog pores, tighten skin, and absorb excess sebum, leaving you with a fresh, rejuvenated complexion. Gentle exfoliants ensure a thorough cleanse, while minimizing the appearance of enlarged pores for a smoother, more even skin texture.

You know and love cica, but have you tried artemisia-cica? It’s extracted from the mugwort plant and is four times more soothing than regular cica. Sweep one of Hanyul’s Pure Artemisia Calming Water Pads all over your face as your toner step or, what I like to do is, is leave about two pads on both cheeks for five minutes or so and then sweep it all over for a DIY sheet mask moment. Any redness on my cheeks is noticeably calmed when time is up.

Korean skin-care brands offer the golden standard of the moisturizing sunscreen category, and Innisfree’s Daily UV Sunscreen SPF 36 is a prime example. Infused with cica, green tea, sunflower seed oil, and vitamin E to soothe and protect the skin barrier, the formula works for people of all skin types. Did we mention it’s a 2023 Allure Best of Beauty Award winner?

The refillable Green Tea Seed Hylauronic Serum is great for all skin types. Why? Its main concern is hydration, which we all need. A team of green tea (grown and harvested in Jeju Island), nanocapsulized hyaluronic acid (for maximum potency), panthenol, and niacinamide locks in hydration and gives your skin an immediate glow.

Innisfree’s Super Volcanic Pore Clay Mask is the key to blasting excess sebum and minimizing too-big pores. Volcanic cluters and lactic acid are to thank, and I’m so grateful for my 10-minute wind-down facials every week.

I know what you’re thinking, but this isn’t any run-of-the mill HA serum. No, it has a 5D Hyaluronic Acid Complex, which translates to five types of HA molecules that penetrate your skin at different levels for instant and long-lasting hydration. Panthenol and allantoin provide extra hydration and soothing benefits. It’s a serum I’d recommend to just about anyone—the silky textures dries down almost immediately and my skin always feels bouncier with each application.

Ladies and gents, the TikTok hype is real. The TirTir Mask Fit cushion foundation is portable, mask-proof, long-wearing, transfer-resistant, and gives you a subtle glow—thanks to hibiscus and propolis extracts.

“This is the only foundation I regularly carry in my bag,” says Allure contributor Sarah Y. Wu. “You can definitely build this up to a medium-to-full coverage foundation and it still feels lightweight.”

Chances are you’ve seen these cute pots all over your FYP. The Lip&Cheek Blurry Pudding Pot packs a real punch of color despite its very small container, so take my word and start with a tiny dab before building it up. If you’re into a blurred, soft-matte look, this one’s for you.

What’s cool about Fwee’s 3D Voluming Glosses is each color’s available in two variations: 30% for a more subtle wash and 70% for richer pigmentation (like Candy 70% shown above). You also get an unbelievably juicy finish, which is enough for me and my dry lips to say yes, too. There’s vitamin E and a boatload of oils (apricot, primrose, jojoba, and more) for long-lasting-as-heck moisture.

A Best of Beauty-winning lip tint for less than $10? Consider your wish granted. This is the Korean lip tint that started my all-out obsession. Touchups are very minimal even after heavy meals—the wear is super comfortable, despite how long-lasting the formulas are. I do usually prep my dry, crustry lips with a clear lip balm and wipes away the excess before applying the lip tint.

For a dewier, no-prep-needed finish, the Ink Mood Glowy Tints are so good. They’re spiked with glycerin and lily and witch hazel extracts for added hydration.

Light, tinted coverage and SPF? We’re in. You can wear Etude’s Face Blur alone as a glowy skin tint or under fuller-coverage foundation as a radiance-boosting base.

A sparkly little number, Etude’s Eye Drop Liner is a nicely pigmented, pearlescent liquid liner for all-day, lid-flare. Fear not—no glitter transfer necessary. Commerce editor Sarah Han loves lining her waterline-ish area with this liner for a pop of sparkle.

Dry patches ruining your base makeup? If you prep your ski nwith Espoir’s Dewlike Jello Glowerizer, there’s no issue. Itty-bitty pink capsules filled with hyaluronic acid, peptide, niacinamide, and vitamin C boosts moisture levels and makes skin look radiant.

This Tone-Pairing Liquid Blush blends like a dream, leaving your cheeks with a rosy flush. Peach Puree? Rosy Bunny? Salty Pink? Wear them on their own or mix them together for your own unique creation.

The Mise En Scene Perfect Serum has been a staple in hair-care routines for 12 years—that’s a long time for a fast-moving K-beauty industyr. A intensely nourishing blend of oils (argan, olive, coconut, apricot, marula, jojoba, and camellia) helps smooth frizz, lock in moisture, and protect hair from heat styling without (somehow!) feeling greasy—seriously, I don’t know how. I always have post-blowout frizz and this serum tamed my frizz and flyaways as best as a post-wash product ever has.

“No matter what I do, my scalp always gets itchy and flaky near the nape of my neck. Dr. Groot’s Scalp Relief Tonic imparts a cooling sensation as you spritz it on via menthol, bringing instant relief to that area,” shares former Allure editor Devon Abelman. “It dries down fast without any residual greasiness—just a spa-like lemongrass scent—so you can definitely use it on dry hair throughout the day.”

If you couldn’t already tell, Dr. Groot is serious about scalp health. Behind the Hair Thickening Shampoo is biotin, rosemary oil—which experts say improves blood circulation for healthy follicles, fights bacteria and dandruff, and may indeed help with hair growth—caffeine, and prebiotics to give your scalp the healthiest environment possible for hair to thrive.