These days, the best Korean moisturizers prove that there’s ample innovation in K-beauty well beyond its elegant and highly effective sun filters. While Korean sunscreens certainly sent the popularity of Eastern brands soaring stateside, its moisturizers are right behind them. They offer potent active ingredients, thoughtful packaging, and the high-tech, yet gentle formulations you might expect.
Vogue’s Favorite Korean Moisturizers
“Korean skincare focuses on hydration and strengthening the skin barrier, so you can trust that you’re getting a product really designed to do that,” says Dr. Michelle Park, M.D., a board-certified dermatologist in New York City. That’s little surprise, seeing as the skin’s moisture barrier plays a key role in keeping skin hydrated and healthy. Below, scroll ahead to discover the best Korean moisturizers for every skin type and concern.
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Best Overall: O Hui Miracle Moisture Ceramide Boosting Cream
O Hui
Miracle Moisture Ceramide Boosting Cream
- Why We Love It: O Hui might not yet have the name recognition stateside as some of its K-beauty counterparts, but with the brand’s 2024 entry into the US market, that’s bound to change. The moisturizer is a bestseller in South Korea, where it’s beloved for its nourishing (yet nongreasy) texture and blend of three key ceramides, which bolster the skin barrier. It also contains peony extract to provide antioxidants and quell inflammation.
- Key Ingredients: Ceramides, glycerin, shea butter
- Fragrance-free: No
- Size: 2 oz.
Best for Dry Skin: Dr. Jart+ Ceramidin Skin Barrier Moisturizing Cream
Dr. Jart+
Ceramidin Skin Barrier Moisturizing Cream
- Why We Love It: For patients with dry or irritated skin, New York–board-certified dermatologist Dr. Claire Chang, MD, recommends this formula. “It’s rich in ceramides and panthenol to help nourish and repair the skin,” she says. They work alongside glycerin, a humectant, to help increase skin’s ability to retain moisture. The cream has a cushiony feel that manages to absorb quickly, and despite its moisturizing nature, it’s not too heavy for those who are acne-prone. In fact, I packed a travel-size for a trip to Missouri in the winter, and it worked wonders to balance my combination skin without causing breakouts.
- Key Ingredients: Ceramides, panthenol, glycerin
- Fragrance-free: No
- Size: 0.5 oz., 1.7 oz., 2.53 oz.
Best Fragrance-Free: Aestura Atobarrier365 Cream
- Why We Love It: To Dr. Park’s point, Korea abounds with gentle formulations designed to baby skin—and that’s the case with this barrier cream, which uses a lipid complex—ceramides, fatty acids, and cholesterol—similar to that of the actual skin barrier. The ceramides in question are encapsulated, allowing them to be better retained in the skin barrier for a long period of time, where they seal gaps and lock in hydration for hours. The fragrance formula was also allergy tested and shown to be safe for the most sensitive skin types.
- Key Ingredients: Squalane, ceramides, allantoin
- Fragrance-free: No
- Size: 2.71 fl. oz.
Best for Glass Skin: Rovectin Calming Lotus Water Cream
Rovectin
Calming Lotus Water Cream
- Why We Love It: Rather than water, the base of this botanical-infused formula comprises 75% lotus flower extract, which is prized for its purifying and soothing properties (courtesy of its high antioxidant makeup). It feels more like an emulsion than a cream—making it suitable for warm, humid months—though keep in mind that it may not be hydrating enough for very dry skin types.
- Key Ingredients: Lotus flower extract, sweet almond oil, glycerin
- Fragrance-free: Yes
- Size: 2.03 fl. oz.
Best for Eczema-Prone Skin: Etude House SoonJung 2x Barrier Intensive Cream
Etude
SoonJung 2x Barrier Intensive Cream
- Why We Love It: The wrong ingredient can set off an eczema flare-up, which is where this cream stands out. Made for very sensitive skin types, it’s formulated without mineral oil, fragrance, and other common allergens, and has been tested to ensure that it won’t irritate reactive skin or lead to hypersensitivity. A combination of panthenol (which boosts skin’s ability to retain moisture) and Madecassoside (from which redness-reducing cica is derived) is behind its soothing benefits.
- Key Ingredients: Panthenol, madecassoside, green tea extract
- Fragrance-free: Yes
- Size: 2.02 fl. oz.
Best Gentle: Dr. Althea 345 Relief Cream
- Why We Love It: The beauty of this supremely gentle cream is all in the name. It offers that titular relief in three ways, targeting blemishes, dryness, and sensitivity. 345 Relief Cream contains three blemish-quelling ingredients, among them niacinamide, to address breakouts; four nourishing agents, including ceramides and hyaluronic acid, to moisturize skin; and five actives, like beta-glucan and panthenol, to calm skin. (These proportions explain the 345 in the product’s name.) The final result is a product that’s as lightweight and gentle as it is versatile.
- Key Ingredients: Ceramides, beta-glucan, niacinamide
- Fragrance-free: Yes
- Size: 50 mL
Best with Retinol: Sungboon Editor Deep Collagen Retinol Power Boosting Capsule Cream
Sungboon Editor
Deep Collagen Retinol Power Boosting Capsule Cream
- Why We Love It: This gel-based moisturizer, in which active-rich capsules are suspended, doesn’t just look interesting. It also feels novel, lending a tingly feel as you smooth it on. That’s thanks in part to the featured spicules—ultra-fine needles which help deliver the low-molecular collagen and retinol into skin. Lest that sounds like a recipe for irritation, the gel itself is filled with panthenol and eight forms of hyaluronic acid to supply hydration and counteract the active ingredients.
- Key Ingredients: Collagen, retinol, hyaluronic acid, panthenol
- Fragrance-free: Yes
- Size: 50 mL
Best Color Correcting: Erborian CC Red Correct
- Why We Love It: This moisturizer goes above and beyond the basic staple, serving as a color corrector, a tinted moisturizer, and a sunscreen (although it only offers SPF 25, which is just short of the recommended SPF 30 recommended by the American Academy of Dermatology). Plus, it’s infused with centella asiatica to soothe stressed skin, as well as subtle green pigments that help counteract redness in the skin.
- Key Ingredients: Centella Asiatica, glycerin
- Size: 45 ml
- Fragrance-free: No
Best for Sensitive Skin: CosRx Snail 92 All In One Cream
Snail Mucin 92% Repair Cream
- Why We Love It: Dr. Chang points to this fragrance-free moisturizer as a good option for many, as it contains “92% snail mucin, along with hyaluronic acid and allantoin to refresh and repair the skin,” she says. (In fact, snail mucin serves as the base instead of water or oil.) It also helps bring down the signs of inflammation associated with blemishes, like swelling and redness, while arginine firms and lends a supple feel—making it a good option for most needs.
- Key Ingredients: Snail mucin, hyaluronic acid, allantoin
- Fragrance-free: Yes
- Size: 1.76 oz., 3.52 oz.
Best Rich: Laneige Water Bank Blue Hyaluronic Intensive Moisturizer
Laneige
Water Bank Blue Hyaluronic Intensive Moisturizer
- Why We Love It: For SOS situations, this plush moisturizer offers immediate relief with a blend of fermented hyaluronic acid—at an impossibly small size that allows it to sink deep into skin—and squalane, which helps supplement the lipids naturally found in the moisture barrier. Also supporting the barrier is the formula’s peptide complex, which helps deliver supple skin and support the skin barrier over time.
- Key Ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, squalane, peptides
- Fragrance-free: No
- Size: 1.7 fl. oz.
Best for Oily Skin: Beauty of Joseon Red Bean Water Gel
Beauty of Joseon
Red Bean Hydro Boost Moisturizer
- Why We Love It: Korean moisturizers may be known for their deeply nourishing formulations, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t innovation in lightweight textures. This lightweight gel is infused with saponins derived from the eponymous red bean; these help absorb excess oil throughout the day for a long-lasting matte finish. It also contains three peptides to support collagen production, contributing to firmer, bouncier skin over time.
- Key Ingredients: Red bean extract, peptides
- Fragrance-free: Yes
- Size: 3.38 fl. oz.
Best for Acne-Prone Skin: Rael Miracle Clear Barrier Cream
- Why We Love It: Rael takes a holistic approach to the menstrual cycle, and that includes acne. This barrier cream is built to support the moisture barrier and control breakouts in equal measure, using a combination of ceramides, vitamin B5, and succinic acid, which helps regulate oil production (thus reducing clogged pores). While many acne-fighting products tend to compromise barrier function, this is the rare formula that does the opposite.
- Key Ingredients: Ceramide, vitamin B5, succinic acid
- Fragrance-free: No
- Size: 1.8 oz.
Best for Combination Skin: Round Lab Birch Juice Moisturizing Cream
Birch Juice Moisturizing Cream
- Why We Love It: Round Lab takes a cue from nature, drawing on botanicals and naturally derived ingredients to address skin concerns. This airy gel-cream is built on a base of birch tree sap, which hydrates, brightens, and strengthens skin. Inside, you’ll also find moringa seed oil, aloe vera extract, and turmeric extract, which work in short order to soothe and comfort. That said, it may not be hydrating enough for winter months.
- Key Ingredients: Birch tree sap, hyaluronic acid, moringa seed oil
- Fragrance-free: Yes
- Size: 2.7 fl. oz.
Best for Mature Skin: Iope Stem III Cream
Stem III Korean Intensive Moisturizer
- Why We Love It: Ideal for those looking to maintain firm, radiant skin, this cream supports the skin barrier with a blend of moisturizing ingredients—a noteworthy approach, seeing as moisture levels in skin naturally fall with age. It’s “enriched with a powerful skin revitalizing combination of allantoin, niacinamide, madecassic acid, and peptides,” says Dr. Chang, who notes that it’s also lightweight and has a cooling sensation upon application.
- Key Ingredients: Allantoin, niacinamide, peptides
- Fragrance-free: Yes
- Size: 1.69 oz.
Best Lightweight: Innisfree Cherry Blossom Dewy Glow Jelly Moisturizer
Innisfree
Cherry Blossom Dewy Glow Jelly Moisturizer
- Why We Love It: For a feels-like-nothing finish, consider this lightweight water-gel, which delivers an immediate radiance to skin while supplying long-term hydration. Its surprisingly short ingredient list relies on glycerin and betaine to draw in moisture and plump skin, while niacinamide and cherry blossom-derived flavonoids help soothe and brighten.
- Key Ingredients: Glycerin, niacinamide, betaine
- Fragrance-free: No
- Size: 1.7 fl. oz.
Best for Stressed Skin: Mizon All in One Snail Repair Cream
Mizon
All In One Snail Repair Cream
- Why We Love It: One of the recognizable K-beauty ingredients is snail mucin, which is known to soothe inflammation, nurture the skin barrier, and rebalance aggravated, breakout-prone skin. This multitasking cream pairs it with a calming complex that comprises centella asiatica (also known as cica), raspberry extract, and mugwort extract to quell irritation and leave skin hydrated and comfortable.
- Key Ingredients: Snail mucin, centella asiatica, raspberry extract
- Fragrance-free: Yes
- Size: 2.53 oz.
Best for Dull Skin: Sulwhasoo Concentrated Ginseng Renewing Cream
Sulwhasoo
Concentrated Ginseng Renewing Cream
- Why We Love It: Sulwhasoo is one of the biggest brands in Korea—and among the earliest to arrive stateside. Known for its use of traditional herbal ingredients, this is a “silky, luxurious cream that uses the anti-aging power of ginseng, which has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and skin brightening benefits,” says Dr. Chang. It supposedly begins restoring collagen in as soon as 48 hours
- Key Ingredients: Ginseng saponins, ginseng root extract, squalane
- Fragrance-free: No
- Size: 30 mL, 60 mL
Best Splurge: AmorePacific Time Response Skin Reserve Cream
Amorepacific
Time Response Skin Reserve Gel Creme
- Why We Love It: It may be an investment, but this velvety, balm-like formula brings a lot to the proverbial table. “It contains nourishing and anti-aging ingredients including green tea, shea butter, jojoba oil, niacinamide, and caffeine,” says Dr. Chang. The green tea in question has been cultivated for use in skincare, so it’s especially rich in antioxidants and amino acids—not to mention exclusive to Amore Pacific.
- Key Ingredients: Green tea, niacinamide, jojoba oil
- Fragrance-free: No
- Size: 1.69 fl. oz.
Best for Barrier Repair: SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Probio-Cica Enrich Cream
Skin1004
Madagascar Centella Probio-Cica Enrich Cream
- Why We Love It: For moments when the skin barrier is in need of extra care—in the dead of winter, maybe, or after beginning a new tretinoin regimen—this cream delivers. The thick formula doesn’t skimp on nourishing ingredients, pairing shea butter, macadamia seed oil, and ceramides with soothing centella asiatica. Together, they provide an extra layer of protection for the skin barrier, imparting a silky finish that doesn’t veer into greasy territory.
- Key Ingredients: Shea butter, Centella asiatica, macadamia seed oil
- Fragrance-free: Yes
- Size: 1.7 oz.
Best for Face and Body: Illiyoon Ceramide ATO Cream
- Why We Love It: Gentle enough for infants and children, this formula harnesses not only ceramides but fatty acids and cholesterol with them—a combination naturally found within the skin barrier. They’re housed in an acidic formulation, so as not to disturb the skin’s acid mantle (the outermost layer of the barrier), and deliver unmatched hydration and comfort to skin.
- Key Ingredients: Ceramides, vitamin E, ginseng root water
- Fragrance-free: Yes
- Size: 6.76 fl. oz.
Everything You Need to Know
Ingredients to Look For in the Best Korean Moisturizers
In general, Korean moisturizers tend to emphasize gentle, skin barrier–supporting ingredients—as well as extracts commonly used in Asian herbal medicine. Two mainstays you may already recognize are hyaluronic acid and glycerin, which are humectants that draw water into skin. “You’ll also find products with ceramides, which is a lipid whose function is to ‘hold it all together’ as the glue between skin cells, creating a healthy skin barrier that is able to retain moisture,” says Dr. Park.
As far as soothing skin, she points to allantoin, which is not only hydrating “but also has anti-inflammatory effects and promotes skin turnover,” she says. The same goes for centella asiatica, which similarly addresses inflammation and may encourage collagen production.
Dr. Chang also recommends looking for ginseng, green tea, and licorice root extract, which are botanicals with an array of skin-care benefits. “Snail mucin and fermented yeast extracts are popular ingredients known for their hydrating, anti-inflammatory, and reparative properties,” she says.
What makes Korean moisturizers special?
For one, Korean moisturizers tend to offer more options for people with reactive skin types. “Those with sensitive skin will find K-beauty to be a haven for finding products that work very well for them,” says Dr. Park. “There are a wealth of gentle moisturizers that are formulated to soothe and decrease inflammation, which people who have sensitive skin or suffer from an inflammatory skin condition like eczema or rosacea will be happy to discover.”
Because they’re well tolerated by the majority of people, Korean moisturizers are suited to fit an array of skin types—so while they help for those with inflamed and irritated skin, anyone can benefit from them.
You might also find alternative ingredients to target individual concerns and conditions, such as acne. For instance, some “are “formulated with ingredients with anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties, such as tea tree oil, propolis, and snail mucin,” says Dr. Chang; that makes them a worthwhile option to replace or supplement ingredients commonly used stateside, like salicylic acid.
Finally, Korean moisturizers may have formulations that differ in terms of cosmetic elegance (like fast absorption) as well as sheer delight (like airy, cloud-like textures). While these may hold appeal for certain skin types—for instance, those with oily skin might prefer that weightless texture—they’re more intended a sensorial, enjoyable application.
Are Korean moisturizers better?
While perfectly good moisturizers in the U.S. do exist (if you know where to find them), Korean moisturizers stand out because they “are so innovative and thoughtful,” says Dr. Michelle Park, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in New York City. That’s because in addition to providing moisture—the baseline expectation—many Korean moisturizers incorporate holistic ingredients to amplify skin benefits and target concerns. “They feel lightweight and non-greasy while doing an excellent job of hydrating the skin,” she adds.
Ultimately, though, “I do not believe Korean moisturizers are superior to US moisturizers, or vice versa,” says Dr. Chang. “The choice of moisturizers is personal and subjective, and may also change with time, age, and season.” And, as with many skin-care formulas, Korean moisturizers are not infallible—so while their unique ingredients and formulations may suit you now, they may not be worth eschewing a product that already works for you, no matter where it’s from.
- Dr. Michelle Park, MD is a board-certified dermatologist in New York City and clinical instructor of dermatology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
- Dr. Claire Chang, MD is a New York board-certified dermatologist and clinical instructor of dermatology at the Mount Sinai Medical Center.