Want Glowy, Glass Skin? Try These K-Beauty Products (2024)

This incredibly moisturizing (yet still lightweight feeling!) lotion is my holy grail beauty product that I apply from my head to my toes daily. Seriously, since finding this, I haven't found another body lotion that quite compares—it's super hypoallergenic, meaning it's fragrance-free and doesn't contain any potentially triggering ingredients that sensitive-prone skin may dislike. It's also jam-packed with ceramides which are key in maintaining a healthy skin barrier. Just trust me already, add this to your cart, you won't regret it.

• Key ingredients: Ceramides, vitamin E, glycerin, fatty acids
• Product type: Lotion

Glowing Customer Review: "I am in my early 50's and have super dry skin and sensitive skin. I have tried so many different moisturizers over the years from drugstore to super expensive and this is by far the best I have ever tried. It keeps my face hydrated and glowing. Will continue to purchase again and again! Well worth the price tag and is inexpensive compared to many."

If you're a big advocate of SPF or are really interested in K-beauty, I'm willing to bet you've heard of the iconic Beauty Of Joseon SPFs. They live up to their viral name thanks to the slew of antioxidant, barrier-supporting, and soothing ingredients that all come together to make an elite sunscreen that protects you from both UVA and UVB rays with a powerful SPF 50. After a few months of using this, my skin, makeup, and ~glow~ have never looked better.

• Key ingredients: Ceramides, niacinamide, glycerin, antioxidants
• Product type: Sunscreen

Glowing Customer Review: "I have pretty sensitive skin and every other sunscreen I tried broke me out or left a white cast - this one works like magic, it immediately soaks into your skin and leaves it feeling velvety and gives it a really nice glow. I recommend this 100%. Gonna buy some more pretty soon!!"

This K-beauty calming cream is my hack to instantly relieve, dry, irritated, and angry skin. The secret behind its magic? Skin-smoothing panthenol—i.e., vitamin B5—works to moisturize your skin, has wound-healing properties, and is anti-inflammatory. I apply this to bug bites, my eczema, (semi-healed) sunburn, and any time I'm feeling itchy and dry. It's so soothing and truly relieves a lot of my skin issues—which, FYI can be attributed to my super-reactive, sensitive-prone skin.

• Key ingredients: Panthenol, vitamin E, squalane, glycerin
• Product type: Calming cream

Glowing Customer Review: "I started using a prescribed tretinoin, and few days later my skin got very sensitive, irritating, and flaky. I decided to use this moisturizer together with the tretinoin and it worked really well. It calmed down my skin within a day. So glad I found this on the list. Now it’s in my daily routine care."

We at Cosmo have a long history of lovin' Dr. Jart's Cicapair Tiger Grass line (we tested it, after all!). If you haven't seen the TikTok review videos of the product, you're in for a treat. Once I apply it to my skin and blend it out, the treatment totally neutralizes my redness and gives me a super-even skin tone. Plus, it's got SPF 30, so win-win.

• Key ingredients: Centella asiatica (tiger grass), SPF, niacinamide, glycerin
• Product type: Color-correcting treatment

Glowing Customer Review: "I have some redness and hyperpigmentation I'm not too thrilled about," one tester notes. "For the longest time, I was self-conscious about this; so much so, that I used to always feel the need to wear foundation. This product perfectly helped me transition to going foundation-free a majority of the time. The color-correcting element blends perfectly into my skin and blurs the redness around my nose."

If you want glass skin (i.e., smooth, luminous skin that gives off the appearance of glass), there's no better way to get it than with the cult-favorite Peach & Lily Glass Skin Refining Serum. This formula does everything from fading dark spots to reducing redness to hydrating the skin...need I say more?

• Key ingredients: Peach extract, niacinamide, peptides, hyaluronic acid
• Product type: Serum

Glowing Customer Review: "It has everything I was looking for in a serum," writes one reviewer. "It's not aggressive or irritating, and I have very sensitive skin. I love that it's fragrance-free and it feels like they really invested in the actual formula...it sinks in beautifully and layers well with my moisturizer, sunscreen, and makeup."

Blackheads: No one likes 'em, no one wants 'em, yet everybody seems to have 'em. But do you know the absolute best way to clear them up? Chemical exfoliants, my friends. This one by COSRX uses BHAs to fight those pesky blackheads and control oil all in one gentle, moisturizing formula.

• Key ingredients: Willow bark water, betaine salicylate, sodium hyaluronate, niacinamide
• Product type: Chemical exfoliant

Glowing Customer Review: "I struggle with severe cystic acne, oily/combo skin, blackheads, etc., but now, for the first time, I don't want to cry in the morning when I look in the mirror," one review reads. "My pores look smaller, my blackheads much less, and my face no longer looks like an oil slick!"

"If you’re looking to add hydration to your routine or need a quick midday pick-me-up, this essence mist will do the trick," says Cho. She explains that this spray delivers the finest mist and is packed with brightening ingredients, such as licorice water and root extracts. Finally, glycerin is added for hydration, and centella asiatica leaf extract soothes your skin.

• Key ingredients: Licorice water, bamboo water, centella asiatica leaf extract, glycerin
• Product type: Essence mist

Glowing Customer Review: "This pH Balancing mist keeps my skin so plump and supple, I use it when I need some deep hydration on those dry days or just before my time of the month will come which is when my skin is the most sensitive," one tester writes. "Also having PCOS, it has helped to have it in my skincare routine."

My skin is patchy as hell, and it's difficult for it to retain moisture. But, alas! I have found my cure: The Saturday Skin Waterfall Glacier Water Cream. The gel-like formula feels so lightweight yet still manages to pack a powerful hydration punch.

• Key ingredients: Alaskan glacier water, Iceland moss, ferment extract, amino acids
• Product type: Moisturizer

Glowing Customer Review: "This is a favorite of mine—I have combination skin, so it's really dry and in some places really oily. This works well for both, and it's lightweight, cooling, and soothing. I really like this and always order it when I get the chance," reads one tester's review.

"Mediheal masks are a go-to of mine," says Cho, adding, "these are packed with ingredients that will help soothe the skin and treat acne." Willow bark, rosemary, and tea tree oil help to soothe, exfoliate, and target breakouts, while chamomile works to calm redness, she explains.

• Key ingredients: Willow bark, rosemary, tea tree oil, chamomile
• Product type: Sheet mask

Glowing Customer Review: "I really swear by this sheet mask," writes one reviewer. "It's my go-to for any acne/redness or onset of breakouts. I'm not sure I've noticed a reduction in acne marks, but my skin definitely looks much calmer the next day."

Skin health and protection are at the forefront of the Korean skincare philosophy, so you can bet there are some pretty damn good K-beauty SPFs on the market. This broad-spectrum sunscreen leaves a semi-matte finish so your skin will look glowy yet not greasy. It also uses hero hydrator, glycerin, as well as aloe vera to soothe your skin and reduce redness. The best part? It's a super lightweight formula.

• Key ingredients: SPF, aloe vera extract, glycerin
• Product type: Sunscreen

Glowing Customer Review: "I have sensitive combination skin, and I have tried dozens of sunscreens—this takes the cake every time," one tester's review reads. "It is lightweight, but moisturizing, and rubs right into the skin like a dream. It doesn't leave a cast and it doesn't pill under makeup. I don't break out while using this either. It feels like a second moisturizer."

"I’ve suffered from hormonal acne for years, and since incorporating the Then I Met You Birch Milk Refining Toner into my routine every day, I’ve seen my acne disappear," says Cho. It’s formulated with hydrating milky birch juice and the optimal 1 percent AHA/PHA that can be used daily without over-exfoliation or drying out your skin. As a result, breakouts will be minimized, and your skin will feel smooth and soft to the touch.

• Key ingredients: Glycolic acid, lactic acid, glycerin, squalane, sodium hyaluronate
• Product type: Toner

Glowing Customer Review: "The other day I walked into a sandwich shop and the woman at the front counter said, 'your skin is literally glowing,'" one tester writes. "That’s how I know this line is the best—I have sensitive, acne-prone skin that endured a lot of sun damage during my teen years. Then I Met You + Sunscreen and two years later…my skin is like new."

If you haven't heard all the hype about superstar skincare ingredient snail mucin, where have you been? Though there's not a ton of research behind it, it's been said to contain hyaluronic acid, allantoin, antioxidants, zinc, manganese, glycosaminoglycans, and growth factors, which are all great for hydrating and plumping your skin.

• Key ingredients: Snail mucin, sodium hyaluronate, hyaluronic acid
• Product type: Moisturizer

Glowing Customer Review: "I absolutely love this moisturizer for my dry/sensitive/acne-prone skin," one reviewer writes. "That combination is not necessarily normal, so finding a moisturizer to meet those needs is hard to come by. This hits every mark! I do not have any breakouts from using this product, I gain moisture in the areas I need it, and I do not get any reactions."

Another viral Tiktok beauty find is this lil guy from Glow Recipe. The best part about these dew drops? They can be used as a serum, highlighter under or over makeup, or even as a primer. Plus, humectant ingredients like niacinamide, glycerin, and sodium hyaluronate give your skin a big dose of hydration. Remember that glass-like glow that we were talkin' about? This is the perfect product to deliver.

• Key ingredients: Niacinamide, glycerin, sodium hyaluronate
• Product type: Glow serum drops

Glowing Customer Review: "This stuff is literally one of my favorite skincare products ever," writes one tester. "I’ve gone through like five bottles! Makeup blends flawlessly with this as your base."

So, errrr, 'mugwort cream,' definitely may not sound the most...appealing? Clean? Like something you want to slather all over your face? But before you toss it aside, mugwort is a plant—not a slimy creature (yet don't rule that out, see: snail mucin)—and it's used traditionally in K-beauty thanks to its healing and anti-inflammatory properties. This cream also contains hydrating glycerin and soothing panthenol for some extra skin-loving benefits.

• Key ingredients: Mugwort extract, glycerin, panthenol
• Product type: Moisturizer

Glowing Customer Review: "So, I have been looking for a new moisturizer forever," one review reads. "I have a combination/sensitive skin with eczema. This cream has satisfied all areas [of my face] without any problems. It feels light like a gel-cream, but my skin absorbed it and it feels like normal skin. No redness, no sensitivity, no stickiness, no random dryness—just happy skin."

Foaming cleansers are notorious for drying out your skin because they contain surfactants (i.e., the active foaming agent that penetrates your skin) that work to lift dirt and debris from your pores quite rapidly. What makes this foaming cleanser so different is that it balances your pH and blasts it with a shot of moisture thanks to the ceramides, so you won't have to worry about it lacking moisture.

• Key ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, botanical extracts, ceramides, and orange extract.
• Product type: Cleanser

Glowing Customer Review: "This is actually—and truly—a mild care cleanser for sensitive and dry skin," one reviewer writes. "Who knew it actually does what it says on the bottle?! This gets my first vote for cleaning my face without making me feel like [my skin is stripped]. Second vote for honest marketing—is there such a thing nowadays, or ever has been?"

You've heard it from your momma, your grandma, and a million others, but aloe vera is just that damn good. This fragrance-free gel moisturizer is great for soothing irritated skin (see: sunburn), fading acne scars, brightening your skin, and adding loads of hydration. It's a miracle product, amiright?

• Key ingredients: Aloe vera, glycerin, allantoin
• Product type: Soothing gel

Glowing Customer Review: "This is a great aloe product—it doesn’t have a scent!" one review reads. "It absorbs nicely, and I keep it in my refrigerator, and especially in the summer, I apply it after being in the sun all day. It's very soothing!"

Are you someone with oily or acne-prone skin? Then you may have heard that a clay mask is a product you should have in your beauty arsenal. Clay is great for oily skin types due to its ability to absorb excess oil. Reviewers love this clay mask specifically because it also includes AHAs that chemically exfoliate your skin, so it does a double-whammy on those pores and blackheads of yours.

• Key ingredients: Vitamin E, lactic acid, glycerin
• Product type: Mask
  

Glowing Customer Review: "It cleans my face, gets rid of excess oil, and makes my skin feel smooth!" one tester writes. "I would 100% recommend this mask because it is not just a one-use wonder, so far I have used this face mask five times and I am not even a quarter of the way through the jar."

No K-beauty list would be complete without the OG Laneige lip sleeping mask. (I mean, does it even need an introduction?) The cult-favorite lip mask uses a mix of humectants (hi, glycerin and sodium hyaluronate), and emollients (hi, coconut oil, shea butter, and murumuru seed butter) to deliver major doses of hydration and moisture.

• Key ingredients: Glycerin, sodium hyaluronate, coconut oil, shea butter, murumuru seed butter, vitamin C
• Product type: Lip mask

Glowing Customer Review: "The best lip mask on the market, hands down," one review reads. "The price is great, and the product? Even better. The one I bought this time last year is about out and I use it every night!"

Got yourself some bags, fine lines, or puffiness?! Hi, same. That's why you need an eye cream that packs a punch. Not only is Belif's formula incredibly moisturizing (hi, squalane), hydrating (hi, glycerin), and it is also extremely refreshing. It's like jumping in a cold shower to wake you up, but, actually feels nice. Feel me?

• Key ingredients: Squalane, glycerin
• Product type: Eye cream

Glowing Customer Review: "I love this eye cream—I’ve had dry patches around my eyes for so long and applying this cream makes the skin around my eyes feel so soothed," one reviewer writes. "It’s so hydrating and a must-have before bed."