Korean Skin Care Routine Day and Night: Complete Guide (2023)

Why do Koreans have flawless, glowing skin? Discover the secret in their 10-step Korean skin care routine day and night. Use this guide to get started.

Disclosure: Some of the links in this article may be affiliate links, which can provide compensation to me at no cost to you if you decide to purchase. These are products I’ve personally used, as well as are recommended by other skincare experts & enthusiasts.

Ever wondered about the secret behind the flawless, radiant, and youthful skin that Koreans are famous for? It’s not just genetics or luck, it’s all about their 10-step Korean skincare routine.

And let me tell you, the traditional 10-step Korean skincare routine is more than just a trend, it’s a lifestyle! We’re talking oil cleansers, toners, serums, eye creams, moisturizers and sheet masks – the whole shebang. It’s all about layering products in the right order and harnessing the power of beneficial ingredients for deep hydration and anti-aging effects. Whether you have oily skin, sensitive skin, or want to target specific areas like fine lines and wrinkles, there’s a step in this routine for you.

So, are you ready to dive into the enchanting world of Korean skincare? Just a word of warning – once you start incorporating these essential active agents and methods, you’ll be hooked forever.

Let’s dive in!

The 8-Step Korean Morning Skincare Routine

You might have heard about the famous 10 step Korean skincare routine, but let’s be real, mornings can get crazy. That’s where the 8-step Korean skincare morning routine comes in. And guess what? It’s perfect for prepping your skin for flawless makeup application.

Why condense it to an 8 steps? Well, it’s all about giving your skin exactly what it needs to face the day, without taking up too much time. This Korean skincare routine provides your skin with deep hydration and UV protection. Plus, it sets the stage for your makeup to glide on smoothly and stay put for flawless and glowing skin.

If 8 steps is a little too much for you, then you can always pair this down to a 5-step routine.

Step 1: Rinse Your Face With Water

Waking up with a fresh face is as simple as washing it with clean water. Skip the facial wash and soap that can make your skin dry, and instead of keeping your skin hydrated. This simple step washes off the impurities that have settled on your skin overnight and keeps your skin hydrated. It’s the first step to a day of beautiful skin!

Step 2: Balance with a Toner

Next, apply a good toner to balance the pH level of your skin. Unlike the harsh, alcohol-based toners of the past, Korean toners are hydrating and gentle. This step ensures proper absorption of the next skincare products and keeps your skin hydrated throughout the day. It’s a crucial part of the daily Korean skincare routine.

Soak a cotton pad with toner and gently swipe it over your face and neck in an outward motion. Avoiding the eye area. You can also, pour a few drops into your palm and gently tap the toner on your skin using your hands.

Step 3: Embrace the Essence

Essence is your skin’s best friend. Packed with active ingredients, it hydrates, strengthens, and reduces sebum production resulting in glowing skin. Apply it by gently pressing all over your face for better absorption. This watery wonder is a blend of serum, toner, and moisturizer, and it’s a must-have in every Korean skincare routine.

Pour a few drops into your hands and gently pat into your face and neck.

Step 4: Amp Up with Ampoules and Vitamins

Dry skin? Wrinkles? Pigmentation? Ampoules and vitamins are here to help. These supercharged versions of serums contain a higher concentration of active ingredients that target specific skin issues. Apply a few drops and tap gently on your skin. Remember, due to the high concentration, it’s best to use ampoules once or twice a week or when your skin needs a boost to give you glowing skin.

Step 5: Serums for Specific Concerns

Serums are your go-to for anti-aging problems like dry skin, dark spots, or fine lines. With a high concentration of active ingredients, they penetrate the deep layers of the skin. Gently massage a few drops into your face and neck. If you have sensitive skin, always patch test first, as active ingredients may cause irritation.

Here are a few popular skincare ingredients used in Korean Skincare Products.

Ingredient	Benefits	Concentration	Efficacy*
Snail Mucin	Hydrates, promotes collagen production, heals wounds	1-10%	Backed by science for wound healing. & hydration.
Ginseng	Anti-aging, revitalizes, brightens skin	1-5%	Proven by to prevent skin aging.
Green Tea Extract	Antioxidant, reduces inflammation, soothes skin	1-10%	Popular Claim: No Evidence to Support
Hyaluronic Acid	Deeply hydrates, plumps skin	2%	Backed by science to hydrate skin.
Niacinamide (Vitamin B3)	Brightens, reduces wrinkles, strengthens skin barrier	2-5%	Backed by science
Centella Asiatica	Soothes, heals, anti-inflammatory	1-5%	Backed by science
Aloe Vera	Soothes, hydrates, heals	5-40%	Backed by science
Licorice Root Extract	Brightens, evens skin tone, anti-inflammatory	1-5%	Backed by science
Bee Venom	Anti-inflammatory, facial wrinkle reduction, collagen synthesis	,1-3%	Limited research. Needs more reseach.
Vitamin C	Brightens, boosts collagen, protects against environmental damage	5-20%	Gold Standard: Backed by science
Retinol	Promotes collagen, reduces wrinkles, improves texture	0.25-1%	Gold Standard: Backed by Science
Peptides (Matrixyl 3000 / Haloxyl)	Stimulates collagen, firms, hydrates	1-5%	Backed by Science
Bakuchiol	Anti-aging, improves elasticity, less irritating than retinol	0.5-2%	Gold Standard: Backed by Science
Tranexamic Acid	Reduces hyperpigmentation, evens skin tone	2-5%	Backed by Science
Tea Tree Oil	Antimicrobial, reduces acne, soothes skin	5-15% (diluted)	Limited Evidence: Needs more research.

Step 6: Eye Cream for Youthful Eyes

The skin around your eyes is delicate and needs extra care. Applying an anti-aging eye cream ensures hydrated skin and protection, packed with collagen to reduce lines and wrinkles. Koreans dedicate this step to taking care of the eye area, helping to minimize dark circles and fine lines. It’s suitable for all ages and a key to maintaining youthful eyes.

Step 7: Lock It In with a Moisturizer

Moisturizer is super important for keeping your skin balanced and healthy. It’s like a protective shield against irritation and dryness, while also supporting a strong skin barrier.

Choosing the right moisturizer to ensure the skin hydrated is a bit tricky. The trick is to read the ingredient list (first five ingredients) to determine if these ingredients are best for your skin type.

Step 8: Sunscreen for Sun Protection

Last but not least, never skip sunscreen! Protect your skin from the harsh effects of UV rays, which can cause premature aging. Even if you’re running late, this is the one step you can’t afford to miss.

Sunscreen Cheat Sheet

Ok, so now that we’ve got your Korean skincare routine for the morning covered. Let’s review your night time skincare routine.

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The 10-Step Korean Night Skincare Routine

This 10-Step Korean night skincare routine also acts as a self-care ritual. It might seem daunting at first, but think of it as “me” time. Here’s a step-by-step guide to pamper your skin:

STEP 1: Use an Oil Based Cleanser 

An oil based cleanser gently removes makeup and excess oils without disrupting your skin’s natural balance. Penetrating deep to dissolve even waterproof makeup, they leave your skin soft and hydrated.

To double cleanse, massage the cleansing oil into dry skin, rinse with lukewarm water, and follow with a water based cleanser. Double cleansing with an oil cleanser is a must at the end of the day. Don’t skip this step.

STEP 2: Cleanse With a Water Based Cleanser

After you double cleanse with an oil based cleanser to wash your face to remove makeup, sunscreen, and sebum, follow up with a water based cleanser. While oil-based cleansers are great for dissolving oil-related impurities, a water based cleanser ensures that any leftover residue is wiped away. Together, they create an effective cleaning duo for clear, radiant skin.

It is essential to use a gentle water based cleanser with low pH levels and hydrating properties. Your skin’s ph is low/acidic. Therefore cleansers with high ph levels (greater than 6) can disturb the skin’s natural, acid-based barrier causing irritation and skin damage.

STEP 3: Exfoliate Your Skin

The third step of the Korean skincare routine is chemical exfoliation to remove dead skin cells for smooth skin. Chemical exfoliants work together with our skin’s natural processes, like cell turnover and oil production, and are gentler compared to those physical scrubs.

We’ve got two main types of chemical exfoliants:

• AHAs (Alpha Hydroxy Acids) are fantastic for reducing signs of sun damage, evening out skin tone, and giving you that gorgeous inner glow. AHAs remove dead skin cells from the surface of the skin.
• BHAs (Beta Hydroxy Acids) have anti-inflammatory properties that can help with treating acne and minimizing those pesky enlarged pores.

The main difference between AHAs & BHAs is that AHAs remove dead skin cells from the surface of the skin, while BHAs seep into your pores to remove all the gunk/build for clear, healthy skin.

Reminder: Don’t exfoliate your skin every day, you only need to exfoliate 1-2 times per week.

STEP 4: Pat Toner on Your Skin

Just your morning skincare routine, applying toner helps to balance the pH level of your skin and prepares it for the subsequent skincare products. These goodies work wonders in calming and moisturizing your skin, as well as keeps the skin hydrated to create the perfect canvas for the rest of your skincare routine.

STEP 5: Apply Essence

The next step of your Korean skincare routine applying your essence for healthy skin. With ingredients like glycerin, hyaluronic acid, and vitamins, essences deeply hydrate and nourish your skin.

STEP 6: Address Skin Concerns with Ampoule

The sixth step in the Korean skincare routine is all about personalization! This is where you get to treat your skin with ampoules packed with powerful ingredients that target specific skin concerns like dark spots, wrinkles, or acne.

Use the same or different ampule ingredients you used for your morning routine. Which ampule you use depends on what skin issues your trying to treat + what skincare ingredients work best together.

Step 7: Massage Your Face with Serum

Like ampules, serums help you treat different skin concerns, from hydrating dry skin with hyaluronic acid to fighting wrinkles with retinol. For the best results, gently massage them into your face and neck, allowing for optimal absorption.

Here are my favorite ingredients for specific skin issues:

• Dry and flaky skin – hyaluronic acid, ceramides, collagen peptides, vitamin E.
• Fine lines and wrinkles – Retinol, vitamin C.
• Hyperpigmentation – Vitamin C, Kojic acid, glycolic acid, azelaic acid, niacinamide, tretinoin.
• Inflammation and redness – Azeliac acid, niacinamide, green tea, centella asiatica, aloe vera, resveratrol.
• Oily and acne-prone skin – Azeliac acid, salicylic acid, adapalene, niacinamide.

STEP 8: Put on a Sheet Mask

Korean sheet masks come in cotton, cellulose, or bio-cellulose sheets infused with serums and essences. A sheet mask can provide deep hydration to your face and neck by enabling your skin soak in a high concentration of active hydrating, soothing, and brightening ingredients for Korean glass skin.

Korean sheet masks allow your skin to absorb active ingredients and moisture for nourished and rejuvenated skin. After applying, leave it on for 10-20 minutes. Gently pat any remaining essence from your sheet mask into your skin including your neck.

STEP 9: Gently Dab on Eye Cream

Use the same eye cream used in your morning routine. You can also skip using a eye cream if you don’t suffer from dark circles, puffiness or wrinkles.

Step 10: Lather on Moisturizer

Use the same moisturizer that you used for your morning routine. If you need extra hydration, add a few drops of a hydrating face oil or hyaluronic acid for an extra boost.

FAQ

What’s so great about Korean skincare?

The Korean skincare philosophy emphasizes prevention over treatment. Rather than masking the signs of aging with cosmetics or treating them after they have already appeared, Koreans believe in beginning a comprehensive skin care regimen early to maintain a youthful and healthy complexion.

Key tricks and secrets include: 1) Always wearing sunscreen. Korean women would never leave the house without wearing sunscreen due to the damage UV rays cause on the skin. 2) Doesn’t matter how tired they are, Korean women never go to bed without removing every last trace of dirt and makeup from their faces.

How does Korean skincare differ from western skincare?

Koreans have been ahead of the West by a decade when it comes to skincare, and this can be attributed to multiple factors. This includes looser regulation, an open-mindedness towards testing out new ingredients and techniques, as well as the cultural understanding that healthy skin is not an extravagance but rather a vital component of life – resulting in twice more products being purchased per person than in Western countries.

What’s the Difference Between Essence, Serum, and Ampoule?

Essence, serum, and ampoule are all integral parts of a skincare routine, especially in Korean skincare, but they serve different purposes and have distinct characteristics:

Type	Purpose	Texture	Concentration	Usage
Essence	Primarily focused on hydration and nourishing the skin.	Usually lightweight and watery.	Contains a lower concentration of active ingredients compared to serums and ampoules.	Often used after toning to prep the skin for subsequent products.
Serum	Targets specific skin concerns like fine lines, wrinkles, dark spots, or hydration.	Typically thicker than essence but still easily absorbed.	Contains a higher concentration of active ingredients than essence but lower than ampoules.	Used after essence to deliver targeted treatment to the skin.
Ampoule	Provides an even more concentrated treatment for specific skin issues.	Often thicker and more viscous than serums.	Contains the highest concentration of active ingredients among the three.	Used sparingly, often a few times a week or as a short-term treatment, due to its high potency.

How do I get started with a Korean skin care routine?

Start by understanding your skin type to help you determine what your skin needs. Your skin concerns may change over time as you age, which will influence what products you use.

Once you’ve identified your skin type & issues, think about your skin goals. For example, do you want to reduce wrinkles or pigmentation, hydrate your skin or exfoliate? With this information in mind, you can start building a routine by selecting the right products.

Start with one product at a time. Use it on your skin for about 2 weeks to ensure it doesn’t irritate your skin. Be patient. You won’t see results until ~1 month + so be patient. Slowly add products and keep testing to evaluate what products your skin responds the best to.

Wrap-Up

Korean skincare routines offer an amazing array of powerful products that can help you achieve your skin goals. With more concentrated active ingredients and an emphasis on experimentation, Korean skincare is a great way to give your skin the nourishment it needs.

If you’re unable to commit to the full 10 steps, then don’t worry! Start small and work your way up from there – its totally doable!