Korean cosmetics stand out because of a certain fun factor. Innovative textures and packaging make the Korean makeup purchasing process feel exciting and experimental, as the products are crafted not only to function but also to surprise. In this article, we’ve profiled the very best Korean makeup products that you can get easily anywhere in the world. We also go into detail about the Korean makeup categories, which are a little bit different from the Western ones.
In this article:
- Our Picks of the Best Korean Makeup Products
- What Are the Most Popular Korean Makeup Products to Try?
Our Picks of the Best Korean Makeup Products
From lip tints to BB creams, find the best Korean makeup products in the industry below!
1. Laneige BB Cushion Hydra Radiance SPF 50
Perfect, glowy skin is easy to achieve when you have this super-popular cushion BB cream on hand. As should always be the case for cushion foundations, it comes with a 50 SPF and lots of skin-nourishing ingredients. It hydrates the skin and gives it a dewy finish that is perfect for those with dry skin. It is sold at Sephora in 6 colors.
2. Eyeko Yoga Waterproof Mascara
One of the best things about Korean makeup products is that their packaging is always innovative. This mascara from Eyeko comes in a fun squeeze tube that makes the application particularly unique. The formula itself is waterproof and tubing, so it gives length and holds a curl well. The curvy brush also helps boost the curling effect, and it is dense enough to help with volume. You can order it from Net-a-Porter.
3. Touch In Sol No Poreblem Primer
“Chok chok” skin has to be hydrated and moist, but it also has to be smooth – invisible pores are a must, while the mattifying effect should be subtle! That’s exactly what this silicone-based makeup primer delivers. It fills in the pores and keeps makeup looking fresh all day long, for blurred skin that is impossibly smooth. It works well for both oily and dry skin types. Find it at Sephora!
4. Too Cool For School Milk Tint
Korean makeup products give us a variety of innovative textures to work with, with these milky, sheer lip tints as a perfect example! They give a subtle, glossy wash of color to the lips, and they have a wonderful moisturizing effect. They can be built up to have a stronger color, but that’s not really the point – they are meant to look soft and natural. You can also apply them to your cheeks for a gentle flush. You can choose your favorite color or simply buy all 4 at Ulta.
5. Kaja Cheeky Stamp Blendable Blush
This might be the cutest blush we’ve ever seen. It’s a cream blush with a semi-matte, velvety finish that goes on light but can be built up easily. It comes in the form of a cushion compact with a heart-shaped stamp application – you just stamp on an adorable heart, and then blend it in for a perfect wash of color. It is available at Sephora in 4 super wearable shades.
6. Sulwhasoo ‘Perfecting Cushion’ Foundation Compact
Glass skin has to be flawless and glowy – something that is hard to achieve with Western foundations. This cushion compact foundation gives significant coverage with that highly coveted dewy, glowy finish that is wonderful for those with dry or dull skin. It has a 50 SPF and a ton of antioxidants, and the package also includes a refill. Our only critique is that the color range skews light. It is available in 6 shades at Nordstrom.
7. the SAEM Cover Perfection Tip Concealer SPF28 PA++
This little concealer offers some serious coverage. It is perfect for brightening the area under the eyes or for concealing blemishes and redness. It has a velvety matte finish, and it stays put without creasing or cracking, even without a setting powder. It comes in 9 colors on YesStyle, including a highlighter and contour shade.
8. Peripera Ink Airy Velvet in Elf Light Rose
These liquid lip tints are surprisingly pigmented and long-lasting. This particular shade gives a pinky wash of color to the lips that brightens them up without being overly dramatic. It has a nourishing, velvety finish that feels beautiful on the lips but doesn’t look too glossy. It is available via Amazon.
9. Clio Waterproof Pen Liner in Kill Black
Whether you’re into puppy eyes or cat eyes, this black eyeliner will give you that perfect flick that will not budge. It’s a waterproof liquid eyeliner that comes in pen form, so it is really easy to apply. It has won a lot of awards both in Korea and the West, so give it a try! You can order it online from Soko Glam.
10. Erborian Pink Perfect Creme 4-in-1 Primer
This primer gives instant illumination to the skin. It smooths out the skin, fills in and blurs pores, and extends the longevity of foundation as well. However, what makes it unique is its pearly finish, which gives the skin a glow and its pink tone, which helps cancel out yellowness and sallowness from the skin. You can buy it through Revolve.
11. Innisfree Auto Eyebrow Pencil
Shading in brows in the Korean style is a little bit different from the Western style, so you might as well opt for a Korean eyebrow pencil. These pencils from Innisfree have a long and thin applicator perfect for sketching hairs, and they roll up so no sharpener is required. They are really easy to apply since the color builds up slowly, but once the color is on it does not move. They come in 7 colors, so you are guaranteed to find a match to your hair color on YesStyle.
What Are the Most Popular Korean Makeup Products to Try?
Korean cosmetics are one of the most innovative and freshest in the world, which is why we have seen many other Western beauty brands launch the products Korean makeup brands first came up with. Here you’ll find the most popular Korean makeup products both ends of the world love wearing.
Primers
Much like in the West, Korean makeup primers come with all kinds of intended purposes, with the main one being to improve the look and longevity of foundation applied above them. While there are pore-blurring and mattifying primers, however, there are a lot more primers that are meant to brighten and color correct the skin, to give that “chok chok” glass skin glow.
Korean primers will also come in a brightening shade like lavender or pink to counter sallowness, and might also contain light-reflecting pigments to illuminate the skin.
Alphabet Creams
I’ve talked about BB creams and CC creams in a lot of detail in the past, so I’ll just give you a super quick summary. BB creams (which stand for either beauty balms or blemish balms) and CC creams (color correctors) are multiple-in-one foundation and skincare products. They can have either high or low coverage, a variety of skincare benefits, and they often also have high sun protection ratings. For many Korean makeup aficionados, they are complete replacements for foundation.
Cushions
These days, almost any Korean makeup product can come in a cushion compact, although traditionally cushion compacts are filled with foundation or BB cream. These are compacts with a sponge-bottom layer that is soaked with makeup, and then an applicator sponge on the top layer that is malleable and antibacterial.
Because of the aerating effect of the cushion the products tend to be super light and dewy, while the ingredients themselves are super good for the skin as is common in Korean makeup.
Concealers
Korean concealers are very different from foundations and BB creams. Whereas most Korean complexion products are meant to be dewy and glowy, the concealers are self-setting and high-coverage.
This is because setting powders are not a common part of the Korean makeup routine, so that concealers have to stay in place all on their own. Like most other Korean complexion products, the concealers also tend to have high SPF.
Low-Pigment Eyeshadows and Blushes
While we’re slowly starting to see powder products out of Korea being more pigmented, for the most part Korean cosmetics aren’t meant to be opaque or heavy-duty. In particular, powder blushes give a soft flush of color rather than a heavy, pigmented finish.
Eyeshadows also tend to be less pigmented, but not in a patchy or chalky way – they just deposit a little less color on the eye, and are better for subtler looks.
Cream Blush
Cream blushes are a bit more popular in Korean makeup than they are in the West. This is because they give the most natural wash of color, and they also don’t take away from the coveted “glass skin” look the way that powder blushes do. Cream blushes can come in the form of a mousse, a liquid tint, and even a cushion!
Lip Tints
Korean lip tints, much like Western ones, have a liquid texture that stains the lips rather than covers them. However, unlike Western ones, they tend to be ultra-hydrating and very sheer. They give the lips a lot of moisture along with a light wash of color, so they are easy to apply quickly and they don’t look too opaque on first application. Tinted lip balms are also super popular in South Korea.
Photos via @lalalove33, Instagram, Sephora