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19 Best Facial Essences for Glowing, Dewy Skin

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Essences are known for their ability to give the skin a hydrated glow and an instantly healthier look. While facial essences are not a mandatory addition to your skincare routine, they have some serious benefits that mean you should definitely consider them and be aware of them.

In this article, we will give you a list of the best essences that you might want to try! To help you step into the K-beauty world, here we present the best facial essences that make an integral part of the popular Korean skincare routine.

1. SK-II Facial Treatment Essence

This offering is one of the best essences, and the price tag certainly reflects that. This liquid is made primarily of Pitera, a fermented extract that hydrates and brightens the skin. This clear liquid is ideal for those with dehydrated and dry skin, but should be avoided by anyone with fungal skin issues. It is available for sale at Sephora.

Best Korean Facial Essences: SK-II Facial Treatment Essence

2. Fresh Black Tea Kombucha Facial Treatment Essence

This antioxidant essence is the secret to keeping the skin youthful and healthy. It contains kombucha, fermented black tea that protects and prevents premature aging. This is another essence that will seriously boost your skincare routine’s hydrating and brightening capabilities. This essence is best for those with dry and dehydrated skin. You can find it at Sephora.

Best Korean Facial Essences: Fresh Black Tea Kombucha Facial Treatment Essence

3. Origins Original Skin Essence Lotion with Dual Ferment Complex

This super-light essence can work for all skin types. A ferment complex in here boosts the skin’s hydration levels, especially when paired with all kinds of skin-soothing and anti-aging botanicals. Caffeine and salicylic acid in this formula help to tighten the pores. This liquid can be purchased from Sephora.

Best Korean Facial Essences: Origins Original Skin Essence Lotion with Dual Ferment Complex

4. Paula’s Choice Resist Brightening Essence

This ulta-hydrating essence is exactly what your skin needs if you’re trying to battle hyperpigmentation and dark marks. It contains some powerful skin-brightening ingredients including arbutin, vitamin C, and niacinamide, along with hydrating hyaluronic acid. No matter your skin type, you cannot go wrong with this essence from Nordstrom.

Best Korean Facial Essences: Paula’s Choice Resist Brightening Essence

5. Laneige Water Bank Essence

This hydrating essence is somewhat on the richer side, with a heavier texture than other facial essences. It perfectly softens and moisturizes the skin, making sure it looks supple and healthy. It can work for all skin types but is specifically formulated to fight dryness and dehydration. It is available for purchase through Sephora.

Best Korean Facial Essences: Laneige Water Bank Essence

6. Saturday Skin Freeze Frame Beauty Essence

This moisturizing essence is perfect for dry and normal skin types. It gives the skin radiant hydration with the help of a lot of natural ingredients like pomegranate extract and avocado protein. It also includes a special peptide complex that increases the skin’s elasticity and suppleness. You can buy it directly from Sephora.

Best Korean Facial Essences: Saturday Skin Freeze Frame Beauty Essence

7. Boscia Sake Hydrating and Brightening Essence

This is another fabulous facial essence loaded with probiotic ingredients. The fermented ingredients in the formula fortify the skin with good bacteria that help improve the skin’s barrier functions. The skin looks smooth and bright, and feels impossibly soft. If your skin gets dehydrated, you cannot go wrong with this product. It is sold both online and offline at Sephora.

Best Korean Facial Essences: Boscia Sake Hydrating and Brightening Essence

8. COSRX Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence

I’ve written about this essence before, and I will certainly write about it again. If you have sensitive skin, no matter whether it’s oily, dry, or somewhere in between, then this is one of the best essences and it is totally worth trying. This is assuming, of course, that the idea of putting snail slime on your skin doesn’t squick you. It hydrates, repairs, and soothes the skin like no other. You can pick it up online from Ulta.

Best Korean Facial Essences: COSRX Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence

9. Farmacy Skin Dew Hydrating Essence Mist & Setting Spray

I adore a two-in-one product, especially when it’s this well-formulated. This energizing essence comes with a spray top, so you can mist it on after toning to hydrate and brighten your skin, or after applying makeup in order to keep it looking fresh and dewy. This formula has a refreshing fragrance, and it contains light botanical extracts that can work beautifully with normal, combination, and oily skin types. You can buy it directly from Sephora.

Best Korean Facial Essences: Farmacy Skin Dew Hydrating Essence Mist & Setting Spray

10. Tata Harper Hydrating Floral Essence

If using organic and all-natural products is important to you, then Tata Harper made one of the best essences for you to try. This moisturizing liquid can be directly misted unto the skin, to infuse it with skin-refreshing plant hydrosols, humectant hyaluronic acid, and barrier-repairing probiotics. If your skin does well with essential oils, then this essence will certainly work for you. You can find it at Sephora.

Best Korean Facial Essences: Tata Harper Hydrating Floral Essence

11. Belif Hungarian Water Essence

This ultra-light essence is an especially great choice for oilier skin types, as it feels like water but hydrates beautifully. It contains lavender and rosemary extracts to fortify the skin against environmental damage while keeping it tightened and refreshed. It is sold online through Sephora.

Best Korean Facial Essences: Belif Hungarian Water Essence

12. Juice Beauty Green Apple Brightening Essence

This all-natural skin essence works double-duty, to both deeply hydrate the skin and to seriously brighten it. It can work for all skin types, but is especially cherished by those trying to combat premature aging and hyperpigmentation. It includes brightening licorice root extract and vitamin C, along with hydrating hyaluronic acid and anti-aging CoQ10. You really cannot go wrong with this fabulous formula, so you can find it for yourself through Dermstore.

Best Korean Facial Essences: Juice Beauty Green Apple Brightening Essence

13. Blithe Vital Treatment Essence for Lifting

This essence is an anti-aging powerhouse loaded with antioxidant extracts from 8 different beans, along with all kinds of hydrators and peptides. It has a thicker texture than some facial essences, so it might be closer to a serum, but it is still powerfully hydrating. It works well for all skin types. It is available for sale through Sephora.

Best Korean Facial Essences: Blithe Vital Treatment Essence for Lifting

14. Amorepacific Vintage Single Extract Essence

This simple, hydrating essence is absolutely indispensable for those with sensitive skin. It hydrates with a dose of glycerin, while green tea extract fights premature aging and soothes any redness or irritation in the skin. The simple formula is fragrance-free, and will work for even those who are acne-prone or oily. You can pick it up from Sephora.

Best Korean Facial Essences: Amorepacific Vintage Single Extract Essence

15. Lancôme Hydra Zen Anti-Stress Moisturizing Beauty Essence

This light essence is fabulous for those with oily or combination skin who need a boost of hydration. This simple formula is loaded with different humectants, to attract water into the skin and keep it there. You can find it for sale at Nordstrom.

Best Korean Facial Essences: Lancôme Hydra Zen Anti-Stress Moisturizing Beauty Essence

16. Kiehl’s Since 1851 Iris Extract Activating Treatment Essence

Kiehl’s jumped on the essence skincare trend with a product that works both to hydrate and to resurface the skin. This essence is especially ideal for oily, combination, and acne-prone skin types, as it helps to remove damaged skin and minimize pores with a touch of salicylic acid. Glycerin and hyaluronic acid ensure that the skin stays soft and hydrated. If you’d like to buy it, check out Sephora.

Best Korean Facial Essences: Kiehl’s Since 1851 Iris Extract Activating Treatment Essence

17. Jurlique Activating Water Essence

This is another natural option for facial essences that hydrate the skin with a collection of sugar compounds. This light essence can work well for oily and combination skin types, but even dry skin can enjoy it under a heavy moisturizer. Get it online through Dermstore!

Best Korean Facial Essences: Jurlique Activating Water Essence

18. Omorovicza Omoressence

This gentle and hydrating essence is fabulous for sensitive skin, regardless of its dryness or oiliness levels. Urea and ferment extracts soothe and strengthen the skin, while a collection of natural humectants keeps moisture close. Despite the price tag, this really is one of my favorites on this list to combat serious damage. It is available for purchase at Sephora.

Best Korean Facial Essences: Omorovicza Omoressence

19. Babor Rose Toning Essence

This is another really light option for facial essences that hydrate the skin well. It includes a whole collection of moisture-attracting humectants, along with uplifting rose water and a touch of nourishing castor oil. It’s a fabulous choice for normal and combination skin types, especially those trying to combat signs of premature aging. It is sold online via Dermstore.

Best Korean Facial Essences: Babor Rose Toning Essence

Photos via Sephora, Nodrstrom