16 Best Korean Moisturizers 2024 for Deep Hydration, Glass-Like Glow

If you learn just one thing about K-beauty, it’s that moisture, especially in the form of the best Korean moisturizer, is the key to the dewy, glass-skin look. It makes sense: If you continually allow your skin to get dry, signs of aging like fine lines and wrinkles are more likely to form, says Choi Bo Youn, director and head dermatologist at Dr. Skinny Clinic in Gangnam, Seoul. To avoid dryness from taking over, she continuously layers on moisturizer from the second she gets home from work to when she falls asleep at night.

But what are the best formulas for the job? It depends on the exact product, since the highly hydrating products below range from lightweight consistencies that feel like splashing your face with cold water to ultra-rich ones that blanket skin in buttery richness.

Our Top Picks:

• Best Overall: Belif The True Cream Aqua Bomb, $38
• Best for Dull Skin: Beauty of Joseon Dynasty Cream, $34
• Best for Dry Skin: Ohui Miracle Moisture Cream, $74
• Best for Mature Skin: Sulwhasoo Concentrated Ginseng Renewing Cream, $260
• Best for Oily Skin: Torriden Dive-In Low-Molecular Hyaluronic Acid Soothing Cream, $27
• Best for the Whole Family: Illiyoon Ceramide Ato Concentrate Cream, $29
• Best for Sensitive Skin: Iope Stem III Cream, $72
• Best Night Cream: By Wishtrend Vitamin A-mazing Bakuchiol Night Cream, $33
• Best for a Dewy Finish: Laneige Water Bank Blue Hyaluronic Cream Moisturizer, $40

Adding the best Korean moisturizer to your skin-care routine can also be a great way to make the most of buzzy ingredients, such as ectoin, panthenol, and propolis. Best of all, these moisturizers are from both Korean skin-care brands you probably already know and love, like Cosrx, Laneige, and Sulwhasoo, as well as up-and-coming beauty brands that people in Seoul can’t get enough of, such as Torriden, Round Lab, and Tirtir.

Best Overall: Belif The True Cream Aqua Bomb

Why It’s Worth It: One of the first Korean skin-care products Allure contributor and former digital beauty editor Devon Abelman used back in 2015 was none other than the Belif The True Cream Aqua Bomb. Now, she recommends it to friends when they ask for a recommendation for a lightweight moisturizer. “The gel-like formula absorbs in seconds, leaving skin feeling instantly refreshed,” she says. The formula has a base of the brand’s Napiers formulas, a blend of herbs chosen for their calming properties.

Editor Tip: Word on the street is that K-pop stars swear by this formula for their glass skin, although they can’t admit it due to endorsement deals.

Key Ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, calendula | Who It’s For: Everyone

Best for Dull Skin: Beauty of Joseon Dynasty Cream

Why It’s Worth It: Beauty of Joseon is one of the best Korean skin-care brands for honoring (and reimagining) the traditional skin-care ingredients used in K-beauty, like ginseng root water and rice bran water. This Beauty of Joseon Dynasty Cream is no exception, pairing an impressive 29% rice bran water — which is packed with amino acids and vitamin E — with squalane and niacinamide for brightening and evening out skin tone. “It has just the right consistency (lightweight but still packs a noticeable punch of hydration) that I can wear both in the daytime underneath makeup and at night, which is a huge plus for me,” says Allure commerce editor Sarah Han.

Editor Tip: Han is also a fan of the brand’s Ginseng Essence Water, which contains 80% of the antioxidant-rich ingredient and should be applied right after cleanser.

Key Ingredients: Rice bran water, ginseng root, squalane | Who It’s For: Those with dull or dehydrated skin

Best for Dry Skin: Ohui Miracle Moisture Cream

Why It’s Worth It: From one of the best-selling brands in Korea comes the Ohui Miracle Moisture Cream, which seems like just that: a miracle. The Miracle Moisture line uses a combination of peptides and ceramides to support the skin barrier and deeply nourish skin; this cushiony formula contains the maximum amount of an exclusive ceramide complex to moisturize for up to 24 hours.

Editor Tip: The ceramide complex houses ceramides 1, 3, and 6, which are naturally found in skin’s barrier, where they help seal in moisture.

Key Ingredients: Ceramides, peptides, peony extract | Who It’s For: People with dry or dehydrated skin

Best for Mature Skin: Sulwhasoo Concentrated Ginseng Renewing Cream

Why It’s Worth It: Drawing from decades of research, the Sulwhasoo Concentrated Ginseng Renewing Cream is infused with ginseng saponin and peptides, which help boost the circulation of your skin’s smallest blood vessels to promote collagen synthesis, according to cosmetic chemist Ginger King, which then improves overall elasticity. TL;DR This medicinal root is key to this moisturizer firming, lifting, and tightening mature complexions.

Editor Tip: Over in Seoul, Allure Korea has its very own Best of Beauty Awards, one of which Sulwhasoo Concentrated Ginseng Renewing Cream took home in 2022.

Key Ingredients: Ginseng saponin, peptides | Who It’s For: Those targeting signs of aging

Best for Oily Skin: Torriden Dive-In Low-Molecular Hyaluronic Acid Soothing Cream

Why It’s Worth It: One of the most talked-about moisturizers right now is Torriden’s Dive-In Low-Molecular Hyaluronic Acid Soothing Cream. You can find the sky-blue formula all over social media and even on the vanity of board-certified dermatologist Hee Jin Koh, MD, who is based in Clifton, New Jersey. Five types of hyaluronic acid of various molecular weights are joined by panthenol, aka vitamin B5, to boost skin’s moisture no matter what your skin type may be, she tells Allure. Plus, it has a featherlight gel-cream texture that doesn’t weigh down skin.

Editor Tip: Its lightweight feel and anti-inflammatory properties won’t irritate active breakouts further.

Key Ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, panthenol | Who It’s For: Those with oily skin

Best for Compromised Skin: Illiyoon Ceramide Ato Concentrate Cream

Why It’s Worth It: For skin sending out an SOS, reach for the Illiyoon Ceramide Ato Concentrate Cream. It pairs plant-derived ceramides with fatty acids and cholesterol — which make up the lipids in your skin barrier — in a formula with a low pH, matching skin’s acidic nature. It’s got the numbers to back up the claims, with clinical testing showing that it increases moisture levels by 328% immediately after application and reduces signs of irritation, including redness and itchiness.

Editor Tip: It’s gentle enough to use on babies, according to the brand.

Key Ingredients: Ceramides, fatty acids, cholesterol | Who It’s For: Anyone with reactive or sensitive skin

Best for Sensitive Skin: Iope Stem III Cream

Why It’s Worth It: What sets the Ipoe Stem III Cream apart is its proprietary Allanto-liposome, a combination of allantoin, allium cepa, and peptide that works to soothe, firm, and replenish the skin in a single application. Not only is it powerful, but it’s also incredibly gentle: Testing has confirmed it to be hypoallergenic and unlikely to cause skin or eye irritation.

Editor Tip: The formula is “9-free,” meaning it’s made without animal ingredients, mineral oil, fragrance, parabens, and other concerning ingredients.

Key Ingredients: Allanto-Complex, niacinamide, glycerin | Who It’s For: People with sensitivities

Best for All Skin Types: Round Lab Birch Moisturizing Cream

Why It’s Worth It: TikTok has been abuzz with glowing reviews for Round Lab’s Birch Moisturizing Sunscreen SPF 50+ because it has a deeply hydrating milkiness that feels far from the chalky, uncomfortable sunscreens of the past. The best-selling Korean sunscreen also comes in fluffy gel moisturizer form, the Birch Moisturizing Cream; it’s equally enjoyable to apply, drenching skin in non-irritating, antioxidant-rich birch tree sap, hyaluronic acid, and jojoba esters that offer revitalizing moisture for all skin types.

Editor Tip: Birch sap is packed with skin-beneficial ingredients, such as amino acids, lactic acid, and hyaluronic acid, all of which bolster the skin barrier.

Key Ingredients: Birch tree sap, panthenol, jojoba esters | Who It’s For: Everyone

Best for Redness: Beyond Angel Aqua Moisture Cream

Why It’s Worth It: Allure Korea editors hand-selected the Beyond Angel Aqua Moisture Cream as the winner of the moisturizing gel cream category for how quickly it quells redness and floods skin with moisture via bamboo juice and hyaluronic acid, respectively. They even recommend layering the water-based, oil-free formula over another moisturizer as an overnight hydrating mask.

Editor Tip: It cools skin on the spot, dropping skin’s surface temperature to alleviate the heat associated with inflammation.

Key Ingredients: Grapevine sap, hyaluronic acid, green tea extract | Who It’s For: People prone to redness and inflammation

Best for Acne-Prone Skin: Cosrx Advanced Snail 92 All In One Cream

Why It’s Worth It: The Cosrx Advanced Snail 92 All In One Cream helped popularize snail mucin when it launched almost a decade ago. Snail mucin (often labeled as snail secretion filtrate) helps this moisturizer calm inflammation and elevate hydration levels with naturally occurring hyaluronic acid, which is helpful when dealing with painful blemishes and parched skin alike — making it a particularly great choice for acne-prone skin or combination skin.

Editor Tip: To this day, this formula remains one of Cosrx’s best sellers, because the brand is constantly updating its packaging to make the formula more effective and accessible.

Key Ingredients: Snail mucin, hyaluronic acid | Who It’s For: Anyone with active breakouts

Best for Face and Body: Atopalm MLE Cream

Why It’s Worth It: Looking for a moisturizer that feels like you’re slathering your skin in the finest butter? Allure Korea editors love how this ultra-rich Atopalm MLE Cream fulfills that fantasy by melting into the skin to deliver instant, intense moisture. (You can use it on your body, too.) A medley of nourishing plant-based oils and five types of amino acids — “which are the building blocks for collagen production,” according to David Kim, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in New York City — helps make it happen.

Editor Tip: Its rich, nourishing nature makes it helpful for rough areas like elbows and knees.

Key Ingredients: Olive oil, jojoba seed oil, grape seed oil | Who It’s For: Anyone with dry skin

Best for a Dewy Finish: Laneige Water Bank Blue Hyaluronic Cream Moisturizer

Why It’s Worth It: Cosmetic chemist Asia Fee is a fan of Laneige’s Water Bank Blue Hyaluronic Cream, particularly in the summer. Thanks to mint leaf extract, the moisturizer instantly cools skin and has a lightweight consistency, she tells Allure. “But the real star is the ‘blue’ hyaluronic acid,” Fee points out. “Unlike typical hyaluronic acid, it’s derived through the biofermentation of sea algae, resulting in an amplified humectant.”

Editor Tip: The jar is refillable — a 50-milliliter pod costs $34, saving you $6 when you re-up.

Key Ingredients: Blue hyaluronic acid, panthenol, squalane | Who It’s For: People who prefer a light consistency

Best Fragrance-Free: Aestura A-Cica 365 Calming Cream

Why It’s Worth It: Alongside cica, moisture-locking panthenol and squalene power Aestura’s A-Cica 365 Calming Cream for complexion-comforting hydration. The cica in question doesn’t act alone — rather, it houses a complex called Cica BPM, which pairs the ingredient with beta-glucan to increase moisture, phytosterol to quell sensitivity, and madecassoside to support the skin barrier.

Editor Tip: Fans of the no-frills formula pair it with tretinoin to keep their skin from freaking out as it gets used to the retinoid.

Key Ingredients: Cica, beta-glucan, madecassoside | Who It’s For: People looking to buffer irritation

Best Night Cream: By Wishtrend Vitamin A-mazing Bakuchiol Night Cream

Why It’s Worth It: When K-beauty products bring retinol or its plant-based alternative bakuchiol (which we’ve been told is ideal for acne-prone or oily skin) to the table, you can bet that the formula isn’t going to wreak havoc on your skin. The By Wishtrend Vitamin A-mazing Bakuchiol Night Cream packs a gentle combination of retinaldehyde and bakuchiol to smooth, firm, and brighten skin as macadamia nut oil and seaweed extract immerses skin in moisture.

Editor Tip: This contains both bakuchiol and retinal, a type of retinoid that’s the most powerful strength short of a prescription.

Key Ingredients: Bakuchiol, macadamia nut oil, seaweed extract | Who It’s For: Those seeking the benefits of retinol without side effects

Best for a Matte Finish: Tirtir Rosemary One Cream

Why It’s Worth It: The Tirtir Rosemary One Cream is a favorite of Abelman. After a particularly aggressive exfoliating facial, her chin was left flaky and raw, but this repairing formula came to the rescue with just the velvety texture her skin needed. It’s spiked with rejuvenating rosemary, calming allantoin, and niacinamide-like ectoin to bring her skin barrier back to a healthy state, she says, adding that the sumptuous cream even gave her complexion a blurred matte effect that looked stunning over Zoom.

Editor Tip: The rosemary is sourced from Korea’s Jeju Island, which is known for its rich botanicals.

Key Ingredients: Rosemary, allantoin, ectoin | Who It’s For: Those who prefer a matte finish

Best Spot Treatment: Make P:rem Inteca Soothing Cream

Why It’s Worth It: Make P:rem Inteca Soothing Cream is a 2022 Allure Korea Best of Beauty winner that’s packed with the most active components of Centella asiatica (or cica for short), namely asiaticoside, asiatic acid, and madecassic acid, to calm and moisturize the angriest, most sensitive of skin on contact. The ingredients are nano-size to allow for deeper absorption into skin.

Editor Tip: The “P:rem” in the brand’s name stands for “pragmatic remedies” — exactly what we’re looking for in our skin care.

Key Ingredients: Asiaticoside, asiatic acid, madecassic acid | Who It’s For: Anyone with inflammation

Read more about the best K-beauty products:

• 21 Korean Makeup Finds You Can Add to Your Cart Right Now
• The 15 Best Cica Skin-Care Products to Seriously Soothe Skin
• Makeup Spatulas Are the Most Popular Beauty Product in Korea Right Now

Now, K-pop group Stray Kids break down their best music video beauty moments:

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