The Korean 10-step Skincare Routine might seem intimidating, but we demystify the ritual here. We'll break down each step and explain its benefits so that you can achieve the same enviable complexion as Korean women.
We will also ensure no animals are harmed, so only cruelty-free or vegan recommendations will be used 🙂
But what is the Korean 10-step skincare routine?
The Korean 10-step skincare routine involves cleansing, exfoliating, toning, applying essences, serums, masks, eye cream, moisturizer, and sunscreen to achieve clear and healthy skin.
Intrigued by the lengthy rituals of Korea’s most beautiful K-pop and K-drama stars, Let’s find out the what, when, and how of the 10-step Skincare Routine so you can create your own.
What is Korean Beauty’s 10-step skincare routine?
Korean Beauty’s 10-step Skincare Routine is a widely used sequence of steps that create near-flawless, glowing skin.
Its popularity soared globally in 2018, and despite some predictions that it would die down, many people are still curious about the 10-step Skincare Routine. Mostly due to the amazing results devotees get and share online.
While the 10-step Skincare Routine only applies to the topical part of a beauty regime, achieving the desired results takes dedication over time.
“It’s the lifestyle and mindset behind skin that’s really getting people interested in Korean skin-care rituals,” says Cho, founder of SokoGlam and author of The Little Book of Skincare.
For some, it may involve dietary and sleep changes because beauty may be only skin deep, but health must be a priority for your skin to look its best.
Health is a huge part of Korea’s beauty mindset.
As for fitting in 10 steps every morning and night, please know that this number is just a guide. Many K-beauty skincare enthusiasts only do the full 10-Step Skincare Routine 2- 3 times a week and cut down to 7 or 8 steps daily.
To find out which steps you should stick to more regularly, go to Do you Need All 10 Steps?
If you aren’t familiar with the steps, keep reading to find what they are, plus vegan product recommendations from cruelty-free brands.
Step 1- Make-up Remover, Oil Cleanser or Balm Cleanser
Benefits of Oil Cleansers
Oil or balm cleansers remove oil-based impurities like sebum, sweat, makeup, and SPF. They also help urban dwellers with daily pollution in the air- especially important for people in Korea, where the air quality hasn’t always been the best.
It’s important to note that oil and balms hydrate the skin while they clean. Traditional makeup removers often leave skin feeling dry and tight because they strip the skin of natural oils. This is because Western makeup companies historically used alcohol in makeup remover.
Ugh.
How to Use Oil and Balm Cleansers
Apply a bit of oil cleanser to the palms before gently massaging the oil into dry skin. For a balm, you can use a spatula (some brands provide them) to scoop some product out of the tub before warming it between the hands by rubbing them together.
Then wet your hands and keep massaging- the cleanser will become milky. Either rinse the oil or remove it using a muslin cloth or face cloth when you see no more makeup.
As most K-beauty brands use natural ingredients that give beautiful scents, inhaling the product’s fragrance before you begin can add some aromatherapy to your skincare ritual.
Popular Oil Cleanser Ingredients to Look For
How do these cleansers remove makeup, SPF, and dirt so well and stay gentle? Special ingredients like macadamia oil, jojoba oil, grape seed, and shea butter oil as bases.
These cleansers often have ingredients to target your needs, like:
If you’re adding salicylic acid to your 10-step Skincare Routine in a wash-off cleanser, you shouldn’t need to worry about other ingredients that counteract it.
Vegan & Cruelty-Free Oil Cleansers
Brand | Skin Types | Vegan | Certification |
|---|---|---|---|
Glow Recipe - Papaya Sorbert Enzyme Cleansing Balm | All, hypoallergenic | Yes | Leaping Bunny |
Dear, Klairs - Gentle Black Fresh Cleansing Oil | All, safe for sensitive | Yes | PETA, KARA |
Step 2- Water or Gel Cleanse
Benefits of Water and Gel Cleansers
While the oil in oil or balm cleansers combine with the oily substances, there might still be small traces of dirt and impurities left. A bit part of 10-step K-Beauty skincare routines is being thorough, especially with cleansing.
This is where the concept of double cleansing is key. Water-based or gel-based cleansers have foaming actions that remove residual dirt, sweat, or chemicals from products like SPF.
How to use Water and Gel Cleanser
These cleansers are fairly simple to use. Most are applied to wet skin and massaged until the foaming action happens.
A top skincare tip we’ve seen shared is to go through each cleansing step for at least 1 minute.
Popular Water Cleanser Ingredients to Look For
Water-based cleansers don’t all necessarily foam; some are more creamy or even whipped in consistency. These would be better for sensitive and dry skin.
Popular choices are:
Foaming cleansers can be quite drying and strip the skin of natural oils, so look out for gentle ones that won’t disrupt the PH balance of your skin. This advice holds true; even if you have oily or acne-prone skin, pick a cleanser labeled as low PH.
Look out for:
Vegan & Cruelty-Free Water Cleansers
Brand | Skin Types | Vegan | Certification |
|---|---|---|---|
Dear, Klairs - Rich Moist Foaming Cleanser | All, safe for sensitive | Yes | PETA, KARA |
Benton - Tea Tree Cleansing Water | All, safe for sensitive | Yes (brand is not) | PETA |
Krave Beauty - Matcha Hemp Hydrating Cleanser | All, hypoallergenic | Yes | Leaping Bunny |
Step 3- Exfoliate
Benefits of Exfoliation
Exfoliation removes dead skin cells and other debris from the surface of the skin. You may have noticed that your skin feels smoother and softer after exfoliation. In the long run, regular exfoliation ensures skin is not congested, minimizing breakouts and blemishes.
Another benefit of exfoliation is it helps products get where they need to go. Instead of your precious skincare just reaching dead skin cells, where it would be wasted, this helps nourishing ingredients can work their magic.
It’s very important to note that exfoliation is not a daily step- very few people have skin that stands up to daily exfoliation without becoming sensitized or damaging the skin barrier. Stick to 2-3 times a week for this step.
How to use Exfoliators.
The product instructions are always the best guide, but scrubs or polishes are gently massaged into the face.
There are light gel exfoliators that mimic the effect of professional peels with low enough chemical levels to ensure the skin will not react badly.
Liquid options are applied with cotton pads, and some ingenious brands have pads already saturated with light acid solutions that are gently wiped over the face. Please check the packaging to see whether your products must be rinsed off or left overnight.
Very importantly- always use sun protection and reduce sun exposure after using chemical exfoliators.
Popular Exfoliator Ingredients to Look For
AHAs have a higher risk of irritation and reactions, so look for brands with lower formula percentages. Other chemical exfoliators are related to salicylic acid, which tends to be less irritating than AHAs.
Vegan & Cruelty-Free Exfoliators
Brand | Skin Types | Vegan | Certification |
|---|---|---|---|
Dear, Klairs - Gentle Black Sugar Facial Polish | All | Yes | PETA, KARA |
iUNIK - Lime Moisture Mild Peeling Mask | All, safe for sensitive | Yes (brand is not) | PETA |
Krave Beauty - Kale-lalu-AHA Gentle AHA exfoliator | All | Yes | PETA |
COSRX - Two in One Poreless Power Liquid | All, hypoallergenic | Yes (brand is not) | PETA |
Step 4- Toner
Benefits of Toners
Toner removes any residue- products or otherwise- and repairing the skin barrier, so it’s ready for the next steps in your 10-step skincare routine. Toner does this by hydrating.
Western toners were generally astringent and drying thanks to alcohol until K-beauty's recent influence on skincare. Korean toners focus on hydration so that the nutrients in the products that follow are fully absorbed.
Toners can be applied with cotton pads, splashed or patted into the skin, or sprayed over the face.
This step is ONLY recommended 2-3 times a week.
Popular Toner Ingredients to Look For
Aloe, citric acid, licorice, tea tree, and galactomytes are all popular in toners from Korean Beauty brands.
Vegan & Cruelty-Free Toners
Brand | Skin Types | Vegan | Certification |
|---|---|---|---|
Dear, Klairs - Supple Preparation Unscented Toner | All, safe for sensitive | Yes | PETA |
Peach & Lilly The Good Acids Pore Toner | All | Yes | Leaping Bunny |
Then I Met You Birch Milk Refining Toner | All | Yes (brand is not) | PETA |
[I’m From] Rice Toner | All | Yes (brand is not) | PETA, KARA |
Step 5- Essence
The Benefits of Essences
Essences provide a concentrated, lightweight burst of hydration. These skincare powerhouses contain complexion-enhancing, anti-aging, protective, and moisturizing ingredients.
The idea with both toners and essences is to prepare the skin- think of a dried sponge trying to clean, compared to a damp sponge.
This step is the beginning of layering hydration- a concert that's crucial to achieving Glass Skin.
How to use Essences
Like toners, essences are sprinkled onto hands, patted into the skin, or sprayed over the face.
Popular Essence Ingredients to Look For
The ingredients you look for in essences will depend on your skin goals.
Vegan & Cruelty-Free Essences
Brand | Skin Types | Vegan | Certification |
|---|---|---|---|
I’m From - Mugwort Essence | All | Yes (Certified by Vegan Society) | PETA |
COSRX - Galactomytes 95 Tone Balancing Essence | All | Yes (brand is not) | PETA |
Peach & LilyWild Dew Treatment Essence | All | Yes | Leaping Bunny |
Step 6- Treatments
Benefits of Treatments
Serums, ampules, boosters, and treatment oils target specific concerns like blemishes, correcting dark spots and hyperpigmentation, or preventing signs of aging.
These generally have slightly thicker textures than the previous products. The rule of thumb to layer products in a 10-step skincare routine is to start with the lightest texture and work towards the heaviest or thicker textures.
How to Use Treatments
This depends on the products, and dermatologists and skincare brands differ here. Most of these products come with droppers except for single-use ampoules. Ampoules are like uber-serums.
These formulas would usually oxidize and degrade too quickly to stay shelf stable in long-term storage- like your medicine cabinet!
One way is to hover the dropper over your skin and let a few drops fall on the skin before pressing in gently. NEVER, and we mean never, let the dropper touch your skin.
For thicker textures and oils, some professionals recommend dropping the product into your hands to warm the product before pressing in.
Popular Treatment Ingredients to Look For
Vegan & Cruelty-Free Treatments
Brand | Skin Types | Vegan | Certification |
|---|---|---|---|
Dear, Klairs - Freshly Juiced Vitamin Drop | All, safe for sensitive | Yes | PETA, KARA |
iUNIK - Beta-Glucan Power Moisturizing Serum | Combination, dry and aging | Yes | Leaping Bunny |
Glow Recipe - Guava Vitamin C Dark Spot Serum | All | Yes | PETA |
Dear, Klairs - Midnight Blue Youth Activating Drop | All | Yes | PETA, KARA |
Step 7- Sheet Masks
Benefits of Sheet Masks
Now that the skin is well prepared and ready to take in some serious nourishment, a sheet mask can deliver the extracts and active ingredients deep into the surface of the skin.
Sheet masks come in varieties to cater to all skin types, concerns, and needs. These paper or lightweight fabric masks are soaked in serum, essence, or ampule solutions, and wearing them for a longer time gives the skin a chance to absorb nutrients fully.
And it encourages us to pause and take a quiet moment- always a plus!
How to Use Sheet Masks
This part of the 10-step skincare routine must only be done 2-3 times a week.
Masks are applied over the skin, using the wholes as a guide around the eyes, nostrils, and mouth. Some masks have cut-aways to help accommodate different features so anyone can use them.
After the specified amount of time, remove the mask, and if there's any excess solution, gently massage it into the face.
Top tip! After putting the mask on, massage any excess liquid into the hands.
Popular Sheet Mask Ingredients to Look For
Sheet masks come in a huge variety across hundreds of K-Beauty brands.
This might not be part of your everyday 10-step Korean Beauty routine, so you could pick one of your lesser concerns and let that guide which ingredients you choose.
If you’re cruelty-free or vegan, watch out for ingredients like honey, bee propolis, royal jelly, and pearls, as these are all animal-derived ingredients. Some can still be cruelty-free, like honey.
Before buying, double-check on the brand's website or by contacting customer services.
Vegan & Cruelty-Free Sheet Masks
Brand | Skin Types | Vegan | Certification |
|---|---|---|---|
Dear, Klairs - Rich Moist Soothing Tencel Sheet Mask | All, safe for sensitive skin | Yes | PETA, KARA |
Benton - Soothing Aloe Sheet Mask | All, especially sensitive | Yes | PETA |
By Wishtrend - Natural Vitamin 21.5 Enhancing Sheet Mask | All | Yes | PETA |
Step 8- Eye Cream
Benefits of Eye Cream
The skin around the eye is the most delicate on the face, so it’s often the first place to show dehydration, illness, a bad nights sleep or signs of aging.
This is why a product dedicated to hydrating the skin around the eye is vital to the 10-step skincare routine.
Many K-Beauty brands offer eye creams that moisturize and reduce puffiest but are also extremely gentle and non-irritating
How to Use Eye Creams
To apply, do a small amount around the orbital, and use the ring finger tap the product around the whole eye area. Never rub!
Your ring finger has the least strong muscles, and this avoids unnecessary tugging or pulling that could damage the skin with daily repetition.
Popular Eye Cream Ingredients to Look For
The ingredients you want in an eye all depend on what you want for the eye area.
If you’re vegan, avoid adding snail mucin, royal jelly, or propolis to eye creams.
Vegan & Cruelty-Free Eye Creams
Brand | Skin Types | Vegan | Certification |
|---|---|---|---|
Dear, Klairs - Fundamental Nourishing Eye Butter | All, safe for sensitive skin | Yes | PETA, KARA |
Glow Recipe - Avacado Melt Retinol Eye Cream | All, especially oily and acne prone | Yes | PETA |
Step 9- Moisturize
Benefits of Moisturizers
Whether its an emulsion, gel, lotion, cream, oil or sleeping mask, moisturizers lock in every bit of hydration and nutrients from the steps before.
As the same suggests, moisturizer does add more moisture. But if you’ve ever found that a product feels good when you first apply it, but hours later you feel dryness, you’ll understand the importance of this step.
Following the process in this order helps to plump the skin and fine lines. It also helps repair and support the skin barrier- one of the many reasons the 10-step skincare routine has stayed on the map.
It’s also one step closer to that Glass Skin look!
How to Use Moisturizers
Pat into face and neck every morning and evening.
You might opt for a lighter moisturizer during the day and something richer at night.
Popular Moisturizer Ingredients to Look For
There are many incredible ingredients, but
If you’re vegan, watch out for propolis from bees (again!) and snail mucin.
While snail trails have benefits that have been used for centuries, harvesting that slime isn’t always humane. Find out which brands invest in methods that don’t prematurely end the snail's lives.
Vegan & Cruelty-Free Mousturizers
Brand | Skin Types | Vegan | Certification |
|---|---|---|---|
iUNIK - Rose Galactomytes Silky Tone Up Cream | All | Yes | PETA |
By Wishtrend - Vitamin A-mazing Bakuchiol Night Cream | All | Yes, brand is not. | PETA |
Dear, Klairs - Midnight blue Calming Cream | All, safe for sensitive skin | Yes | PETA, KARA |
Step 10- Sun protection
Benefits of Sunscreen
Korean beauty products often include high-SPF sunscreens. Still, a separate broad-spectrum sunscreen is always included for the day.
Pale skin has been a beauty standard in Korea for hundreds of years. Even as the colorism part of those standards slowly shifts, Koreans know that the sun causes most aging.
With a ‘prevention is better than cure’ mindset, covering up from the sun’s rays and daily SPF have been a part of the Korean lifestyle for generations. So, K-Beauty sunscreens are superior to those in the west.
The textures are lightweight, non-comedogenic (won’t clog your pores), seldom leave a white cast, and contain skincare ingredients.
While the Covid19 pandemic and its subsequent lockdowns taught us the importance of healthy sun exposure, we’ve known for decades that the sun demands respect. It's imperative to wear a high SPF every single day!
Want to know how else Western Beauty sizes up to K-Beauty? Find out in Western vs Korean Beauty: Which One Reigns Supreme?
How to Use Sunscreen
Gently pat onto the face, neck, and decolletage as the last part of your 10-step skincare routine. Don’t forget the tops of your ears!
Popular Sunscreen Ingredients to Look For
K-beauty brands love these next ingredients because they give the product a lightweight, almost airy feel, so the skin glows instead of being shiny. And they won’t clog pores!
These Korean skincare wonders are:
Are you an environmentally concerned citizen? Zinc Oxide is a popular sunscreen ingredient, but it's not reef safe because of its natural bleaching action. Rather find an SPF with titanium dioxide.
Vegan & Cruelty-Free Sunscreens
Brand | Skin Types | Vegan | Certification |
|---|---|---|---|
Glow Recipe - Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Sunscreen SPF50 | All | Yes | PETA |
Krave Beauty - Beet The Sun SPF 40 PA+++ | All, safe for sensitive skin | Yes, brand is not. | PETA |
Dear, Klairs - All -day Airy Sunscreen | All, safe for sensitive skin | Yes | PETA, KARA |
Do K-Beauty 10-step routines really work for all skin types?
A 10-step K-Beauty routine is ideal for combination and dry skin because it’s all about hydration, and many Korean Brands have ranges to balance skin.
Skincare can be daunting if you have sensitive skin, but this advice applies to every skin type: add one new product at a time to see how your skin reacts.
Beauty Editors say it takes 6 weeks to see if your skin works well with a new formula, which makes sense because that's how long it takes for new skin cells to form and die off. Use that 6 weeks as a guide between adding new steps and products.
Oily and acne-prone skin needs the most help when it comes to building its 10-step skincare routine. But these glowly Glass Skin results can be yours too. Remember that using a product incorrectly or too long could exacerbate the issue!
Oily and Acne-prone Do’s and Don’ts
Build your own K-Beauty 10-step skincare routine
Many brands have ranges for specific skin times and concerns. Some even have bundles and kits ready if you don’t want to work all 10 steps on your own.
We think of it as five distinct sections: cleanse, prepare, nourish, treat, and protect.
Start by slowly incorporating new products and replace current ones as your old ones as used up. The process of your own unique routine to get Glass Skin is trial and error, not foolproof.
Active ingredients that shouldn’t be used together
Active Ingredient | Do Mix | Don't Mix |
|---|---|---|
Glycerine is number 1, and in most HA products , | None! Hyaluronic Acid is a friend to all | |
Niacinamide | Glycolic Acid | Vitamin C |
Glycolic Acid (AHA) | Lactic acid and malic acid | Vitamin C |
Salicylic Acid (BHA) | Ceramides | Vitamin C |
Vitamin C | SPF and antioxidants | Retinol |
When building your 10-step K-Beauty skincare routine, it’s important to know which active ingredient work well together and which counteract each other.
Do you need all 10 steps?
Not necessarily! Focus on starting with essentials and taking time to see what works for your skin and lifestyle.
It does not have to be all Korean Beauty products, so if you have products you like already that are available locally- use those.
If gaps in your 10-step skincare routine exist, you could look to K-Beauty to fill them in. Many Western brands have looked to K-Beauty innovation for ‘inspiration’, but these dupes often miss out on inferior crucial ingredients.
It's also good to know that you don’t need to do all the steps all of the time.
Now that you know this, our daily ritual could be closer to 5- 8 steps.
Remember that exfoliation and masks only need to be done 2 to 3 times a week, depending on skin tolerance and sensitivity. Gentle is always preferred over going harsh!
Conclusion
Korea’s 10-step beauty routine is a boon for repairing, hydrating, and preventing future damage. Understanding each step and being armed with ingredient and product recommendations should get you to the right start.
Remember that the 10-step Skincare Routine is just one part of wellness and a healthy lifestyle in Korean culture. Skin radiates when it all comes together, and Glass Skin is the result.
Not every step needs to be followed every day- or by every person- but a 10-step Skincare Routine can be a part of your life that stays in keeping with your values, even if you’re cruelty-free and vegan.