Korean skin care routines can get expensive at times. And, unless you are a multi-millionaire mogul, keeping up your skin care game is no small investment. There is a severe lack of affordable Korean beauty options for folks who are just starting to venture into space.
Lucky for us, K-beauty offers top-notch beauty products for a lot less than what you’d expect from luxury beauty brands. The formulations are effective and affordable!
The 10-step Korean skin care routines are effective and fun if you know what you are looking for. But, don’t panic even if you don’t have a detailed skin care regimen to take your skin from hot mess to flawless.
There are so many options and so little time, especially if you wanna know what works and what doesn’t.
So, here we have compiled the best Korean beauty skin care products that are affordable – all under $25 – so you can enjoy your skin care without worrying about going over-budget.
Water Cleansers
NEOGEN Real Fresh Green Tea Cleansing Stick ($22)
It’s a multi-purpose cleansing stick that can provide gentle exfoliation with its real green tea leaves. The cleansing stick is formulated with 13 natural oils to breakdown makeup, natural green tea leaves to exfoliate, and a low pH to gently cleanse your skin. This cleanser will lead the way to brighter, clearer skin. The packaging of this Korean beauty product is compact and travel-friendly to give you more radiant skin even when you are traveling.
SKINFOOD Egg White Pore Foam ($12.99)
It belongs to the SKINFOOD Egg Perfect Pore Line that uses functional food ingredients for a pore-less appearance. The specialized SKINFOOD Egg White Pore Foam can remove impurities and excessive oils for a smooth complexion. It contains pore-purifying amino acid-rich egg whites with deep cleansing properties.
Benton Tea Tree Cleansing Water ($15.20)
It’s a minimal Korean beauty product that contains only ten ingredients, thereby reducing the load on stressed skin. Benton Tea Tree Cleansing Water comprises 70% tea tree leaf water and oil, which has soothing, hydrating, and protective effects. It’s a fragrance-free, liquidy texture cleanser that is perfect for sensitive skin types.
Banila Co. Clean It Zero Foam Cleanser ($12.50)
The foam cleanser transforms into a rich and moisturizing foam that can deeply clean the skin impurities and moisturize the skin. Banila Co. Clean It Zero Foam Cleanser is infused with natural amino surfactants and Banila Co patent technology to soothe and maintain the skin moisture balance. You can effectively clean your skin without irritating skin with silky microfoam.
Oil Cleansers
Hanskin Pore Cleansing Balm (PHA) ($20)
It’s a 2-in-1 formula that gently exfoliates and keeps blackheads and dead skin away from your skin. The cleansing balm is made from naturally plant-derived plant oils that remove dirt and sebum from pores. It can also be used to remove makeup and leaving your skin feeling purified. Hanskin Pore Cleansing Balm is formulated with PHA, which is a gentle type of acid that is perfect for sensitive skin types also.
SKINFOOD Egg White Perfect Pore Cleansing Oil ($24)
Its a fresh cleansing oil that neatly removes thick makeup and softens skin texture without the stuffy feeling of oil. SKINFOOD Egg White Perfect Pore Cleansing Oil is a 5-in-1 function Korean beauty product. It can deeply cleanse, absorb sebum, remove impurities, purify pores, and refine pores. The cleansing oil is suited for people with oily skin having excessive sebum and pores.
Toners
Klairs Supple Preparation Toner ($22)
A bestseller from the Korean beauty brand, Klairs, Supple Preparation Toner, can hydrate and calm sensitive skin post-cleansing steps. It also tidies the skin texture to give you smooth skin while maintaining the skin pH balance. The toner is formulated with plant ingredients and extracts blended together for a calming formula. It is non-irritating and super-hydrating suitable for sensitive skin also.
SOME BY MI AHA-BHA-PHA 30Days Miracle Toner ($13.30)
An ideal toner to rescue your irritated skin, SOME BY MI AHA-BHA-PHA 30Days Miracle Toner contains real tea tree extracts. It’s good for skin exfoliation, pore tightening, hydration, and brightening skin tone. The Korean beauty toner also has some anti-wrinkle functions, and it only contains EWG safety rated ingredients.
Banila Co. Dear Hydration Toner ($16)
It’s a moisture charged toner that can hydrate your skin and remove impurities to maintain proper skin pH balance. Banila Co. Dear Hydration Toner is formulated with peppermint extract, which nourishes, purifies, and controls acne. It also contains holy basil extract and neem leaf extract that boost skin immunity and evens out skin tone, respectively.
ISNTREE Green Tea Fresh Toner ($18.99)
The toner can relieve skin stress and irritation to revitalize your skin. All the ingredients in the Korean beauty toner are EWG grade. ISNTREE Green Tea Fresh Toner is mainly formulated with green tea extract 80%, allantoin, natural extracts, hyaluronic acid, and Centella Asiatica extract. It’s a lightweight formulation, but it is still full of moisture.
Mizon Snail Repair Intensive Toner ($18.99)
It’s a snail boosting toner that restores the skin’s balance and vitality. The Mizon Snail Repair Intensive Toner has a transparent and watery formulation that provides instant flexibility without drying skin. It contains 30% snail slime, which helps in skin regeneration, wrinkle improvement, and skin hydration.
Serums and Ampoules
SOME BY MI Galactomyces Pure Vitamin C Glow Serum ($18.90)
The serum from the Korean beauty brand SOME BY MI can restore your skin’s youthful radiance and brighten the skin tone. It contains 3% pure ascorbic acid, and 75% galactomyces ferment filtrate that works together to brighten and hydrate the skin. The Galactomyces Pure Vitamin C Glow Serum can improve skin texture and boost elasticity.
THE PLANT BASE Waterfall Moist Balanced Hyaluronic Acid 100 ($19.99)
It’s a moisturizing ampoule that can be combined with other K-beauty products to boost its effects. Addition of THE PLANT BASE Waterfall Moist Balanced Hyaluronic Acid 100 to your routine will give your skin the much-needed hydration boost. It contains 100% pure sodium hyaluronate, which can better penetrate the skin and pump it with hydration.
Klairs Rich Moist Soothing Serum ($22.99)
Adding Klairs Rich Moist Soothing Serum to your Korean skin care routine will make your skin more gorgeous and healthiest-looking. With a fortifying blend of organic ingredients, including celery, carrot root, and broccoli extract, it replenishes your skin’s moisture levels without compromising the delicate nature of your skin.
Elensilia CPP French Propolis 82% Resistem Ampoule ($8.99)
The revitalizing ampoule is designed to give protection, firmness, skin-repair, and soothe skin. Its formulation is packed full of 82% propolis extract and other ingredients like niacinamide, Resistem, and berry extracts. The ampoule also improves complexion evenness and transparency for a refreshed looking skin.
Essence
ISNTREE Clear Skin 8% AHA Essence ($15.99)
It’s a no-rinse exfoliating liquid that gently removes dead skin cells and keratin to give you clear and smooth skin. ISNTREE Clear Skin 8% AHA Essence contains glycolic acid and lactic acid that work together to remove dead skin cells. Glycolic acid penetrates deep into the skin, and lactic acid helps in skin hydration. The formulation also contains soothing Centella Asiatica and hydrating hyaluronic acid.
Exfoliator
NEOGEN Dermalogy Real Cica Pad ($20)
Whenever you experience breakouts, toning and exfoliating might be the last thing in your mind. But, once you use these NEOGEN Dermalogy Real Cica Pad, you will change your mind. They are soaked with a popular K-beauty ingredient, Centella Asiatica extract, to soothe and smooth skin without causing any irritation. The super-fine fiber pads are immersed in a high concentration of cica repair essence containing Centella extract and PHA.
Masks
KLAVUU Nourishing Care Lip Sleeping Pack ($13.50)
A mask treatment to get rid of dry, flaky lips. The Korean beauty product is enriched with nourishing avocado, sweet almond, and apricot seed oils to make your lips soft and supple. KLAVUU Nourishing Care Lip Sleeping Pack is a mask with a silky texture and instantly soothes and refreshes dehydrated lips.
Mists
NEOGEN H2 Dermadeca Serum Spray ($19)
It’s an innovative fine serum mist that helped it win a 2017 Soko Glam Best of K-Beauty Winner. The NEOGEN H2 Dermadeca Serum Spray hydrates and repairs the skin in a flash. It contains 80% hydrogen and four different natural ingredients, including allantoin, madecassoside, vitamin C, and extractum cepae. The Korean face mist ingredients work together to brighten the skin and reduce signs of aging.
Acwell Licorice pH Balancing Essence Mist ($24)
It’s a companion K-beauty product to the Acwell’s Licorice pH Balancing Cleansing Toner. The mist has a milky texture that delivers an ultra-fine mist, and the formula is packed with nutrients. Star ingredients include saccharomyces ferment filtrate and licorice water and root extracts, bamboo water, and Centella Asiatica leaf water. The Acwell Licorice pH Balancing Essence Mist has brightening, moisture-locking, and soothing effects and its fragrance-free.
Moisturizer
Benton Aloe Propolis Soothing Gel ($15)
It’s a clean and straightforward formulation that contains aloe and propolis that help in soothing irritated skin. Benton Aloe Propolis Soothing Gel can also work wonders on fading acne scars, brightening skin tone, and even maintaining hydration all day long. It is a fragrance-free gel moisturizer that is ideal for all skin types, especially oily or congested skin.
Klairs Midnight Blue Calming Cream ($22)
It’s a gentle Korean beauty formulation that helps to calm extremely irritated and stressed skin. The cream is well suited for oily, acne-prone, and sensitive skin types. It can also be used to soothe sunburnt skin, or any irritation or redness post-shaving or spot extraction procedures. Klairs Midnight Blue Calming Cream contains Guaiazulene as the star ingredient. It is a powerful skin-calming agent, and it gives the cream a unique blue shade.
Check out other Korean beauty products inspired by the Pantone Color of the Year 2020.
Sun Protection
THANK YOU FARMER Sun Project Water Sun Cream ($23)
It’s a moisturizing sunscreen with a soft finish without the yucky stickiness. The cream has quick absorption and is formulated with natural ingredients and extracts. It offers SPF 50+ PA +++ sun protection and is perfect for all skin types. Sun Project Water Sun Cream has a creamy and moisturizing texture, and it leaves no white cast. It also targets signs of aging and keeps skin hydrated all day long.
SUNTIQUE I’m Pure Cica Suncream ($22)
It’s a physical sun blocker, but unlike most of the others, it is fast-absorbing, non-sticky, and non-greasy in texture. SUNTIQUE I’m Pure Cica Suncream provides broad-spectrum SPF 50 PA ++++ protection. It is an EWG green formulation that makes it perfect for sensitive skin types. Although it is a physical Korean sunscreen, it does not contain any of the harmful ingredients like oxybenzone, phthalate, paraben, and chemical UV filters.
K-beauty doesn’t have to be stressful! Finding the best products for your skin type and budget is possible with a little bit of help.
What are your current K-beauty budget-friendly favorites? Let us know, we’re always looking to try something new!
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