Korean women are known for their soft, glowy skin, and if you’ve been wondering how they can manage to have such healthy skin all the time, you’ve come to the right place. Korean Beauty has been around for quite a while in Asia, but it’s just starting to blow up in the rest of the world. Over the past few years, more and more women have been transitioning to this 10 step skin care routine.


Yes, you heard it right, ten steps. It may seem a little too excessive, but you won’t be saying that when you see the difference, it makes to your skin. Best part, it doesn’t matter what skin type you have, oily, dry or combination, this K-beauty routine can be made to fit anyone.

1.    Oil Based Cleanser

There you have your first purchase. If you are someone who uses facial wipes to take their makeup off and runs straight to bed, well, now’s the time to change. Using just a makeup wipe after having spent all day in makeup will not do anything in favor of your skin. There may not be makeup on your face visible to you, but scoot in a little closer and you’ll see that your skin is not as clean as you think. Oil cleansers are amazing at removing makeup. If this weren’t a double cleansing routine, you’d be done right about now.

Oiled based cleansers are very simple to use. Just massage a dollop sized amount on to your dry face, and it will get everything off, including waterproof mascara. You may look the opposite of clean while massaging it on, but it won’t be so when you rinse off the product with warm water.

2.    Water Based Cleanser

Double cleaning is a must. For all the women out there scared of the breakouts an oil based cleanser may cause you, here’s your solution. Any excess oil or left over gunk on your skin will be removed when you use a second cleanser, and it will make your skin feel super clean without feeling dry and tight. After all, as many Korean women believe, proper cleansing is the key to a radiant complexion. You can use products like Garnier Micellar water for this purpose. Be gentle on your skin when using cleansers. Stick to soft circular motions instead of rubbing which will only cause more damage to your skin.

3.    Exfoliating

Should be a very important step in your routine. You can choose to use a chemical exfoliant or a scrub depending on what suits your skin the best. This isn’t a step you need to do every single day, you can, but it’s really not necessary. It may make your skin too sensitive so be careful with this one. Don’t shy away from exfoliating because of your skin type, just use a gentle exfoliator once or twice a week. The only thing to be careful about when exfoliating is to not push too hard on your skin especially if you have acne. Also, avoid using scrubs with micro beads in them.

4.    Toners

Do you think toners are just scented waters? They’re not. They may be very thin in consistency, water like, but that does not mean that you can just skip them. They are in fact very important. Toners are a great solution for rehydrating your skin after all that cleansing. You need a tiny amount to rehydrate and balance the pH levels of your skin. Just spray some on your face and pat it in. They are great for your skin regardless of skin type and at the very least, using a toner will make your face feel refreshed.

5.    Essence 

It is not a very popular choice outside of Korean beauty. Not very many brands have come up with a range of essence perhaps because they are still quite new to the western world. Most of us don’t even know what an essence is supposed to do. Well, essence is that miracle step most people miss that repairs your skin without making it feel heavy and all you have to do, is use it the same way you would use a toner. It also increases elasticity and tightens your skin for a more youthful look.

6.    Serum or Ampoules

Serums can penetrate deep into the skin and deliver a high concentration of ingredients. Similarly, ampoules are used when you need an immediate solution to a problem like uneven skin tone or dullness of the skin. Used regularly, it will make a noticeable difference and you’ll never go back. Serums have a little thicker consistency so you don’t have to worry about it sliding off your face. Just like the other products, you only need a pea sized amount. And this is something you can do daily!

7.    Facial Sheet Masks

Who would’ve thought this day would come where you’d use face masks every day? Well, it hasn’t come. Although, a lot of women do use a facial mask every day as part of their 10 step skin care routine, it doesn’t always suit everybody. Most face masks are packed with very strong ingredients and using them every single day without allowing your skin to breathe may make you breakout. It is best to start slow here, and use a face mask twice a week and see how it goes from there. If your skin needs more hydration, add another one. You can also switch to homemade face masks, I have already shared a super recipe for Avocado Face mask in my previous posts you can also try it.

8.    Eye cream

Prevention is better than cure and that is especially for our eyes. Once the fine lines and puffiness develops, it can be very hard to get rid of and it can make you look sick or tired sometimes. Eye creams should be used daily to avoid those dark circles and other problems. The skin around your eyes is delicate so do not rub, but gently dab on the product and let it sink in. Try not to get the eye cream in your eyes, avoid the waterline. There’s a huge range of eye creams available so any concern you may have, there’s most definitely a solution for it.

9.    Moisturizer

This is one product you can use heavily. It doesn’t matter how clean your face is, if it isn’t hydrated it will make you look dull and tired. Whether you have dry or oily skin, moisturizers should be used by every woman and on every skin type. Using a moisturizer will seal in all those other layers and help you achieve beautiful skin.

10.    SPF

It is not something you want to miss if you’re out in the sun a lot. Sun damage can make your skin look disastrous. It can leave you with patches, fine lines, hyper pigmentation and other problems that are very hard to cure. Use a sunscreen with a high SPF and be generous with it. Also, do not forget to reapply every 4 hours if you’ve been in water. You can skip this step when doing the routine but never, ever, forget to apply it during the day.

Soko Glam is a popular Korean beauty website. If finding 10 Korean products on your own seems hard, head on over to there for some skin care kits for all skin types. Korean beauty might sound expensive at first, but it’s not too much to ask when it saves you from years or regret and dermatologist visits. If you’re afraid to start using 10 products, add them into your routine one by one, and that will avoid irritating your skin, and if a product doesn’t work for you, you’ll know which one it is.