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Want glowing skin like your favourite K-pop celeb? Well given their disposable skincare budget it might be a little unrealistic for most of us mere mortals. But the good news is that it is still possible to achieve flawless skin just by following a religious Korean skincare routine for day and night.
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There is a lot of buzz around the concept of Korean and Asian skincare these days. And with it – a lot of confusion. Most articles about Korean skincare focus on the high number of possible steps that any skincare routine can contain, which can be overwhelming for newcomers.
The truth is that you can have a minimalist Korean skincare routine without hoarding 100s of serums, ampules, ferments, or essences. It is still advisable to have some variance in your day and night skincare routine, and that is exactly what this article will focus on.
Why do you need different Korean skincare routines for day and night?
It really depends on your skin’s needs and your lifestyle and your willingness to put effort into skincare.
As you may already know, Asian skincare is extremely insistent on sun protection. A typical morning Korean skincare routine ends with a high SPF and PA sunscreen.
If you wear makeup while you’re out and about during the daytime, you certainly want to properly cleanse your skin to remove makeup, sunscreen and all that dirt that gathered on your face, before you begin your Korean skincare routine for the night.
In a nightly Korean skincare routine, you may also want to treat your skin with actives which are otherwise not suitable for use during day time. Many Asian skincare fans end their nightly Korean skincare routine with a heavy moisturiser or a night mask.
That’s why it is very common to have two different Korean skincare routines day and night.
So right from essences to sheet masks, Korean beauty products are a rage. Check out the unique Korean skincare routine for day and night right here!
Morning Korean Skincare Routine
Follow the morning Korean skincare routine through these 10 easy steps to add in your daily routine.
You will notice that we have marked some steps as optional only. We believe that it is the carefully selected ingredients and NOT the number of steps or products that are essential in any skincare routine – Korean or otherwise.
Step 1: Wash your face with water
Washing with lukewarm water is sufficient for removing overnight oil built up. Most of the time you can get away with just a few splashes of water on your face.
Using a harsh soap or face wash on your face can dry up your skin which could not only damage your moisture barrier but also lead to acne. Water is gentle, and thus the best for washing the face in the morning Korean routine without stripping away the precious oils from your skin.
If you really really want a squeaky clean face, then opt for a low ph face wash at the very least.
If you want to understand the science of skin’s ph levels, then read our in-depth guide here.
Step 2: Balance your pH level with a Toner
Water may hydrate your skin but a toner ensures that the PH levels of the skin are always balanced. Toners are fluid solutions made with properties that balance the pH of the skin.
A good pH balance prevents dehydration of the skin. Toner is also a good base that helps improve the absorption of other skin products on the next steps.
These hydrating toners are formulated with humectants, the most common one being hyaluronic acid. A humectant is a compound that is hygroscopic, meaning that it attracts and retains water.
Most Asian toners also have other fun and beneficial ingredients added in such as plant extracts and propolis. Note that, toners are often called “lotion” in AB nomenclature. So if you see the word lotion while shopping for your morning Korean skincare routine, it is likely referring to hydrating toner.
Find the best pH balancing toner for your Korean skincare routine
Step 3: Treat your skin for any specific issues
These are now the advanced steps in your Korean skincare routine.
You know all those, essences, serums, ampoules, and emulsions you keep hearing about? These awesome things act as a vehicle of delivery for different active ingredients to target various skin issues. Bear in mind that many of these products are optional.
Step 3.1: Essence (Optional)
An essence comes in several forms, but it is commonly a water-based product that typically comes after a toner.
Essences are very light and are meant to go immediately after a toner. Essences often have fermented ingredients in them and are useful for brightening and hydrating.
Step 3.2: Ampoule (Optional)
Ampoules are luscious hydrating skincare treatments that promote skin health and restoration.
They are highly concentrated essences or serums and can be used as a spot or area treatment due to their potency. Depending on the ampoule, it can go either before your serums or after essences.
Step 3.3: Serum (Optional)
Serums are water-based or oil-based skin products with a higher concentration of active ingredients. They often contain a few targeted ingredients such as Niacinamide, plant extracts, propolis etc. and can vary widely in their thickness and ingredient profile.
Concerns such as wrinkles and dark spots are tackled by the application of concentrated formulas making up serums.
Step 4: Eye cream (Optional)
Due to the lack of sebaceous glands around the eye, there is no production of natural oils around this area. Thus, the skin around the eye is the thinnest, delicate and prone to cracking. That’s why applying eye cream ensures the eye is well-hydrated and protected.
However, if you wish you keep your Korean skincare routine minimal then you can skip this step and just use the right heavy moisturiser instead.
Step 5: Moisturise
Moisturisers are rich creamy substances that lubricate the skin. These are also made to suit various skin types so as to prevent acne, dryness, etc.
Korean women use moisturisers in their daily routine because of their soothing properties to hydrate the skin all day long. Moisturiser needs to be thinly applied over the face.
Step 6: Sunscreen
Sunscreen protects the skin from the harsh UVA & UVB rays which can cause damage to the skin. These can also prevent ageing spots, and wrinkles basically photo ageing and also help decrease skin cancer risk.
Contrary to the popular belief that sunscreen is applied only on sunny days, there is significant proof that sunscreen MUST be applied daily – even on cloudy rainy days as well if you spend a lot of time sitting in daylight e.g. in an office with large windows which lets sunlight in.
Wearing sunscreen is extra important if you are using actives or exfoliating in any manner because exfoliation makes your skin slightly thinner, which allows more UV light to penetrate.
Read more about Asian sunscreens in our detailed article
Nighttime Korean Skincare Routine
A nightly Korean skincare routine repeats most of the morning routine. Only with heavier products so you go to bed with well-hydrated skin in preparation for the following morning. Also, the night Korean routine is here to remove makeup in the most natural way!
Step 1: First cleanser
The first cleanser that you use on your face is aimed at removing the oil-based products from your last routine. Moisturisers, sunscreen and makeup all contain fatty acids which are not water-soluble and therefore require an oil-based cleanser to remove.
If you are familiar with basic chemistry, you will have heard of a term known as “like dissolves like”. Water, H2O, is a polar compound which means that it has both a positive charge and negative charge and therefore it binds to other polar compounds (e.g. salts, alcohols). On the other hand, oil is non-polar, it is made up of a long carbon chain with many hydrogen atoms attached to it and is negatively charged.
Step 2: Second cleanser
The second cleanser is a water-based formulation that is intended to remove any remaining residue and help maintain your skin health. Because the second cleanser is water-based, this means it has a pH specific to it.
Most AB second cleansers are formulated with a pH close to that of skin, as a high pH can not only disrupt the acid mantle of the skin, it can ultimately lead to less-than-optimal skin flora, which often leads to breakouts and irritation.
Step 3: Exfoliate
The use of a chemical exfoliant or an exfoliation tool in order to remove dead skin cells from the surface of the skin is referred to as exfoliation.
Your skin naturally sheds dead skin cells every 30 days or so to make room for new cells. Exfoliation come in handy to remove the dead cells that just can’t shed completely.
If those dead cells don’t shed completely pores get clogged, skin becomes flaky and visible patches can grow. Thus exfoliation is such an important step in the Korean nighttime skincare routine.
Chemical exfoliants are the go-to in Asian skincare also commonly called actives.
The term “actives” is really just short for “active ingredient”, which means a biologically active pharmaceutical compound. All the skincare actives promote exfoliation of the skin, that is shedding of old cells and removal of proteins, but they do so in slightly different ways.
Some of the most common types of actives are AHA, BHA, Vitamin C, Azelaic acid or Retinoids.
Step 4: Toner
Your skin may end up messing up some ph levels even with a low pH cleanser. You can balance it by using a hydrating ph balancing moisturiser.
Asian toners are essentially meant to
a) preserve your acid mantle,
b) draw water into and around your skin and
c) prepare your skin for absorbing subsequent layers.
Most Korean toners may also have other beneficial ingredients such as plant extracts and propolis. After double cleansing, you definitely want to use a toner to balance your skin’s pH.
Step 5: Skin Treatments (Optional, but highly recommended)
As described in the morning Korean skincare routine section, skin treatment products are highly recommended. Just make sure to get a product that resolves some specific skin issues for you.
You can apply an essence that brightens, with a serum that targets signs of ageing, and an ampoule that addresses redness. That’s what makes Asian skincare so effective for so many!
Step 5.1: Essence
Essences are very light and are meant to go immediately after a toner. Essences often have ferments in them and are useful for brightening and hydrating.
Step 5.2: Ampoule
They are highly concentrated essences or serums and can be used as a spot or area treatment due to their potency. Depending on the ampoule, it can go either before your serums or after essences.
Step 5.3: Serum
Serums are water-based or oil-based skincare products with a higher concentration of active ingredients. They have deeper penetrative effects that give the skin a firmer, smoother texture too.
Step 6: Hydrating Masks and Face Packs (Optional)
Step 6.1: Sheet masks
These are face-shaped sheet fabrics soaked in serum. Sheet masks are individually packaged, to be used only once.
It is best to use sheet masks once you have a good grasp of what your skin reacts to so that you can avoid sheet masks with ingredients that don’t agree with you. Sheet masking is a method of delivering an essence to your skin in an extremely effective manner – lots of moisture and beneficial ingredients in contact with your skin for a prolonged period of time.
It is recommended that you only wear a sheet mask for 10-30 minutes, as anything longer will just lead to a dried-out piece of cotton stuck to your face, which can cause some damage. However, silicone face covers can extend the time of wear, if you feel you need this.
Step 5.2: wash-off mask
A wash-off mask is a thick formulation that you would not wear outside the house, and they are intended to subtly but quickly help with common issues. They are a great “treat yourself” product in that they don’t need to be used consistently, and they force you to take some time for yourself.
The most well-known wash-off masks are the clay type, they are great for cleaning out pores and removing excess oil. Other types of masks include things like sulfur for acne, exfoliating granules, thick hydration and gentle peel-off masks like modelling masks. The only downside is that they require washing your face afterwards, so if you find you are dry or dehydrated or sensitive to frequent washing, they may not be an ideal option.
Step 6: Eye cream (Optional)
You can use a heavy eye cream to hydrate the under-eye area. this is completely optional though, and many people just use a heavy night cream and then seal it with vaseline.
Step 7: Moisturise
To keep all the useful products locked up, a nighttime moisturiser is applied. This has rejuvenating powers and beautiful complexion enhancer.
There are a variety of moisturisers available, however, their formulations are all very similar. They contain both water and oil that have been emulsified, which allows them to provide hydration and seal it in.
How heavy or light a moisturiser depends on how you would layer it, remember to layer moisturisers, and products in general, from lightest to heaviest.
There are three major types of moisturisers in an Asian skincare routine.
- Emulsions (light, watery)
- Creams (typical moisturiser)
- Some sleeping packs (heavy moisturiser)
Read our guide about fixing a damaged moisture barrier
Step 8: Occlusive (or a Sleeping Pack)
Sleeping packs and occlusives have essentially the same role: provide hydration and seal it all in. Sleeping packs tend to be lighter than occlusives and are more cream-like. Occlusives are meant to form a layer over your skin that is relatively impenetrable, like Vaseline.
It’s not totally necessary to use a sleeping pack at night – if your environment is super dry, you can wear it during the day as well. Occlusives on the other hand tend to leave an obvious layer and are best used when going to bed.
Some tips for creating a robust Korean skincare routine for day and night right routine
- Always try to pick a routine that is best suited for your skin because as they always say, your mileage may vary.
- Always patch test every new product and give yourself two weeks to one month in between introducing each new product. This way you can track which product had which effect – positive or negative!
- If you are unsure about the order of a particular product then remember – always go from the thinnest consistency to the thickest.
- A toner is on the far extreme of watery products, whereas an occlusive is on the far extreme of oily products, and moisturisers are somewhere in the middle.
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Whether you follow the Korean skincare routine for day and night or not, other self-care factors matter as much as a great routine for your skin’s overall health.
These are; proper hydration, sun protection, healthy nutrition and adequate sleep. All these combined will ensure that you will have the most glowing, plumper, healthy skin!
