I have a vested interest in Korean skincare because I’m A) a beauty editor and B) someone who wants their skin to look its absolute best (I’m talking about the smooth, glowy “glass skin” look). As such, I own a significant number of Korean skincare products, and I test new ones almost every week.
You can imagine my delight, then, when I saw Amazon’s K-beauty storefront go live. It’s an aggregation of the best Korean beauty products on the site, from U.S.-loved brands like Laneige, Medicube, and Biodance, as well as newer brands like TirTir, Torriden, and VT Cosmetics. There’s so much to choose from, but I hand-picked 18 highly effective items to add to my shopping cart. These are products I’ve personally tested, and yes, they’ve exceeded my high skincare standards. I’m confident they’ll exceed yours, too. Let’s go.
BIODANCE
Bio-Collagen Real Deep Mask
I don’t use this mask every week, but I refuse to go without it before a big event. Each one of the individual masks is soaked with an entire bottle of essence, so rest assured, it’s potent. With oligo-hyaluronic acid, ultra-low molecular weight collagen, and galactomyces ferment filtrate, it’s the ultimate skin-enhancer. It refines the look of large pores, smooths texture, brightens, and hydrates. It’s the ultimate “glass skin” face mask.
Something to note is that it’s meant to be worn for a long period of time: at least three hours. I recommend wearing it overnight. As the essence soaks into the skin, the mask will turn transparent and stick firmly to the face, so you don’t have to worry about sliding off mid-slumber.
medicube
PDRN Pink Peptide Serum
PDRN is a trendy compound found in salmon sperm and other plant sources. Research shows it helps regenerate the skin and repair tissue, making it one of the best, most effective “glass skin” ingredients on the market. My PDRN pick of choice? Medicube’s pink, PDRN-spiked serum. It went viral on Instagram and TikTok for its ability to hydrate, brighten, firm, and even skin tone.
medicube
PDRN Pink Peptide Eye Serum
I’m also a big fan of the brand’s matching eye serum. Along with PDRN, it contains peptides, niacinamide, and retinol for smoother, tighter, and brighter eyes.
I first heard about Medicube’s Age-R Booster after I saw Hailey Bieber use it on TikTok. The high-tech skincare device utilizes electrical pulses to enhance skin permeability and increase the penetration of skincare products by up to 490%. It can also boost radiance and elasticity, and minimize the look of pores, thanks to five skin-enhancing LED lights. The best part? It doesn’t require any special conductive gel like a microcurrent device does. You can glide it over any skincare product of your choice (for me, that’s moisturizer).
Dr.Melaxin
Peel Shot Glow White Rice Peeling Ampoule
This exfoliating ampoule removes dead skin, blackheads, and other pore-clogging impurities with rice extract, AHAs, and BHA. Meanwhile, niacinamide helps brighten the skin and rice bran water delivers deep hydration. If you want smooth, refined, and glowing skin, this is your ticket.
TIRTIR
Milk Skin Rice Toner
This TikTok-viral K-beauty product is so, so good. Whenever I use it, it makes my skin look soft and pillowy—giving it a plumping effect that I love. It’s all thanks to barrier-strengthening ceramides and rice bran extract. It’s a non-negotiable step for dry skin come fall and winter.
AESTURA
Atobarrier365 Cream Mist
This is basically if the aforementioned toner was turned into a face mist. The ultra-fine, milky mist delivers thousands of 10,000 ppm ceramides to smooth, calm, and moisturize the skin.
medicube
Zero Pore Pads 2.0
Medicube’s Zero Pore Pads 2.0 are a game-changer for oily and acne-prone skin types, especially anyone who has enlarged pores. A natural BHA (white willow bark) and an AHA (citric acid) combine to reduce excess sebum and dramatically decrease the appearance of pores.
COSRX
Advanced Snail Mucin Power Essence
This iconic, TikTok-viral product is packed with snail mucin, a hydrating, plumping, and anti-inflammatory ingredient. It benefits the skin in so many ways, but I don’t see many people talk about its other benefit: skin prep for smooth, long-lasting makeup.
Torriden
Dive in Hyaluronic Acid Serum
This is hands down my favorite hyaluronic acid serum of the moment. It’s formulated with five types of high, mid, and low molecular weight hyaluronic acid, so it builds 3D networks within the skin, delivering moisture across multiple cell layers. Translation? It not only hydrates the skin, but makes it look super plump.
Make sure you apply it to damp skin, and seal it in with a nice moisturizer. Hyaluronic acid works by binding moisture, so if you don’t use it correctly, it could actually do the reverse and pull moisture out of your skin and into the dry air.
VT COSMETICS
PDRN Reedle Shot 100
Spicules are one of 2025’s trendiest skincare ingredients. They’re tiny microspears that create microchannels in the skin for better product absorption. Essentially, it’s like microneedling without the actual needles. This spicule serum contains cica, a skin-soothing ingredient, PDRN, and hyaluronic acid. And don’t be nervous if you experience some tingling or a prickly sensation; that’s the microspears in action.
ANUA
Heartleaf Pore Control Cleansing Oil
I love using oil cleansers to melt makeup and sunscreen off of my skin, especially during the dry fall and winter months. This is one of my favorite ones. It targets makeup residue, blackheads, and excess oil, while preventing pore congestion. Plus, heartleaf, another incredible K-beauty ingredient, keeps the skin soft, smooth, and calm.
ANUA
Azelaic Acid 10 Hyaluron Redness Soothing Serum
I struggle with redness (shout out to rosacea for making my life more difficult!). One of my favorite serums to use whenever I’m experiencing a flare-up is Anua’s Azelaic Acid 10 Serum. It’s formulated with 10% azelaic acid to soothe and calm redness, while three types of hyaluronic acid provide intense hydration. Redness, begone.
celimax
The Vita A Retinal Shot Tightening Booster
This highly effective, targeted skin treatment was the first thing I added to my shopping cart from Amazon’s Korean beauty storefront. It uses 0.1% retinal, an advanced form of retinol, as well as matrixyl, collagen-synthesizing peptides, to penetrate the pores, firm sagging skin, and minimize wrinkles. My neck lines don’t stand a chance.
Sulwhasoo
First Care Activating Serum
My sun damage is stubborn, so a high-quality vitamin C serum is a MUST in my routine. This one contains a vitamin C derivative, as well as 500-hour fermented ginseng and Korean herbal extracts to strengthen the skin barrier, hydrate, boost radiance, and generally just enhance my complexion.
KAHI
Wrinkle Bounce Multi Balm Stick
Treat this skin stick as a targeted lifting and firming treatment. You can apply it to stubborn neck lines, laugh lines, even crow’s feet. With PDRN, low-molecular collagen, and proteoglycan, it strengthens, firms, and volumizes aging and/or damaged skin. It couldn’t be easier to use; I tell all my friends that it’s my lazy-girl skincare hack.
LANEIGE
Water Sleeping Mask
This overnight mask brings a whole new meaning to beauty sleep. The lightweight, watery gel-cream is packed with squalane, niacinamide, ceramides, and a three sizes of hyaluronic acid for softer, smoother, and more moisturized skin by morning.
Rael
Invisible Spot Cover – Hydrocolloid Acne Patch
Listen, I’ll proudly wear star-shaped pimple patches in public; I have no shame. However, sometimes, I want a discreet pimple patch that I can wear under makeup. In that case, I use Rael’s Invisible Spot Cover Hydrocolloid Acne Patch. They absorb gunk from my pores, fit seamlessly against my skin, and shrink blemishes in a matter of hours.
