43 Best Korean Skin-Care Black Friday Deals of 2024 for a Glowing Complexion

I could write a love letter to the Red Bean Water Gel. We’re like this locks fingers. The red bean- and peptide-infused formula is a clear gel with a slight cooling effect that wakes up my skin in the morning, gives me a touch of dewiness, and layers beautifully underneath my sunscreen and makeup.

Congested pores? Away with them. The key ingredient in this moist, Kaolin clay mask is 30% Haenam red bean extract. TL;DR The rich saponin in red beans helps suck up excess sebum and gently exfoliate your skin. True to its name, the Red Bean Refreshing Pore Mask also provides a cooling sensation upon contact.

Ginseng is bursting with anti-inflammatory properties which is ideal if you deal with puffiness. “I love the ultra-nourishing and soothing formula with the added (gentle) kick of retinal,” cosmetic chemist Ramón Pagán. As a refresher, retinal “only requires a one-step conversion to the active form of retinoid acid, unlike retinol which requires a two-step conversion,” board-certified dermatologist Hee Jin Koh, MD, a board-certified dermatologist based in New Jersey, explains. In other words, it’s more effective and less irritating.

Cosrx needs no introduction. This Korean skin-care brand is home to the TikTok-viral Snail Mucin 96 Power Essence, a terrific candidate for boosting moisture and tackling hyperpigmentation. The texture is so fun (and surprisingly not tacky seconds after applying) and it gives my skin lots of love, glow, and bounce.

Pair the beloved Repairing Essence with the just-as-adored Advanced Snail Peptide Eye Cream. Content director Kara McGrath enjoys how the silky, lightweight texture reflects light without any added sparkle. “It also plays super well with makeup: There’s none of that dreaded pilling when I layer my go-to concealer on top,” she says.

If you want a night cream that goes above and beyond, reach for the Cosrx Ultimate Nourishing Rice Overnight Spa Mask. With more than 68% rice extract, it effectively guarantees that you’ll wake up to smoother, softer skin.

Despite being formulated with four types of retinol (pure retinol, encapsulated retinol, granactive retinoid, and Bio-Seletinoid), Iope’s Retinol Super Bounce Serum is gentler than most.

These key ingredients promote a more lifted complexion, soften wrinkles, and minimize the look of pores—all without causing irritation. Plus, Lactobacillus ferment lysate strengthens your skin’s moisture barrier.

If you didn’t know: Salmons are good for the skin. Well, polydeoxyribonucleotide (PDRN), to be exact—which is a popular type of injectable in Korean clinics. Iope formulated a 38% plant-based Bio-PDRN for a vegan serum that firms and plumps skin. This one has no scent and is just overall very pleasant to apply—I sometimes even apply it morning and night. It also has 20,000 ppm of caffeine to boost cell regeneration—perfect to go along with my daily cup of coffee.

Dr. G is the OG. No, really, the R.E.D. Blemish Clear Soothing Cream is a best seller in South Korea because it’s super lightweight yet drenches the skin in five type of skin-soothing cica, niacinamide, and panthenol—all of which can help reduce inflammation and fortify the skin barrier. Redness? Don’t know her.

Hello, satisfying skin care. Dr. G’s Brightening Peeling Gel is a crowd-pleaser for a reason. It gives the gift of gentle, non-irritating exfoliation—so gentle you probably won’t even feel it, though you will see the balls of dead skin form—through low, medium, and high cellulose particle concentrations. To counteract the exfoliation, a trio of hyaluronic acid, aqua ceramide, and vitamin nourish and hydrates the skin.

Allure editors are such big fans of the Aestura Atobarrier 365 Ceramide Lotion that it won a 2024 Best of Beauty Award for best light moisturizer. Yes, this deeply hydrating elixir placed in the face category, but it was formulated for use on every inch of your body—and on your baby’s, if you happen to have one. “It is gentle and great for those with dry, sensitive skin,” Claire Chang, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in New York City, says.

“This silky, milky formula absorbs at lightning speed and leaves my skin cashmere-soft,” attests former Allure editor Devon Abelman. “I love a pump for body-care products and appreciate that Aestura has one for quick, mess-free application.”

“I have mild rosacea and a lot of dry patches on my midface, and I immediately swap to Aestura’s cleanser when they flare up,” says Allure contributor Sarah Y. Wu. “From a practical standpoint, it’s easy to coat my entire face evenly because of the bubbly texture, but it also just feels really nice. More importantly, this cleanser always leaves my skin incredibly smooth, soft, and soothed.”

Mixsoon essences keep it really simple. Your skin doesn’t always need the fluff, especially when it’s irritated from said fluff (or the blistery winds outside). The Soondy Centella Asiatica Essence consists of just good’ ol, dependable cica.

Powder Room, one of Korea’s most popular beauty-specific platforms, deemed Ma:nyo’s Panthetoin Essence Toner as the best toner of 2024. An all-star moisturizing ingredient lineup of panthenol, sunflower seed oil, hyaluronic acid, squalane, ceramides, and macadamia nut oil cocoon skin with the toner’s silky lotion-like formula to make skin feel as soft as a baby’s, Abelman says.

Sometimes I need something a step up from my usual nighttime creams. Hanyul’s Yuja Vitamin Sleeping Mask is chock-full of—wait for it—yuja fruits harvested from the Goheung area. In the clip to the right, you can see me mouthing the words, “It smells so good,” because there are six yuja fruits (rich in vitamins B, C, E, and P, whew) in a single jar. Aromatherapy aside, this jelly leave-on mask immediately plumps my skin and I wake up looking a little more fresh-faced and less dull. (Nothing’s a miracle worker, considering my wonky sleep schedule.)

The Heartleaf Pore Control Cleansing Oil is by far one of the most popular cleansing oils on Amazon—the numbers, 80k in the past month alone, don’t lie. This one is good for congested skin, as it helps clear up blackheads while washing away makeup and a day’s worth of debris. Heartleaf is central to the formula, too, easing any irritation your skin might’ve run into.

Glass skin is within reach with Anua’s Niacinamide 4% Tranexamic Acid Serum. This pink juice uses ceramides and hyaluronic acid to soothe, hydrate, and brighten dark spots.

Korean skin-care brands offer the golden standard of the moisturizing sunscreen category, and Innisfree’s Daily UV Sunscreen SPF 36 is a prime example. Infused with cica, green tea, sunflower seed oil, and vitamin E to soothe and protect the skin barrier, the formula works for people of all skin types. Did we mention it’s a 2023 Allure Best of Beauty Award winner?

The refillable Green Tea Seed Hylauronic Serum is great for all skin types. Why? Its main concern is hydration, which we all need. A team of green tea (grown and harvested in Jeju Island), nanocapsulized hyaluronic acid (for maximum potency), panthenol, and niacinamide locks in hydration and gives your skin an immediate glow.

Innisfree’s Super Volcanic Pore Clay Mask is the key to blasting excess sebum and minimizing too-big pores. Volcanic cluters and lactic acid are to thank, and I’m so grateful for my 10-minute wind-down facials every week.

Haruharu Wonder’s most popular products are spiked with fermented black rice, which drives intense moisture into the skin. This Black Rice Hyaluronic Toner is super hydrating and cooling. Associate beauty director Sarah Kinonen said of the product: “I’m met with immediate hydration and dewiness—a perfect prep step for the rest of my routine.”

Another great retinol-alternative formula is the Haruharu Wonder Black Bakuchiol Eye Cream. It softens the look of fine lines and gently boosts elasticity around the extremely delicate under-eye area using gentle bakuchiol, a retinol alternative.

I know what you’re thinking, but this isn’t any run-of-the mill HA serum. No, it has a 5D Hyaluronic Acid Complex, which translates to five types of HA molecules that penetrate your skin at different levels for instant and long-lasting hydration. Panthenol and allantoin provide extra hydration and soothing benefits. It’s a serum I’d recommend to just about anyone—the silky textures dries down almost immediately and my skin always feels bouncier with each application.

Dive into this cream. Just like its serum sibling, it’s a dream for dry and/or sensitive skin—or any skin type, honestly. It’s fragrance-free, deeply soothing via a 5D hyaluronic acid complex, allantoin, and panthenol, and makes your skin feeling utterly refreshed.

‘Tis the season for flaky lips. Just me? Hope not. Torriden’s Solid In Lip Essences has five types of ceramides (NP, NS, AS, EOP, AP—count ‘em!) for a soothing blanket of moisture that your usual lip balm can’t hold a flame to. Plus, fuligo wax very mildly exfoliates your lips so said moisture actually sinks into your lips instead of chilling at the surface.

Belif’s The True Cream Moisturizing Bomb is a deliciously cushiony—but not too heavy!—cream that’s, in my opinion, the perfect cold-weather counterpart to the ever-so-popular Aqua Bomb. Alongside peptides, ceramides, and squalane to support your barrier is oat kernal extract, which reduces inflammation.

Any eye cream with a cooling applicator and/or formula is a winner in my book (and for my puffy undereyes). I’m already a a fan of the original Belif Aqua Bomb moisturizer so it’s no surprise the Refreshing Aqua Bomb Eye Gel ticks off all the boxes: Caffeine, hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, vitamin C help calm down puffiness, dryness, and dark circles. The formula dries down so quickly, too.

Medicube is known for its hi-tech skin-care devices like the Age-R Booster Pro, but it also makes plentiful creams, moisturizers, and cleansers. The Collagen Jelly Cream is a good example, with firming and barrier-boosting benefits as well as brightening niacinamide.

If you’re looking for a dose of brightness, reach for Medicube’s Deep Vitamin C Golden Capsule Face Moisturizer, which contains pure, encapsulated vitamin C, 50% sea buckthorn extract, and 5 percent niacinamide. The result is improved texture and all the glowiness.

Winter-drying soothing? You’re looking at it. Abib’s Rice Probiotics Overnight Mask is made of a whopping 95% rice bran extract and rice ferment sourced from South Korea’s Jiri Mountain. It has a consistency of a thick jelly that literally coats your skin in a comfortable blanket of glassy-skin goodness. You’ll wake up looking more refreshed than the hours of sleep you actually clocked would give away.

What’s unique about Abib’s Airy Sunstick Smoothing Bar its curved shape, which makes it easy to get into every nook and cranny of your face. Aside from its white-cast-resistant chemical UV filters, octocrylene and homosalate ecotin, camellia japonica seed oil, and allantoin soothe and reinforce your barrier. Bonus: It’s water-resistant for up to 80 minutes!

A Best of Beauty-winning lip tint for less than $10? Consider your wish granted. This is the Korean lip tint that started my all-out obsession. Touchups are very minimal even after heavy meals—the wear is super comfortable, despite how long-lasting the formulas are. I do usually prep my dry, crustry lips with a clear lip balm and wipes away the excess before applying the lip tint.

For a dewier, no-prep-needed finish, the Ink Mood Glowy Tints are so good. They’re spiked with glycerin and lily and witch hazel extracts for added hydration.

Ladies and gents, the TikTok hype is real. The TirTir Mask Fit cushion foundation is portable, mask-proof, long-wearing, transfer-resistant, and gives you a subtle glow—thanks to hibiscus and propolis extracts.

“This is the only foundation I regularly carry in my bag,” says Allure contributor Sarah Y. Wu. “You can definitely build this up to a medium-to-full coverage foundation and it still feels lightweight.”

Light, tinted coverage and SPF? We’re in. You can wear Etude’s Face Blur alone as a glowy skin tint or under fuller-coverage foundation as a radiance-boosting base.

A sparkly little number, Etude’s Eye Drop Liner is a nicely pigmented, pearlescent liquid liner for all-day, lid-flare. Fear not—no glitter transfer necessary. Commerce editor Sarah Han loves lining her waterline-ish area with this liner for a pop of sparkle.

Chances are you’ve seen these cute pots all over your FYP. The Lip&Cheek Blurry Pudding Pot packs a real punch of color despite its very small container, so take my word and start with a tiny dab before building it up. If you’re into a blurred, soft-matte look, this one’s for you.

What’s cool about Fwee’s 3D Voluming Glosses is each color’s available in two variations: 30% for a more subtle wash and 70% for richer pigmentation (like Candy 70% shown above). You also get an unbelievably juicy finish, which is enough for me and my dry lips to say yes, too. There’s vitamin E and a boatload of oils (apricot, primrose, jojoba, and more) for long-lasting-as-heck moisture.

The Mise En Scene Perfect Serum has been a staple in hair-care routines for 12 years—that’s a long time for a fast-moving K-beauty industyr. A intensely nourishing blend of oils (argan, olive, coconut, apricot, marula, jojoba, and camellia) helps smooth frizz, lock in moisture, and protect hair from heat styling without (somehow!) feeling greasy—seriously, I don’t know how. I always have post-blowout frizz and this serum tamed my frizz and flyaways as best as a post-wash product ever has.

“No matter what I do, my scalp always gets itchy and flaky near the nape of my neck. Dr. Groot’s Scalp Relief Tonic imparts a cooling sensation as you spritz it on via menthol, bringing instant relief to that area,” shares former Allure editor Devon Abelman. “It dries down fast without any residual greasiness—just a spa-like lemongrass scent—so you can definitely use it on dry hair throughout the day.”

If you couldn’t already tell, Dr. Groot is serious about scalp health. Behind the Hair Thickening Shampoo is biotin, rosemary oil—which experts say improves blood circulation for healthy follicles, fights bacteria and dandruff, and may indeed help with hair growth—caffeine, and prebiotics to give your scalp the healthiest environment possible for hair to thrive.