The K-Beauty Skincare Products & Trends You Need To Try

The world’s skincare obsession is currently at its peak, and the K-Beauty pack is leading the way – and for good reason! K-Beauty, aka Korean Beauty, has given us some of the most innovative and impactful formulas, not to mention the fact they’ve redefined the term #skingoals with the K-Beauty glass skin trend.

But the question that’s on our mind (more often than we’d like to admit) is: what’s next for K-Beauty? What new skin-transforming textures and ingredients can we look forward to? To answer all of the above (and more) we got in touch with K-Beauty expert and Founder of K-Beauty skincare line Peach & Lily, Alicia Yoon. She reported on the K-Beauty trends coming straight from the labs and gave her K-Beauty product recommendations.

The Next BIG K-Beauty Skincare Trends

“I visit a lot of the labs in Korea, and there’s still innovation happening at a dizzying rate. I see a lot of things that haven’t yet come out in the US, both on shelves and in the labs. The biggest evolution I see is both in clean formulas and multi-tasking products. I’m so excited to see all the innovative clean beauty products to come,” Alicia tells us, and we’re here for that too!

The next big beauty trends, according to Alicia:

1. Transformative Textures

One new innovation that’s currently popular in K-Beauty is “Textures that melt, allowing them to sink into the skin more deeply,” says Alicia. “I’m seeing a lot of labs in Korea come up with transformative textures that start off as cream textures or even jelly-like textures, but then they deliciously transform into a melted custard-type texture that just luxuriously sinks right into the skin.” We like the sound of that!

“The Peach & Lily The Overnight Star Sleeping Mask, $42, starts off as a bouncy jelly-cream texture but transforms into this soft whipped texture that just disappears right into the skin,” remarks Alicia. Another product she loves that has a super unique texture is the Volufiline Eye Essence, $70, “It’s an incredible and innovative product that starts off as a smooth, balmy texture but disappears into the eye area like an essence allowing for ingredients to sink deeply into the skin.”

2. Multitasking Products!

“I’m seeing so many more interesting and effective multi-taskers come out of Korea’s best labs – products that can include multiple steps in one product, and actually work as well as multiple steps,” said Alicia. We can totally relate – we’re always on the lookout for multi-tasking products to simplify our routine and save time!

Alicia adds that she loves the Eco Your Skin Oil to Foam Cleanser, $32, which combines an oil-based cleanser and water-based cleanser, and “starts off as an oil and transforms into a watery cleanser.” We tried the foamy cleanser and love how rich and nourishing the foam is, and the fact it doesn’t leave your skin feeling tight or dry, but acts like a double cleanse in one. Another great multi-tasking product Alicia loves are The Lazy Day All-in-one Moisture Pads, $39, which she says, “effectively combine a toner, serum, and moisturizer into one pre-soaked pad packed with bamboo, carrot, pomegranate, hyaluronic acid, and ceramides.” We’re obsessed with them!

3. Troxerutin: The New Buzz Ingredient

Ingredient-driven skincare is huge in Korea, and according to Alicia, the next big ingredient is troxerutin. “I particularly like the increasing use of troxerutin, a powerful antioxidant derived from the Japanese sophora that’s clinically proven to help soothe skin, combat inflammation and help relieve dryness and irritation. Given all the daily stressors that can irritate our skin, this ingredient is a superstar for daily use. I love this new line, Troxederm, where troxerutin stars in every formula. Fun story: Lee Jung Jae (sort of like the Brad Pitt of Korea) loved this product line so much, he bought $15,000 worth of this product to be able to gift the gift of healthy, beautiful skin to his fans.” Okay, now that’s an endorsement!

Skincare Trends That Will Die… #RIP

As the world is becoming increasingly conscious of what they’re putting into their bodies and onto their skin, the desire for clean beauty is greater than ever. This means any formulas that aren’t up to clean standards will simply be left behind. Alicia explains, “Clean formulas have become table stakes in Korea for customers as they are so aware of formula safety. Korean beauty brands typically define clean as “EWG Green,” formulas where all the ingredients rank as green on the EWG scale (green, yellow, red, are the rankings for most safe to least safe).”

K-Beauty buffs are also avoiding fragrance: “Fragrance – whether natural or synthetic – can be irritating to the skin, so it’s not a green ranking on the EWG scale. Therefore, as brands increasingly become “EWG Green” brands, fragranced products are dying down. I appreciate this because as an esthetician, I have seen a lot of clients become irritated by fragrance in products; so the more options available without natural or synthetic fragrances, the better for a wider range of skin types.”

5 K-Beauty Products Everybody Needs for Glowy, Glass Skin:

Of course, we couldn’t speak to a K-Beauty expert without asking for her top product recommendations for glass skin. Here are five of Alicia’s go-to products:

Source: Peach & Lily

1.“Peach & Lily Glass Skin Refining Serum, $39, for achieving glass skin goals.”

Source: Peach Slices

2. “The Peach Slices Acne Spot Dots, $5, to help flatten acne in even a few hours.”

Source: Shangpree

3. “The Shangpree SOS Balancing Gel Cream, $55, for a deeply moisturizing but super weightless cream in a delightful gel texture.”

4. “Eco Your Skin Volufiline Eye Essence, $70, for a next-level eye treatment to help smoothen and brighten the eye area.”

5. “The Be the Skin Botanical Nutrition Pore Toner, $29, for oily and acne-prone skin to combat mid-day shine without stripping skin dry.”

5 New K-Beauty Products To Try

If you’re a K-Beauty skincare buff and are looking to add to your routine, here are Alicia’s recommendations of new products that just hit the shelves:

Source: Miwaji

1. “Miwaji Hyalu Serum Veil, $120, as it uniquely doubles as a deeply hydrating serum with one layer, and with two layers it turns into a sleeping mask.

Source: Peach & Lily

2. “Peach & Lily Cold Brew Eye Recovery Stick, $28, as it instantly cools to help depuff and brighten the under-eye area thanks to caffeine, green tea extract, kiwi extract, cucumber extract, and a berry complex. It leaves a subtle iridescent shimmer and can be applied throughout the day under or over makeup. This lives in my makeup bag for whenever my eyes need a pick-me-up.”

Source: Traxoderm

3. “Troxederm Repair Essence Mist, $32, as it is so powerful at calming skin that’s a little irritated and replenishing and locking in moisture. It’s great for all skin types. I have eczema and sensitive skin, and I have to product-test nonstop for my job, so this mist helps reset my skin back to calm.”

Source: Eco Your Skin

4.” Eco Your Skin Facial Pilates Mask, $30, as it provides visible results in just one application – once you apply, it tightens and temporarily squeezes the face really intensively (makes for interesting selfies), but once washed off, skin looks so much smoother, brighter and firmer. It’s perfect to prep for a big day.”

Source: Peach Slices

5. “Peach Slices Starlit Glow Highlighting Moisturizer, $11, as its a moisturizer that hydrates deeply, but there’s a subtle trace of iridescence in it so there’s this beautiful subtle highlight. It’s perfect for when you want to go bare-face and you still get this beautiful natural glow or you can wear under or over makeup as it won’t pill while giving you a lit from within look.”

Have you guys tried any of these products? We are absolutely obsessed with the Glass Skin Refining Serum and Facial Pilates Mask. Let us know if you love K-Beauty products as much as we do in the comments below.

Disclaimer: Every product we review has been independently selected and tested without bias by our editorial team. Although some brands allow affiliate links, we never take payment to review products, so we may earn a commission if you purchase a product by clicking on one of our links.