What is the ten step Korean skincare routine and is it necessary?
It sounds excessive and OTT when you first of it, but the Korean ten step skincare routine can actually be less pore clogging than just slapping on a couple of different products and being done with it!
This is because a ten step routine forces you to a) cleanse thoroughly each time and b) use LESS of MORE lightweight, water-based skincare to achieve the same level of hydration as piling on one thicker layer of lotion or cream.
The catch though, is that you need to ensure that none of the individual ingredients in each of the ten skincare products you use clash with each other, which could neutralise each other’s efficacy at best, or worse, cause severe skin irritation and breakouts. See our post on what not to mix for more details about this.
As a general rule, you should layer your skincare from the thinnest to the thickest formulation. Apply water-based formulations first, then lotions, then creams, then facial oils.
Step 1: Oil Cleanse
In super simplistic terms - water and oil don’t mix, but oil dissolves oil…and makeup, sunscreen, and other skincare we apply on our face contains oil-based substances! This is why an oil cleanser is needed to “melt” these substances first so they can then be washed away without you needing to scrub at your face for extended periods of time. We recommend trying the Heimish All Clean Balm or the Farmacy Green Clean Balm.
By the way…A lot of the skincare we recommend are available on iHerb, which is an awesome, trustworthy site with great organic products (including non-skincare products). You can use our code AEJ0519 at checkout to get 5% off.
A lot of people also rave about the Banila Co Clean It Zero Cleansing Balm, though keep in mind it can leave a residue, which needs to be washed off thoroughly.
If you are starting off with a completely bare face anyway, you can skip this step and use one gel or foaming cleanser.
Conversely, if you are wearing heavy makeup, you may need to go in with a dedicated makeup remover as well, to remove the remaining makeup residue (e.g. an eye makeup remover like the Neutrogena Oil Free Eye Makeup Remover if you are using heavy eye makeup. For general makeup removal, try the Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water or the Garnier Clean Sensitive In Waterproof Make Up Remover.
Step 2: Gel Cleanse
The addition of a second cleanser is not to strip your skin of its natural lipid barrier, but instead serves the reverse process!
That’s right, it’s better for your skin to use two gentle cleansers rather than scrubbing aggressively for extended periods of time with one cleanser.
Make sure to leave cleanser on your face for less than one minute.
In general, we recommend gel cleansers over foaming cleansers because the latter tends to be too drying for people unless you have oily skin. For instance, we recommend the La Roche-Posay Toleriane Dermo-Cleanser (rather than the foaming version), because it does a good job of cleaning combination skin without making it too dry.
I have combination skin, and personally use the Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser because it’s the most effective cleanser I’ve found that does the best job at removing sebum (for all skin types) while not drying out the skin. However, it does contain parabens, so you can experiment with different cleansers to find one best suited to your skin type. I’ve tried many other “cleaner” cleansing skincare products without parabens, but they either dehydrated my skin or left my skin feeling oily.
Step 3: Exfoliate
Exfoliation can take the form of physical or chemical exfoliation.
For this step, we recommend using a chemical exfoliant (i.e. alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs), beta hydroxy acids (BHAs), or poly hydroxy acids (PHAs)).
These are best applied before any moisturisers so that they are better absorbed into the skin.
AHAs (e.g. glycolic, citric, lactic acid) are water soluble and therefore work on the skin surface.
Some of the best AHAs that we like are the Cosrx Whitehead Power Liquid, The Ordinary Lactic Acid 10% + HA 2%, and the KraveBeauty Kale-Lalu-yAHA, as they are relatively gentle on the skin while still helping to exfoliate dead skin cells and fading postinflammatory hyperpigmentation and dark spots over time. You do need to be patient and use these for a few months to see results.
BHAs (e.g. salicylic, tropic acid) are lipid soluble, and thus work on both the skin surface and can penetrate a little deeper into the pores.
In general, you should stick with AHAs as your go-to exfoliant unless you find they aren’t effective. BHAs, being more moisture-stripping, have tended to only work for us if we have oily skin, otherwise it can be a little too harsh and stripping.
PHAs (e.g. gluconolactone, lactobionic acid) are gentler than AHAs but penetrate even less than AHAs because the molecular size is larger. We are currently on the lookout for an organic PHA to recommend, and we’ll let you know once we do!
Make sure to only apply one AHA, BHA, PHA, or other acid at any one time! Also avoid applying AHAs and BHAs with skincare containing peptides, since the low pH of acids will interfere with peptides.
Also make sure to limit the use of these chemical exfoliators to 1-2 times a week! And skip this step in the morning.
If you’re finding that your skin is still getting irritated with this routine, only exfoliate in parts of your face that really need skin brightening effects, such as dry patches and to fade post inflammatory hyperpigmentation after breakouts have subsided. Alternatively, you can start off by washing off the product after 5 minutes and not let it remain on your face.
Step 4: Tone
For dry skin or climates, try the Laneige Cream Skin Refiner Mist or Hada Labo Premium Lotion (which is actually a toner). The Laneige Cream Skin Refiner Mist is a particularly intricate formulation that strikes a great balance between being wonderfully hydrating but not too thick, in a mist form!
There are also a range of more affordable toner options though they may have a lower concentration of active ingredients.
Two brands to check out are Isntree and Secret Key. In particular, try the Secret Key Milk Brightening Toner and the Secret Key Aloe Soothing Moist Toner, as well as the Isntree Green Tea Fresh Toner and Isntree Hyaluronic Acid Toner. Another one in this category that comes to mind is the <Etude House SoonJung pH 5.5 Relief Toner>. These products contain relatively safe brightening and/or antioxidant ingredients such as green tea. However, if you have had previous reactions to hyaluronic acid or aloe, you should take care. Always do a patch test first to be sure.
Step 5: Apply Essence
Essences work similar to serums, in that they are thin but hydrating formulations packed with active ingredients that help subsequent layers of skincare to absorb better in the skin.
They act adjuncts for the rest of the nine steps in the routine, and also help to achieve a dewy
We recommend COSRX Galactomyces 95 Tone Balancing Essence, which also contains 2% niacinamide. This helps to even skin tone and for skin brightening. Read more about the effects of different niacinamide percentages on your skin in this post.
There are also a lot of skincare ingredients you shouldn’t combine with niacinamide! Read our post on skincare ingredients not to mix and breakdown of skincare ingredients for more information.
To help fade any dark spots and post inflammatory hyperpigmentation, and for anti-aging effects, you can also try the The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%, but only apply it directly onto the offending areas, not all over your face, to minimise the risk of irritation.
If you are looking for an alternative to the SKII cult favorite, the Skii Facial Treatment Essence, give the IOPE Bio Essence Intensive Conditioning or the Neogen Real Ferment Microessence a go. These contain saccharomyces ferment filtrate, which works as a humectant to help draw moisture into your skin and help with anti-aging.
If you are looking for a really hydrating essence, try the Primera Miracle Seed Essence. This is packed with a few key ingredients, including saccharomyces ferment (for anti-aging), nelumbo nucifera germ extract (for skin conditioning), and niacinamide (which has too many effects to go into detail here, see our separate post).
If you are suffering from acne, this could be good time to try the Skinfood Royal Honey Propolis Essence. Skinfood does a good job at working with propolis in this formulation. Propolis is an ingredient which studies suggest has antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral properties. While it can’t get rid of acne, it can help with soothing your skin and controlling the inflammatory response.
Centella asiatica is another great ingredient to look out for anti-inflammation effects. There is also some evidence for its use in wound healing. The AHC Minimal 10 Watery Essence contains one of highest concentrations of centella asiatica among the essences, at 98%.
If you are looking for an essence with minimal ingredients and something a little different, another essence to look out for is the Make P:rem Chaga Concentrate Essence. This contains only three ingredients, the active ingredient being mushroom extract (chaga). Chaga is emerging as an ingredient in Korean skincare, for which there is some evidence for providing skin strengthening properties.
Step 6: Pat on a Serum
Serums are usually also water-based, but have a high concentration of active ingredients - you can choose based on whether you are after specific ingredients, such as peptides (good for anti-aging), antioxidants (for anti-aging and reducing pigmentation), or brightening agents.
Serums tend not to be as occlusive as moisturizers, as they don’t contain mineral oils, petrolatum, lubricants and thickeners such as seed/nut oils.
We recommend The Ordinary "Buffet", which is a serum containing peptide complexes which also help to reduce the appearance of fine lines and facial folds, and a range of amino acids which contribute to the stimulation of collagen production.
The Rovectin Skin Essentials Aqua Activating Serum is another good serum to try, containing one of our fave ingredients, niacinamide. The La Roche-Posay Hyalu B5 Serum is also favorite, though keep in mind it contains alcohol.
These serums contain hyaluronic acid, or sodium hyaluronate, which is a water-soluble form of hyaluronic acid. Take care if you have had previous reactions to hyaluronic acid and always do a patch test first.
Focus this on dehydrated areas rather than all over your face (especially if you have an oily T zone), as it has a relatively viscous, thick consistency.
Another active you can look for in serums is L-ascorbic acid.
L-ascorbic acid is the active form of vitamin C. On the face of things, it has many benefits for the skin, including brightening the skin, improving skin tone, reducing the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines, stimulating collagen production, sun protection, and fading hyperpigmentation. One of the best organic serums containing vitamin C is the Drunk Elephant C Firma Day Serum, which has helped to fade pigmentation for us when applied consistently (daily) for a year.
However, L-ascorbic acid and other forms of vitamin C can be very unstable unless kept in optimal conditions. For more detailed information on how to maximise the efficacy of L-ascorbic acid in the presence of light, see our post on the topic.
The other precaution with L-ascorbic acid serums is, that we don’t recommend using them together with skincare containing niacinamide.
Finally, look for serums containing alpha arbutin. Also known as glycosylated hydroquinone, alpha arbutin is a safer alternative to hydroxyquinone. The latter was traditionally used for skin whitening and to tackle hyperpigmentation even though it was associated with risk of serious side effects including cancer, which was exacerbated by exposure to UV radiation. The evidence suggests that alpha arbutin minimises this risk.
To be safe however, we recommend keeping alpha arbutin in your night time skincare routine. Also restrict your use of alpha arbutin to no more than 3 months at a time. Try our top alpha arbutin pick, which is the The Ordinary Alpha Arbutin 2% + HA. Using this product for 3 months has been effective at reducing the appearance of postinflammatory hyperpigmentation and freckles.
Step 7: Put on a Sheet Mask!
This is the ultimate pampering step. Feel free to light a candle and sink into a warm bath while completing this.
Sheet masks don’t necessarily need to be a lavish investment. You’ll find that many low and mid end options offer a range of different functions, such as skin brightening, skin whitening, anti-aging, and hydrating.
Among the affordable sheet masks are the Innisfree Second Skin Masks, of which you can choose different versions, such as for moisturizing, nourishing, firming, soothing and brightening. Keep in mind these masks generally contain alcohol, castor oil, fragrance, and lactic acid.
For a quick “pick me up” for dry skin, try the Skin Inc. Pure Deepsea Hydrating Mask, which contains algae extract for hydration.
In terms of more mid end mask options, we can’t go without mentioning the Papa Recipe Bombee Honey Masks, which contain honey, propolis and royal jelly extract. If you are ready for some pricier sheet masks to indulge in, try the Su:m37 Secret Programming Mask, which has been our holy grail for many years. This contains over 80 natural fermented ingredients that act as antioxidant powerhouses together, such as pear juice, grape, barley seed, ginseng root, rye, soybean, black tea and hyacinth ferment. However, keep in mind that if your skin reacts badly to too many extracts, these may not be the masks for you.
Follow the instructions on the mask for how long to keep it on before, make sure to use any excess left on your neck and hands!
Step 8: Don’t Forget Eye Cream
If you can afford it, it’s better to use a different moisturizer around your eyes compared with the rest of your face. However, if that’s too pricey for the time being, moisturizing around your eyes with safe facial moisturizer ingredients is also ok.
In terms of dedicated eye products, you should choose these depending on whether you are after temporary depuffing or concealment of eyebags and dark circles, versus potent anti-aging effects, which become more relevant in your 30s and up.
Our favorite eye cream of all time remains the Sulwhasoo Concentrated Ginseng Renewing Eye Cream Ex, which we noticed has noticeably lightened the undereye area, gotten rid of dark circles, reduced swelling, and reduced the appearance of wrinkles. However, more affordable options also exist, including the Mizon Collagen Power Firming Eye Cream, Innisfree Perfect 9 Repair Eye Cream, Innisfree Jeju Orchid Eye Cream, Benton Fermentation Eye Cream, Antipodes Kiwi Seed Oil Eye Cream and the 100% Pure Coffee Bean Caffeine Eye Cream. The latter may not necessarily contribute to significant anti-aging effects, but do still contain potent antioxidants and can help to depuff your eyes (such as products containing caffeine). The Moogoo Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate Vitamin C, on the other hand, is great for helping to lighten the appearance of shadows under the eyes.
Pricier formulations if you are looking for more water-based options include the Amore Pacific Intensive Vitalizing Eye Essence, the Tacha Luminous Deep Hydration Firming Eye Serum and the Drunk Elephant Shaba Complex Eye Serum. If you can, we recommend you layer these underneath whichever eye cream you choose.
Also try the Origins GinZing Eye Cream and The History of Whoo Cheongidan Hwa Hyun Eye Cream, which contain a myriad of different botanical and fruit extracts, the Elensilia Cpp Collagen 80 Intensive Eye Cream which is worth trying to get the benefit of its collagen extract, and the Eroborian Sève De Bamboo Eye Matte cream for its cooling properties. The Eroborian Sève De Bamboo Eye Matte comes in a slim compact stick form, which is great for packing for travel.
Step 9: Facial Moisturizer
As discussed above, the choice of which moisturizer to use will depend of a lot of individual factors, including your skin type, concurrent skincare products used, and climate. See our rundown of the best moisturizers here.
It’s not easy to find a lightweight moisturizer that a) doesn’t clog your pores after a whole day out and about, b) sits well under sunscreen, and c) functions well as a makeup base.
Our favorite moisturizer for oily or combination skin is the COSRX Advanced Snail 92 All In One Cream, which is a very lightweight consistency but packs a punch in hydration thanks to ingredients like snail mucin. It also has never caused us any skin irritation or breakouts because it doesn’t contain many other extracts. However, note that it doesn’t sit well under makeup or sunscreen. You can also try the Amorepacific The Essential Creme Fluid - this contains a few extracts/oils, but keeps your skin hydrated despite being lightweight.
If your skin is on the drier side, then you may be able to layer the Moogoo Full Cream Moisturiser or the Sulwhasoo Concentrated Ginseng Renewing Cream Ex Light.
If you have super dry skin, you can even try layering a facial oil. There is a wide array of different facial oils, including rose hip seed oil, tamanu oil, marula oil, and hemp seed oil, to name a few. e recommend the Moogoo Calophyllum Inophyllum (Tamanu) Seed Oil. Tamanu oil is good of promoting skin healing and scarring, including postinflammatory hyperpigmentation, but use a drop at a time as a spot treatment as all oils can conversely predispose to breakouts even if you have dry skin. We do NOT recommend you to incorporate facial oil into your daily skincare routine if you have combination or oily skin.
Step 10: Slap on Some Sunscreen
If you are going outdoors (or even if you are indoors with exposure to UV light), it’s essential that you apply sunscreen as the last and final step! Read all about the most effective and safe sunscreens to use for your skin type here.
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P.S…this is probably obvious, but the information presented doesn’t constitute medical advice - always check with your own doctor!
