15 best Korean moisturisers to give you beautiful, glowing skin

The secret behind the radiant and clear skin of Korean celebrities? A good moisturiser

The one skincare product you can’t skip if you want to achieve that K-beauty dewy glow is a good moisturiser.

These not only intensely hydrate without being too heavy, they also plump and soften to give you that glass skin effect.

1. Dr. Jart+ Cicapair Cream ($81 for 50ml)

Formulated for sensitive and dry skin, this moisturiser is creamy and has a cooling effect without leaving an oily finish.

It not only soothes and protects the skin, but also reduces the appearance of blemishes and dark spots with regular use over time, according to user reviews.

Available at www.sephora.sg.

2. Aprilskin Perfect Magic Snow Cream ($40 for 70ml)

This quickily absorbed moisturiser is able to whiten and hydrate your skin instantly thanks to the infused Himalayan glacier milk.

Its moisturising properties make it perfect to use as the last step of your skincare routine to seal in your serum. It is sure to keep your skin feeling hydrated all night long.

We love using it under our makeup – it allows our foundation to last longer and gives us a radiance boost.

Available at shopee.sg and selected Guardian stores.

3. Innisfree Green Tea Balancing Lotion EX ($17.70 for 160ml)

Get dewy and clear complexion with Innisfree Green Tea Balancing Lotion EX.

Infused with fresh green tea water, it effectively replenishes your skin’s moisture loss, keeping your skin smooth and hydrated all day.

It comes in a spreadable liquid-like texture for it to be absorbed by your skin instantly. Plus points for its refreshing, invigorating green tea scent.

Available at shopee.sg.

4. Dr. Belmeur Clarifying Moisturiser ($38.26 for 120ml)

Hydrate your skin without greasiness with the Dr. Belmeur Clarifying Moisturiser.

Perfect for those with oily skin, it effectively maintains your skin’s oil and moisture balance to keep the shine away without drying your skin out.

It is formulated with plant-based ingredients like chaga mushroom extract that soothes and calms skin, making it suitable even for those with sensitive skin.

Available at shopee.sg.

5. Blithe Crystal Iceplant Pressed Serum ($58 for 50ml)

Pressed serums are made using a ‘slow cooling’ method over a 36-hour period instead of the usual way of processing ingredients with heat. This supposedly helps to preserve the efficacy of the extracts.

They also tend to have a unique texture: it starts off with a jelly-like gel-cream texture, then morphs into a liquid that gets quickly absorbed as you massage it into your face.

Visually, it initially looks like a cream but appears more like an essence as you apply it.

This Blithe Crystal Iceplant Pressed Serum is great for intensely hydrating all skin types, even sensitive skin.

The calming cream contains iceplant extract which is rich in zinc and minerals to help boost collagen production and leave your complexion soft and fresh.

Available at sephora.sg.

6. The Face Shop The Therapy Royal Made Moisture Blending Cream ($35.90 for 50ml)

This has a top layer that is a mixture of essential oils and thalassotherapy water (a healing blend using seawater) and a bottom layer of highly moisturising cream that you can blend yourself with a spatula to activate the ingredients to ensure your skincare is fresh.

The lightweight formula delivers instant moisture, strengthens your skin’s protective barrier and plumps skin for an instant glow.

Available at shopee.sg.

7. Dr. Jart+ Ceramidin Cream ($73 for 50ml)

Great for dehydrated complexions, this ultra-moisturising cream soothes and smoothes fatigued and dry skin damaged by internal and external stimuli.

It contains ceramides encapsulated into fine particles so the highly concentrated ingredients can be delivered deep into the skin.

This doubles the efficacy of restoring the skin barrier, and hydrates by strengthening skin’s moisture retention ability.

This also helps treat skin that is thin, rough, sensitive and dry. It promotes cell generation in skin to rejuvenate and boost the overall health of your complexion.

It even has a hypoallergenic prescription and is free of 10 harmful ingredients including parabens and mineral oils which can irritate skin.

Available at sephora.sg

8. Belif The True Cream Aqua Bomb ($57 for 50ml)

This refreshing gel-cream gives skin instant moisture while forming a protective layer over your complexion to prevent moisture loss.

Formulated with Lady’s Mantle, this has antioxidant, calming and anti-blemish properties, it also helps to delay skin ageing.

Clinically proven to increase skin’s moisture by 18 per cent, it also helps to soften dry, scaly and flaky skin, while controlling excess sebum, giving you tighter pores and less oily shine.

Raspberry leaf also increases skin’s resilience and acts as a relief for redness.

Available at lazada.sg. 

9. Erborian Bamboo Creme Frappee ($70 for 50ml)

This energising gel-cream moisturiser not only hydrates, but also leaves tired and dull skin feeling and looking refreshed and invigorated.

It has a lightweight, whipped frosty texture that gets absorbed quickly, giving you a smoother and softer complexion.

Its Bamboo Waterlock complex combines bamboo sap and fibres, which are rich in essential amino acids and proteins, to help hydrate skin and lock in moisture.

Ophipogo Japonicus root extract calms and strengthens, while Diospyros kaki leaf extract tones and tightens pores. Paraben-free, sulfate-free and phthalate-free, it is also suitable for sensitive skin.

Available at shopee.sg.

10. Innisfree Orchid Enriched Cream ($48 for 50ml)

This is a must-have if you have dry skin or are planning on going on a winter vacation.

Infused with Orchid Elixir, a key ingredient extracted from Jeju Orchids through a hot-water extraction process, it has intensive antioxidative properties to fight free radical damage and keep the complexion youthful.

This not only reduces fine lines and improves skin’s resilience, it also helps recover skin’s natural density and firmness.

Available at shopee.sg.

11. Caolion Pore Tightening Bounce Cream ($38 for 20g)

Great for oily or combination skin, this hydrates while also preventing the production of excess sebum.

The cream has a light, bouncy texture and leaves a cooling sensation to calm sensitive skin. It has a non-sticky texture that gets absorbed quickly and helps to balance the complexion and control oil and sebum production.

And if that’s not enough, it also has brightening anti-ageing ingredients to enhance skin elasticity, treat fine lines and leave your complexion with a soft glow.

Available at shopee.sg.

12. Mamonde Rose Water Gel Cream ($23.70 for 80ml)

This lightweight gel moisturiser is made with soothing and hydrating rose water.

Infused with Damask rose extract grown in the world-famous rose valley of Bulgaria, this fragrant gel-cream soothes dry, irritated skin while replenishing essential hydration.

Unlike high-temperature distillation, the rose water is extracted at low temperatures and high pressure to preserve the full benefits of the rose’s active ingredients.

Available at shopee.sg.

13. Sulwhasoo Concentrated Ginseng Renewing Cream EX Light ($298 for 60ml)

This fourth generation Sulwhasoo Concentrated Ginseng Renewing Cream EX Light is six times more concentrated than that of previous products and helps to restore skin’s natural regeneration abilities and strengthen its defence systems.

It helps to stimulate collagen and hyaluronic acid by suppressing skin-damaging elements, leaving skin looking healthy.

Available at tangs.com.

Photo: Sulwhasoo

14. Su:m37 Water-full Timeless Water Gel Cream ($66.84 for 50ml)

Its light and cooling texture provides freshness to skin which has become dull and tired from UV and environmental stresses.

Bamboo sap fermented with three flower extracts hydrates and boosts skin’s moisture retention abilities, while Aquafirm (a naturally fermented ingredient that contains Red Snow Tea from Tibetan highlands and four major medicinal Mycellium fungus) strengthens aquaporins, the moisturising protein found in the skin cells.

It leaves the complexion soft, plump and dewy.

Available at shopee.sg.

15. The History of Whoo Bichup Ja Yoon Cream ($296 for 60ml)

Created based on 800-year-old imperial recipes, this multi-tasking anti-ageing cream enhances skin radiance while treating wrinkles, fine lines, and dullness.

It contains three main ingredients used by the ancient Korean courts to enhance skin self-regeneration: Cordyceps (Ja Yoon Silk), deer antler collagen, and aloeswood.

Together, they speed up cellular regeneration while minimising free radical damage to give you a more youthful, healthy and flawless complexion.

Available at tangs.com.

This article was first published in Shape.