Skin care tips from 12 gorgeous K-pop stars

Skin care tips from 12 gorgeous K-pop stars
PHOTO: Instagram/bimil_jieun, Instagram/skuukzky

From 17-step beauty regimes to squatting over a hot steam bath to er, cleansing out your lady bits, there is a reason (or rather, many reasons) why Korean women have that poreless, flawless skin we all covet – sheer dedication.

Check out these tips by 12 of your favourite K-stars, and pat, prime and soothe your way to #wokeuplikethis skin.

1. Jessica Jung: Heat it up

Glowing skin that looks poreless – Jessica Jung achieves her skin perfection by “heating” up her skincare products after application to encourage absorption.

Just rub your palms together to generate a little heat and hold over your face without touching your skin.

How this works is that your body heat opens up your pores slightly and makes your skin cells more receptive and responsive to your beauty products.

2. Song Ji-Eun: Hydrate

As a singer, Song Ji-Eun understands the importance of drinking water in order to keep her vocal cords hydrated, but she also emphasises hydration in her skincare regime.

She drinks up to four litres a day and cites it as the secret behind her glistening, radiant skin.

Water helps to flush away the toxins in your body, and as your body is made of about 60per cent water, it is crucial in maintaining healthy skin function and oil-to-water balance.

3. Song Joong-Ki: Milk it for all it’s worth

Literally. The Descendant of the Sun actor owes his enviably smooth and fair complexion to his nightly routine of washing his face with milk.

While it might sound a little strange, think about the last time you had a milk bath at the spa – didn’t your skin feel luxuriously smooth after?

Some dermatologists even recommend it, as milk reportedly helps to remove oil-soluble impurities with the help of the fat-soluble enzyme lipase and protein-based impurities and dead skin cells with lactic acid.

It also great for soothing sunburns and calming skin, but be sure to use raw or unpasteurized milk.

4. Irene Kim: Banish zits

Pimples are just the worst, but this is especially so for models.

Irene Kim shares this helpful hack for those annoying zits that appear right before an important event: blast hot water to steam up your shower, and soak a cotton pad with some toner and apply directly onto your breakouts.

The steam opens up your pores and allows the properties of your toner to absorb better.

For this tip, look for toners that contain ingredients like witch hazel or tea tree oil as they are known to help reduce inflammation.

5. Ha Ji-won: Moisturise, moisturise, moisturise

For popular actress Ha Ji-won, nothing is more important that moisturising.

She values it above all other skincare tips, and ensures her skin does not stay dry for more than three seconds.

After washing her face, she immediately applies a jelly pack (from her skincare line J-One) to restore moisture lost during cleansing.

She is so strict about this that she recommends always having a facial mist within reach if your skincare products are away from your shower.

6. Song Hye-Kyo: DIY perfection

Actress Song Hye-Kyo is all about DIY masks, despite endorsing one of the biggest K-beauty brands. Her favourite recipe is a simple blend of egg whites and honey (ideally an active honey), applied fortnightly.

Simply massage onto your skin until dry, and rinse off with warm water.

Honey is a natural antibacterial agent and is great for acne treatment and prevention, and is also chock-full of antioxidants and moisturising properties which help to slow down signs of aging and visibly plump your skin.

Meanwhile, egg whites help to shrink your pores by tightening the skin – the perfect mask, in our opinion.

7. V (Kim Tae-Hyung): Travel smart

Member of popular boy band group BTS is no stranger to skin complaints (who says men don’t take care of their skin), and is particularly concerned about the elasticity of his skin.

A frequent traveler, he recommends dampening cotton pads with toner and double moisturising to avoid losing too much moisture and arriving at your destination with beautiful, glowing skin.

8. Pony: Green tea wash

She is one of Korea’s most famous beauty gurus, with over a whopping three million subscribers on Youtube, so you can be sure any tips from Pony are 100 per cent legit.

She swears by washing her face with green tea water, made by soaking bags of green tea in warm water.

Green tea has an anti-inflammatory effect on the skin that can help to reduce redness and puffiness.

Pony recommends doing this twice a week for best results.

9. Bae Suzy: 424 method

Actress, singer and all-round idol Bae Suzy owes her glowing skin to what she dubs as the “424” method, which entails four minutes of rubbing a cleansing oil over her face to remove make up, followed by two minutes with a foaming cleanser and a final four minutes of with water.

Also known as ‘double cleansing’, this method ensures you’ve truly removed all traces of makeup and dirt that have accumulated over the course of a day, which provides the foundation for flawless skin and drastically reduces the chances of breakouts.

10. Go Hyun-Jung: Cleanse smart

Are you cleansing your skin the smart way?

According to actress Go Hyun-Jung (whose skin looks positively radiant despite her hectic schedule), she recommends cleansing the T-zone area first, followed by your cheeks.

This is because the former area tends to be oilier than the latter, and by cleansing your cheeks last, you ensure the drier areas are not exposed to cleanser for too long.

Over-cleansing = drier skin = more sensitive skin that has been stripped of its moisture, which makes your skin compensate by producing more oil. You do the math.

11. Krystal Jung: Take it off

Krystal tells us in a previous interview, “The most important thing for me is to remove all the makeup completely before I go to sleep.

"I put on a lot of moisturising cream before I go to bed. That’s how I take care of my skin – nothing special.

"I never skip removing my makeup. Never! It’s really important.

"[And] I always ensure I drink a lot of water and work out as much as I can.”

12. Son Ye Jin: There's no one-size-fits-all

Everyone has different skin types on different days, and Son Ye Jin understands this very well.

The Korean actress told us, “I believe there’s no one product that fits everyone or serves their skin concerns and purposes, so I try to allocate which products to use for when my skin is sensitive or dry, etc.”

This article was first published in Her World Online, with additional reporting from CLEO Singapore.

homepage

trending

trending
    'This job has become a part of me': Single mother in Malaysia becomes trailer driver to support family
    Turtle soup stall in Jalan Besar closing after 60 years due to owner's poor health: 'Nothing I can do about it'
    Star Awards 2025's oldest nominees Chen Shucheng, Lin Ruping, Hugo Ng on staying humble, leaving winning to fate
    From serving slices to looks: Pizza Hut Singapore debuts streetwear collection in collab with local brand
    Agoda makes changes to problematic features on website, app after concerns raised by Singapore competition watchdog
    Man arrested at Woodlands Checkpoint for smuggling drugs including 1.4kg of heroin
    Man who allegedly hit 132kmh on PIE to be charged with speeding
    Happily fur-ever after: Poodles wow internet with $5,000 garden wedding ceremony
    Tay Ying marries at same venue as parents Hong Huifang and Zheng Geping, local stars turn up in force
    Bukit Merah hawker slams 'unacceptable' utensil theft after losing more than 40 forks, 10 plates in just over 2 weeks
    Car crashes through wall, plunges 3 storeys after accelerator mix-up at KL car park

Singapore

Singapore
    • 6 taken to hospital after lorry skids and overturns in Tuas
    • Man sustains gunshot wound while cycling in SAF live-firing zone
    • 'I take it whenever I can': Acting Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow wants to rekindle Singaporeans' love for public transport
    • Singapore has initiated many successful policies, Indonesia 'can copy with pride': President Prabowo
    • Daily roundup: Poodles wow internet with $5,000 garden wedding ceremony — and other top stories today
    • Up to $1,200 in MediSave top-ups for Pioneer Generation Singaporeans in July
    • Woman arrested for allegedly making over $262k worth of purchases using stolen credit card details
    • New crane tips over at Tuas Port, no injuries reported
    • Cyclist, 54, seen lying face-down following accident with tipper truck along Tanah Merah Coast Road
    • Singapore's Covid-19 wave subsides after weekly infections climbed to 26,400 cases in April

Entertainment

Entertainment
    • Alex Fong and wife expecting 1st child
    • 'It's time to take responsibility for what I did': Ex-actor Ian Fang arrives at State Courts to begin prison sentence
    • BTS' Jin tries lie detector test, what untruths did the machine pick out?
    • Kim Soo-hyun's luxury apartment seized over unpaid advertiser's penalty fee amid Kim Sae-ron scandal
    • Doctor accused of providing Matthew Perry with ketamine has agreed to plead guilty
    • Justin Bieber asks public to stop urging him to 'heal'
    • Glenn Close and Billy Porter cast in The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping
    • Sean 'Diddy' Combs juror dismissed despite defence's concern about race
    • Michael Jackson's daughter Paris Jackson defends decision to book gig on father's death anniversary
    • Ye makes surprise appearance at Sean 'Diddy' Combs trial; judge considers removing juror

Lifestyle

Lifestyle
    • Just tired or something more? The overlooked mental struggles some new dads face
    • 'I should treasure this': New dad Ghib Ojisan on his journey as the family's confinement nanny
    • Home-based food businesses stir debate among restaurant owners
    • 'I miss you, dad': Sons speak on grief, growth and navigating life without a father
    • Singapore private club 1880 suddenly closes; founder says it has no funds to pay staff and suppliers
    • Range Rover Velar 3.0 S review: Change of heart for a cleaner and more powerful ride
    • Air Jordan 5 Retro Grape sneakers revived after 12 years
    • Vietjet rolls out $86 fares for Singapore to Vietnam flights for limited time only
    • Four Star has 80% off mattresses and furniture for 4 days only, SAFRA members get extra 10% off
    • Best buffet dining promotions in Singapore: Carousel, Colony, Edge, Peppermint, The Line buffet prices (June 2025)

Digicult

Digicult
    • Slim, sleek, but slightly too short-lived: Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge review
    • World's best Dota 2 teams to compete for $1m prize pool in Singapore in November
    • Disney, Universal sue image creator Midjourney for copyright infringement
    • Initiative by IMDA, AI Verify Foundation tests AI accuracy, trustworthiness in real-world scenarios
    • Under siege? Helldivers 2's latest city to be invaded by aliens could be spoof of Singapore
    • Honor 400 Series launches in Singapore with first free in-device AI image-to-video tool
    • Home Team humanoid robots to be deployed by mid-2027, $100m to be invested: Josephine Teo
    • Ado concert review: Singer without a face ignites fans while in cage with only silhouette visible
    • EU and US authorities take down malware network
    • Google Pixel 9a: The best AI-centric phone under $800 in 2025?

Money

Money
    • Best credit card promotions in Singapore (June 2025): Citibank, DBS, HSBC, UOB and more
    • Trump, Starmer say US-UK trade deal finalised
    • Paris Airshow opens under cloud of India crash, Mideast conflict
    • Estee Lauder Chairman Emeritus Leonard Lauder dies at 92
    • Love without a BTO flat: Tough housing choices facing mixed-nationality couples in Singapore
    • 9 best air-mile credit cards in Singapore (May-June 2025)
    • Trump approves Nippon Steel's $19b purchase of US Steel
    • Air India disaster is first fatal Boeing 787 accident
    • Best bank offers in Singapore (June 2025): Blackpink Visa presale, Lilo & Stitch Hawaii vacation, up to 50% off flights and more
    • More seniors to benefit as 3 local banks recognise CPF Life payouts as income proof for credit card applications

Latest

Latest
  • Indonesian police searching Saudia Airlines plane after bomb threat
  • Israeli tank shelling kills 51 people awaiting aid trucks in Gaza, ministry says
  • New Zealand PM to discuss trade, tourism and security in first visit to China
  • China's civil servants banned from dining out in Xi's austerity drive
  • Pentagon chief says Trump still aiming for deal with Iran
  • Indonesian police say 2 people arrested over fatal shooting in Bali villa
  • Chinese embassy in Israel urges citizens to leave
  • Want to file for divorce in China? You might need a booking agent
  • G7 expresses support for Israel, calls Iran source of instability

In Case You Missed It

In Case You Missed It
  • 'Family love keeps me going': Thai, 46, walks 700km to quit cannabis addiction
  • 'I was scared. I stood up and ran': Sole survivor of Air India crash reportedly jumped out of emergency exit
  • 'Overwhelming response': Less than 2,000 books left after Yale-NUS adoption drive, June 14 fair open to public
  • 'You got yourself a customer for life': Woman receives surprise gifts from SIA crew to celebrate her pregnancy
  • Bus swayed uncontrollably and was speeding: Survivors of crash which killed 15 students in Malaysia describe terrifying moments
  • 'Modern kampung spirit': Neighbours leave heartfelt notes on newly-weds' apology notice for wedding 'gatecrash' noise
  • 'A quiet spot to hang out': Car enthusiasts mourn closure of '40 tiang' Lim Chu Kang Road
  • 2 women arrested for theft at Changi Airport transit area within an hour
  • 40 Singaporeans going on 'Single's Inferno' trips to Japan to find love, minus the cameras
This website is best viewed using the latest versions of web browsers.