20 Korean Skincare Products Just Named Best in Korea

2025's mid-year picks are in!

KEAUTY ALERT! KEAUTY ALERT!

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We’re basically halfway through 2025… scary. But at least my favorite Korean beauty awards—from Glowpick, Hwahae, and Powder Room—have announced their mid-year selections for top products.

Because I have several screws loose, I combed through all the winners in my free time (the late hours of a Friday night) with the assistance of Odile Monod of The Monodist, who helpfully listed them out on her blog.

Ahead, you’ll find the K-beauty products people in Korea are using, loving, and recommending to their friends—so much so that major Korean beauty-centric social platforms named them winners.

Before I dive in, though, here’s a quick rundown on each award’s ranking system:

• Powder Room & Glowpick → Ranks top 3 in each category

• Hwahae → Themed categories with subcategories of first-place winners i.e.

  • Glow Forward = “New Brands with Proven Performance and Real Reviews”

  • Trending Glow Awards = “What’s Trending Now—Real-Time Rising Star Picks!”

My Award-Winning Faves

These products won more than one award across the board, including in my heart.

Aestura Atobarrier 365 Lotion (Sephora)

Real abelskin fans already know about this diva! It’s a staple in my beauty routine/life. I’ve gone through two bottles already this year because I drench my entire body in it every night before bed. It’s basically CeraVe/Cetaphil/Vanicream but 280,000 times better.

• Glowpick #1 Best Moisturizing Lotion

• Hwahae Best Moisturizing Products - Emulsion

Hanyul Yuja Vitamin C Brightening Toner Pads (Sephora)

I love these SO FUCKING MUCH! They are thinner and softer than most toner pads, making them easier to pull apart and quickly swipe across your face. Plus, they smell like sweet lemon dreaminess and make my skin extremely luminous.com. You don’t even need a separate vitamin C serum if you use these.

• Powder Room #2 Best Toner Pads & #1 Best Green Beauty Skincare

• Glowpick #3 Best Skincare Pads

Mediheal Madecassoside Blemish Repair Serum (DTC)

I honestly don’t know if this does anything for my skin, but I still use it at least twice a week.

• Glowpick #3 Best Soothing Serum

• Hwahae Best Skin-Brightening Products- Serum

Skin1004 Madagascar Centella Hyalu-Cica Water-Fit Sun Serum SPF50+/PA++++

I’ve lost count of how many bottles of this I’ve gone through. It’s one of the best sunscreens I’ve ever used. Sadly, Trump is depriving us of this— and other game-changing sunscreens that would help thousands of Americans decrease their risk of the most common type of cancer in our country. Alas, get someone in Korea to send it to you…or go to Korea. (Don’t worry about me, though. I have some stockpiled.)

• Powder Room & Glowpick #1 Best Sunscreen Serum

16 Other Repeat Skincare Winners

Haven’t tried these but want to!

🍵 Innisfree Retinol Green Tea PDRN Ampoule (DTC)

This PDRN isn’t extracted from salmon sperm; it’s simply fermented green tea, which is still helpful for firming and smoothing skin, along with a 1-percent retinol concentration that features a combination of pure retinol, hydroxypinacolone retinoate, and beta-carotene. 

• Glowpick #1 Best Pore-Minimizing Serum

• Powder Room #2 Best Ampoule & #1 Best Trouble Care (Acne Treatment)