Five Korean Skincare Favorites
China K. Upshaw on the five Korean products she keeps reaching for this month, and why they've worked on her melanin-rich skin.
Korean skincare doesn't have to be complicated. It just has to work. These five products are what I keep coming back to this month: gentle on my skin, and they've worked on my melanin-rich skin.
Klairs Supple Preparation Unscented Toner
No matter what I put on first, I can follow it with the Supple Toner and my skin feels reset, back to even. There's no added fragrance, which matters if your skin is sensitive. It's the step that brings everything back to center.
Dr.Althea Vitamin C Boosting Serum
This is the vitamin C I'd hand to anyone with darker skin. On me there's no sting and no tingling, and I've seen a real drop in the dark spots on my face. A vitamin C that does that without irritating my skin is rare in my experience.
Klairs Freshly Juiced Vitamin E Mask
I sometimes use this as a moisturizer because of the glow it gives my skin. On the days I wear it, people compliment my skin wherever I go. Leave it on overnight and I wake up glowing. It's that kind of product.
CNP Laboratory Propolis Lipcerin
The applicator feels like an air mattress for your lips, soft and cushiony, the kind of thing you keep rubbing on over and over. I couldn't care less what scent is in the tube. The tube is the point, and the product lives up to it.
Anua Niacinamide 10 TXA 4 Serum
A lot of Korean products promise the glass-skin look. This one gave it to me. It did most of the heavy lifting on my dark spots, and I saw the change in a couple of weeks. When Korean skincare makes me a promise, this is the one that keeps it.
All five have earned a permanent spot in my routine. If you try one, start with whichever problem you're tired of looking at in the mirror.
