How to Get Glass Skin, According to K-beauty Experts

To try for yourself, start with Anua’s cleansing oil, which blends heartleaf extract with sunflower, olive, jojoba, and moringa seed oils into a noncomedogenic elixir that wipes away makeup, blackheads, and impurities with ease.

Foams or gels are water-soluble formulas that can wipe away remaining impurities following your oil cleanse, per Dr. Hall’s advice. Neogen’s is excellent, combining green tea, moringa seed, orange fruit extracts, and papaya fruit water to soothe and brighten skin simultaneously.

Board-certified dermatologist Dr. Christina Chung is a fan of this gentle cleanser, noting that it’s become a favorite for everyone in her family, from teens to elders. “Sulwhasoo products are generally ginseng-based and fabulous for sensitive skin types,” she previously told Vogue.

This balm was Vogue beauty shopping writer Conçetta Ciarlo’s intro to the K-Beauty world back in her university days, before the category fully broke mainstream in the U.S. “A random Amazon purchase in 2017 turned into a go-to product—just one scoop of the whipped-texture product lathers with ease, removing waterproof makeup with ease,” she says.

Chung and her teenage daughter both love this cleanser. She previously explained that it’s particularly great for teens with active oil glands, as it deep cleanses their skin without causing irritation. The formula features ingredients like rice water extract and soapwort extract for clearer, brighter skin. Not to mention, it comes at a great price point.

Anua’s toner pads are an excellent exfoliator choice. These single-use pads are enriched in PHAs, plus 77% heartleaf extract and centella asiatica extract to limit sebum production, prevent breakouts, and calm stressed skin.

Thanks to soybean ferment extract, Mixsoon’s Bean Essences boasts hydrating and exfoliating properties. The silky formula limits skin texture, revealing radiant, supple skin in the process.

A viral TikTok K-Beauty pick, these toner pads blend snail mucin, niacinamide, peptides, centella asiatica, and licorice root extrat for skin brightening and beyond. Their versatility is what makes these so popular—swipe on as a daily refresh, or apply a pad to your face for 15 minutes as a spot treating mask.

Plant extracts like cypress leaf and skullcap help balance oil and prevent future congestion, while willow bark extract and salicylic acid clear out dead skin and visibly tighten pores. Unlike many exfoliants, these toner pads also hydrate and soothe with hyaluronic acid, cica, and panthenol for a clearer, more comfortable complexion.

Combining three different actives (AHAs, BHAs, and PHAs) in one product without totally irritating the skin seems like an impossible task, yet Some by Mi has accomplished it with this toner. The combination of liquid exfoliants gently boosts cell turnover and remove clogged pores, while tea tree leaf water hydrate and soothes.

Mediheal’s toner pads are best used after a breakout to help repair the skin and reduce scarring. The key ingredient madecassoside has been studied to reduce hyperpigmentation by inhibiting melanin synthesis. The product has various uses: gently wipe away traces of the day or as a mini sheet mask treatment.

When it comes to protecting skin from external stressors, CosRx’s Propolis Synergy Toner is just the ticket. With a cocktail of honey and 72.6% black bee propolis (a resin-like material made by bees), this toner boasts anti-inflammatory and antibacterial benefits. Expect a luminous complexion immediately upon application.

Keen on keeping your skin’s pH levels balanced? Pick up Etude’s SoonJung Relief Toner, which offers a pH of 5.5 to soothe, repair, and hydrate skin. Plus glycerin, panthenol, madecassoside, and camellia sinensis leaf extract only bolster these effects.

Rice water has been a key ingredient in achieving glass skin for over 2000 years in China, Korea, and Japan. The benefits? Anti-aging, anti-inflammatory, and moisturizing. Blending the best of both worlds, this toner offers the benefits of a rice water in a milky texture.

Another calming heartleaf toner, this pick’s hero ingredient is sourced from the Korean Jiri Mountains. Centella asiatica works alongside to cool skin inflammation while the soybean extract helps prevent fine lines, making this toner a versatile option for all skin types.

This milky rice toner also includes niacinamide for oil control, acne fighting, and brightening. Meanwhile, ceramides add extra hydration. Plus, its cosigned by beauty industry veteran and founder and CEO of Landing International, Sarah Chung Park. “It’s a rich, creamy toner that deeply nourishes, soothes irritation, and strengthens the skin barrier,” she previously told Vogue.

Non-comedogenic, and super hydrating, the star this formula is a highly concentrated fermented black rice. Don’t be fooled by it’s water-like consistency—this toner is packed with botanicals to ensure thoroughly moisturized and soft skin.

Dry, dull skin got you down? Add Serumkind’s Chaga Charging Drop to cart. Through 500,000 ppm of chaga mushroom extract alongside ginseng extract, this serum moisturizes skin like none other.

Peach Lily’s Glass Skin is one of our favorite K-beauty serums for its multipurpose benefits. Thanks to hyaluronic acid, madecassoide, niacinamide, peach extract, peptides, and beta-glucan, this can even out dark spots, clarify pores, and brighten your complexion with ease.

This milky ampoule leaves behind a non-sticky, high-gloss finish. The secret lies in its ingredients: moisturizing squalene provides deep hydration, white bran extract helps protect the skin, and a nourishing milk complex.

Powered by noni fruit and seed oil, this formula calms and nourishes while panthenol locks in moisture and reinforces your skin barrier. Bonus: vegan fermented collagen helps visibly firm and plump for that bouncy glow.

Vogue’s beauty editor at large Arden Fanning Andrews refers to this pick as “one of the best face serums she has ever tried.” The serum offers the best of both worlds—powerful hydrants with brightening actives. The star ingredient, 60% propolis extract, gives it a honey-like consistency add moisture, while niacinamide and BHA reduce excess sebum.

Those in search of a Korean approach to retinol needn’t look any further than this pick—a formula both Choi and board-certified dermatologist Dr. David Kim love. Powered by the encapsulated retinol, granactive retinoid, and bio-seletinoid, the formula somehow remains gentle. To wit, Cho said this is “highly effective, smoothing fine lines while keeping skin plump and hydrated” without irritation.

Even those with sensitive skin can give Aestura’s ATOBarrier365 cream a try. It delivers a gentle blend of ceramides, fatty acids, squalane, and allantoin to soothe, hydrate, and improve skin’s moisture levels. It’s worth noting that while this pick delivers next level hydration, it’s not non-comedogenic—normal to dry skin types will love this, while it may not suit acne-prone complexions.

Anyone with a penchant for gel moisturizers will appreciate Supereggg’s Sound Renewal. Here, Choi combines panthenol, squalane, fatty acids, hyaluronic acid, green tea, and centella asiatica for long-standing moisture retention, while the featured PHAs gently refine the look of pores.

Ultra-soothing and ideal for sensitive or acne-prone skin, Dr. Althea’s 345 Relief Cream brings together a calming trio—niacinamide, resveratrol, and a blend of botanical extracts—to help fend off breakouts and reduce irritation. The texture leans more toward ointment than traditional cream, making it especially well-suited as a nighttime treatment, a slugging step, or even worn solo on no-makeup days. That said, it may not be the best match for layering under foundation, as its ointment-like texture can interfere with makeup wear.

This gel cream manages to feel featherlight while delivering serious hydration. Formulated with oat seed water, panthenol, and squalane, it works to soothe and replenish even the most reactive, rosacea-prone skin. The fast-absorbing, fragrance-free formula melts in instantly—offering calming relief without any trace of greasiness or weight. Ciarlo swears by it when trying to calm her own flare ups: “A lot of moisturizers aimed at soothing rosacea contain pore clogging ingredients like shea, which my acne-prone skin can’t risk—not this one!”

When it comes to lightweight hydration, nothing beats a water gel moisturizer. Perfect for oily skin, this refreshing formula strikes the ideal balance between moisture and oil control. Infused with 44% red bean extract, packed with natural saponins, it effortlessly absorbs excess oil while helping to refine pores. A powerful trio of peptides works to enhance skin elasticity, leaving your complexion deeply hydrated, shine-free, and with a smooth, weightless finish.

Dr. Park previously described Round Lab's sunscreen as a “smooth moisturizing texture [that] so feels very neutral on the skin.” Powered by chemical agents, this provides apt UV protection while hyaluronic acid improves hydration levels, niacinamide quells inflammation, and allantoin keeps skin soothed.

Combining mineral and chemical filters, this formula strikes the perfect balance of protection and comfort—no chalky white cast, no irritation. “From its smooth and light texture to its neutral scent and translucent application, this SPF truly checks all of my boxes. The best part of all? It’s as clean as a chemical sunscreen can get,” Vogue associate shopping producer, Alexandra Ditch previously said of her favorite sunscreen.

Ciarlo won’t even consider other chemical sunscreens, citing this K-beauty pick her all time favorite. “I only have eyes for this specific CosRX SPF. Zero white cast, non-comedogenic, and fast-absorbing—what’s not to love? I can layer my makeup atop, with no fear of pilling,” says Ciarlo.

Soothing, hydrating, and protective—this ultra-light SPF is packed with centella asiatica alongside niacinamide and beta-glucan to calm irritation, replenish moisture, and shield the skin from UV damage—all without a hint of stickiness. Think of it as your go-to daily moisturizer, with the added benefit of SPF 50 protection.

Light as air yet packed with powerful protection, this serum-texture sunscreen from Mixsoon offers SPF 50+ while nourishing the skin with every swipe. Infused with fermented bean, barley, and pomegranate extracts, it hydrates, calms, and brightens, leaving a fresh, dewy glow. Even better, it's reef-safe, fragrance-free, and gentle enough for sensitive skin, making it a perfect daily go-to.