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The Best Korean Body-Care Products Get You Glass Skin From Head to Toe
Best of all, “A key element of Korean body care is gentle formulations,” Sarah Chung Park, a K-beauty industry CEO, tells Allure. Several of the best Korean body-care products in the game are hypoallergenic, fragrance-free, and mild enough for babies. So if you have reactive, sensitive skin, consider adding these product recommendations to your body-care routine.
Frequently Asked Questions
Best Overall: Illiyoon Ceramide Ato Concentrate Cream
Why it’s worth it: If Illiyoon isn’t already on your radar, allow this all-purpose formula to be your introduction to one of Korea’s top body-care brands. The Illiyoon Ceramide Ato Concentrate Cream provides even the most sensitive skin with moisture and irritation relief. “This product has saved my skin, even during the harshest New York winters,” says Cho. “It’s one of the most soothing body products I’ve used—gentle enough for my kids and rich enough to keep my skin from flaking. I especially love the encapsulated ceramides that support and nourish my skin barrier,” she says.
The decadent nourishing cream contains barrier-repairing ceramides to help keep your skin feeling hydrated all day long, says board-certified dermatologist Y. Claire Chang, MD. “As we mature, our skin’s ceramide level decreases, so it’s important to replace this [loss] with ceramide-containing skin-care products,” she adds
“My legs are a hot spot for eczema, so I have to be extremely careful about the body-care products I use or I will be up all night scratching at my skin. Illiyoon’s Ceramide Ato Concentrate Cream is a no-brainer with its fragrance-free formula that blankets skin in comforting moisture and never annoyingly transfers onto clothes.” —Devon Abelman, contributor
- Key ingredients: ceramides, ginseng root water, soybean oil
- Who it’s for: everyone, even those with sensitive and reactive skin
- Fragrance-free: yes
Best Hand Cream: Haruharu Wonder Black Bamboo Nourishing Calming Hand & Nail Cream
Why it’s worth it: Honestly, Korea is gatekeeping its best hand creams. Popular brands like Tamburins, aren’t officially available in the U.S. (yet). Thankfully, Haruharu Wonder’s Black Bamboo Nourishing Calming Hand & Nail Cream is easy to shop stateside. Its chic, artsy tube is filled with moisturizing panthenol, healing vitamin E, and several components of bamboo, naturally rich in minerals and amino acids, to rapidly nourish dry skin. The silky, fast-absorbing texture leaves hands soft but never greasy, and it doubles as a nail and cuticle treatment.
Tester feedback from contributing commerce editor Deanna Pai
“I’ve never seen a hand cream sink in so quickly—as you can see from my video, it was almost instant. (This makes sense, if you’ve ever tried one of Haruharu’s sunscreens.) It has a fresh herbal scent that I couldn’t stop sniffing and left my hands incredibly soft and smooth, but not slick. I went back to typing pretty much immediately without any greasiness or residue—a dream hand cream, pretty much.” —Deanna Pai, contributing commerce editor
- Key ingredients: bamboo water, coconut oil, murumuru seed butter, panthenol
- Who it’s for: everyone
- Fragrance-free: no
Best Body Lotion: Aestura Atobarrier365 Body Lotion
Why it’s worth it: Aestura, Korea’s viral, dermatologist-recommended brand, made its name with sensitive-skin staples like the Allure-favorite Atobarrier365 Cream. Now, the K-beauty brand is bringing its science-backed formulas to its first body-care launch: the Atobarrier365 Body Lotion. This silky formula delivers glowing skin from head to toe, thanks to micro-fine ceramides—a proprietary complex designed to penetrate the thicker layers of body skin for deep, long-lasting hydration. Recognized by the National Eczema Association, it’s ideal for dry, reactive skin and powered by gentle PHAs, panthenol, and glycerin to smooth rough patches and boost moisture levels.
“As someone with dry, sensitive skin, I’ve always loved the Aestura Atobarrier365 face cream, so I was excited to try the new body lotion. It’s more lightweight and less dense, which makes it super easy to spread, especially right out of the shower when my skin’s still damp. I feel like it absorbs better that way and leaves my skin soft and calm all day.” —Christa Joanna Lee, contributing commerce writer
- Key ingredients: ceramides, PHAs, vitamin E, panthenol, glycerin
- Who it’s for: people with dry skin or uneven texture
- Fragrance-free: no
Best Body Mist: D’alba White Truffle Aromatic Body Mist Serum
Why it’s worth it: The D’alba White Truffle Aromatic Body Mist Serum is the body-care version of one of Korea’s most popular face mists. Like the White Truffle First Aromatic Spray Serum, a layer of botanical oils floats atop this body mist’s hydrating, water-like formula infused with white truffles, which help hydrate, calm, and brighten skin. The difference between the two fan-favorite sprays: the White Truffle Aromatic Body Mist Serum, which Dr. Chang highly recommends, features more emollient oils and fewer face-focused actives to leave your body feeling like you just slathered it with fancy hydrating body butter with just a spritz.
Tester feedback from contributor Abelman
“Sometimes, just the thought of putting on body lotion exhausts me. The D’alba White Truffle Aromatic Body Mist Serum is a super simple alternative to keep skin fresh, nourished, and smooth. It’s easy to spray on right after hopping out of the shower to lock in major moisture. Sometimes, I spritz on this body serum before leaving the house instead of perfume because its elegant floral scent is so divine. You can also use it on your hair for a quick hydrating refresh.” —Abelman
- Key ingredients: avocado oil, oat kernel extract, basil extract, honey extract, vitamin C
- Who it’s for: everyone, especially those who find body lotions too heavy
- Fragrance-free: no
Best Foot-Care Product: Veilment Cotton Foot
Why it’s worth it: If you figure that shower water alone does the trick for your feet, consider a little upgrade for your soles. Veilment Cotton Foot is a liquid-to-foam foot shampoo made specifically for your hardest-working body part. Just spritz it on in the shower, rub your feet together to create a soft lather, and rinse. It comes in zesty lemon, crisp grapefruit, and cooling menthol scents that cleanse, deodorize, and leave your feet feeling refreshed. No matter the fragrance, the dedicated rinse feels heavenly after a long day.
Tester feedback from commerce editor Sarah Han
“Four days commuting into the office + hot girl walks + 90-degree NYC summer days = gross, stinky feet. Oh, and heaven forbid I deign to wear semi-exposed shoes. (I do!) Anyways, this is not a rant, but to say that I’ve finally added a product to my foot-care routine that is not simply rubbing them with shower water! All you do is spritz the grapefruit-scented formula onto wet feet, rub together, and voila—cleaner feet that smell like fruit instead of hot garbage! (Note: I’m not constantly smelling my feet, so I’m extrapolating.) The best part is that this step takes only seconds and fits into my current routine seamlessly.” —Sarah Han, commerce editor
- Key ingredients: hydrogenated castor oil, lauric acid, lauryl hydroxysultaine, potassium hydroxide, myristic acid
- Who it’s for: everyone, especially those with foot odor or calluses
- Fragrance-free: no
Best Body Wash: Some By Mi AHA-BHA-PHA 30 Days Miracle Acne Body Cleanser
Some By Mi
AHA-BHA-PHA 30 Days Miracle Acne Body Cleanser
Why it’s worth it: Inspired by the K-beauty brand’s best-selling toner and the importance of exfoliation in Korean bathing culture, the Some By Mi AHA-BHA-PHA 30 Days Miracle Acne Body Cleanser is one of those rare K-beauty products that lives up to the buzz for blemish-prone and oily skin. “It chemically sloughs off dead skin cells,” says Chung Park, while dermatologist Dr. Chang adds that the combination of salicylic, mandelic, and citric acids helps reduce clogged pores and improve texture. If body acne is the bane of your existence, this gel body wash can help visibly clear blemishes without stripping skin.
Although it’s free of artificial fragrances, neem, tea tree, and eucalyptus extracts give this body wash a refreshing herbal scent, as well as anti-inflammatory benefits to help calm and soothe skin, Dr. Chang adds.
- Key ingredients: cica, tea tree, salicylic acid, AHA, BHA, PHA
- Who it’s for: people with stretch marks or loose skin
- Fragrance-free: yes
Best for Stretch Marks: Atopalm Maternity Care Stretch Mark Cream
Atopalm
Maternity Care Stretch Mark Cream
Why it’s worth it: Atopalm Maternity Care Stretch Mark Cream is a pregnancy-safe, fragrance-free formula that gives your growing belly, or anywhere else that’s itchy and dry. “Atopalm is one of the first Korean body-care brands I discovered in Korea,” says Cho. “Their patented technology mimics the skin’s natural lipids, and it’s truly a lifesaver for dry, compromised skin,” she says. This cream is loaded with hydrators like glycerin, panthenol, and beta-glucan, plus barrier-boosting ceramide analogs that help keep tight, itchy skin calm and moisturized. You’ll also find plant-based oils like jojoba, olive, and sunflower, along with tremella mushroom extract (a collagen booster) to help improve elasticity. It’s ideal for sensitive, easily irritated skin—whether you’re expecting or just looking for an ultra-nourishing body cream.
- Key ingredients: shea butter, olive oil, vitamin E, jojoba oil, ceramides
- Who it’s for: people with stretch marks or dry, itchy skin
- Fragrance-free: yes
Best for Body Acne: Dr. Orga pH-balanced Houttuynia Cordata Red Spot Mist
Dr. Orga
pH-balanced Houttuynia Cordata Red Spot Mist
Why it’s worth it: Antioxidant-rich heart leaf extract puts the Houttuynia Cordata in the Dr. Orga pH-balanced Houttuynia Cordata Red Spot Mist. This popular K-beauty ingredient is known for soothing and healing inflammation, as well as preventing skin dehydration. It’s joined by AHA, BHA, and PHA to chemically exfoliate skin and banish body acne. Together, these gentle acids help unclog pores, smooth rough texture, and fade discoloration from old breakouts. The mist format also makes it easy to spritz hard-to-reach areas, like your back and shoulders, without irritating your acne-prone skin. “Dr. Orga was one of the first non-toxic body-care brands I discovered in Korea, and their commitment to EWG-safe ingredients really impressed me,” says Cho. “Their formulas are simple, effective, and great for anyone with sensitive skin looking to avoid harsh chemicals.”
Tester feedback from contributor Abelman
“TMI but I recently had a pimple on my buttcheek, and I swear this made it go away overnight. I’ve been using it to fight breakouts on my face, but it seems to work faster and more effectively as a spot treatment for body acne. Plus, tea tree extract gives it an invigorating, spa-like herbal scent that I can’t get enough of.” —Abelman
- Key ingredients: cica, heart leaf, tea tree, niacinamide, gluconolactone, lactobionic acid, tartaric acid
- Who it’s for: those dealing with body acne and inflammation
- Fragrance-free: yes
Best Body Oil: Derma B Daily Moisture Body Oil
Derma B
Daily Moisture Body Oil
Why it’s worth it: The Derma B Daily Moisture Body Oil is another 2024 Allure Korea Best of Beauty pick—this time in the best body oil category. Their editors say the fig-scented formula quickly absorbs into skin while moisturizing it. The viscous liquid dispenses from a convenient, easy-to-use pump, so you can give yourself a little massage without having to deal with the bottle slipping out of your hands in the process. It gets skin glowing fast without feeling greasy or slimy. You can also mix it into your favorite lotion to boost its moisture-locking abilities.
Key ingredients: argan, grape seed, sunflower, and sweet almond oils | Who it’s for: those with dry skin | Fragrance-free: no
Frequently Asked Questions
How are Korean body-care products different from American ones?
Korean body-care products usually use fewer butters and oils than American ones, and the scents tend to be much more subtle, Chung Park says.
Body care is also more deeply rooted in Korean culture than American culture. Koreans have a long history of frequenting public bath houses, like mogyoktang and jjimjilbang, and using a rough exfoliating washcloth daily, Chung Park explains. “That history is reflected in modern K-Beauty body products with lightweight body serums, mists, and lotions, as well as gentle body scrubs.”
It’s no surprise that some of the best Korean skin care, especially body products, are continuously trending on TikTok, with fans praising their elegant textures and skin-first approach. Many of these finds hail from skin-care brands known for their minimalist formulas and sensitive-skin-friendly ingredients, helping to redefine what body care can look like.
Meet the experts
- Sarah Chung Park is the founder and CEO of Landing International, a B2B platform bringing K-beauty brands to American stores.
- Y. Claire Chang, MD, is a board-certified dermatologist at New York City’s UnionDerm.
- Charlotte Cho, co-founder of Soko Glam, is based in New York City
How we test and review products
When Allure tests a product, our editors look at it from every angle in an effort to best serve you. We review ingredients, scrutinize brand claims, and, when necessary, examine peer-reviewed scientific and medical studies. In addition to testing each and every product that’s included in each and every review, we rely on experts who shape their fields, including dermatology, cosmetic chemistry, and medicine, to help us vet the ingredients and formulas.
For our list of the best Korean body-care products, we considered each product’s performance across five primary categories: product ingredients and efficacy, packaging, fragrance, texture, and product wear. Every product was determined to have excelled in each category by our editorial team, which is composed of in-house writers and editors as well as contributors—along with special consideration from board-certified derms and K-beauty experts. To learn more information on our reporting and testing processes, read our complete reviews process and methodology page.
Our staff and testers
A beauty product is a personal purchase. You might be searching for a face cream to address persistent dryness or a new nail product to add to your Sunday self-care routine; you may simply be browsing around for the latest launches to hit the hair market. No matter what you seek or your individual needs and concerns, Allure wants to ensure that you love anything we recommend in our stories. We believe that having a diverse team of writers and editors—in addition to the wide range of outside testers and industry experts we regularly call upon—is essential to reaching that goal.
After all, can we really say a skin-care product is the “best” for people over 50 if the only testers we’ve solicited opinions from folks who have yet to hit 30? Can we honestly deem a high-end diffuser worthy of your hard-earned cash if it’s never been tested on curls? We’re proud that our staff spans a wide range of ages, skin tones, hair textures, genders, and backgrounds, which means that we are able to fairly assess any beauty product that comes into the beauty closet.
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