Routines

The Korean Skincare Routine, Explained by a Korean

By Pibu Notes · November 12, 2026

If you’ve searched “Korean skincare routine,” you’ve probably seen the famous 10-step routine: oil cleanser, foam cleanser, exfoliator, toner, essence, serum, sheet mask, eye cream, moisturizer, sunscreen.

Here’s the thing. I’m Korean, I live in Korea, and I certainly don’t do all ten steps every day. Most days, it’s four or five.

I’m a 24-year-old university student. My skin has large pores, gets red easily, and breaks out wherever I shave. It feels tight and dry outside during the day, but it’s oily by the time I wake up. So my routine isn’t about looking glamorous. It’s about keeping that mess under control in as few steps as possible.

In this post, I’ll show you exactly what I use every morning and night, why each step is there, and how you can build a routine like this for your own skin.

My Morning Routine (4 Steps)

1. Cleanse: Anua Heartleaf Quercetinol Pore Deep Cleansing Foam

I wake up with an oily T-zone, so I always wash with a foam cleanser in the morning. Heartleaf (eoseongcho in Korean) is one of the most popular soothing ingredients in Korea right now, and you’ll see it in cleansers, toners and sunscreens at every Olive Young.

It cleans without that squeaky, stripped feeling, which matters a lot when your skin already feels tight after washing.

2. Tone right away: Round Lab 1025 Dokdo Toner

This is the step I never skip. My face feels dry within a minute of washing, so I put toner on immediately, before the tightness sets in.

In Korea, toner isn’t the harsh, alcohol-heavy astringent many people imagine. Most Korean toners are watery hydrating layers, and that’s the job it does in my routine.

3. Sunscreen: Goodal Heartleaf Soothing Moisture Sun Cream

Sunscreen goes on next, on both my face and neck. It’s SPF50+ PA++++ and calming, which suits my easily reddened skin.

Fun detail: mine is a Sanrio collab edition that came with a Cinnamoroll card sticker. Character collabs like this are everywhere in Korean drugstores.

4. Finish: OBgE Natural Cover Lotion (SPF50+ PA++++)

This is the most “Korean guy” product in my routine. It’s a tinted lotion that evens out redness and has SPF50+. I spread a thin layer over my face only. When I first started, it sat on top of my skin, looking patchy and lifting in places. Since sticking with the rest of this routine, it goes on smoothly, absorbs quickly and just looks like my own skin.

I’ll be honest: for a while this was my only sun protection. But a thin layer of tinted lotion likely gives less protection than the label says, which is why a proper sunscreen now goes on first. I go deeper into this in my sunscreen post.

My Night Routine (4 Steps)

1. Double cleanse: Make p:rem cleansing milk, then the same foam

At night I double cleanse. First a gentle cleansing milk (Make p:rem Safe Me. Relief Moisture Cleansing Milk) to lift off the tinted lotion and the day’s oil, then the Anua foam again. About once a week, I swap the milk for Anua Heartleaf Pore Control Cleansing Oil.

If you don’t wear SPF or anything tinted, you can probably skip the first step. Double cleansing exists to remove what a single foam wash can’t. I compare all three in Foam, Oil or Milk?

2. Toner, or a salicylic acid pad

Most nights it’s the Dokdo Toner again. About twice a week, I swap it for a Stridex Sensitive pad (the green tub, 0.5% salicylic acid with aloe) to help with blackheads on my nose and bumps where I shave.

I don’t use the pad every night. My skin reddens easily, so I keep exfoliation to about twice a week.

3. Serums: B5 first, then niacinamide

After toner, I use numbuzin No.1 Pantothenic B5 Active Soothing Serum, then The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%. The numbuzin serum is a Korean favorite for oily, breakout-prone skin. The Ordinary isn’t Korean, but niacinamide is popular in Korea for oil and pore care, and it doesn’t sting on my skin. On Stridex nights, I skip the niacinamide so I’m not stacking actives.

4. Moisturize: Bring Green Tea Tree Cica Soothing Cream

A soothing cream with tea tree and cica (centella asiatica). Cica is everywhere in Korean skincare because it calms irritated skin. Since my skin reddens easily and my shaving area gets irritated, a soothing cream makes more sense for me than a rich, heavy one.

My full routine at a glance

How to Build Your Own Korean-Style Routine

You don’t need my exact products. What you can copy is the logic:

1. Start with three steps: cleanser, a hydrating toner, and something to finish (moisturizer at night, SPF in the morning).
2. Add one step per problem, not per trend. Blackheads got me a salicylic acid pad. Redness got me a soothing cream. Nothing else made the cut.
3. Hydrate fast after washing, especially if your skin feels tight. It’s the reason toner comes right after cleansing in my routine.
4. Don’t exfoliate every day. Start at once or twice a week and watch how your skin reacts.
5. Take sunscreen seriously. This is the part I’m still fixing myself.

If you’re starting from zero, my simple 4-step guide for men is the easier place to begin.

FAQ

Do Korean men really use skincare? Yes. Basic skincare is completely normal for guys in Korea, and every Olive Young has a men’s section. My routine is on the simple end.

Is double cleansing necessary? Only if you wear sunscreen, tinted products or makeup. Otherwise one gentle cleanser is fine.

What’s the one Korean product to try first? A hydrating toner. It’s the step Korean routines are built around, and it’s cheap to experiment with.

Can I use a salicylic acid pad and niacinamide together? I keep them apart: on Stridex nights I skip niacinamide. If you do combine them and your skin stings or turns red, separate them the same way.

This post is based on my personal experience and is not medical advice. If you have a persistent skin condition, please see a dermatologist.