12 Best Korean Essences For Oily & Combination Skin Types
Dealing with oily or troubled skin? Check out our guide to the best Korean essences for oily and/or combination skin to finally achieve that glass skin without looking greasy.
When it comes to skincare, whether you’re after a new face wash or a full-blown routine, the options can be overwhelming. Every year, new products and new skincare products come about, so it’s easy to feel confused and conflicted about which products to go for.
One product category that hasn’t quite achieved mainstream attention in the West is essences – hence, we recommend checking out Korean essences instead to get the most bang for your buck. And to avoid any overwhelm, we’re here to help separate the winners from the losers by rounding up the best essences for oily and combination skin types.
After all, an essence is really just a lightweight moisturizer that helps hydrate and protect your skin (and smooth out fine lines).
Essences are ideal for oily and combination skin types because they can’t usually handle heavy lotions. And since essences are hydrating without being heavy, they won’t make you feel like you’re sweating through them either—just glowing.
Without further ado, let’s get into the best Korean essences for oily skin! Some of these essences are also suitable for sensitive, dry, and acne-prone skin.
12 Best Korean Essences For Oily Skin
1. COSRX Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence
With 96% snail mucin as one of its main ingredients and a slew of other skin-nourishing bonuses, COSRX Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence is the perfect choice for oily skin.
This essence not only moisturizes and hydrates your face but also helps to regenerate your skin cells, relieves irritation and redness, and improves the health of your complexion.
It’s no wonder that this product has been dubbed “a miracle worker” by beauty bloggers across the globe! You can be sure that this product will leave you feeling refreshed, rejuvenated, and ready to take on whatever life throws at you.
The lightweight texture makes it easy to apply without feeling heavy or greasy on your face – no matter what time of day. To apply, simply use a cotton pad or simply just your fingers.
2. MISSHA Time Revolution The First Essence 5X
Misha’s Time Revolution is a tried and tested best-seller for the brand, famous for its high concentration of fermented yeast extracts, mimicking the effects of the much pricier SK II essence.
The essence contains fermented yeast extract from Saccharomyces and Bifida among others, which help minimize the appearance of pores and blemishes. These ingredients smoothe out skin texture while providing long-lasting hydration, while Phyllanthus and rice extracts help to restore a healthy glow to the complexion.
It’s also great for anti-aging and brightening benefits, as well as improving your skin’s overall health and appearance.
3. MANYO FACTORY Galac Niacin 2.0 Essence
The Galac Niacin 2.0 Essence is a multi-tasker that works to visibly enhance radiance and replenish moisture. Niacinamide helps regulate sebum production, tackle hyperpigmentation and dark spots, while simultaneously enhancing the skin barrier’s function.
Developed in South Korea, this product also contains 97% galactomyces ferment filtrate—a natural antioxidant sourced from yeast fermentation used as an alternative to synthetic preservatives. It removes dead skin cells to reveal a softer complexion.
Formulated without any artificial fragrances, mineral oils, essential oils, or alcohols, this product is a wonderful addition to any skincare routine, but works especially well on oily or combination skin, thanks to niacinamide’s sebum controlling properties.
4. TOSOWOONG Green Tea Eco Brightening Essence
The Green Tea Eco Brightening Essence from Tosowoong is a great choice for oily skin types. It contains 75% fermented green tea, which has antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties that help keep your skin healthy.
With the power of polyphenols from fermented green tea extract, this product helps dull skin appear brighter, improves the appearance of textured skin, and delivers moisture and hydration without overpowering oily skin.
5. Sioris My First Essence
The Sioris My First Essence is a refreshing, innovative essence toner that quickly absorbs into the skin and perfectly preps it for the next steps.
The active ingredients of this calming product include anti-oxidant rich green tea and mugworth to regulate excess sebum, reduce irritation and even out skin tone.
Damask rose water helps minimize pores and further soothes the skin, while polyglutamic acid replenishes moisture and revitalizes the appearance of dull skin.
6. COSRX BHA Blackhead Power Liquid
The COSRX BHA Blackhead Power Liquid is a chemical exfoliator that refines the look of enlarged pores caused by oily skin, plus helps remove excess sebum and blackheads.
It contains 4% BHA, also known as salicylic acid, that helps clear clogged pores and exfoliates dead skin cells for gentle but effective pore care.
This product is free of mineral oil, essential oils, and silicone so it won’t cause breakouts or irritation on even sensitive skin types—as long as you use it in moderation!
We recommend using this essence once every two days at most if you have oily or combination skin; if you’re using it daily then try using less than the recommended amount each time (about half), which should be plenty to get rid of blackheads without overdoing it.
7. COCOKIND Glow Essence With Sea Grape Caviar
If you want to glow like a mermaid but don’t want to fork over the money for an expensive facial, the Glow Essence With Sea Grape Caviar from Cocokind will give your skin similar benefits.
It’s a 100% vegan formula that contains sea grape caviar, blue algae extract, and sea buckthorn extract to boost hydration, natural glow, and suppleness for glowing skin.
It also contains antioxidants to provide a brightening boost so that your complexion looks smoother even when it’s oily or combination-prone.
Formulated without artificial fragrances, mineral oil, essential oils, or silicone, this essence is suitable for all types of skin including oily and combination skin types.
This product is easy on the pocket as well since you only need one pump per application!
8. DEWYTREE Ultra Vitalizing Snail Essence Water
DEWETREE Ultra Vitalizing Snail Essence Water is a lightweight yet powerful essence that softens skin, allowing for better product absorption.
This essence contains snail secretion filtrate and adenosine as well as aloe leaf extract to target redness, irritation, wrinkles, overall skin damage, and acne.
The DEWETREE Ultra Vitalizing Snail Essence Water is perfect for oily and combination skin types but gentle enough for sensitive or damaged skin types too!
9. TONYMOLY The Chok Chok Green Tea Watery Essence
Did you know that “Chok Chok” means “dewy” in Korean? The Chok Chok Green Tea Watery Essence is a great choice if you have oily or combination skin. It’s made from 80% fermented green tea extract, which is known for its ability to calm down irritation and plump up your skin, giving it a healthy, dewy glow.
This essence contains lemon seed oil as an anti-fungal agent, rosewood oil to help soothe your skin, and bamboo water for hydration.
10. WANDER BEAUTY Mist Connection Essence and Toner
Here’s a product that combines an essence and a toner in one biphase formula – the Mist Connection Essence and Toner from Wander Beauty. It’s great for those with oily skin, as it helps balance oil production while also providing much-needed moisture to the skin.
Its key ingredients include niacinamide and adenosine which work together to soothe irritation and control sebum production, while hyaluronic acid provides moisture and plumps up fine lines, giving you a youthful appearance.
The evening primrose oil adds nourishment while avocado oil helps hydrate. However, if you are easily prone to acne, it may be best to avoid using this product, as both avocado oil and evening primrose oil are mildly comedogenic, meaning there is a chance that they may cause breakouts.
11. PYUNKANG YUL Essence Toner
As one of the best essences for sensitive skin, the Pyunkang Yul Essence Toner is a great addition to any bathroom cabinet, even for those with oily skin.
It’s certified irritation-free, and contains no fragrance or colorants, making it suitable for even the most sensitive oily skin. The high concentration of active ingredients such as hydroxyethyl cellulose, arginine and astragalus root extract make it wonderful to nourish and revitalize skin.
It’s best for sensitive, dry and combination skin types, but people with oily skin can also take advantage, especially if you are highly sensitive to common skincare ingredients.
12. ISOI Bulgarian Rose Pore Tightening Tonic Essence
This product is a 100% all-natural organic essence that contains witch hazel, allantois, lemon, apple, grape extracts and Bulgarian rose oil.
Witch Hazel helps to relieve acne, inflammation, and skin irritation while also helping to balance moisture levels with hyaluronic acid.
In addition to this, the Isoi Pore Tightening Tonic Essence contains many other natural ingredients such as lemon peel, which helps brighten dull complexions, and apple fruit extract, which has anti-inflammatory properties that reduce redness caused by blemishes or pimples.
Additionally, grape seed extract provides antioxidant protection against free radical damage that can contribute to premature aging of the skin. It also contains high levels of linoleic acid, which can decrease clogged pores and calm down acne.
Bulgarian Rose Oil helps relieve irritated skin which makes it perfect for oily skin types looking for an anti-blemish solution without drying out the face!
What Is An Oily Skin Type?
Oily skin type is characterized by a higher level of sebum production, which makes the skin often more prone to acne. This is also why blackheads and whiteheads are common for people with oily skin.
Oily skin types are prone to clogged pores, which can lead to acne breakouts and inflamed pimples or zits.
Excess oil on the face produces a persistently shiny or greasy appearance. If you don’t treat your oily skin, pores can become clogged and enlarged, and dead skin cells may accumulate in them over time. This buildup creates an environment where bacteria thrive, causing acne breakouts that appear as pimples or zits on areas like the forehead or chin area of your face.
What Is A Combination Skin Type?
Oily skin may appear shiny and have large pores and breakouts. On the other hand, dry skin can be flaky or tight with visible fine lines and wrinkles.
It’s not uncommon to have both of these skin types present on your face – this means you have combination skin. Typically, the T-zone (nose, forehead and chin) is oily while the cheeks are dry.
Conclusion
We’re confident that our list of the best Korean essences for oily and combination skin types has given you a good idea of what to look for in your next skincare purchase.
If you’ve tried any of these products or want to share your experiences with other K-beauty items, we would love to hear what works best for you.
We hope you enjoyed this list of the best Korean essences for oily skin! If you’re still looking for more beauty inspiration, check the posts down below!
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