15 Top Korean Moisturizers For Sensitive & Irritated Skin
Sensitive skin is tough to deal with; there are a lot of ingredients to avoid and it’s sometimes a hit or miss. Check out our guide on 15 of the best Korean moisturizers for sensitive skin for stress-free shopping!
Korean skincare routines are famous for their 10-step approach; however, they can be daunting to a beginner. Korean products are also famous for being gentle and avoiding irritating ingredients that are known to cause redness and inflammation.
Below, we have included some of the best K-beauty moisturizers for sensitive skin that you should consider adding to your daily or weekly routine. All of the products below are available for purchase, so if you see a product that you like, just click on the photo and it will take you to the retailer’s website.
Let’s get started!
The Best Korean Moisturizers For Sensitive Skin
1. Etude House SoonJung 2x Barrier Intensive Cream
Etude House SoonJung 2x Barrier Intensive Cream is a hypoallergenic and non-comedogenic moisturizer made with 93% naturally derived ingredients. The formula contains Panthenol (vitamin B5) to soothe irritated skin and strengthen the skin barrier, and madecassoside to further calm and protect the skin from environmental stimulations.
This fragrance-free moisturizing cream is perfect for those with sensitive skin who suffer with highly irritated, dry skin. As the formula is non-comedogenic, it’s also suitable for acne-prone skin and combination skins.
2. Klairs Midnight Blue Calming Cream
This blue-tinted soothing night cream is an excellent choice for those with sensitive, damaged and easily irritated skin. The distinct blue color of this cream comes from guaiazulene, a botanical extract from chamomile oil, which is known to calm and soothe sensitive skin.
Chamomile oil also has anti-inflammatory properties that can help calm irritation, redness or inflammation caused by acne, making this a great product for anyone looking to calm down their breakouts (or irritation caused by Roaccutane).
The combo of these ingredients will leave your face feeling moisturized but not oily at all. This product is perfect for those who suffer from dryness or tightness after washing their faces in the morning because it acts as a barrier repair cream during the night while you sleep.
3. Etude House 10 Free Moist Emulsion
The 10-Free Moisturizer from Etude House is a lighter version of the Barrier Intensive Cream featured above, making it perfect for people with oily skin.
This lightweight moisturizer is completely hypoallergenic, and is formulated with the same active ingredients as the richer version, with panthenol and madecassoside (derived from Centella Asiatica extract) being its hero ingredients.
If you have the budget for it, we recommend wearing the rich version of this at night time, and the light lotion under makeup during the day to give your skin the protection and nourishment it needs 24/7.
4. I’m From – Mugwort Cream
The I’m From Mugwort Cream is one of the best Korean moisturizers for sensitive, acne-prone skin that also offers a host of other benefits.
This face cream contains 73.55% mugwort extract, which is considered a natural anti-inflammatory agent that can help alm down redness and irritation – ideal if you are struggling with inflamed acne or blemishes.
The calming cream is also gently purifying, leaving the skin fresh and glowing after application.
5. iUnik Centella Calming Gel Cream
This best-selling light gel moisturizer is hydrating and soothing, perfect for anyone looking for a moisturizer that isn’t too heavy. Made with 72% centella asiatica leaf water, the gel provides almost instant anti-inflammatory relief to the skin.
The formula also contains 10% tea tree extract to prevent further inflammation. Made with organic ingredients, this moisturizer contains no fragrances or parabens, making it suitable for those who want a healthy skincare routine without any harmful chemicals.
Other key ingredients include bergamot fruit oil, broccoli extract, licorice root extract, and wheat germ extract which helps brighten dull skin – restoring the natural beauty of your skin in the most gentle way possible.
This gel-cream is great for all skin types, but it’s especially recommended for oily and combination skin types as it is rather light. People with dry skin should opt for a different moisturizer on this list!
6. COSRX Ultimate Nourishing Rice Overnight Spa Mask
If you want a multipurpose product that can be used either as a regular cream moisturizer, sleeping mask or wash-off mask, this is the one to get.
The COSRX Ultimate Nourishing Rice Overnight Spa Mask was specially formulated to be suitable for sensitive skin types, and its main promise is to deliver ultimate skin hydration – perfect if you’re suffering from dry winter skin. The sleeping mask contains 65% rice extract and is packed with hyaluronic acid, niacinamide (vitamin B3) and other natural ingredients that help soothe irritated skin while providing intense hydration.
This product has been hailed as one of the absolute best hydrating products because it works well on most skin types to deliver instant results like brightening and softening. It also isn’t too heavy or greasy, which is an added bonus.
7. Innisfree Green Tea Seed Cream
Calming green tea extract and green tea seed oil are the main ingredients in this cream moisturizer. The anti-oxidant-rich green tea extracts have anti-inflammatory properties that help soothe sensitive skin.
The product has a smooth texture, which spreads easily over the face and absorbs quickly into the skin leaving it feeling soft and supple without stickiness or greasy residue.
The moisturizing Green Tea Seed cream works best if you have dry or combination skin – oily skin types may want to try a different product.
8. COSRX Oil-Free Ultra-Moisturizing Lotion
This oil-free moisturizer is ideal for sensitive, oily and acne-prone skin. It’s formulated with 70% willow bark water (birch sap), a rich source of antioxidants and vitamins. This product soothes irritated skin while delivering intense hydration. It’s lightweight, absorbs quickly, and helps to calm redness.
This product also contains tea tree leaf oil to provide soothing properties that can help prevent future breakouts on your face.
9. Nature Republic Aloe Vera 92% Soothing Gel
Aloe vera gel is a popular ingredient in both South Korean and Western skin care products, and for good reason – it can soothe irritation caused by sunburns and other irritants.
This gel moisturizer is formulated with 92% organic aloe vera leaf extract along with moisturizing and hydrating ingredients, which make it ideal if you’re looking for a light moisturizer to use anywhere and everywhere on your body. You can use it daily as part of your everyday skincare routine or save it for emergencies like a sunburn.
10. Purito Centella Unscented Recovery Cream
The Centella Unscented Recovery Cream from Purito is a moisturizing cream that contains 50% Cica extract, ceramides, and squalane, which are absolutely perfect for those with very sensitive skin.
As you could decipher from its name, this cream has been specifically formulated to strengthen the skin barrier, and can be used both day and night. All of its ingredients are clean and plant-based, and the cream contains no essential oils or fragrance.
11. Dr. Jart+ Ceramidin Cream
Dr. Jart+ Ceramidin Cream is a fantastic, rich moisturizer that’s infused with 5 types of ceramides to strengthen the skin’s natural barrier and boost hydration.
Dermatologist-tested and non-irritating, this cream has also been approved for sensitive skin, which makes it perfect for anyone looking for a product that gives you glowing skin without extra fuss.
It can be used as a night cream or applied during the day under makeup as an additional layer of protection from harsh environmental elements (just be sure to apply sunscreen first!).
12. I’m From – Vitamin Tree Water Gel
Formulated with 68% vitamin tree leaf water from Korea’s Taebaek Mountains instead of water, this gel moisturizer has a gentle formula that’s perfect for brightening the skin. With added extracts of rose of Jericho, vitamin berries, cloudberry, and snow lotus, the Vitamin Tree Water Gel moisturizer helps nourish and hydrate your skin and balance oil/moisture level.
The product has been formulated with sensitive skin in mind, as it protects rough and damaged skin. Plus, it absorbs into your skin almost immediately without leaving any residue behind, making it ideal to wear under makeup.
13. make p:rem Safe me. Relief moisture cream 12
If you’re looking for a hypoallergenic moisturizer that will be effective on sensitive skin and won’t cause irritation, this is one to try. The Safe me Relief cream was developed especially for sensitive skin using just 12 ingredients, and it also has a pH of 5.5 to prevent skin irritation.
It contains squalane (an emollient naturally found in your skin) that covers your skin with a protective barrier, as well as bergamot fruit oil, sage oil and raspberry oil, which help prevent trans-epidermal water loss while also delivering some soothing properties to calm irritation.
Thanks to its yogurt-like texture, the cream can be used as a primer underneath makeup. However, if you don’t wear makeup often or at all, the Safe me Relief Moisture Cream 12 may still appeal to you.
The cream itself has a light scent from natural plant and fruit extracts, so if you’re sensitive to scents in skincare products or prefer unscented products when possible this one isn’t for you!
14. Klairs Rich Moist Soothing Cream
Of course, no list of the best Korean moisturizers for sensitive skin would be complete without mentioning Klairs Rich Moist Soothing Cream.
This is a truly rich “basic” moisturizer that’s perfect for anyone suffering from severe irritation, so much so that it won a spot on the 2017 Soko Best Of Korean Beauty Awards.
Formulated with yeast-derived beta glucan, jojoba oil, and ceramides, this calming cream promotes immediate and long-lasting moisture in the skin at the same time as it improves the natural function of the skin and the skin barrier.
15. Benton Snail Bee High Content Steam Cream
If you’re looking for a moisturizer with interesting, but effective ingredients, the Snail Bee High Content Steam Cream is perfect to try.
Formulated with both snail secretion filtrate and bee venom, this cream is the perfect concoction for dry/combination acne-prone skin. Both of these hero ingredients are well revered for their ability to stimulate collagen production and deeply hydrate the skin. Additional ingredients include niacinamide (to lighten dark spots or acne scars), as well as multiple plant-based oils like jojoba oil.
Although the cream is safe to use on acne-prone skin, it’s not ideal for oily skin types, as the formula is quite moisturizing. If you’d still like to try it, just dab a tiny amount of cream on your face.
Conclusion
In this article, we discussed the 15 best Korean moisturizers for sensitive skin. Some of them are face creams while others come in form of gels and oils, so you should be able to find a moisturizer regardless of your secondary skin type.
So if you’re looking for a new moisturizer then go ahead and try one or two of these today!
We hope you loved these K-beauty products as much as we did. For more similar articles about Korean skincare products and Korean beauty products, make sure to check out the articles below!
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