Inside Seoul’s K-beauty ‘mecca’: I hunted for the best skincare at the world’s biggest Korean beauty store

Mediheal

Madecassoside Moisture Sun Serum

from $16.50

$16.50 at Amazon$20 at Olive Young

American sunscreen regulation is stuck in the past. The FDA treats sunscreen like a drug, which means new filters crawl through approval for decades – the most recent one passed in 1990, and the next is allegedly on deck this year.

Meanwhile, Korea’s been ahead on this for years. One of the sunscreens I most frequently saw in fellow shoppers’ bags was Mediheal’s sun serum, which delivers what we’ve been missing: a trio of cica compounds (madecassoside, 4-Teca and cica extract) that aim to soothe irritation, reinforce the skin barrier and encourage collagen production all while protecting you from the sun.

Mediheal

PDRN Lifting Toner Pads

from $27

$27 at iHerb (100 pads)$48 at Olive Young (200 pads)

This was one of the best things I got at Olive Young and I wish I bought more. I have tried several popular toner pads, including Medicube’s and Some By Mi’s, which were fine. I would have been obliviously satisfied with them forever had I not come across the wall of Mediheal toner pads, where a small crowd was cramming them into their bags. There are seven types of pads targeting different needs, such as collagen or hydration, but I chose the PDRN, so as to better tend to my pores.

They have earned a permanent spot in my routine. Each pad is soaked in plant-based PDRN, niacinamide and glutathione to firm skin and brighten tone. They’re huge and stretchy, so I can leave one covering my cheek like a mini mask. Since using them nearly every day for a month, my skin feels noticeably smoother, especially on my cheeks where I leave them for a minute each. I also love that it comes with a clever little stick that lifts pads using Velcro-like teeth for hygiene.

Mediheal

PDRN Lifting Serum

from $14

$14 at Ulta Beauty$14 at Amazon

In Seoul, one of the most humbling things I experienced was a skin analysis at a dermatology clinic. You stick your head in the machine, it scans your face and you receive a long document of everything wrong with your skin. 

To help refine my pores, my consultant at the clinic recommended a handful of skincare products, among them Mediheal’s PDRN Lifting Serum, which is one of the best in the market. I dutifully purchased it at Olive Young. It also contains plant-derived EGF or epidermal growth factor, a protein our bodies naturally make to tell skin cells to repair and regenerate. I’ve found it absorbs quickly, isn’t sticky and leaves my skin looking brighter.

VT

Reedle Shot 300

from $22.50

$22.50 at Ulta Beauty$22.50 at Amazon

My mom, who is in her 60s, said she has seen her skin get visibly smoother after regularly using the buzzy VT Reedle Shot 300. I made sure to stock up on some for her. As the first step in your skincare routine, its tiny micro-needles create pathways in the skin for everything you apply afterward to absorb deeper. (The needles are made from silica, so there’s a slight tingling on application, but it doesn’t hurt.) Meanwhile, centella asiatica, triple hyaluronic acid and propolis soothe while niacinamide helps with tone and texture.

Hanyul

Red Rice Hydrating Serum

from $38

$38 at Olive Young$45 at Sephora

This was another product recommended by that skin clinic consultant for deep hydration. The ingredients are unique: Korean fermented red rice extract, rice vegan ceramide and seaweed-derived extensin, which all work together to firm skin and lock in moisture. As someone with oily skin, I love its lightweight texture that dries down to a velvety and nourishing feel. A little goes a long way, and the 150ml bottle will last a long time.

Manyo

Pure Soybean Cleansing Oil

from $15

$15 at Ulta Beauty$17 at Olive Young

This is a favorite cleansing oil in and outside of Korea – it’s an Olive Young bestseller but has also won beauty awards stateside. Unlike other cleansing oils, Manyo’s feels silky rather than greasy, melting away makeup, sunscreen and pore buildup without leaving you feeling oiled up. Its 14 plant oils, including argan kernel and rice bran, regulate sebum and gently exfoliate. I also love its vaguely herbal fragrance, the smell of which helps me unwind after a long day. 

Ilso

Super Melting Sebum Softener

from $25

$25 at Olive Young$25 at Amazon

Ilso is famous in Korea for pore care and sebum control, but little known in the US. (Though lately it has gained traction on TikTok.) If you’re in need of blackhead removals, which I always am, this is the brand’s bestseller: you soak a cotton pad and leave it on your nose or T-zone for 10-15 minutes and it literally melts hardened sebum and blackheads so you can simply wipe them away with a tissue. (If you prefer a more visceral experience, the brand’s extraction tool lets you gently scrape the gunk from your skin.) It uses papaya enzymes, willow bark and mushroom extract to gently dissolve impurities, plus centella and chamomile to soothe afterward. 

Rejuran

Skin Protection Mask

from $16

$16 at Olive Young (pack of five)$17 at Yesstyle (pack of five)

After I had a chemical peel at a fancy skin clinic in Gangnam, they sent me home with one of these overpowered face masks to soothe my skin, created by the same brand behind those infamous salmon sperm facials (which I have yet to muster the nerve to try). They’re infused with c-PDRN, panthenol and allantoin, ingredients that deeply and immediately hydrate and calm sensitive skin. The formula is fragrance-free and the sheet fits snugly, so the essence actually absorbs instead of evaporating. After one use, my skin looked noticeably less red. 

Biodance

from $19

$19 at Olive Young (pack of four)$19 at Sephora (pack of four)

Biodance’s collagen masks are internet-famous in the US for its instant though temporary “glass skin” effect (I have previously extolled its virtues), but these purple-boxed PDRN masks are lesser known. The formula combines caviar extract and PDRN to renew dull, tired skin and give it that bouncy glow, plus niacinamide and shea butter for hydration. You leave them on for a few hours or overnight, and they slowly turn transparent as the ingredients absorb. Both types of masks leave my skin feeling fresh as a baby deer the next morning.

Abib

Mild Acidic pH Sheet Mask Heartleaf

from $3

$3 at Olive Young (pack of one)$28 at Amazon (pack of ten)

This has long been my favorite sheet mask for calming my skin after a long flight or whenever it feels irritated. The pH is balanced to match healthy skin (around 5.5), so it’s incredibly gentle. The heartleaf extract soothes redness and inflammation, and the albumin-coated sheet helps the essence absorb better by actually tightening around your face as it dries. And at a few bucks a mask, it’s an easy add to any order.

Lilyeve

Exosome Brush Ampoule

from $24

$24 at Olive Young$29 at Ulta Beauty

This odd-looking little brush ampoule contains hair growth serum, so you can squeeze serum directly onto your scalp while you massage it. The serum has cooling properties, a major trend in Korean haircare products based on the idea that scalps can get damaged by too much heat (more here if you’re curious). It’s designed to strengthen the scalp and hair roots, and while I’m not sure if I see any improvement in my hair condition after using this brush ampoule for a couple weeks, I love the fresh cooling effect afterward. Besides, it’s just so much fun to use.

Aromatica

Rosemary Scalp Scrub

from $16

$16 at Olive Young$19 at Amazon

I have never given that much thought to my scalp and bought this scrub on a whim, mainly because I had wandered around one of Aromatica’s stores the other day sniffing and falling in love with the Korean aromatherapy brand’s essential oils. But the scrub’s exfoliating salt particles provide a satisfying scrub that leaves my scalp feeling genuinely refreshed, and the rosemary scent is invigorating. I didn’t need it, but now I get what feels like a spa treatment every time I wash my hair.

Narka

Core Rebuild Hard Fix Hair Mascara

from $18

$18 at Olive Young$18 at Amazon

This stick of hair mascara is small but mighty and will keep your hair smooth all day. The spoolie side holds down flyaways and frizz atop your head and the comb side lets you precisely slick back baby hairs along your hairline. Unfortunately, it left asticky residue on my hair, so I don’t use it often, but most reviews say it leaves no residue whatsoever; you can try one yourself and be the judge. Bottom line, it works incredibly well – maybe just too well in my case.

Mise-en-scène

Perfect Serum Super Rich

from $18

$18 at Olive Young$19 at Amazon

The smell of this serum! How to even describe how good it smells? Like a dainty bouquet of citrus and florals that lingers just enough. I saw a gaggle of teenagers oohing and aahing at their hair while trying it at the beauty station. It’s a leave-in hair serum that tames frizz and adds shine without weighing hair down. My hair gets greasy easily, but this doesn’t make it look stringy or flat. A little goes a long way; I just comb a couple drops through damp hair after showering. 

Olive Young

Bangs Hair Roller

$2

$2 at Olive Young

This is the simplest, cheapest tool that actually delivers salon-worthy side bangs. I was influenced after seeing so many women wear these on their head in public like a fascinator. The Velcro grip holds securely without slipping, so I can clip it in, hit it with a hairdryer for a minute and get bouncy bangs that last for days. It’s beginner-friendly and great for those busy mornings when I don’t have time for a full styling routine, which is every morning. For under $2, this was my most cost-effective impulse buy.