What are the best places to buy Korean skincare and cosmetic brands
Here's your shopping guide to glowing skin!
- Korean beauty products focus on hydration and skin health, often using high-quality ingredients and innovative formulas.
- K-beauty products are generally more affordable than comparable skincare brands.
- Popular K-beauty brands include COSRX, Beauty of Joseon, TONYMOLY, and more, and can be purchased from retailers like Amazon, Soko Glam, Dermstore, Nordstrom, Sephora, Ulta, and Target.
Korean beauty has had a tight grip on skincare enthusiasts—and rightfully so. These formulas are often made from high-quality ingredients with innovative formulas that don’t just address but prevent concerns. They’re also designed to support overall skin health, with a specific focus on hydration to increase suppleness and a youthful-looking glow that can often only be achieved with expensive beauty treatments such as lasers and micro-needling.
As we are all battling the cooler weather this winter, you might be looking for some soothing relief from the bitter cold and high winds. Whether you’re already a fan of Korean beauty or are interested in testing out some of the top-rated K-beauty brands, the team here at Paste BN Shopping has done some research and found the answers to many of your frequently asked questions, including what the most popular brands are and where to buy them.
- What are the best K-Beauty Brands to buy?
- Where to Buy K-Beauty Online?
- Why is Korean skincare so good?
Where to buy K-beauty skincare and makeup online
1. Amazon
Whether you’re in a pinch and need a product tomorrow (or, in some cases, later this afternoon), Amazon is one of the best places to buy K-beauty products last-minute. The marketplace carries popular K-beauty brands, including Cosrx, Beauty of Joseon (yes, even thatviral sunscreen), Anua, Medicube and Arencia. Most of these brands are sold through Amazon Prime, too, ensuring speedy delivery and convenient restocking after using every last drop.
2. Soko Glam
If you’re looking for a retailer with a specific focus on K-beauty products, Soko Glam is worth a browse. The marketplace specializes in all things K-beauty (and the founder even wrote a book about Korean beauty secrets) and carries popular brands like COSRX, TONYMOLY and Saturday Skin. Soko Glam also has a lot of great resources that help you discover new K-beauty brands and formulas, and has an entire page dedicated to its Best of K-Beauty Awards, which features top-rated brands and formulas.
3. Dermstore
Dermstore's dedicated Korean Beauty page is an excellent resource for discovering top-tier K-beauty formulas, including some of the most luxurious and effective brands for elevated skincare routines. When you shop Dermstore, you can find top-rated K-beauty brands like COSRX, SK-II and Erborian.
4. Sephora
Of course, at Sephora, you can find tons of K-beauty brands. The famed beauty retailer carries many Korean beauty favorites like Glow Recipe, LANEIGE, Sulwhasoo and Dr. Jart+. These popular brands feature most of the buzz-worthy (aka, viral) K-beauty products, including Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dew Drops Serum, LANEIGE Lip Sleeping Mask and Dr. Jart+ Mini Cicapair Color Correcting Treatment SPF 30.
4. Nordstrom
Nordstrom is known for its vast collection of best-selling Korean skincare products. The department store carries many popular K-beauty brands, which of course include COSRX, rom&nd, Kaja, Siia Cosmetics and MediAnswer. The retailer also carries a brand called Seoul Ceuticals, which is technically an American brand, but is heavily inspired by K-beauty and uses Korean philosophies and ingredients to create its formulas.
6. Target
Target has really upped the ante on its beauty offerings and now has an entire Korean beauty section in its virtual beauty department. When you shop online at Target, you can find lots of top-rated K-beauty brands you’d expect to see on the shelves of Sephora and Ulta. These include Beauty of Joseon, DHC, Cosrx, MediHeal and TonyMoly.
7. Ulta Beauty
Ulta Beauty is a great place to shop for K-beauty brands—offering an entire section of its website dedicated to Korean skincare. Ulta Beauty offers K-beauty products from brands such as Peach & Lily, Anua and Etude. The beauty retailer also carries cult-favorite brands like Cosrx, Peach Slices, The Crème Shop and TonyMoly.
8. Olive Young
Olive Young is to South Korea like Sephora is to the U.S., but with the frequency of McDonalds. It's on every corner, with massive locations like a five-story makeup store in Seoul's shopping district. It's where everyone gets their skincare and makeup.
But, for those of us who are obsessed with Korean beauty, Olive Young has more than just skincare and makeup. You can find hair care, perfumes and more. You can also just check what's trending in South Korea.
What are the best K-beauty brands to buy?
If you’re looking for the best of the best, some top-rated K-beauty brands include Cosrx, Beauty of Joseon (this is the brand with the viral sunscreen lotion on TikTok), TonyMoly, SK-II, Laneige, Glow Recipe and The Crème Shop. Other popular brands worth considering are Saturday Skin, Anua, Medicube, Arencia, MediAnswer, Peach & Lily, Peach Slices, Sulwhasoo and Dr. Jart+.
Why is Korean skincare so good?
Korean beauty brands use impressive ingredients and innovative formulations to deliver effective skincare that is often clean, holistic and ultra-hydrating for your complexion. That’s why so many K-beauty brands go viral online for their results. Another driving factor for the K-beauty movement is the affordability. A lot of brands are much cheaper than comparable skincare and makeup brands—and they typically work better than said brands, too. Korean beauty is also rooted in prevention, so you can protect the skin from potential concerns in the future.
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Our team of savvy editors independently handpicks all recommendations. If you purchase through our links, the Paste BN Network may earn a commission. Prices were accurate at the time of publication but may change.