16 Korean Facial Cleansers For Clean, Hydrated And Glowy Skin

The entire range of rice water from The Face Shop is loved by many users. A long-time K-beauty favourite, this face wash uses rice water extract for brightening, softening and clarifying your skin. This product's ingredients are good quality, value for money, and quite effective. The main purpose of rice extracts is to keep your skin hydrated and moisturised, which to be honest, is the solution to 95% of skin problems. This foaming cleanser is able to leave your skin feeling squeaky clean without stripping it of any essential oils.

User rating: 4.5/5

Key Ingredients: Rice Water Extracts, Soapwort and Moringa Oil

All of Sulwhasoo's products usually have raving reviews, and this Gentle Cleansing Foam is no exception. I'd argue that it's one of their more reasonably priced products, especially for the quantity. It's rooted in Korean herbal medicine and has ingredients like Citrus unshiu peel extract, Castanea crenata (chestnut) shell extract, and Linalool — all known for calming, detoxfying and brightening skin. The cleanser is gentle, yet gives you a deep pore cleanse to remove any dust and impurities of the day. 

User rating: 4.4/5

Key Ingredients: Duckweed extract, Chestnut shell extract 

Innisfree is loved by the LBB crew for its never-disappointing products. The Green Tea Hydrating Foam Cleanser has amino acid complex to moisturise the skin, jeju green tea and calamus root extract to make the skin smoother. The refreshing tea scent is mild and calming causing no irritation whatsoever. The cleanser also foams up pretty quickly and leaves your skin feeling deeply cleansed. Users love it for the price point and the fact that it isn’t harsh on on sensitive skin. 

User rating: 4.5/5

Key Ingredients: Amino Acid Complex, Beauty Green Tea, Hyaluronic Acid, Acorus Calamus Root Extract

Beauty Of Joseon went viral because of their sunscreen, and we must say it was nothing short of exceptional. Next up, we'll be trying their Green Plum Refreshing Cleanser, which has received the same amount of love (if not more) from users. It's a pH-balanced cleanser that's great to use every day for all skin types — minimal, refreshing and just the right amount of exfoiliating. The lightweight gel formula is able to give you a good cleanse and gentle exfoliation without stripping your skin of moisture.

User rating: 4.4/5

Key Ingredients: Plum water 24%, Mung bean seed extract 3%

The Pyunkang Yul Low pH cleanser is filled with great ingredients like glycerin for hydration, antioxidants like Centella Asiatica and green tea extracts that help soothe the skin. Designed for sensitive and acne-prone skin, it's got natural AHAs that gently exfoliate. If you're someone who double cleanses or wears SPF daily, this will work beautifully as the second step of your skincare.

User rating: 5/5

Key Ingredients: Diatomite, Natural AHA, Centella asiatica, Green tea extract

We love products that can do multiple tasks, but only trust them when they are from a Korean brand. This one is a 2-in-1 clay mask that can also be used as a foam cleanser. It's got kaolin clay that helps detoxify and is also great for people with oily skin as it absorbs excess oil and unclogs pores. Rice, quinoa, yulmu, and oat extracts work together to give you a good cleanse and take care of your pores, while vitamin E and vitamin B2 help prevent skin moisture loss.

User rating: 4.4/5

Key Ingredients: Oryza Sativa (Rice) Extract, Glycerin and Centella Asiatica Extract

Most Korean skincare routines feature a double cleanse, where the first cleanse is with an oil based cleanser and the second one with a water based cleanser. This ensures that you get an extremely deep cleanse. The oil cleanser easily breaks down any make up and dirt and the water based cleaser is able to penetrate deeper into the pores. If you're been looking for an oil based cleanser then I'd suggest going with this Ginseng cleansing oil from Beauty of Joseon. It's got 50% soybean oil, which helps to gently remove dirt, waste, and makeup residues on the skin and 0.1% ginseng seed oil, which also helps brighten up the skin.

User rating: 4.4/5

Key Ingredients: Soybean Oil and Ginseng Seed Oil

If you're looking for a gentle cleanser then this one from Cosrx is an easy pick. One of the most raved about K-beauty cleanser, this one's got a low pH level to keep your skin balanced in the morning. It has an alcohol free formula that's got a bit of everything, from tea tree oil for acne to Betaine Salicylate for mild exfoliation. From easily cleansing the skin of any excess oil without causing irritation to balancing and prepping your skin for better absorption of actives like AHAs, retinol, or vitamin C.

User rating: 4.5/5

Key Ingredients: 0.5% Betaine Salicylate (BHA), 5000ppm Tea-tree Oil, and pH Balanced pH 5.311.00

Klairs does no-nonsense skincare really well and this cleansing oil no different. The Klairs cleansing oil checks all the boxes when it comes to ingredients, it's an alcohol and fragrance-free formula that's got grape seed oil, sunflower seed oil, jojoba oil, and blackcurrant oil along with some emulsifiers. Users say that it's a lightweight cleanser that effectively removes all makeup and emulsifies easily as well. 

User rating: 4.3/5

Key Ingredients: Sunflower seed oil, Grape seed oil, Jojoba seed oil and Black currant seed oil

LANEIGE got ultra famous for the sleeping lip mask but their cleanser is equally good. The Water Bank Blue Hyaluronic Cleansing Foam is a hydrating cleanser that actually leaves the skin plump instead of tight. With a creamy cloud-like texture, it gently exfoliates dead skin. The formulation is top-notch with ingredients like micro-sized hyaluronic acid and Soybean ferment extract that ensure long-lasting hydration.

User Rating: 4.6/5

Key Ingredients: PHA, Lactobacillus, Soybean ferment extract and Yeast extract

Despite the controversy revolving around Snail Mucin range by COSRX, no one can deny it is good. This gel-based cleanser is enriched with 10,000 ppm of snail secretion filtrate. The result gives a product that soothes, hydrates, and repairs your skin while cleansing it. It has a soft rich lather that is not drying. Users love it as it is extremely hydrating, especially when paired with other products of the same range. 

User Rating: 4.5/5

Key Ingredients: 10,000ppm Snail Secretion Filtrate

This Korean brand, that has an India touch with Kareen Kapoor as the co-owner, has one of the most pocket-friendly K-beauty skincare. Inspired by traditional Korean beauty rituals, the cleanser used rice water to boost radiance and Vitamin E to nourish and soften. It claims to work on pore cleansing, adding glow and hydration. Don’t expect a smooth texture as it’s grainy but not coarse and feels like a scrub. It’s super luxe for its price and works wonders on dull skin.

User Rating: 4.3/5

Key Ingredients: Rice Water, Aloe Vera, Olive, Rice Powder, Vitamin E

Skin1004’s Madagascar Centella Cleansing Gel Foam is loved by sensitive skin folks as it cleanses the skin deeply without causing any irritation. The clear gel texture is highly concentrated and full moisture ensures the natural skin oil is not stripped off. Formulated with 41% centella asiatica extract it also clams, soothes and strengthens your skin barrier. Many users have reported that it gives a brightening effect and reduces redness.

User Rating: 4.8/5

Key Ingredients: Centella Asiatica Extract, Madewhite, Singreen, 3-O Ethyl Ascorbic Acid

This one’s like a smoothie you can put on your face. Infused with acerola cherry extract that is rich in vitamin C, the Clean Dew Acerola Foam Cleanser gives a clean and healthy glow to your skin. The amount of foam it creates is loved by users along with its soothing and calming properties. It also smells incredible and is reasonably priced for 180 ml. It’s non-abrasive, so you can definitely pick this one up for your PM routine.

User Rating: 4.4/5

Key Ingredients: Acerola, Dewy Water and Glycerin

If you’ve oily and acne prone skin, Isntree Green Tea Fresh Cleanser may just become your favourite. Packed with real Jeju green tea extract and anti-inflammatory ingredients like Hyaluronic Acid, it removes impurities out of your skin without drying it out. What’s more? It’s free from harsh chemicals, alcohol, artificial fragrances, and essential oil. 

User Rating: 4.5/5

Key Ingredients: Jeju Green Tea Extract

A jelly-to-foam cleanser, this one’s unique in the sense that the texture makes washing your face fun. One of belif’s cult-favourite products, it contains amino acids and glycerin-based cleansing agents that help in removing all traces of dirt, makeup and impurities. It is specifically curated for people who have dry skin, pores, dullness or uneven texture. It’s a bit pricey, but definitely worth the investment once you see the results. 

User Rating: 4.7/5

Key Ingredients: Lady's Mantle, Napiers Aqua formula

No skincare routine is complete without SPF. Here are the best Korean sunscreens you should consider.