When I did my first post on Korean skincare almost two years ago, the products seemed so exotic and the beauty rituals of Korean women mystical and incomprehensible. 10 steps! Snails! Sleeping packs! How far we’ve come, the barbarians of the West. Sheet masks and essences now show up in the routines of entirely normal people and the accessibility of products has drastically improved. I have sampled a fair share of Korean skincare recently and here, as they say, are the votes of the Estonian jury.

Cleansers
1. Banila Co Clean It Zero Original. Possibly the most iconic of the Korean cleansers, this balm has a sorbet-like, almost whipped texture. On the skin, it turns into an oil, as cleansing balms usually do. It’s very effective and not too expensive, so definitely worth trying if you like light-weight balm cleansers. I prefer my balms a bit more robust and less fresh-smelling, but that’s my probleem. There is nothing bad to say about how this performs.

2. COSRX Low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanser. I have been searching for water-based second step cleansers (not for make-up removal!) that wouldn’t be too expensive. I’m personally going to continue spending way too much on cleansers, but I want to find things to recommend. This COSRX gel cleanser is a good one: initially it did feel a tiny bit stripping on my skin, but not any more. Unlike traditional foaming cleansers, this doesn’t turn the skin alkaline (bad!) and is therefore a much more sensible option. Leaves my skin very smooth and pores cleaned.

Exfoliators
3. Klairs Gentle Black Sugar Face Polish. I use physical exfoliators (the grainy stuff) very rarely and I only bought this because many Korean skincare fans rave about it. If you like some scrub action, you’ll probably like this – it’s nice and it works. The polish looks like a brown paste with sugar granules (it IS a brown paste with sugar granules) that you mix with a little bit of water. This helps you to regulate the level of graininess and consequently, exfoliation. I’ll not be repurchasing this, but don’t mind using it now and again.

4. COSRX AHA 7 Whitehead Power Liquid. Chemical exfoliants are more my thing and this is a solid AHA based acid toner that includes glucolic acid, niacinamide and something called apple fruit water. This did not irritate my skin, but you know me, amost NOTHING irritates my skin. I feel confident my skin could watch Donald Trump talk about women and remain completely calm. I still prefer my Pixi Glow Tonic, P50 and Zelens pads, but this is a decent acid toner for a fair price.

Toners/essences
5. Klairs Supple Preparation Facial Toner. This category has been the biggest surprise for me. I used to find toners quite pointless, but have been changing my mind recently. Technically, toner and essence are two diferent categories, but frankly, there is often very little to distinguish them. If I want to use both/two products, I just apply the thinner one first and the thicker second. Klairs toner is a very thin liquid that I really like – it makes my skin softer, smoother and just nicer. I also use it for my version of the 7 skin method. A lovely product.

6. Whamisa Organic Flower Toner Deep Rich. If there is one product in this category that I like even better than Klairs, it’s this. Originally, I was a bit taken aback by the strong natural herby-floral scent, but now I love it. This is much thicker, more viscous and leaves your skin slightly sticky. It is wonderful for hydration and plumpness, however. When I use a couple of layers of Klairs underneath and another two or three of Whamisa on top, I’m pretty impressed with how my skin looks and feels. One of the best remedies I’ve found for dehydration. Also, Gothamista loves it.

7. Missha Time Revolution The First Treatment Essence. This is widely considered to be a more affordabe versioon of SK-II Facial Treatment Essencce and indeed, it IS very similar. I don’t think it’s quite as good, though. It seems thinner and less potent, less plumping and hydrating. It’s still a good essence, however, and if SK-II is not an option because of the price, this is definitely worth checking out. Persinally, I prefer the mask from the same series (of which more in part 2).

8. Blithe Vital Treatment Pulp Essence – 8 Nourishing Beans. Another popular essence, this caught my interest because of the 8 beans it contains. It sounded interesting an it’s a good essence, about as thick as Whamisa, but a bit less sticky. It’s good for plumping and feels more nourishing than for example Missha or Klairs. I personally prefer Whamisa and therefore haven’t used this as much as I thought I would, but it’s a great product with nice ingredients.

9. COSRX Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence . When you struggle with dehydration, there are several things you can do: use a hyaluronic serum, or the seven skin method or maybe the Astalift jelly that I absolutely love. You can also use snail mucin products, of which COSRX is one of the most famous. I do find it effective on the dehydration front, cannot really say much about the other promised benefiits, as I don’t use it consistently. It is quite slimy, as you’d expect. That doesn’t bother me, but I’m a little uneasy about the way the mucin gets into my essence. Should have given it some thought before purchasing a bottle.

Serums, creams and masks to follow in vol 2.