A Korean face scrub gently exfoliates the skin and removes dead skin cells, excess oil, and sebum, unclog pores and prevent acne and breakouts.
South Korean skincare manufacturers are making very advanced face scrubs that contain highly effective natural components. They are really worth a try. Here is my guide that will help you choose the best Korean face scrub.
My top 3 picks
Best Korean face scrubs
SKINFOOD Black Sugar Mask Wash Off
This Skinfood product is both a face mask and a face scrub.
You can use it during the exfoliation stage of your skincare routine.
Skinfood Black Sugar mask looks like dark chocolate and has a pleasant scent of lemon tea.
Its main ingredient is Brazilian black sugar.
Sugar has a number of benefits for the skin.
Not only it’s an excellent exfoliator that does a great job of getting your face rid of dead skin cells and hard to remove impurities, but it also helps the skin retain moisture and improves its radiance.
Brazilian black sugar is rich in vitamins and minerals.
According to the manufacturer, it’s produced organically with no use of pesticides or other toxic chemicals.
This sugar mask cleanses and hydrates the skin, makes it soft and radiant.
Use it after the double cleansing stage of your skincare routine.
Apply a small amount of this scrub to your face, avoiding the eyes and mouth.
Gently massage your face to exfoliate the skin.
Keep the scrub mask on the face for 10-15 minutes and wash it off with warm water.
The sugar grains in the mask are pretty large but aren’t rough.
You can dilute this scrub with water or mix it with a small amount of toner to reduce irritation and to make it go on smoother.
The sugar in the mask may start melting if it’s hot or because of your body’s temperature. So reduce the amount of liquid added to the mask if that happens.
Use the mask twice a week.
It’s a pretty mild exfoliator that contains nourishing plant oils. They do a great job of moisturizing your skin.
You can even use it on sensitive skin.
The jar is pretty small but lasts for quite a long time.
SKINFOOD Black Sugar Strawberry Mask Wash Off
This 2 in 1 Skinfood Korean face scrub mask is almost identical to the brand’s black sugar mask.
It also contains organic black sugar that exfoliates the skin and helps it to retain moisture.
However, the main difference is that this mask contains real natural wild berry seeds and strawberry seed oil.
Wild berry seeds are a natural exfoliant that removes dead skin cells without damaging the skin.
In addition to that, they act as antioxidants that protect the skin from negative environmental factors.
Strawberry seed oil is made by pressing strawberry seeds. It’s rich in Omega fatty acids that soften the skin and help it regulate its oil production.
Natural plant oils nourish and moisturize the skin.
The mask looks like a thick strawberry jam and has a divine strawberry scent.
Use it in the same way as Skinfood’s Black Sugar mask.
Apply it twice a week after cleansing by distributing the product all over the face (avoiding the eyes and mouth, of course) massaging it in, and waiting for 10-15 minutes. Then rinse the mask off.
SRB Rice Bran Enzyme Powder Face Wash and Scrub
This brand’s name, SRB, actually stands for stabilized rice bran.
Rice bran is a popular superfood.
It’s a byproduct of rice harvesting that contains more than 100 enzymes, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and naturally moisturizing proteins.
The stabilization process helps this kind of rice bran retain all these elements.
Enzymes are special amino acids and proteins that break down the keratin protein that glues dead skin cells together.
This exfoliation process is gentle on the skin. It improves complexion, brightens up dull skin, tones down pigmentation, and even diminishes acne scars.
SRB face wash/scrub comes in form of a fine white powder.
It cleanses the skin, removes dead skin cells, unclogs pores, helps to prevent breakouts, and evens out the skin tone.
This scrub doesn’t make the skin too dry or tight.
Rice bran has an anti-inflammatory effect so it also soothes the skin.
This scrub wash works well even for sensitive skin.
You need to dispense a small amount of powder into your hands and add a bit of water.
Work the powder and water into a foam.
Massage it over your face and rinse it away with lukewarm water.
The foam is smooth and the particles are very fine.
It will gently cleanse and exfoliate the skin.
Use the SRB enzyme powder daily during the foam cleansing step of your skincare routine.
The product comes in a convenient bottle and has a nice milky scent.
It’s cruelty-free.
Mizon Honey Black Sugar Scrub
Mizon Honey Black Sugar scrub is formulated with 35% black sugar powder.
This scrub should be used during the exfoliation stage of the 10-step skincare routine, right after cleansing.
It removes dead skin cells and impurities from the surface of the skin.
And, according to the manufacturer, it also unclogs pores and reduces blackheads and whiteheads.
Both honey and sugar, which are the main components of this scrub, help the skin retain moisture, soften it, and improve the complexion.
Natural plant oils also hydrate the skin and nourish it.
The sugar particles in the scrub are pretty fine so you can use this product on dry skin too, it’s quite gentle.
Just use it only 1-2 times a week if your skin is dry. Or 2-3 times a week if it’s oily.
It makes the skin smoother and helps to prevent breakouts.
The texture of this product is thick so it’s not too easy to pick out of the jar.
It has a very pleasant smell of cola and caramel.
ETUDE HOUSE Baking Powder Crunch Pore Scrub
Etude House baking powder Korean face scrub is formulated with 40% baking powder.
Baking powder has a powerful cleansing effect. It removes excess oil, sebum, impurities, and cleans out pores. It also has antiseptic qualities.
Etude House scrub contains menthol derivatives that have a cooling effect. So this scrub is very nice to us on a hot day.
This product is a foam with tiny particles for exfoliating your skin.
Apply it to the wet face and rub it all over the skin gently. Then rinse it off with warm water.
Use it 1-2 times a week during the exfoliation stage of your skincare routine. It’s great for all skin types.
The scrub has a citrusy scent and comes in very convenient little packages.
So you can use one package per one exfoliation procedure and never worry about picking up the right amount of product.
There are 24 mini-packages in one set.
SKINFOOD Black Sugar Perfect Scrub Foam
This is another product from the popular Skinfood Black Sugar skincare line.
This time the scrub is not a mask but a cleansing scrub foam.
You need to use it during the foam cleansing stage of your skincare routine.
You can use this scrub together with other products from the Black Sugar line.
For example, you can apply Skinfood’s Black Sugar mask right after using this foam.
The cleansing foam also contains organic black sugar.
The product resembles thick whipped cream with fine sugar particles that gently exfoliate the skin.
It’s softer than traditional Korean face scrubs.
Apply it to your face after the oil cleansing stage, gently massage the skin, and wash it off with warm water.
It will leave your face feeling squeak’ clean, soft, and radiant.
This product has an amazing smell of sugar cookies.
SKINFOOD Rice Daily Scrub Foam
This scrub wash is part of Skinfood’s other popular line of rice-based skincare.
Similar to SRB scrub wash, this product is also made from enzyme-rich rice bran.
The main ingredient is rice water made from rice bran powder.
The rice used in this product is grown in a clean environment.
Skinfood Rice scrub foam comes in form of a lather with fine rice bran particles.
It dissolves impurities and unglues dead skin particles to help you wipe them off the face.
This scrub is great for people with normal or oily skin but is also perfect for dry skin.
As the name suggests, you can use it daily as your foam cleansing step of the 10-step Korean skincare routine (or any other skincare routine).
However, you may want to use it just a few times a week if your skin is dry.
It improves the complexion and brightens dull skin.
The product comes in a convenient tube.
It has a thick texture so a little drop goes a long way. And one tube can last for months.
What is a Korean face scrub?
Face scrub is an exfoliant that uses small particles or chemicals that remove old skin cells, blackheads, and excessive oil and sebum.
This process helps new skin cells grow and brightens up a dull complexion.
Most Korean face scrubs are based on sugar, rice bran powder, and baking powder.
They also contain moisturizing and nourishing components to prevent the skin from drying after the exfoliation procedure and for additional skin treatment.
Sugar is a very effective scrub component.
It exfoliates dead cells, unclogs pores, and even brightens up your skin.
Rice bran contains enzymes that unglue dead cells from your skin and help you to get rid of them without irritating the skin.
Baking powder is effective against blackheads.
When should I use a Korean face scrub?
Use face scrub as an exfoliator during the exfoliation step of your skincare routine.
Right after oil and foam cleansing.
You should exfoliate cleansed skin.
However, some Korean face scrubs can even be used in place of a foam cleanser. That depends on the product.
Korean skincare routine is a popular skincare regimen originating in South Korea.
The 10 steps are:
- Oil cleanser
- Foam/cream cleanser
- Exfoliator
- Toner
- Essence
- Ampoule/Serum
- Sheet Mask
- Eye Cream
- Moisturizer
- Sunscreen (morning) or night cream (evening)
Korean skincare manufacturers create products for every step of this routine.
So you can buy treatments from the same brand for your entire routine or mix and match different brands.
Perform this routine two times a day, in the morning and the evening, and your skin will thank you for that.
How to use a Korean face scrub?
Take a small amount of scrub and distribute it all over your face, avoiding the eyes, nose, and mouth.
Massage your face gently to let the scrub’s particles exfoliate your skin.
After that, you can wash the scrub off.
However, some Korean scrubs also function as masks.
So their instructions may say that you’ll need to keep this mask on your face for 5-15 minutes before washing it off.
What is the next step?
The next step should be moisturizing your face.
Start with toner.
It adds extra hydration to your skin and works as a carrier for the product that you are going to use after that.
Toner helps your skin absorb nourishing and hydrating components from creams and emulsions.
How often should I use a Korean face scrub?
You should never use a face scrub too often.
Don’t use it daily or twice a day.
You risk over-exfoliating your skin, irritating it, and making it too dry.
Most Korean face scrubs can be used 1-2 times a week.
If you have oily skin use it twice a week.
If your skin is dry and sensitive you can even use a Korean face scrub just once every 2 weeks.
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