At night your skin needs as much care as during the day. Night cream helps the skin to regenerate and recover from the damage it receives from the sun. Korean cosmetics manufacturers are some of the best ones in the world. So you can find the best Korean night cream to treat any skin problem.
Let’s dive right in!
My top 3 picks
Best Korean night cream brands
Regenerating Korean snail night cream
Mizon Snail Wrinkle Care Sleeping Pack
Mizon is famous for its products with snail mucin.
This ingredient is all the rage today.
It’s the slime that snails use to repair their bodies.
And it has an amazing reparative and moisturizing effect on the human skin.
Mizon Snail Sleeping Pack contains 50% snail secretion filtrate.
The sleeping pack is thicker than Mizon’s Snail Repair Cream that you can use during the day.
Apply the sleeping pack 1-3 times a week as the last step in your evening Korean skincare routine in place of a night cream or after the cream. No need to wash it off.
The gooey gel hydrates and regenerates the skin, battles wrinkles and fine lines, repairs acne scars, and helps the skin recover after cosmetic procedures.
This product contains no fragrances, artificial colorants, or parabens.
Luxury Korean night cream
Sulwhasoo Overnight Vitalizing Mask
Sulwhasoo is a leading Korean luxury beauty brand famous for its anti-aging products.
The Sulwhasoo Overnight Vitalizing Mask regenerates your skin during the night.
You have to use it as the last step in your skincare routine instead of cream and leave it overnight.
This mask doesn’t need to be washed off so it’s actually a night cream that will work while you’re sleeping.
The mask contains a blend of herbs used in Korean traditional medicine, including jujube and pomegranate extracts.
This Korean night cream hydrates your face and the medicinal herb extracts get delivered deep into the skin while you’re resting.
You can also use this product as an emergency remedy for redness.
And when you wake up you’ll see your face looking smooth, youthful, and glowing.
Sulwhasoo night cream absorbs into the skin quickly and won’t make your face sticky when you go to bed.
Korean day and night cream duo pack
NEOGEN x Joan Kim Vita Duo Cream
NEOGEN x Joan Kim Vita Duo Cream is a collaboration between the famous Korean beauty brand and a popular Korean-American vlogger based in South Korea.
The cream comes in a jar that is divided into two compartments.
One half of the jar contains a day cream and the other half is filled with a night cream.
Both products are formulated to care for your skin 24/7.
The day cream with green tea and Vitamin C hydrates and protects your skin during the day.
The night cream with lavender and Vitamin E hydrates, cools, soothes, and nourishes it throughout the night.
The jar comes with a convenient spatula.
Lightweight summer night cream
AHC Aqualuronic Hydrating Triple Hyaluronic Acid Cream
AHC is a popular Korean brand of mass-market skincare products.
Aqualuronic is a super-hydrating night and day cream with hyaluronic acid.
This night cream is perfect for summer because it has a lightweight gel texture and a very cooling and refreshing effect.
The cream is rich with a mix of 3 types of hyaluronic acid with varying molecular weights. These molecules deliver water to thirsty skin more effectively.
And ceramides that the AHC cream contains help the skin retain moisture.
After you use this cream, your skin will be radiant, hydrated, and glowing when you wake up.
This product is also effective for calming dry skin and redness, and for reducing fine lines.
It absorbs well and doesn’t make your face sticky when you sleep.
Regenerating Korean 92% snail secretion filtrate night cream
COSRX Advanced Snail 92 All in one Cream
COSRX Advanced Snail Cream contains 92% snail secretion filtrate.
You’re literally applying almost pure snail slime when you’re using this cream.
It has a lightweight gel texture so it’s good for both day and night and won’t clog your pores in the summer.
The night cream has a deep moisturizing effect and is perfect for removing wrinkles.
It regenerates and revives dull skin, heals acne scars, soothes redness and inflammations, and narrows pores.
If you apply it before bed your skin will stay hydrated in the morning.
It’s great for oily and combination skin but may not be nourishing enough for dry skin in the winter.
Korean vitamin C night cream that repairs damage from the sun
SKIN & LAB Korean Anti Aging Vitamin C Night Cream
Skin& Lab Night Repair Cream’s key ingredient is Vitamin C.
Even though Vitamin C is an antioxidant that is supposed to protect your skin from negative environmental factors that you encounter during the day, this cream is formulated to work overnight.
And it makes sense to use it while you sleep because the damage from UV rays to your skin persists even after dark.
The sun continues damaging your skin cells hours after exposure.
So this cream repairs your skin during the night and has an anti-aging effect.
In addition to Vitamin C, it contains antioxidants from Damaskan rose stem cells and the Phyto Red Complex (lycopene and ellagic acid from red-colored fruits).
So this night cream moisturizes, regenerates, and brightens the skin.
It’s effective against dark circles, acne scars, and sunspots.
Luxury anti-aging night cream
HERA Age Away Vitalizing Cream
Hera is another high-end South Korean skincare brand.
The company has developed a special innovative formula called Abcell 2.0 that mimics the skin’s cells and makes the skin glow.
This formula is the key ingredient of Hera’s Age Away line.
The luxury anti-aging Vitalizing Cream has a great anti-wrinkle effect.
The cream forms a protective layer that locks the moisture in, evens out the skin tone, and guards the skin against negative environmental factors.
Lightweight calming rose water cream
Mamonde Rose Water Gel Cream
Mamonde is an old and famous Korean skincare brand that uses floral extracts as the main ingredients in its cosmetics.
Rosewater is a powerful natural antiseptic that has strong anti-inflammatory and soothing properties.
This product is another lightweight gel-like cream that is perfect for both day and night and is great for the summer.
The night cream has an intense moisturizing and calming effect and a divine smell of roses.
Since it’s a gel, it absorbs pretty quickly and doesn’t leave your face sticky.
Korean oil-free night cream that doesn’t clog pores
AMOREPACIFIC Moisture Bound Refreshing Hydra-Gel Oil-Free Moisturizer
Amorepacific is one of South Korea’s oldest and the world’s largest beauty companies.
It also owns the Sulwhasoo, Laneige, Mamonde, and Etude House brands.
Amorepacific Hydra Gel moisturizer is a super-luxurious product that offers high-end salon care at home.
The rich and silky cream has a light floral scent and contains bamboo sap and ginger root extracts, along with 9 essential amino acids.
The manufacturer states that their splurge-worthy product uses King bamboo sap that’s collected one drop at a time from King bamboo that’s harvested only 25 days in a year.
This rare sap is similar to body fluids so it hydrates the skin fast and refreshes it.
The cream has a light gel-like texture.
It locks moisture in and makes the skin soft and dewy.
This cream is oil-free so it doesn’t clog pores or cause breakouts.
Your face will feel hydrated but not greasy.
Firming collagen-rich cream
ETUDE HOUSE Moistfull Collagen Deep Cream
Etude House is one of the most popular Korean mass-market beauty brands.
Their Moistfull Collagen Deep Cream is a great nighttime moisturizer.
The formula contains 605,773 PPM (parts per million) concentration of Super Collagen Water, baobab oil, and Macadamia seed oil.
The Super Collagen Water is made of super-fine collagen particles that can penetrate the deepest layers of your skin.
Collagen is one of the main building blocks of the body’s connective tissues, hair, skin, bones, etc.
The Etude House cream’s collagen increases the skin’s elasticity, makes it firmer, and reduces wrinkles.
It also keeps the moisture locked in, so your skin will feel hydrated.
The cream is very rich and is best for the fall and winter season.
You can use it during the day too if you have dry or normal skin. However, it may be too heavy for applying under the makeup.
Korean brightening rice night cream
COSRX Ultimate Nourishing Rice Overnight Spa Mask
COSRX Overnight Spa Mask is another mask that you can use as a night cream at the end of your evening skincare routine.
The mask contains 62% rice extract.
Rice extract contains bioactive components, such as ferulic acid, gamma-oryzanol, and phytic acid. They are powerful antioxidants and have anti-inflammatory properties.
Rice extract is also rich in Vitamin E that nourishes the skin.
This product keeps protecting your skin from the negative impact of UV rays that you were exposed to during the day.
The vitamin-rich night cream brightens the skin by lightening sun spots, pigmentation, and age spots.
If you don’t want to leave this product overnight then COSRX suggests using it as a wash-off mask before applying a cream
You can also use it in the morning in place of a day cream.
Opuntia extract cream for dehydrated skin
Huxley Secret Of Sahara Good Night Sleep Mask
Huxley’s Secret of Sahara skincare line is based on prickly pear oil.
Prickly pear is also known as Opuntia.
This is a cactus that has been used as a traditional folk remedy for wounds, burns, and illnesses for centuries.
Prickly pear oil has amazing hydrating, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties.
Use this mask in place of a night cream as the last step in the evening skincare routine.
It works overnight and soothes, moisturizes, and nourishes the skin while you sleep.
This product is great for dehydrated and sensitive skin.
The mask absorbs quickly and won’t make your face stick to the pillow when you go to bed.
What is Korean night cream?
A Korean night cream is a highly concentrated moisturizing and nourishing cream that you should use every night during your evening skincare routine.
No matter whether your skin is dry or oily, it always needs moisture, nourishment, and repair that the night cream provides.
In addition to moisturizing and helping the skin regenerate, these creams can target various specific skin problems.
For example, inflammation, wrinkles, acne.
Night creams often contain such active components as hyaluronic acid, ceramides, and peptides.
So they repair and soothe your skin while you sleep and have a strong anti-aging effect.
Why should I use a separate Korean night cream? Can’t I just use my regular daytime moisturizer?
In fact, there is no clear division between night creams and day creams in Korea.
Still, skincare products formulated for moisturizing your skin during the day differ from night creams.
For example, they have a sunscreen function that is just not needed during the night.
At the same time, night creams can contain active ingredients that are sun-sensitizing, such as retinol.
So it’s best to use them out of direct sunlight.
In addition to that, nighttime is the time when your skin regenerates naturally so it needs some extra help. And night creams are ideally formulated for that.
So you’ll know when the cream is best for the nighttime if it has certain ingredients or when its function is to regenerate the skin rather than protect it from the sun and other environmental factors.
A night cream is an essential part of the daily skincare routine and will help you maintain a beautiful complexion and firm, youthful-looking, and healthy skin.
So in short, day creams are necessary for skin protection from environmental hazards during the day.
And night creams help the skin regenerate and nourish it throughout the night.
For best results, you should always incorporate a Korean night cream into your daily nighttime 10-step skincare routine.
What is the Korean 10-step skincare routine?
It’s a special step by step skincare regimen that you should perform every day, twice a day — in the morning and the evening.
This routine has been developed by the South Korean beauty industry scientists for keeping the skin hydrated, deeply nourished, healthy, firm, and protected from environmental hazards. For example, from UV rays.
The most common 10 steps are:
- Removing makeup/Oil cleanser
- Foam/cream water-based cleansing
- Exfoliator
- Toner
- Essence
- Ampoule/Serum treatment
- Sheet Mask
- Eye Cream
- Moisturizer
- Sunscreen
You can skip or replace some of the steps.
For instance, you don’t need exfoliating or cleansing masks every day.
The evening routine is almost the same as the morning one.
You always have to cleanse and prep your skin before moisturizing it.
While the last step of the morning routine is sunscreen, there’s no need to use it at night.
So you should apply the regenerative night cream at the last stage of this procedure.
Don’t forget to perform the evening skincare routine with the application of the night cream at least 1 hour before you go to bed.
How to apply a Korean night cream?
Cleansing
Cleansing is one of the most important steps in any skincare regimen. You should never skip it.
Korean 10-step skincare routine involves double-cleansing.
First, with an oil-based cleanser and after that, with a water-based cleanser.
This helps to clean the skin very thoroughly, remove any dirt and debris from your skin, and prevent any unpleasant breakouts.
Oil cleansing is necessary for removing sebum and any oil-based makeup and skincare products left on the skin throughout the day.
Only an oil-based cleanser is capable of breaking down any debris that primarily consist of oil.
Water-based cleansers are necessary to finish the cleansing off and to dissolve water-based contamination like dirt and perspiration.
Exfoliation
Exfoliation is needed for removing dead skin and unclogging and cleaning out pores.
You should perform this step only 1-2 times a week. No need to exfoliate your skin every day.
Prep
Prep products like toners and emulsions prepare your skin for creams and serums and assist in the delivery of active ingredients from these products deeper into the skin.
Treatment
Serums are high-concentration products that target a specific problem.
Creams have a more general effect, while serums help to cure a particular skin issue, such as acne.
Sheet mask
Sheet masks also contain active serums which help the skin even more.
Eye cream
Eye cream targets the gentle area around the eyes.
Normally, you shouldn’t use any other products in that area. Only apply special eye creams there.
Apply the night cream
Pick a small amount of the night cream.
Don’t apply too much product or you may get puffiness in the morning.
The best way to apply a night cream, or any cream or serum in general, is by gently massaging it in along the massage lines of the face.
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Massage lines are the areas where the facial skin has the least elasticity.
These lines follow the arrangement of the muscles on your face so the skin is firmer in these areas.
If you only massage these areas when you are applying a cream or serum you can be sure you won’t stretch the skin out and it won’t sag or get deformed.
So you shouldn’t apply a skincare product all over the face randomly.
Don’t put force on the stretchy areas of your face that are located away from the massage lines.
Or you’ll get the opposite effect from what you were trying to achieve and your skin may age rapidly.
If you apply the cream correctly by following the massage lines you can also reduce puffiness of the face.
Use the following technique when applying the night cream:
Start applying it along the massage lines of the forehead from the middle of the forehead to the sides along the eyebrows.
After that, massage the cream in, going upwards from the eyebrows to the hairline.
Continue to the nose and go from the top down to the tip.
Distribute the cream from the nose to the cheekbones and the cheeks.
Avoid the delicate areas around the eyes. You should use an eye cream there.
And finish the procedure by massaging the cream into the chin and the lower half of the face going upwards along both sides of the jawline.
How often should I use the Korean night cream?
Use it every day in the evening.
Some people believe that the skin needs a regular “rest” from the night cream.
They think that the skin doesn’t “breathe” under the night cream while you sleep and that the cream is a heavy burden for the facial skin to carry while the rest of the body is resting.
However, this theory is a myth.
On the contrary, the night cream helps the skin recover from the stress it gets during the day.
So the use of a night cream should be an essential step in your daily skincare routine.
Also, make sure you get enough sleep, at least 7-8 hours a night, for the cream to have its maximum effect.
Should I refrigerate my Korean night cream?
AstroAI Mini-Fridge
Whether to refrigerate the cream or not is entirely up to you.
Of course, keeping it in the kitchen fridge or a mini-fridge for cosmetics extends its shelf life.
But if you use your cream daily you may quickly run out of it. Long before it gets spoiled.
However, cooled cream has a nice anti-puffiness and calming effect.
So if you are prone to puffiness or skin irritation you can keep it refrigerated and cooled before use.
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