If you want to give your skin some extra love with a foolproof beauty routine, I highly recommend incorporating Korean cleansing balms into your daily regimen.
Korea has always been a leader in the skin and body care industry, and cleansing balm is an essential product that has recently become popular in the States.
When I visited Seoul this year, I bought a bunch of different Korean cleansing balms to try and share with family and friends—they’re soo good.
Cleansing balms are typically the first step in a double cleansing routine—no one wants to add extra steps to our skincare routine, but I promise it’s worth it!
Click the images below to browse these Korean cleansing balms:
Double cleansing is a fantastic way to get your skin squeaky clean and prepped for the next layer of products.
The method involves washing your face with an oil-based cleanser followed by water-based, effectively cleaning your skin of makeup, oil, and impurities without causing irritation or dryness.
The best part is that all skin types can use cleansing balm products since they moisturize dry skin types and balance oiliness, leaving your skin feeling soft and smooth.
Ready to try the double cleansing trend for yourself? Check out my top seven picks for Korean cleansing balms!
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Shop for my favorite Korean cleansing balms by clicking below:
7 Incredible Korean Cleansing Balms
1. Banila Co Clean It Zero Cleansing Balm Original
Google “best South Korean cleansing balms,” and Banila Co’s Clean It Zero Cleansing Balm Original is bound to pop up. I saw this one all over Seoul and scooped some up.
This Original Cleansing Balm is a cult favorite and one of the best products to try if you’re new to double cleansing.
The Clean It Zero Balm has a luxuriously creamy texture that effortlessly cleanses skin while providing potent hydration and nourishment.
Formulated with natural ingredients, including active botanicals, hot springs water, and vitamins E and C, your skin will love this Balm Cleanser.
Since the Original Clean It Zero Cleanser is dermatologist-tested and approved, you can use this product regardless of skin type.
2. Beauty of Joseon Radiance Cleansing Balm
If you’ve checked out my other Korean beauty product guides, you know Beauty of Joseon is one of my favorite brands.
The cruelty-free Radiance Cleansing Balm has an upgraded formula that removes dirt and grime to reveal a clear and glowing complexion.
Rice bran water and grain extract found in this Radiance Balm brighten and even your skin tone, ensuring a flawless finish.
I’m obsessed with the sorbet-like texture of the Beauty of Joseon Cleansing Balm—it provides the perfect amount of moisture to give you the radiant skin of your dreams.
Start shopping for a Korean cleansing balm by clicking the images below:
3. Then I Met You Living Cleansing Balm
Then I Met You’s award-winning Living Cleansing Balm is popular among Korean cleansing balms.
This Living Face Cleanser contains seaberry (sea buckthorn) oil, persimmon extract, and olive oil that nourish and balance skin.
The Living Balm has an irresistibly rich texture that effortlessly glides across the skin to remove excess oil and makeup products.
Sensitive skin types will love the Living Cleanser since it’s free of parabens, artificial colors, and synthetic fragrances.
4. I’m From Fig Cleansing Balm
A guide to the best Korean cleansing balms would be incomplete without the Fig Cleansing Balm by the brand I’m From.
I’m From created this Fig Cleanser to be vegan-friendly, a huge win considering 100% plant-based skincare products are rare in the K-beauty industry.
This Face Balm combines fig oil water with vitamins and polyphenols to erase skin impurities like blackheads and rough, uneven skin texture.
The Fig Balm Cleanser has a thick texture when you first apply it that quickly melts into a milky oil—it feels fantastic as you massage it into the skin.
After a few weeks of regularly using this product, you’ll have a noticeably brighter, smoother, and clearer complexion.
Browse my top picks for Korean cleansing balms by clicking below:
5. Glow Recipe Papaya Sorbet Enzyme Cleansing Balm
Glow Recipe always delivers effective, skin-loving products that enhance natural beauty, including this Papaya Sorbet Enzyme Cleansing Balm.
The Papaya Balm easily melts away makeup, dirt, and oil, giving you a flawless foundation for the rest of your daily beauty products.
This Sorbet Cleanser contains nutrient-rich ingredients like papaya enzymes, blueberry extract, and apricot kernel oil that firm and smooth the skin.
With a vegan and cruelty-free formula suitable for all skin types, the Papaya Enzyme Balm is a clear winner.
6. Hanskin PHA Pore Cleansing Balm
Hanskin’s PHA Pore Cleansing Balm is a top choice for sensitive skin prone to redness, breakouts, and irritation.
The star ingredient in this Pore Cleanser is gluconolactone, a polyhydroxy acid that’s gentle yet effective at removing dead skin cells.
You’ll see an immediate improvement in the tone and texture of your skin after washing with this PHA Balm.
Hanskin also formulated the PHA Pore Balm with nourishing and hydrating sunflower, orange peel, and jojoba oils—I can’t get enough!
7. Heimish All Clean Balm
My last recommendation for Korean cleansing balms is the All Clean Balm from Heimish.
This Face Balm has a thick texture that melts into a silky-smooth oil once mixed with water—the formula cleanses your skin of impurities without leaving it dry or stripped of nutrients.
Skin-loving ingredients in the All Clean Cleanser include soothing shea butter and antioxidant-rich botanical extracts.
I can’t recommend the Clean Balm enough for those like me with sensitive and easily irritated skin.
With these Korean cleansing balms, your skin will never look better!
Click the images below to check out these Korean cleansing balms:
Explore my beauty content for more skincare product guides.
The 15 Best Korean Moisturizers You Need to Try
The 7 Best Korean BB Cream Products That Are Changing the Makeup Game
10 Best Hand Creams for Dry, Cracked Hands
FAQs
Cleansing balms are typically oil-based and work to clean your skin of impurities without drying it out or causing irritation. The cleansing balm is generally the first step in a double-cleanse routine.
Cleansing balms have been popular in Korea for a long time, so Korean brands have perfected the right formula to cleanse, hydrate, and nourish skin.
All skin types can benefit from using cleansing balm products.
Elise Armitage is an entrepreneur and founder of What The Fab, a travel + lifestyle blog based in California. At the beginning of 2019, Elise left her corporate job at Google to chase her dreams: being an entrepreneur and helping women find fabulous in the everyday. Since then, she’s launched her SEO course Six-Figure SEO, where she teaches bloggers how to create a passive revenue stream from their website using SEO. Featured in publications like Forbes, Elle, HerMoney, and Real Simple, Elise is a firm believer that you can be of both substance and style.