Chemist Ranks Reddit's Top Asian Skincare Products

I put the top mentioned skincare products from /r/AsianBeauty on Reddit in a highly subjective tier list - again it turned into a bit of a rabbit hole...

🙋🏻 I'm Michelle, a chemistry PhD, cosmetic chemist and science educator, here to explain how beauty products work, debunk myths, and help you make smarter decisions about your skincare, hair and makeup!

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[amandasjoberg]

I can't be the only one bothered by the fact that red is at the top and green at the bottom😬

[plursocks]

I swear by the biore UV aqua rich sunscreen and I've tried the 2023 version. There's a different delivery system now and what looks like a much smaller container...but it's actually about the same size as the large bottle was and the new delivery system allows you to get every bit of the sunscreen and it produces less plastic waste. I wasn't sure about it at first, but I've grown to like it a lot.

[johnsskincarereviews]

The Isntree green tea toner is amazing for fighting inflammation and antioxidant protection but not for hydrating lol. I apply it first thing after cleansing and and it helps with calming and redness. It does help with pores over time too!

[adyarajan]

In today's era of so many skincare videos online Michele your authenticity and knowledge blows me away. Please make more such videos as I learn a lot about my skin .I love your videos girl!!

[Sandreline]

Biore Watery Gel has been the only sunscreen that I've liked enough to consistently use every day.

[lalalaurenshay]

I really like the Jung Soon Barrier Cream! It feels really comforting to the skin without being heavy. I live in a humid climate and have normal to slightly oily skin. I may have a different formulation though? Mine has a twist and lock, but the product flows through an outer circle, with no cross lines like the one in your photo.

[AliceintheRabbitHole]

Oh how I relate to feeling “meh” about toners that just hydrate, even when they do it well! I adored that Hada Labo when I had it, but the second I finished it I kind of forgot it’s existence…

[BelsaliasMarymaeh]

Michelle mentioning the lack of occlusives in Korean creams makes so much sense to me! I use the pyunkang yul intensive repair cream before I apply retinoid & just a few minutes later my skin feels super dried out. That's never happened with Western creams before

[chesiresays]

The COSRX bha black head power liquid is a holy grail for me. I used to use the Paula’s choice 2% and while it did work I hated putting it on, it has more of a oily consistency, it would drip everywhere and it irritated my skin. The COSRX one gives me the same results without the irritation, the consistency is so much better and hydrating. It has a pump so I don’t struggle with spilling it everywhere and contaminating the product. I have combination skin and struggle with white heads, blackheads, sebaceous fillaments and millia so I Use a chemical exfoliant almost everyday.

[mallowhoney]

Oh, I never really saw the snail mucin as an exotic/"oriental" gimmicky thing, it's just had a surprisingly strong effect on my skin over time. Scar repair, mostly. I had acne pitting become significantly less severe from using a snail mucin serum.

[lauryn]

one thing I’d love to hear more about is how much Differin/Adapalene specifically differs from Tretinoin or other OTC retinols/retinals. I’m exclusively getting conflicting info on how likely Differin is to work for “anti aging”, sun damage, scarring and texture, some people say not at all and a retinal serum is better and others say it will work for all of those just not as quickly as Tret and it’s gonna be more effective than a retinal!! idk what to believe 😭

[Justaregularoldplumbus]

I love the soon jung 2x barrier cream so very much, and here’s why:

1. I agonized to find a noncomedogenic moisturizer that was a *cream* not a stupid gel or gel-cream. I have combination, acne prone skin. But I love heavy creams!! This definitely could be richer but it’s the nicest, one of the most moisturizing creams I’ve found without isopropyl myristate/palmitate or other pore cloggers. I really do feel the moisture lasts as well!!
2. At first I was like “WHY” about the airless pump twist cap, but once I got used to doing it, honestly it’s SOOO satisfying to swipe it off the flat surface. Like asmr.
3. This works for day or night! It’s milky silky and smooth under makeup and never pills like cerave, etc. It’s also *just barely* moisturizing enough to keep me quenched through the night. I’m open to trying other products but so far this one hits all the marks
4. Simple ingredients, but it does include some stuff my skin loves, like the madecassoside, green tea, panthenol, shea butter, and sunflower oil
5. Affordable / easily available on yesstyle or even amazon in a pinch. Cheaper than the Cetaphil Redness Relief night moisturizer, another favorite (but soon jung has a silkier texture!)
6. Minimal decently attractive packaging

[kylieeeeep]

I bought something from this list, completely forgot about it, it came in the mail 800 years later, and now I have to go back and look up what you said about it😂❤

[Cloverlovee]

As someone with very sensitive and dry skin, I absolutely love the soon jung line. I’ve never had any problems with any of the products I’ve tried including the barrier cream. A lot of products cause rashes on my cheeks, and irritate my skin but I absolutely adore their line. If you have a similar skin type, I highly recommend!

[thewolfstarfire]

Can I say that I appreciate you listed what type of skin you have! It’s so important but so many ppl skip over it! I think probably 50% of ppl do it b/c they wanna push products and 50% do it because they don’t really know. I need more ppl to be transparent like that!

[theprousteffect]

I hear you on the inconvenience of getting cleansing oil from your hands to your face. The reason I tolerate it (and use the Kose specifically) is because it's much more effective at coating my lashes and removing waterproof mascara than balms tend to be.

As for the Soon Jung 2x Barrier Intensive Cream, I really like it. I have dry, easily dehydrated, sensitive skin with mild rosacea, and live in a variable climate. A few winters ago, I'd been using too many products on my skin, probably had more barrier issues than usual, and had to pair down my skincare routine. My normal moisturizer wasn't heavy enough and was also causing some stinging when it hadn't before. I'd tried several creams meant for sensitive skin, and they all either stung, caused an allergic reaction, or clogged my pores. It got to the point where I was scared to apply anything to my face. The Soon Jung was one of the only moisturizers that didn't cause any issues for me at all, and was such a relief. One from Avène worked for me as well, but it was just too expensive. The Soon Jung also gives a nice glow that I prefer the look of. But I could see this product not being occlusive or soothing enough for those with incredibly dry, irritated skin.

I now use the Pyunkang Yul Ato Cream (blue label), which works really well and is a bit heavier, which I prefer. Very cost effective too since it's technically a body cream. I prefer it to the Illiyoon because it actually contains emollient and occlusive ingredients, albeit "natural, " like shea butter and beeswax.

[shivika]

I couldn't agree more about the illiyoon user experience! When I told people I wake up dry after using it, they thought I'd destroyed my skin barrier by over exfoliation, but much less thick products work far better for keeping my skin moisturized all night.

[JinMeowsoon]

Point for the Soon Jung Intensive Cream:
I have very dry skin due to Sicca Syndrome and so far it’s the only non-medical moisturiser I’ve tried that is moisturising enough to prevents dry eczema and does not break me out. I’ve tried expensive dry skin lines from LaNeige, Clinique etc. It’s as moisturising as a serum to me.
I use the Soon Jung Intensive cream twice a day and mix it with Squalane (The Ordinary) in Winter.
I live in France, we have oceanic climate here (cool summers, mild winters, mild humidity).

[SarahColledge]

There are actually three versions of the Canmake sunscreen. The clear (original) one has a pink label on the front, there are also white and green labelled versions (mineral and colour correcting, respectively). The original is very nice and doesn't leave a white cast on me although I'm a Fitzpatrick type 2.

[amberdaisuki]

Being a former obsessed lurker of r/AB from 2014-2019, this was really fun to watch and see all the recs as it really hasn't changed much there haha!

For a data point on Etude House Soon Jung 2x Barrier Intensive Cream, I use it and it does a great job for me all year round:

My skin: Dehydrated, very sensitive, and prone to acne. Climate: northeast US so very dry in the winter, and humid in the summer but it works for me with each season.

I use it at night with a routine of double cleansing (micellar water & milky cleanser), light toner, mugwort essence (shoutout to Im from mugwort!), and soon jung on top of it all.

Moisturizers that have worked for me in the past were: Goodal Premium Snail Tone-Up Cream, Mizon Black Snail All In One Cream -- so more lightweight stuff works considering I like layering