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Bare Seoul

Build your routine, step by step

The order that matters, from first cleanse to sunscreen — with our top picks for each step. New to all this? Start with the full guide →

Beyond the six steps? Targeted treatments — eye care, exfoliants, spot patches and other as-needed extras that sit outside the daily routine →
Cleansers
1
Cleanse
Cleansers

Oil and water cleansers — the first step, and the one most routines get wrong.

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Guides
The cleanse step

Korean double cleansing: do you really need two cleansers?

Double cleansing — an oil wash, then a water-based one — is the cleanse step Korean skincare carried furthest. What each wash is for, when you need both, and how to do it without stripping your skin.
Our top picks
Toners
2
Tone
Toners

Hydrating, low-acid toners that prep skin rather than strip it.

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Guides
Ingredients

AHA, BHA and PHA: how to choose a Korean exfoliating acid

Korean skincare treats exfoliating acids as a gentle habit — AHA, BHA and PHA, each with a different job. How the three families differ, and which one your skin will get on with.

Ingredients

What Korean heartleaf does for your skin

Heartleaf — Houttuynia cordata — is the herb Korean brands like Anua built a sensitive-skin range around. This is what the research supports, how it differs from centella, and when it's worth reaching for.
Our top picks
Essences & Serums
3
Treat
Essences & Serums

The treatment step — niacinamide, snail mucin, centella and other actives.

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Guides
The treatment step

Korean essence vs serum: what each does, and do you need both?

Essence and serum sit on the same treatment step, at different strengths. Here's what each does, whether you need both, and how to choose the one Korean active that suits your skin.

Skin goals

Korean skincare for dark spots and hyperpigmentation

Korea treats an even, luminous tone as the point of a routine, and builds it with gentle brighteners you can use every day. Here's what fades dark spots, and why sun protection does most of the work.

Skin goals

Korean glass skin: what it is, and how to get closer to it

Glass skin — yuri pibu in Korean — is the name for a smooth, lit-from-within complexion. This is what moves the look, what's fixed by genetics and light, and the hydration doing most of the work.
Our top picks
Masks
4
Mask
Masks

Sheet and sleeping masks for a weekly boost.

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Guides
The mask step

Korean face masks: sheet, clay and sleeping, and which you need

In a Korean routine the mask is an occasional boost, and it turns up in three forms: sheet, wash-off and sleeping. Here's what each one does, and which your skin will get the most from.
Our top picks
Moisturisers
5
Moisturise
Moisturisers

Gels, lotions and creams to seal everything in.

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Guides

Guides for this step are on the way.

Our top picks
Sunscreen
6
Protect
Sunscreen

Korean SPF, and how it measures up to Australian standards.

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Guides
The routine

Where does sunscreen go in a Korean skincare routine?

Sunscreen is the morning step people most often get out of order. In a Korean routine it's the final layer — on over your moisturiser, once your skincare has sunk in — and reapplying it is half the job.

Sun & SPF

Chemical vs mineral filters in a Korean sunscreen, and white cast

Why one Korean sunscreen vanishes on your skin and another leaves you grey comes down to the filters inside it. Here is the difference, and how to tell what you are buying.

Sun & SPF

Why your Korean sunscreen pills, and how to stop it

Sunscreen can ball up and rub off when you layer a Korean routine. The cause is usually the layers underneath. Here's what pilling is, and the simple changes that help.
Our top picks

Picks for this step are on the way.