How To Create A Korean Skincare Routine For Acne Prone Skin

A lot of people face the same challenge and that is acne prone skin. Acne is not just some pimples on your skin but it really brings your confidence down making you publicly shy. 

If you want to know how to create a korean skincare routine for acne prone skin treatment, here is this post specially for you. 

This post will contain the most important steps involved in creating a Korean skin routine for acne prone skin with some hidden secrets you might not get to know from someone else. 

Essential products in a Korean skin care routine

Not all best korean acne products are meant to use on every kind of skin type. Some products can be more than essential for you and some are never supposed to be used on your skin. 

If you really want to get rid of acne prone skin using korean skin care for acne then less would be more better, making fewer a better routine. 

Following are some essential Korean skincare products for acne prone skin. 

A Water-Based Cleanser for Morning and Night

Koreans love double cleansing but again not everything is meant for you. Using only one cleanser can also result in a clear, smooth and glowing skin.

In this post later, there will be some information about an oil cleanser but it is not a necessary thing to do. 

Sun protection is crucial

Koreans are so concerned about their skin, that they put sun protection all over the day. The reason is UV rays can uneven and destroy the skin tone.

The main skincare routine of Koreans is not to get rid of everything but they actually try to prevent over-curing, for example; it’s easier and better to prevent acne scars from getting darker then trying every possible solution of acne scar lightening. 

Moisturizers prevent water loss

The major mistake that oily skins make is they don’t use moisturizers, however moisturizer is a daily necessity for all skin tones using any skincare routine or not. 

The most difficult step is to find the right moisturizer suiting your skin type and then you will note the difference. 

The best k-beauty moisturizers for acne prone skin really step forward for your korean skin care for acne.

As for non essential korean skincare products here are these. 

Daily sheet masks are not necessary

Daily face masks became really common when korean skincare started to get popular. It is actually not essential to use these sheet masks every day or weekly. 

If you have found a really good korean skincare for acne prone skin then you don’t need to do it daily, you’ll still feel the hydrated and smooth skin even with a gap of 2 to 3 days or even a week or more. 

After that if you are still eager to use sheet masks, then it is an important thing that these are actually more for self care with longer time duration or some bigger event preparations. 

Korean toners are nice-to-haves

Best Korean toners for acne are the first most thing to search for when someone wants to make a korean skincare routine. Definitely korean toners are the best toners with very effective results.

But talking about essential korean skincare routines, they are actually not that necessary.

For creating a skincare routine you need to know your concerns and target, this will lead you to a more effective skincare. This strategy helps you to choose more suitable ingredients and products for your skin whether they are serum, toners or any other product. 

Chemical exfoliants are a choice

For a good Korean skincare routine, the best Korean exfoliators are very important to include.
Retinoids also work for treating acne but Korean exfoliators for acne scars also have distinguishing effects. But you really don’t need to use both.  

Step by step Korean skincare routine day and night

Creating a Korean skincare routine for acne scar is not that difficult, all you need to do is follow simple and effective outlines. While buying skin care products for acne, you just need to focus on your skin type and its chemistry with the ingredient present in that product. 

Here is my list for Korean Skincare Products for Acne Prone Skin which might help you to set your korean skincare routine for acne prone skin. 

Let’s set the morning routine;

Water-based cleanser

Washing your face is the first thing that you do when waking up in the morning.

I have noticed lately that skipping morning wash has become a trend, I just don’t get this. To go gentler with your acne skin, do a little research and choose cleanser wisely. 

Try to avoid oil based cleansers for acne prone skin as they are best for evening use because it helps to remove makeup, sunscreens and other products and dirt your skin has been exposed to throughout the day.

For a morning routine use water based cleansers for acne prone skin, they are best with most effective and gentle results. 

Apply a serum or toner

Then comes Korean toners or serum after cleansing. It is not necessary to use any or both of these, but you definitely need one hydration locking product for your skin. 

Here is the list for some best ingredients to use:

• Nicotinamide
• Centella asiatica
• Hyaluronic acid
• Green tea extract
• Aloe vera
• Snail mucin (if you are not allergic to dust mites or shellfish)
• Allantoin
• Panthenol

If you think you need a more powerful product then you can use chemical exfoliant toner or serum but keep checking on your skin’s reaction to harsh products. 

Eye cream optional

Seeing this post, you might think the Korean skincare routine to be very strict, but it is not that deep actually.

Here might be a choice to apply eye cream, if you do not do morning face cleansing, then it is a great step to wear eye cream before or after toner or serum. 

Apply your Korean moisturiser

Most people think sunscreens are enough to moisturize their skin, if it is then you can really just use sunscreen. 

Moisturizers not only prevent your skin from drying out but also help softening fine lines and smoothes skin. 

They also help in sealing hydration for a longer time resulting in popular Korean women like plumed skin. 

You can also go read my post on K-beauty moisturizers for acne prone skin to find out which one suits you best. 

Always apply SPF

It’s your choice what you want to use, as mineral and chemical sunscreens both work good on the skin. This step is quite necessary, so try not to skip it. 

Sunscreens are used for many benefits and there are some of them;

• Results in a glass skin look overall
• Prevent formation of scars and reduce the existing ones
• Prevent early ageing and fine lines

Here are Best Sunscreens for Acne Prone Skin and Comedone which might help you to choose an ideal one for you. 

Let’s start the evening routine now;

Double cleansing

The best Korean skincare routine for acne prone skin is double cleansing, first use oil cleansers to remove all the makeup, SPF and dirt and then apply water based cleansers perfect for neutral cleansing. 

Oil cleansers are actually not suitable for everyone, and people with acne are really afraid of using oil cleansers. Check out 5 Best Oil Cleansers For Acne Prone Skin

If you really do not want to use them you can simply remove makeup, sunscreens and dirt with micellar water. But a lot of people say the water makes their skin extra dry so they can use moisturizers after micellar water cleansing. 

Now its turn for water based cleanser, use it for almost 1 to 2 minutes for better cleansing. Here is my post on Must-Try Water-Based Cleansers for Acne-Prone Skin.

To do double cleansing inKorean skincare for acne treatment, Korean acne cleansers actually help a lot. 

Thus double cleansing is actually done for;

• Makeup or sunscreen (may be both) and extra oils
• Second step cleansing of the skin after dirt, oils and products have been washed.

Chemical exfoliant or retinoid

This step can be optional depending on your preferences, you can skip it if you are okay with just hydrating products. 

Apply some active ingredients (toner, retinoids or serum) on to your face but never try to use retinoids together with chemical exfoliants, just go for one.
These Gentle Yet Powerful Korean Exfoliators for Every Skin Type will help you a lot to understand what your skin actually needs.

Eye cream

It is up to you when you want to apply eye creams. Whether before or after serums, totally depends on your choice but I like to go with eye creams before serum or toner. 

Skin barrier or hydrating products

Hydrating products should be included in any type of skincare whether it is for acne prone skin or not. This hydration can be from toner or serums or specific hydrating products.

Make sure to use such products that work for skin barrier products even if you don’t have sensitive skin. Today new products have made it even easier as most of the barrier serums also seal hydration. 

Try to avoid harsh ingredients like exfoliants if you are allergic or get irritated quickly. 

If your skin is not hydrated enough it is more likely to clog with a dull and sallow appearance. 

The reason hydration is essential in Korean acne scar treatment is it keeps clog pores away from your skin. 

Moisturiser is the final step

It is okay to use the same Korean moisturizer for acne prone skin that you have used for your morning routine. Moisturizing is essential for your skin as it seals hydration and prevents the skin from drying out.

Moisturizers work by forming a barrier that prevents evaporation of water.

Choosing the right acne-fighting ingredients

Now you have learnt how to create a Korean skincare for acne prone skin, the next step is to wisely choose the right ingredients for your skin. 

There are a lot of ingredients nowadays for skincare so I’ll go through their benefits one by one.

Salicylic Acid For Oily Skin

You definitely would have heard about salicylic acid. Beta hydroxy acid or BHA are its other name and it is known for its gentle exfoliating properties. 

This ingredient is very much used in Korean products for oily skin as a chemical exfoliator.

It benefits the skin by penetrating deeply into the closed pores releasing trapped oil and impurities that are the basic reason for breakouts. 

The only drawback of salicylic acid which I have known so far is that it causes dryness on the skin. 

AHAs like glycolic acid

Alpha hydroxy acids aka AHA are a different type of acid with a diverse family. It includes lactic acid, polyhydroxy acids (PHA), glycolic acid and mandelic acid. 

Although they are very effective for removing dead skin cells and lightening dark scars, they are actually more allergic and irritating than BHA because of their smaller molecular size which penetrate deeply into the skin.

Their benefit on BHA is that they are very much better to be used in anti-ageing products. They are also used in Korean acne scar treatment. 

Retinoids do it all

Retinoids also work the same as BHAs and AHAs if they are paired. The reason I love retinoids is they can go with any type of skin, you do not need to be highly specific in case of retinoids. 

They work for dark spot treatment and are the most effective anti-ageing ingredient. 

Azelaic acid is underrated

Azelaic acid is best for creating chemistry with any kind of skin. It not only prevents hyperpigmentation and combats acne but also is very calm, soothing and prevents breakouts. 

Be selective with your acne-fighting ingredients

When reading the benefits of all these ingredients, you might also want to use all these, but Korean skincare routine for acne prone skin is actually less products with more outcome.

The best korean skincare for acne needs to stick to one or two active ingredients which suit your skin. Once you have set your skin chemistry with the product then you’re going to see the real improvement. 

If you are going with two ingredients, make sure to use one in the morning routine and the other in night routine. The first step is to introduce them to your skin slowly and do not change products too quickly. 

Do you need a 10-step routine?

It is a traditional Korean skin care for acne that includes a 10 steps routine and it is supposed to be done in the morning. 

If you want a more quick routine and want to do this routine in the evening then it will be 20 steps. But it might lead your acne treatment progress to harmful results so no need to push yourself too much. 

As already told, Korean acne skincare is about a simple and consistent routine.

What about Vitamin C?

K-beauty products have a great variety with vitamin C, but I haven’t included any, why?

It is also a common prescription that most dermatologists suggest to avoid vitamin C in acne prone skincare. It is just an unnecessary complication to your skincare. 

Vitamin C is used to treat dark spots but the purpose of using skincare for acne prone skin you need to prioritize acne. Moreover sunscreens, retinoids, exfoliators and hydration are already dealing with acne. 

So, vitamin C is an additional irritant to your skincare and might interfere with the results. 

Korean skincare for hormonal acne

Retinoids, azelaic acid and salicylic acid are the best Korean skincare for hormonal acne. But do not use all these altogether, you need to be selective. 

If I had to make a choice between azelaic acid and retinoid then I would favor retinoids.

But nowadays I am using both these active ingredients on alternative days. 

Should acne prone skin types use an oil cleanser?

Oil presence can not be the only reason for your skin to reject oil cleansing, it might be another ingredient included in your skincare products. 

Even a slight ingredient can cause your skin to react to the product, resulting in breakouts. But if you find a right oil cleanser for your skin, it would be the best thing ever happening to your oily skin. You can also get one from my earlier post on best oil cleansers for acne prone skin.