5 K-Beauty Products You Need in your Amazon Cart
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This post is in partnership with and sponsored by Credithink. As always, all opinions are honest and my own. CrediThink is a retailer for many indie K-beauy brands. They curate indie and smaller Korean beauty brands that are natural, organic, healthy, and clean so that consumers can find affordable skincare products that suits their skin type.
K-Beauty (Korean: 케이뷰티) is an umbrella term for skincare products that are derived from South Korea. The fad gained popularity worldwide, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, and the Western world, and focuses on health, hydration, and an emphasis for brightening effects.
I’ve been a fan and know that the ingredients, the efficacy, the price points, the quality, basically everything about Korean beauty is better. Ironically, somehow I always forget. I think it’s because here in the US, we’re inundated with marketing. Lots of frilly labels, celebrity lines and brands that are more accessible to us at Ulta and Sephora. As one of your sources for the best of the best when it comes to skincare, I took it upon myself to get outside the mainstream bubble and started researching for some K-beauty. This is ultimately how I discovered CrediThink through one of my favorite YouTubers, and someone you guys might remember from an IG Live we did last year, Cassandra. With that said, I wanted to explore several of the brands they sell on their Amazon Storefront, so we decided on 5 beauty products that I could incorporate into my beauty routine. All are considered pregnancy safe, but as always please consult with your doctor as we assume no responsibility in regards to the usage of products.
JIN JUNG SUNG Skin Essence
This is the GOAT (greatest of all time) when it comes to an essence, and it is the star product of this haul. The consistency, the texture, how it absorbs so beautifully into the skin while instantly hydrating and plumping. This is truly out of this world. If you were going to add one random thing to your Amazon cart that you weren’t expecting to add, this is the one. Trust me, you will not regret this.
You get a lot of product for a (beyond) reasonable price and this can be used in lieu of a facial spray, before starting your routine. As you know, I always tout about applying your skincare products on slightly damp or saturated skin because this will allow them to get deeper into your epidermis, that top layer of skin. Applying product to completely dry skin is never going to be as effective as the water molecules really help to open the pores so you can absorb all the goodness from your serums. This is a major skincare tip. If you want the most out of your serums, make sure you apply to slightly damp or wet skin. This essence is the perfect starter to your routine, morning and night.
This is also fantastic for dryness, wrinkles, and acne. Basically everything that’s so moisturizing about this product is going to help so many skin concerns you may have, but it’ll also help the rest of your skincare routine be even more effective.
If I had to choose toner or essence, I would always choose essence because it’s the start of your serums and has more soothing elements to it that can help sensitive, dehydrated or problematic skin. Sometimes toners can be a bit stripping which can exacerbate any skin concerns you might have.
When to use: AM and PM
Who can use: All skin types
Sidenote: Cassie also shared that this is a fantastic dupe for the SK-II Essence, which is huge given the substantially different price tag. It’s been a few years since I tried the SK-II version, but this is the best essence I’ve tried in the last 5 years. No doubt about it.
IUNIK Beta Glucan Cream
The consistency of this cream is unlike any other moisturizer I’ve tried. It’s got that hydrating element to it of course (duh it’s a moisturizer) but it’s got such a nice emollience that doesn't make it drying. As I apply to the skin, it feels like it’s diving deep into the pores and soothing more than just the top layer of skin.
Beta Glucan is derived from mushrooms, which we know more and more is a major superfood, but also has a lot of benefits when applied topically. It’s also known to retain moisture 20% better than hyaluronic acids + helps with rosacea. Since we know so much about how hydrating hyaluronic acids can be, think of this as a supercharged hydrator. It really makes this the perfect moisturizer underneath SPF and makeup since it can also help with the redness that might be caused by rosacea.
Oftentimes when we think of clean products in the US, we need to read all the assurances. Something I love about K-beauty in particular is that the products are expected to be of the highest quality. You don’t need to triple check them as often and be suspicious of the chemicals festering inside the formula. What a concept, right? This cream is free of fragrance, hypoallergenic and comedogenicos.
When to use: AM and PM
Who can use: All skin types
Make P:rem UV Defense me. Daily sun essence
Now when it comes to sunscreens, I am so incredibly picky. This has no whitecast and blends beautifully into the skin. After moisturizing, this is the perfect addition for the daytime and you know I always preach wearing sunscreen, even if you’re not planning to be outside for extended periods of time.
This sunscreen has a little shine which makes the skin look naturally glowy (we love a little dew around here, am I right?) It’s a really soft gel that blends easily into the skin; I promise you don’t need to rub it incessantly to get it absorbed and it has that nice hydrating element. No dry feeling to it, which I personally like, but I find it also serves as a great primer underneath makeup because of how it dries. Great prep for a long day of makeup wearing *insert the scanning sound as you add to your Amazon cart.
When to use: AM
Who can use: All skin types
CLEVOS Rosemary Shampoo
Recently I’ve been dealing with greasy hair (even after washing it) so I’ve been extremely careful with hair products, and also trying to get to the bottom of the problem. Whether it’s hormonal due to pregnancy, or
This shampoo is light in any fragrance or scent, and it is 100% organic shampoo safe for everyone to use. It’s also climate pledge friendly-approved.
What I found most fascinating about CLEVOS is their manufacturing process. They have a very meticulous leaves selection process and they 100% handpick and remove dirt and debris from the picked leaves to maintain their perfect shape. There’s 960 hours of organic compound removal meaning they use purified water and natural extracts to remove organic compounds. Then goes the 168 hours of blending, followed by 48 hours of soaking which creates this beautifully formulated shampoo that is then perfect for all hair types.
Their shampoos are EWG Certified, BDIH Certified, and USDA Certified Organic. A lot of these elements aren’t marketed heavily on the products, which is such a breath of fresh hair. It’s expected with Korean products.
When to use: Whenever washing hair
Who can use: All hair types
La'dor Fill Up Ampoule
If you follow on Instagram, you’ve seen me rave about this product several times (both on Stories and in a Post).
This is an instant hair nourishment proven by extensive reviews, and proven by me myself and I. After using this treatment once, my hair was shinier, looked healthier and felt stronger. Now after using it multiple times and being 5+ ampoules down, I can safely say that this is the hair treatment your hair needs. It deeply conditions dry and damaged hair by repairing and creating a protective shield on the hair cuticles with hydrolyzed keratin. With all my concerns recently, both with overwashing and not being able to cleanse my hair properly, I needed something to revitalize my hair and make it stronger.
It’s available as 10 single-use ampoules and all you have to do is mix a 1:1 ratio of water to the cream. It blends easily with any tool and then you have enough formula for your treatment. Take the mixing bowl into the shower with you. Each ampoule makes quite a bit (I split mine in two because my hair is currently really short.) If you have medium or long hair, 1 ampoule will be perfect but if your hair is shorter like mine, you can likely get 2 uses out of it. After shampooing your hair, apply all over and massage to get the foaminess going. Once you’ve massaged for 30-60 seconds, wash it out. As you rinse the formula out, you instantly feel your hair lighter.
It helps to repair hair follicles and in turn prevent split ends while also giving a lasting hair shine effect. This time of year I also suffer with a lot more tangles, and this treatment truly helps with that.
*Some of the incredible results have shown a 55.46% improvement in hair hydration immediately after use, as well as 72 hours after use.
When to use: Once a week
Who can use: All hair types
Comments
I liked your tip about applying skin care items to damp skin. It has been something I noticed accidentally.