9 Best Korean Moisturizers for Winter 2024

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Cooler temperatures have a substantial impact on our skin. For many, the drop in temperatures brings dry and flaky skin, and for many others, the cold weather causes redness and irritated skin. In any case, winter can be highly detrimental to our skin, but if you get help from the best Korean moisturizers for wintertime, you won’t have that many problems.

This buying guide on the best Korean moisturizers will guide you to choose the best product(s) to use in winter to maintain smooth skin avoiding the risks connected with the drop in temperatures. This guide complements, complemented by our in-depth guide on the best Korean moisturizers of 2024, an excellent resource if you want to have an overview on the topic.

Keep reading this article to find your favorite Korean moisturizer to use this winter!

What Happens to the Skin in Winter?

Our skin is an almost always balanced machine where all the components work together to guarantee a perfect complexion. Multiple factors can compromise our face, one being the dependency on the seasons. During the winter months, our skin is subject to enormous stress and the damages caused by the cold, the wind, and the lack of humidity indoors.

When our skin has to fight against external agents to retain its moisture, it just starts fighting against itself. In the worst-case scenario, it starts cracking and flaking, and in the best-case scenario, it “just” becomes a bit dry.

The damages caused by wintertime may also not be visible, and this doesn’t mean that your skin is not suffering: instead, your skin is fighting, and it’s stressed, so you need to support it the best you can.

The Best Korean Moisturizers for Winter

To make sure your skin stays healthy, a moisturizer is essential during the winter months. Here you have a selection of the best Korean moisturizers of the 2024 to use in winter.

A’Pieu Madecassoside

A’Pieu may be considered an outsider because it’s still not very well known. But the Madecassoside Cream is absolutely to die for: it’s lightweight, and it’s perfect for hydrating even the most troubled skin. Another big perk? The “no-frills” approach allows keeping the price relatively low. Pair this cream with the A’Pieu Madecassoside Hand Cream reviewed in our article on the Best Korean Hand Creams.

Laneige Water Bank Moisture Cream

Laneige Water Bank Moisture Cream is one of the most famous Korean moisturizers. It’s a rich cream that hydrates while improving brightness and texture. According to Laneige, it provides 24-hour hydration that soothes dry skin and restores the balanced facial complexion.

iUNIK Centella Calming Gel Cream

This light and moisturizing gel cream helps calm sensitive and stressed skin with 70% Centella Asiatica leaf water and 10% tea tree leaf water. It has a watery texture, absorbs quickly, and it’s perfect to use both in the morning and the evening.

Purito Deep Sea Pure Water Cream

Purito Deep Sea Pure Water Cream contains natural marine ingredients and sodium hyaluronate to nourish dry skin. It’s incredibly light, so it hydrates without leaving a heavy feeling on the skin.

Cosxr Advanced Snail 92 All In One Cream

The Advanced Snail 92 All In One Cream is considered one of the best Korean moisturizers to use in winter. It is a moisturizer enriched with snail mucin to nourish and moisture without oiliness. It also soothes red and sensitive skin by replenishing water and building a moisture barrier for long-lasting hydration.

Etude House Soon Jung 2x Barrier Intensive Cream

This Etude House Soon Jung 2x Barrier Intensive Cream is soft, but it lies on the heavy side if we consider the texture. It’s perfect for highly damaged skin and contains Panthensoside, a mix of Panthenol that protects the skin barriers and maintains hydration, and Madecassoside, which soothes the skin.

Dr. Jart Ceramidin Cream

The Ceramidin Cream from Dr. Jart contains the proprietary 5-Cera Complex to strengthen the skin barrier and shield from water and moisture loss. This is not the cheapest Korean cream on the market, mainly because it’s widely available. Still, it’s undoubtedly one of the best to treat dryness, itchiness, roughness, and discomfort in wintertime.

Dear Klairs Rich Moist Soothing Cream

Klairs is one of the most famous Korean brands for effective products, and this Rich Moist Soothing Cream is no exception. It restores the hydration balance to help stabilize the skin and lowers the temperature to reduce redness. It contains shea butter, Ceramide 3, and Lipidure®, which is not that lightweight, but it works.

Mamonde Ceramide Light Cream

The Mamonde Ceramide Light Cream is a long-lasting light moisturizer that prevents moisture from escaping and shields skin from fine dust and harmful irritants. It’s perfect to use daily as a layer before going out in the morning, especially for people living in big cities. It is also sold as Mamonde Floral Moisture Cream.

Korean Winter Moisturizers: FAQ

Scroll this list of questions and answers if you’re looking for more specific information on the best moisturizers to use in winter.

How Does a Moisturizer Work?

A moisturizer has the power to hydrate the skin and prevent dryness. The way it works is quite simple: the moisturizer works on the skin’s surface, the outer layer, by controlling the moisture from evaporating.

To keep it simple, our skin is composed of three layers, the outer layer, middle layer, and the lower layer, and it gets dry when the moisture moving from the lower layer to the top layer evaporates.

To avoid this, the moisturizer creates a layer that blocks the moisture from escaping keeping it in the outer layer.

It’s worth noticing that a Korean moisturizer can only work on the skin’s surface to trap moisture; it is up to us to make sure that the other two layers are always well hydrated by drinking a lot of water, eating fruit and vegetables, and keeping healthy habits.

How to Apply a Korean Moisturizer?

Despite our habit of applying moisturizer by massaging it into the skin, the best way to use a Korean moisturizer is by patting it on your face. This is the best way to make sure the product penetrates in-depth. At the same time, patting boosts circulation and gets the blood moving around the face.

This means a better complexion and more relaxed skin. You can pat with your fingers or palm, depending on what you prefer. In any case, make sure you don’t push too hard; otherwise, the small vein on the skin’s outer layer will break.

What Is the Best Moisturizer for Dry Skin to Use in Winter?

People suffering from dry skin need to pay extreme care in choosing the best Korean moisturizer to use in winter. Please read our article on the best Korean moisturizer for dry skin to better understand the topic and the best products to use. Water Bank by Laneige and Cosrx Oil-Free Ultra-Moisturizing Lotion are two of the best products to use during winter if you suffer from dehydrated skin.

What Is the Best Moisturizer for Oily Skin?

People with oily skin need to pay attention to what moisturizers they use because going for a heavy one can cause extreme breakdown and worsen the situation. Make sure to choose a lightweight product, possibly in the form of a gel, to use during winter without compromising its ability to fight against the cold weather.

How Much Korean Moisturizer to Use in Winter?

There’s not just one rule regarding how much moisturizer to use in winter. Generally speaking, whether it’s winter or summer, it’s good practice never to exaggerate. If we use too much moisturizer on our skin, we risk clogging our pores because it becomes almost impossible to ensure that the product will be absorbed.

If our skin does not absorb a product, there is a severe risk of the skin rejecting it and, as a result, experiencing a breakdown.

Based on the product you are using and your skin’s condition, judge yourself, and you won’t have any problem.

When to Use Moisturizer?

You can apply your moisturizer in the morning and the evening. If you follow the Korean 10 Step beauty routine, apply it after cleansing your face and doing the same, even if you’ve decided to go for a different regime.

Why Does My Skin Burn When I use a Korean Moisturize in Winter?

The skin starts burning for multiple reasons, but it can be due to extreme dryness in winter. Excessive dryness can be linked to the so-called windburn, a condition caused by the cold weather that depletes the natural oils in the skin, making it red and dry. Windburn is exactly like sunburn, so to treat it, you need to choose a light but powerful product and apply it constantly. Also, make sure you drink many fluids and do not wash your face with hot water.