The 9 Best Korean Essences for an Insta-Worthy Glow

Best Overall: Laneige Water Bank Hydro Essence

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This product is like a tall glass of water for parched skin. It’s full of what’s called green mineral water, an extract that's taken from vegetables like kale, watercress, and beets. It sinks into the skin quickly, leaving it fresh, plump, and comfortable without any residue. We’ve dubbed it best overall because it’s extremely effective on all skin types (from dehydrated to oily), thanks to the water-light texture and fast absorption.

Best Budget: Blithe Vital Treatment Essence

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This lightweight essence utilizes the power of seed extracts like baobab, evening primrose, and rosehip to help pep up tired, dry, or dull skin. It also contains niacinamide in the formula, which can assist with brightening your complexion over time.

Best for Dull or Tired Skin: Innisfree Fermented Soybean Firming Energy Essence

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Any Innisfree product is a 10/10 in our books, but this essence is worth an extra special mention. Packed with fermented soybean extract from Jeju Island in South Korea, this antioxidant-rich formula will brighten and firm the skin like nobody's business. Bolstered with oat kernel extract, it also works to soothe and calm the complexion.

Best for Hydration: Hanskin Real Complexion Hyaluron Skin Essence

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Want luminous, glassy skin? Look no further than this cult buy from Hanskin. It contains a unique form of hyaluronic acid, in which the molecule is smaller and able to penetrate deeper into the complexion (hyaluronic acid can hold 1000 times its weight in water, by the way). It helps to soften fine lines, tops up skin moisture levels, and kicks signs of dehydration to the curb.

Best for Plumping: Then I Met You The Giving Essence

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With fermented ingredients, this essence can help to refine the skin’s texture and gently brightens, but it’s the polyglutamic acid in the formula that we’re here for. It’s a molecule that the brand claim holds even more moisture than hyaluronic, so you can expect bouncy, super-plumped-up skin after application. The rose-pink tint imparts a subtle glow too.

Best for Uneven Skin Tone: Neogen Real Ferment Micro-Essence

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This option is a K-beauty icon thanks to a high concentration of fermented ingredients and natural brighteners like rice ferment. It’s quite thick, but the time spent patting it into the skin is worth it. Interestingly enough, there’s no water in the ingredient listing, making the already sweet price point even sweeter. 

Best for Sensitive Skin: Donginbi 1899 Single Essence

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This pick literally contains just one ingredient, red ginseng extract. This particular extraction is prepared for 70,000 hours over 2,920 days, a process that helps to make the formula as concentrated as possible. According to Donginbi, the red ginseng is known to brighten, refine and soothe the skin, and because it’s a mono-formulation, the chances of skin irritation or sensitivity are relatively low.

Best Mist Option: Acwell Licorice pH Balancing Essence Mist

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This portable essence mist is milky and hydrating, so you’ll still get that elusive plumping effect on the go; it also doubles as a primer or setting spray. It features calming and hydrating ingredients like licorice water and root extracts, hydrating bamboo water, and centella asiatica leaf water (sensitive skin, rejoice). Try keeping it in the fridge for an instant refresher on steamy summer days.