Korean Skincare for Men: A Dermatologist's Basic Routine

I'm Dr. Hongseok Kim, a board-certified dermatologist with 21 years of practice and the medical director of VOS Dermatology Clinic in Gangnam, Seoul, right in front of Dosan Park. At VOS I see every patient myself, from the first consultation to the treatment.

Korean skincare for men does not have to mean a long shelf of products. I made this video for men in their late 20s to mid 30s who look at product names and still cannot tell what each one is or what they should be using. This page is based on my YouTube video from February 2025, where I went through the most basic steps for exactly those men; I rewrote it for readers abroad, without recommending any brand. The video above can be watched with translated captions.

What is a basic Korean skincare routine for men?

Short answer: cleanser, then a serum if your skin is dry, then either a lotion or a cream, and a little oil only when the skin needs it; sunscreen is the other basic step.

The rule for the order is simple: products go on from water to oil (in the video at 09:05). That gives a routine like this:

1. A mild cleanser, kept short.
2. Toner only if you want it; it is optional.
3. Serum if your skin feels dry or you want more hydration.
4. One of lotion or cream, not both.
5. Oil in a dry season or for dry skin: four or five drops if you are dry, one or two drops if your skin is fine.
6. Sunscreen, which I have covered in separate videos.

If you manage your skin within that range, you are already doing more than half of what skincare needs.

How should men choose and use a cleanser?

Short answer: choose a mild foaming or weakly acidic cleanser, keep washing short, and judge it by whether your face feels tight afterwards.

If you use whatever bar of soap is around, soap is not bad in itself, and many are made mild now. But if you have decided to clean your face a bit more carefully, search for products labeled as foam cleansers (in the video at 01:35). They tend to feel milder and smoother. You can also search for a weakly acidic cleanser. A cleanser that foams a little less, or that feels as if it removes slightly less, is actually the better sign. That squeaky-clean feeling can leave the skin drier or more sensitive (in the video at 01:56).

On the ingredient list, remember four names: lauric acid, myristic acid, palmitic acid and stearic acid (in the video at 02:19). When you are not sure what suits you, leave out cleansers containing any of them. That does not mean never use them. Men who produce a lot of sebum and feel very oily can use a cleanser with these ingredients once or twice a week as a deep cleanser, while the everyday cleanser is one without them (in the video at 02:48). I explain how I read these four fatty acids in more detail in my video note on choosing a Korean cleanser.

How long? Finish within three minutes (in the video at 03:09). If you wore sunscreen or something similar, up to three minutes; if not, aim for about one minute. Then check whether your face feels tight. If it does, the cleanser is a little too strong or your skin has become sensitized. Finding a cleanser that does not leave your face tight is the most important point of the whole cleansing step.

If you shave, I cover washing before the razor and aftercare in how to shave without cuts or breakouts.

Do men need toner and serum?

Short answer: toner is optional for most men, while a serum is worth using if your skin is dry, as long as it is never the last step.

Toner, once called "skin" in Korea, is usually the watery product in a tall bottle (in the video at 03:42). It was used because cleansers used to have a high pH and were harsh, drying the skin, so toner helped bring the skin's pH back to normal. Most cleansers are now weakly acidic, and men usually do not wear make-up, so there is no need to use toner just because it exists. If your face still feels not quite clean after washing, put a wipe-off toner on a cotton pad and wipe once lightly. If you do not have one, skip it.

A serum, also sold as essence or ampoule, usually comes in a small bottle, often with a dropper, and feels slightly sticky (in the video at 04:36). Its base is ingredients that draw water into the skin, with added ingredients aimed at moisture, brightening or wrinkles. If your skin is dry and you feel it needs more hydration, I recommend a serum. There are vitamin C types, hyaluronic acid types and types with repair-focused ingredients, so choose the line that matches what you want. Four or five drops spread over the whole face is enough.

The one rule: never finish with a serum (in the video at 05:47). Serums pull water in but cannot keep it from evaporating, so the skin can end up drier. Always follow with the next step.

Lotion or cream, and what about "moisture cream"?

Short answer: use one of the two, choosing by how oily your skin is, and do not worry about the label "moisture cream".

Using both a lotion and a cream is something I do not recommend (in the video at 06:06). The naming is simple: a product with more water than oil is called a lotion, and one with more oil than water is called a cream (in the video at 06:25). Some lotions sold abroad are as runny as water, but they are still lotions by that definition. If you are naturally oily, you do not need an oil-rich product; choose your point within that range.

If you are not sure where to start, search for categories such as moisturizers made for atopic dermatitis, clinic-type moisturizers or cica moisturizers (in the video at 07:01). If your skin is sensitive, choose products with less fragrance across your whole routine. Then use one, see how your skin feels, and adjust, because each person's skin reacts differently.

Many people ask for a "moisture cream". In my view, every cream is a moisture cream (in the video at 08:02). The basic job of a cream is to hold water in the skin. "Nutrient cream" is a label we made up; in Korean cosmetics there is no separate category of moisture versus nutrient cream. Add antioxidants or vitamin C for brightening or wrinkle claims and it becomes a brightening or wrinkle cream, but the base is nearly the same. The cream that suits you is your moisture cream.

Korea has four seasons, and in winter, with the heating on and the air dry, skin dries out more. That is when oil comes in as the next step, following the water-to-oil order.

What to check in the products you already own

Short answer: throw out anything whose purchase date you cannot remember, then check the ingredient list of what remains.

The first thing to do today is go to where you keep your products and ask when you bought each one (in the video at 09:26). Most people cannot remember. Throw out every product you cannot date; once a product has been opened, there is a real chance it has already gone off.

For products you do remember, search them in an ingredient-checking app (in the video at 09:53). You will see ingredients marked in green, yellow and red. Many yellow marks do not make a product bad, and many green marks do not automatically make it good. For beginners, I suggest a simpler check: count the ingredients and start with products that list about 30 or fewer (in the video at 10:17).

If your skin is sensitive, also leave out products listing fragrance, and products containing ingredients flagged as possible allergens. If your skin is not sensitive, those products are fine to use; they are not bad in themselves. If you cannot tell which you are, a dermatologist can read it for you; at VOS we do that with VOS Skin MBTI skin type analysis.

Sunscreen, and where to go from here

Short answer: sunscreen is the last basic step, and I explain how to choose and apply it in separate videos rather than in this one.

In this video I only point to my earlier sunscreen videos (in the video at 11:07). A summary of how I choose one is in my video note on choosing a Korean sunscreen for the face.

Today is probably the youngest you will ever be (in the video at 11:40). If you start caring for your skin from now, I believe you can keep it closer to how it is today and move toward better skin. If you are wondering which parts of skin care can be handled at home and which need a dermatologist, my guide to Korea skin care: which steps need a dermatologist covers that, and I share my view as a Seoul dermatologist in why Korean skin is so good. You can also read creator experiences at VOS.

Results vary from person to person, and the right plan for your skin is decided at a consultation.

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Results, swelling and recovery vary from person to person. This page is general information from VOS Dermatology Clinic based on Dr. Kim's video and does not replace an in-person consultation.