Everyone loves some good K-beauty dupes! Here’s our recent favorites.
Oftentimes, Korean products feature the same ingredients, benefits, and formulations as popular products from other countries, at a fraction of the price. And, in many cases, the Korean products work even better. Take a look below to see our lineup of the best K-beauty dupes to keep your skin healthier and your wallet fatter.
Sunday Riley Blue Moon Tranquility Cleansing Balm (3.5 oz $50) vs. Enature Moringa Cleansing Balm (2.5 oz $23)
Cult beauty favorite Sunday Riley’s Blue Moon Tranquility Cleansing Balm is a best seller, boasting a makeup-breaking formula topped off with a gentle orange vanilla scent. But it also boasts a steep $50 price tag.
Enature’s Moringa Cleansing Balm, although one ounce smaller, is less than half the price. When using this product, you’d think you were using a cleanser costing much more than $23. The balmy cleanser spreads evenly across the face to break down makeup, while simultaneously stimulating collagen formation and fighting fine lines. It’s powerfully effective: Once emulsified and rinsed off, every bit of makeup will be gently removed from your skin.
The formula is made using the finest quality natural extracts, like moringa pterygosperma seed extract, true rose of jericho extract, and iris extract. And like all Enature products, it’s formulated without animal ingredients and is free of parabens, mineral oils, and artificial fragrances. To top it all off, the natural essential oil extracts release a relaxing, beautiful scent to simulate a heavenly spa-like experience.
SK-II Facial Treatment Essence ($99) vs. Missha First Treatment Essence ($45)
The SK-II Facial Treatment Essence is famed for its signature ingredient, pitera. Pitera is a naturally derived bi-product of yeast fermentation, from which its rich amino acid complex forms. However, SK-II’s essence is far from the only formula that allows your skin to reap the benefits of fermented yeast. The Missha First Treatment Essence—a K-beauty cult favorite—also boasts fermented yeast at its core. The formula is made with over 90% fermented yeast extract from Himalyan Purple Barley, which deeply moisturizes and clarifies the skin.
Peter Thomas Roth Acne-Clear Invisible Dots ($12 for 24) vs. Cosrx Acne Pimple Master Patch ($5 for 24)
The Cosrx Acne Pimple Master Patch has become an absolute favorite in the K-Beauty world because its groundbreaking formula breaks down and eliminates infection and bacteria in even the deepest set blackheads, while absorbing surface toxins from whiteheads.
The hydrocolloid patch acts like a bandage, covering the infected area and protecting it from further contamination and irritation. It’s just as good—if not better than its PTR counterpart—and you get the same amount of patches for half the price.
Biologique Recherche’s Lotion P50 ($112) vs. Cosrx BHA Blackhead Power Liquid ($21)
The Biologique Recherche Lotion P50 has been praised for its powerful ability to chemically exfoliate the skin. Its mix of ingredients work to slough away dead skin cells and clear and brighten the skin surface by stimulating the skin’s natural turnover cycle. But it can be difficult to acquire, and will leave a significant dent in your wallet, especially considering the size of the bottle.
If you’re searching for that same miracle-exfoliation effect, look no further than the Cosrx BHA Blackhead Power Liquid. Its formula uses 4% natural BHA to dissolve impurities in the pores and clear dead skin cells from the skin surface. Willow bark extract and niacinamide also gently exfoliate the skin and help to even and brighten skin tone. While these exfoliants work away, sodium hyaluronate delivers a powerful dose of moisture. It’ll leave your skin clear and clean, actively fighting and preventing blackheads and contributing to the natural turnover of your skin cycle. Regular use of the product leads to clearer, brighter skin, with a healthier and glowier complexion.
Fresh Sugar Polish (1.0 oz for $25) vs. Skinfood Black Sugar Mask Wash Off (3.3oz for $10)
Although the price difference is shocking, these are practically identical products. Both use brown sugar to gently physically exfoliate the skin in a wash off mask form, but the Skinfood formula, which has become a must-have cult favorite, also features a shea butter base which nourishes and moisturizes the skin while you exfoliate. This helps to polish, refine, and hydrate the skin, while physically sloughing away dead skin cells and surface impurities.
Let it sit on your skin for 10-15 minutes, and the other nourishing ingredients, like meadowfoam seed oil and macadamia oil, will soak in and nourish the skin. By the time you’ve rinsed it off, your skin will be glowing and baby soft.
Shiseido Ultimate Sun Protection Lotion (3.3oz $40) vs. Missha Waterproof Sun Milk (2.36oz $18)
Shiseido Ultimate Sun Protection provides powerful coverage, even when confronted with water or sweat, making it extremely popular. Missha’s incredibly popular Waterproof Sun Milk boasts a similar trait, and is loved for its ability to stand up to sweat and water. Its mild, milky formula is also attractive for its ability to quickly absorb into the skin without even a hint of white cast. Plus, ingredients like rose root, aloe vera, and desert sand verbena leaf extract nourish the skin like an essence.
Anastasia Brow Wiz (No Brush, $19) vs. Son & Park Gel Bonding Eyebrow + Brush ($19)
When it comes to eyebrows, Anastasia Beverly Hills’ Brow Wiz has dominated. However, Son & Park’s Gel Bonding Eyebrow kit is now putting up a strong force against the Anastasia kit. Water, sweat, and oil proof, the kit allows for a flawless shape that keeps up all day long. Its formula features beeswax, which works to condition the brows and ensure a smooth, even, effortless application.
Plus, for the same price as the Anastasia kit, Son & Park includes a specially designed dual-sided brush for an unparalleled professional application (Anastasia charges and additional $20 for the brush).
Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion (0.35oz $20) vs Etude House Proof 10 Eye Primer (0.33oz $7)
Etude House’s Proof 10 Eye Primer is coveted for its ability to prevent creasing of eye makeup all day long, plus its formula also increases the richness of the pigments of your eye makeup, and ensures a smoother, easier application. Like the Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion, it helps to ensure your makeup will last longer in the strongest, most vibrant tone possible for a fraction of the cost.
