Korean Moisturizers

Moisturizers seal in the hydration from your toner and serum and help keep skin soft, smooth and comfortable. They usually combine humectants that attract water with emollients and occlusives that help hold it in.

Korean moisturizers range from airy gel creams to rich barrier creams and overnight sleeping masks. Many people in Canada keep two: a lighter cream for summer and a richer one for winter, when indoor heating and cold air make skin feel drier.

Do not skip moisturizer if your skin is oily. A light gel cream can help skin look balanced rather than shiny, and it keeps active ingredients from feeling too drying. If a cream feels heavy, try applying it to slightly damp skin or using less. Check the texture on the back of your hand first if you are unsure whether it suits your skin.

How to choose

• Oily skin: gel or gel-cream textures. See oily skin.
• Dry skin: richer creams with ceramides, squalane or shea. See dry skin.
• Sensitive or stressed skin: barrier creams with ceramides, panthenol and centella. See skin barrier care.
• Combination skin: a light cream overall, with a richer layer on drier areas.

How to use

Apply moisturizer after serums, morning and night, while skin is still slightly damp. In the morning, let it settle for a minute before sunscreen. At night, you can add a sleeping mask on top on drier days. Build your full routine with our routine builder.