I’ve been using K-beauty for years, so today I’m sharing the best natural Korean skincare brands that use organic ingredients. My top picks have green certifications from Cosmos Organic, Ecocert and Environmental Working Group (EWG), but there are also many more K beauty brands that use clean (ish) formulas that are better than mainstream brands. For instance, brands like Innisfree are not natural or organic, but have better formulas than conventional skincare. Korea is the global leader in skincare innovation so it’s no wonder Korean women have the most flawless glass skin. Skincare is deeply embedded into Korean culture and we are taught to take care of our skin from a very early age. From snail mucin to essences, K-beauty is such an exciting world with new technologies and interesting ingredients. The best part is Kbeauty is super affordable compared to US brands! Keep reading for the best clean K beauty brands and my top picks.

Whamisa Korean Skincare

Whamisa is my top organic Korean skincare brand. Truly organic, Whamisa formulates with only plant-derived, natural preservatives and does not use any animal-derived and synthetic ingredients. Whamisa has been through some packaging changes and has a wide variety of product offerings now, including haircare, sunscreen and baby products. But Whamisa’s commitment to highly organic formulas with their signature fermentation technology remains the same. Try the Whamisa Organic Flowers Deep Rich Toner Essence and Organic Flowers Cleansing Oil. I guarantee you’ll fall in love with organic K-beauty!

Whamisa US website (discount code ORGANICBEAUTYLOVER  to save 10%)

Aromatica Korean Skincare

Another clean Korean skin and hair care brand I love is Aromatica. Aromatica is the first Korean brand to receive EWG VERIFIED certification, and the only Korean beauty brand to earn EWG’s Skindeep Champion Status. This vegan Korean skincare brand sources the best ingredients globally and only uses the highest quality essential oils to stay true to their name. If you’re looking for Korean skincare infused with holistic aromatherapy, Aromatica is the brand for you. My favorite Aromatica products are the Brightening Neroli Facial Oil and Reviving Rose Infusion Serum.

Pestlo Korean Skincare

PESTLO is a fairly newer Korean beauty brand that combines apothecaries’ prescription with modern biotechnology. Some of PESTLO’s best-selling products are the Safe Recipe Sun Essence which is formulated with EWG green grade ingredients, and the Pantherecipe Cream which replenishes moisture to the skin and form a protective layer. I highly recommend the Pestlo Safe Recipe Sun Essence SPF 50.

ONE THING

I’ve recently started using ONE THING, a relative newcomer to the K-beauty scene that launched in 2019. This simplistic Korean skincare brand offers 100% plant-based raw materials with no chemical additives.

Clean (ish) Korean Skincare Brands

These Korean skincare brands like to use natural ingredients and formulate much cleaner than conventional beauty, but you do find certain ingredients some people may want to avoid. The most common ones are acrylates copolymer, disoedium EDTA, carbomer or ethylhexylglycerin. Some products in the line may be totally clean while others aren’t so be sure to check the ingredients list for individual products.

Beauty of Joseon

Beauty of Joseon is a super popular cleaner K beauty brand I’ve used all year. Their face serums are extremely hydrating and give my skin an immediate dewy glow. The Glow Serum is my top pick and has a generous base of 63% ginseng water to quickly provide moisture deep into the skin along with 3% Snail mucin for protecting damaged skin and improving skin elasticity. It’s also enriched with Niacinamide, both Sodium Hyaluronate and hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Mushroom Extract and Centella Asiatica Extract. 

Mixsoon

Mixsoon is currently Korea’s favorite clean skincare brand and boasts one of the top-selling moisturizers in the entire country. They focus on minimalistic, clean formulas with plenty of natural ingredients, but you will find some synthetics included. Mixsoon uses unique traditional Korean ingredients like fermented soybean, barley, pomegranate, and Korean pear.

Dr Different Retinol

Dr Different makes fantastic clean K-beauty retinol products that contain retinal. Retinal works faster than retinol and provides better and faster results without adverse reactions. They use a liposome technology that stabilizes retinal and enhances skin firmness. 

Purito

Purito is an affordable, clean Korean skincare brand that values ingredient transparency. While you will find synthetics in their formulas, they have a very strong focus on natural ingredients. The Purito Centella line products all contain an impressive 50% Centella Asiatica extract.

Axis-Y

Axis-Y describes themselves as a clean, cruelty beauty, inspired by their community and I did find some of their products are truly clean and non-toxic. They also say they’re committed to using the safest and most natural ingredients to provide their community with effective, high-quality products – and they take into consideration which ingredients can be harmful to your skin and the environment. AXIS-Y PHA Resurfacing Glow Peel is super affordable at under $10 on Amazon and is made mostly of Cucumber, Rootshine Muscat, Green Apple, Green Plum, Centella Asiatica, Green Papaya and 10% PHA.

COSRX

COSRX’s most famous product is their Snail Mucin Power Essence formulated with 96% Snail Secretion Filtrate(Mucin) to protect the skin from moisture loss. This is a clean-ish K-beauty brand that has better formulas than most mainstream beauty brands.

Innisfree Korean Skincare

Innisfree is known as Korea’s first natural skincare brand with a focus on ingredients from Korea’s famous Jeju Island. Innisfree’s products are formulated with an average of 80% naturally-derived ingredients, so they are not completely natural but better than most mainstream brands.

Huxley Secret of Sahara

First launched in America via online shop Glow Recipe, Huxley Secret of Sahara is a luxury minimalist Korean skincare brand with a focus on its star ingredient, Prickly Pear Seed Oil. Huxley products are formulated for skin suffering from harmful environmental elements and stress in urban areas. Their certified-organic Sahara prickly pear cactus seed oil is carefully sourced in Morocco, hand-selected and cold-pressed to ensure maximum benefits. I wouldn’t consider this a true clean and natural brand but they do carry some good products! I enjoy their SPF 50 lotion.

Clevos Eucalpytus Shampoo

For an all natural and organic Korean shampoo that’s USDA Certified Organic and vegan, my top pick and recommendation is Clevos. If you love the scent of eucalyptus in the shower then their Eucalyptus Shampoo might be right for you. This shampoo comes in a huge luxurious bottle with pump dispenser, is suited to all hair types and lathers very well. The uplifting scent of eucalyptus is present but not too strong. It contains a base of over 75% eucalyptus leaf extract as well as Artemisia Extract, Calendula extract, Brown Rice Vinegar, Neem extract, Helichrysum Extract, Apple oil, Turmeric root extract and more.