The 20 Best Korean Cleansers for Combination Skin Reviews 2024

Instead of the best of both worlds, it can be the worst of both worlds when it comes to combination skin. You’re oily. You are dry. Can your skin make up its mind? It can lead to difficulty when it comes to finding the right make-up and skincare for your skin. This can be extreme when it comes to wanting to dive into the K- Beauty market.

How Combination Skin Works

When dealing with combination skin it normally works like this, with a blend of oily and dry. Typically the issue resides on the forehead, nose, and chin (called the t-zone area) that are oily. While the rest of the face can be dry and irritating, even flakey at times. Combination skin can even fluctuate based on seasonal changes. In summer your skin may lean more towards oily than dry, while in winter dryness may prevail more than oily.

Combination Skin Test

Combination skin is the most common skin type around, so you are not alone. Still, wondering if you might have combination skin? There is a simple text to find out.

Step 1. Wash your face with your normal cleaners.

Step 2. Wait an hour.

Step 3. How does your skin feel?

• If your Face is experiencing tight itchiness or dry feeling with flaking all around. – Answer: Dry skin
• Does your skin look shiny with a greasy feeling all over? – Answer: Oily Skin
• Does your skin feel itchy and looking red and inflamed? – Answer: Sensitive skin
• Your skin feels smooth with limited oily or dry feeling? – Answer: Normal skin.
• Skin feels greasy in the T-zone areas with noticeable dryness along the jawline cheeks. – Answer: That hints at Combination skin.

Problems with Combination Skin

Those who deal with combination skin it is like a bipolar battle on your face. The oily zone area usually features large pores with frequent acne breakouts thanks to the overproduction of sebum in that area while the rest is dry with possible flaky patches. What type of cleanser do you use? A cleanser for oily skin will only exasperate the dry spots. While a cleanser for dry skin can produce a worse breakout in the oily sections.

Enter K-Beauty

Then enters K-Beauty with their all-natural approach to impressive skincare. They sound promising, yet which products would work best for combination skin? Look on as we share a peek at the 20 best Korean cleansers for combination skin.

Best Korean Cleansers for Combination Skin

NOONI Snowflake Whipping Cleanser

Have combination skin? NOONI Snowflake Whipping Cleanser welcomes you to try it. An effective cleanser for oily, dry, and normal skin types NOONI pours out like a creamy silky liquid then transforms into snowy foam fluff cleaning your face of all impurities like dirt, makeup, oils. All while hydrating your skin leaving it skin feeling good after washing. Key ingredients include Iris Versicolor extract for antioxidants and brightening, White flower complex for skin vitamin-rich nutrients, and Rose for refreshing hydration.

PROS: Contains no parabens, sulfates or phthalates.

CONS: None.

COSRX Low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanser

COSRX Low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanser is a person with combination skin dreams come true. Hosting a low pH level that closely matches your skin’s pH level COSRX is great for oily, sensitive, dry, and normal skin types too. Using Betaine Salicylate to work mildly, yet effectively to wash away the daily sweat and grim away. Toss in tea tree oil to help soothe your skin it is gentle enough to use daily morning and night bringing a glowing balance to your skin.

THE FACE SHOP Rice Water Bright Foam Cleanser

Rice water has been used in Korean beauty practices since the ancient dynastic times. Rice water contains skin enriching vitamins and minerals that help bring balance and evens out your skin tone. Enhance this cleanser with all-natural Moringa oil, Soapwort, and you have a cleanser that is gentle yet powerful enough to wash away all impurities going into the skin cells to help purify.

Innisfree Sea Salt Whipping Cleanser

Using the sea salt from Jeju Island this cleanser works great on combination skin hitting the T-zone area hard wiping away all traces of oil and dirt, yet leaving the rest of your face feeling just refreshed and clean not dry or tight.

Innisfree Green Tea, Pure Cleansing Foam

Innisfree delivers another complimenting cleanser. This foam cleanser is crafted using special organic juju green tea that hosts antioxidant, kaolin, and moisturizing properties.

PROS: completely washes make- up away leaving no make-up residue.

CONS: Reports to have a pH of 8.5, which is a bit high for normal skin levels.

TONYMOLY Vital Vita 12 Jelly Cleanser

Vital Vita 12 Jelly Cleanser features a jelly-like consistency that suds up to clean and clear pores, remove makeup and dirt, yet not ripping the skin of the oils and it needs. This is because Vital Vita fills their cleanser with a 12 multiple vitamin compound by using nanosome technology to blend 12 skin-nourishing vitamins into the cleanser so every time you wash your skin it feels clean and soft.

PROS: It’s nearly odorless.

CONS: None.

Sulwhasoo Gentle Cleansing Foam

This gentle foam cleanser welcomes all skin types as it has the power of removing dirt and dead skin cells for thoroughly clean skin. What is left behind is soft smooth skin all around.

PROS: Gentle enough to use daily.

CONS: Those with fragrance sensitivity might not like its light pine scent.

Killing Star Facial Skin Foam Cleanser

Killing Star is a foaming cleanser that prides itself on being a one-step cleanser. Just one wash and you’re done as Killing Star penetrates deep into your pores to eradicate all impurities. This is due to what they call their Pore Care System. You would not think you’d get such a deep clean from a foam cleanser like this. Formulated with natural supplements of coconut oil, sunflower seed oil, olive oil, and sweet almond oil your skin comes out clean and still supple.

PROS: Celebrities love this stuff and it has the KFDA (Korean Food and Drug Administration) approval.

CONS: None.

TeaToc Green Tea Water Cleansing Foam

You are going to love your skin again with TeaToc Green Tea Water Cleansing Foam. Completely hypoallergenic it cleans, purifies away pore-clogging gunk, but not stealing away moisture from your skin. It instead locks the moisture in so your combination skin feels balanced and full.

PROS: Great for all skin types including sensitive, and aging skin.

CONS: None.

Look at Me Bubble Purifying Charcoal Foaming Facial Cleanser

Look at Me Charcoal Foaming Cleanser is a light formula, yet the charcoal in the cleanser kicks in penetrating deep between the layers of skin to remove all the dirt and film replacing it with soft smooth skin all over. Contains no SLS, SLES, Triclosan, Formaldehyde, Sulphates of any kind, or Phthalates.

PROS: Soothes redness and skin irritation.

CONS: None.

Nature Republic Jeju Sparkling Mud Foam Cleanser

Advised for all skin types Jeju Sparkling Mud Foam Cleanser washes and protects your skin using Jeju Sangbang spring water from the mountains, adding in camellia oil, carbonic acid, rapeseed flower extract this cleanser washes your face of all impurities make-up included. Create a thick foam from a gel that feels good all over your face.

PROS: Has a low PH formula.

CONS: It says it contains alcohol in the ingredients though.

MAROA Luminous Purifying Cleansing Gel

Suitable for combination skin MAROA is a pH balancing cleansing gel foam that is blended with skin calming botanicals in the likes of Loquat leaves, apple mint leaves, and allantoin. It cleans hard by removing dead skin cells and other skin dirt ickiness, yet soothes your skin at the same time so there is no irritation and your skin is clean, glowing, and soft.

PROS: For those that don’t like scents this cleanser is fragrance-free.

CONS: None.

DHC Face Wash Powder

From powder to a lush foam DHC cleans and exfoliates away all the dirt and residue from your skin using milled silica and protease enzyme that calms your skin in lavender and licorice root. DHC does not leave your skin hanging as it softens with a tap of honey.

PROS: Ideal for combination skin.

CONS: Has no added fragrance, but does have a slight scent of honey and lemon.

SKIN FOOD Egg White Perfect Pore Cleansing Foam

Providing you an intense clean for your face with Egg White Perfect Pore Cleansing Foam. This cleanser wash rids your face of all the piled up excess oils and dirt. Add in the power of albumin extract and some egg yolk extract, hot spring water, 5RGpore eraser, and sulfur to refine and reduce your pore appearance all without any irritation or harshness or stripping to your skin.

ETUDE HOUSE Soon Jung pH 6.5 Whip Cleanser

A non-comedogenic bubbly foam formula cleanser and is treated with Panthenol and Madecassoside. Soon Jung pH 6.5 Whip Cleanser cleans, soothes, and heals your dry damaged, or irritated skin. Soon Jung contains no mineral oils, parabens, or synthetic chemical fragrances this cleanser is a winner if you have sensitive skin too.

TONYMOLY The Chok Chok Green Tea Foam Cleanser

Using the oldest fermented green tea in the world (It is fermented for 365 days.) called ChungTaeJeon TONYMOLY creates a face cleanser that penetrates your skin for a clean that is deep hitting to the oily acne prone spots, yet also is hydrating in all the right dry spots leaving your skin feeling renewed.

PROS: Gentle enough to use every day.

CONS: None.

Innisfree Blueberry Rebalancing

Using the power of Jeju blueberries, along with some other superfoods like broccoli, red beets, kale, and oats. Innisfree delivers a skin-balancing cleanser that brings a moisturizing balance to your skin.

PROS: Removes make-up residue.

CONS: Contains a light herbal scent, but it is not overpowering and it does not linger on the skin after washing.

The Crème Shop | Green Tea Double Face Wash

Formulated using the power of Green tea it is welcoming to all skin types and this includes combination skin. Green Tea Double Face Wash, washes, and removes make-up while also providing skin enriching ingredients that assist in oil control while providing natural moisturizers to your skin so your skin feels clean and nourished.

SRB Rice Bran Enzyme Powder Face Wash

Here we have another powder face cleanser. All you do is pour a little bit of the powder in your palms, add water and it lathers up into a complimenting face wash foam. Crafted with 50 natural antioxidants, 8 skin benefitting enzymes and 5 different phosphatides, 13 complex starches, and 10 types of amino acids that all come together giving you a soothing clean.

PROS: Hypoallergenic.

CONS: Some might not like that it’s a powder.

The Crème Shop Rose Water 2 in 1 Double Facial Cleanser

2 in 1 it’s a face cleanser and make-up remover packed with skin-boosting rose water, pomegranate, and lotus flowers that will cleanse and even out your skin tone. Also tinted with Green tea for some extra skin regeneration boost. Not harshness leaving your skin feeling restored.

Conclusion

Korean face cleansers could be your solution to the drama of your combination skin. They are formulated to be tough, yet gentle on your skin. At the same time, they repay your skin with all-natural skin-nourishing ingredients. Some are only found in the Korean landscape that has amazing healing and hydrating benefits for your skin.

Thus helping to bring your skin back into balance with no more flare-ups, or breakouts. That is one of the great things about Korean face cleansers because the more you use the better your skin gets.

Now go out and try some of these for yourself. Which one will win your skin over?

Sources:

1. https://www.kryzuy.com/best-korean-foam-cleanser/

2. https://www.colorescience.com/blogs/learn/understanding-combination-skin-and-how-to-treat-it

3. https://asianbeautycorner.com/korean-skincare-products/best-korean-cleansers-for-combination-skin-2018

4. https://www.stylecraze.com/articles/best-korean-cleansers/