Over here at Allure, we’re always keeping tabs on the best Korean skin-care goodies to have made it stateside. K-beauty products are known to be pretty affordable — Cosrx and Innisfree, we see you — but no complaints if there’s a little discount to sweeten the deal. That’s why, in anticipation of Black Friday 2023, we have a very watchful eye on to-be sales by all our favorite K brands.
Whether you’re in the market for a new cleanser, lip tint, essence, or oil, you can find it at a discount. Or, if you’ve never tried anything K-beauty, Black Friday is the time to play around and figure out what you like. You might even find that the solution to your acne woes lies in an ingredient not commonly found in standard-fare American skin care. Still unsure? Don’t K-nock it until you try it (ha).
Below, find some of our favorite Korean skin-care products we’re praying have some serious Black Friday beauty deals. Treat this roundup as the first 28 items on your wish list of innovative, effective, and gentle products that will seriously plump and brighten your complexion. Now ready, set, glow.
Beauty of Joseon
Last year, you could take up to 45 percent off select Beauty of Joseon items, including the Red Bean Refreshing Pore Mask, whose formula uses soft mud to help gently absorb sebum. Or, you could opt for extra dewy, hydrated skin by dropping the Ginseng Essence Water into your cart. It contains 80 percent ginseng water to support long-lasting moisture and essential nutrients to the skin. Plus, the ginseng water is bolstered by 2% niacinamide to keep oil in check.
Etude House Deals
Etude House makeup and skin care saw serious discounts during Black Friday 2022, and we have high hopes for a repeat in 2023. We love the brand’s Play Color Eyes eye shadow palette for its portability and range of neutral peaches and rosy browns to achieve an adaptable everyday look. Need a moisturizer that goes on the offense to repair your skin’s barrier? The SoonJung 2x Barrier Intensive Cream is your perfect match. Its fragrance-free, low-pH formula is simple and soothing without any heaviness.
Soko Glam Deals
There’s no Black Friday sale like a Soko Glam Black Friday sale. Last year, lucky shoppers could score 35 percent off sitewide, including gift sets, new launches, and (drum roll) Then I Met You products — usually excluded from discounts. Our favorites are the Best of Beauty-winning Living Cleansing Balm and the Living Sea Cleansing Tonic, a.k.a. the perfect cleanser/toner duo. The balm melts away oil-based products without leaving behind any slick residue, and the tonic, formulated with seawater sourced from Gangwon, Korea, can be used day or night to remineralize and rehydrate.
Cosrx Deals
You’ve probably gotten an earful about Cosrx‘s Master Patches at some point over the last few years, but here we are in case you need a refresh. These are some of the OG stars in the pimple patch realm and are the ultimate, no-fuss solution to flattening and healing breakouts that have come to a head. Once you remove your patch, follow it up with the ever-soothing, syrupy Advanced Snail Mucin 96 Power Essence, replenishing moisture and reducing irritation. The Centella Blemish Cream is fabulous for calming post-breakout skin, thanks to cica and zinc oxide. Cosrx’s had divine sales last year, so we’re watching closely in 2023.
Medicube Deals
Medicube has gotten a lot of attention for its devices that mimic popular in-office treatments from the comfort of your own hand (think microneedling without the actual needles). The Age-R Booster-H, for example, uses mild electrical currents to create microscopic passages allowing for deep skin-care product absorption. If you’ve been hankering for a hi-tech tool, now’s the time to act. For another effective, but more analog option, the Zero Pore Pads are great for acne-prone skin and deliver a mild blend of glycolic acid (AHA) and salicylic acid (BHA) to gently exfoliate and tone skin.
Laneige Deals
The Lip Glowy Balm from Laneige is infused with shea and murumuru butter for a lightweight, hydrating all-day gloss. Use it alone, as a moisturizing primer, or as a finishing touch on any other Laneige lip product. Then, consider the brand’s Glowy Makeup Serum. The formula employs ceramide hydration gel and diamond mineral powder (ooh!) to lock in moisture and maintain your skin’s oil levels. Add a couple of drops as the first step in your routine, before applying foundation, or on clean dry skin as the final step in your PM regimen.
Neogen Dermalogy Deals
If you’re reliably scrambling to find travel-friendly skin care on the eve of a big trip, the Real Fresh Cleansing Stick is a stress saver. This solid cleanser’s crushed green tea leaves provide gentle exfoliation while ingredients like olive and coconut oils sweep away the day’s gunk. While you’re at it, check out Neogen‘s Extra Volumecurl Metal Mascara for extra fluttery lashes. The TikTok viral, slim, metal no-brush wand blows our minds every time.
D’Alba Deals
Last Black Friday, you could take up to 30 percent off the entire D’Alba lineup at the brand’s Amazon storefront. Our number-one pick has to be the UV Essence Waterfull+ SPF 50+ Sun Cream — it’s impossibly hydrating. It has two key ingredients sourced from Italy (white truffle and tocopherol) and a wine extract that helps absorption under makeup without leaving any white residue. Simply, the formula leaves the skin feeling healthy and protected.
Mizon Deals
In 2022, Mizon showed Amazon Prime members some TLC — select products, like the Good Bye Blemish Soothing Gel Cream and Niacinamide Smoothing Body Lotion were up to 35 percent off. The lotion packs niacinamide, vitamin C, and AHA to banish uneven texture and dull, hyperpigmentation-prone skin. Apply the gel cream for a soothing slather of peptides, tea tree, and panthenol to reduce acne-induced inflammation.
Missha Deals
Last year, Missha staples (and gift sets) were up to 60 percent off and shipped for free. Plus, if you managed to spend $250 or more, you could redeem an extra 20 percent off. If 2023 is more of the same, count us the hell in. We’ll definitely be restocking on two of our Time Revolution faves, The First Essence 5X and Night Repair Ampoule 5X. The former uses 97% desert cica yeast ferment to firm and brighten, while ten probiotics power the latter for a potent overnight treatment.
Innisfree Deals
The Daily UV Defense SPF 36 by Innisfree is a glowy, 2023 Best of Beauty-winning mineral sunscreen that won’t irritate skin or leave a greasy, white cast, and we’re ready to re-up. Think your skin is too sensitive for retinol? The Retinol Cica Moisture Recovery Serum is about to change your mind. A cushioning, nourishing blend of ceramides, soothing cica, and hydrating hyaluronic acid delivers retinol gently to mitigate irritation.
Banila Co. Deals
Banila Co.‘s Clean It Zero Cleansing Balm is known to fly off shelves in Korea, and the rest of the world has been catching on. Beauty lovers are hooked on how when the sherbet-textured balm hits the skin, it turns into a smooth, moisturizing oil to remove makeup and quash impurities. And make no mistake, the balm isn’t just a pretty face — it’s formulated with 2% jojoba oil AHA, BHA, and LHA. Then, there’s the Dear Hydration Water Barrier Cream, which uses pink cactus water to dish out a hydrating boost to your skin’s natural barrier. Get either, get both, and get familiar with the rest of Banila Co.’s K-Beauty classics before Black Friday 2023 rolls around.
Sulwhasoo Deals
Sulwhasoo‘s First Care Activating Serum is armed with ginseng to help strengthen your skin’s moisture barrier after a deep cleanse — which is when it’s the most vulnerable. And what might you be washing with? Well, maybe it’s the Gentle Cleansing Foam, and if it isn’t, perhaps it should be. The gel cleanser is formulated with citrus peel, mulberry leaf, mountain yam, and chestnut shell to nourish and soften skin, all while washing away makeup.
Saturday Skin Deals
The beloved Saturday Skin’s Yuzu Vitamin C Sleep Mask gracefully combines the famously not-so-combinable vitamin C (hi, yuzu fruit) and vitamin A into a safe, seriously effective, refining formula. Best of all, you don’t even have to wash it off. Just slather, snooze, and wake up with more radiant skin. The Rub-a-Dub Peeling Gel marries the pineapple’s exfoliating properties, papaya’s brightening powers, and calming aloe to give your skin a natural lift.