9 K-Beauty Products To Keep Acne At Bay

Oh, acne. What a word to be scared of. While some have to deal with it only during their teen years, for some of us acne, is a lifelong struggle. We’ve all been there: you have a special occasion approaching and your chin decides it’s the perfect time to grow a pimple. Is there anything worse? Thankfully nowadays there are thousands of products out there ready to fight acne so we can keep those unfortunate moments to a minimum. Wondering what those products are and where to find them? Here are eight of our absolute favorites!

CosRX BHA Power Liquid

This bottle of greatness isn’t considered a holy grail for nothing. First off — and despite its name — it doesn’t only treat blackheads, but acne, hyper-pigmentation, and dull skin too. Getting rid of excess oil, dead skin cells, and toxins that get stuck inside our pores every day is extremely important if you want breakout-free skin, and in order to accomplish that, you need proper exfoliation. This super gentle leave-on chemical exfoliant uses Beta-Hydroxy Acids, which dive deep into your skin, exfoliating the pore lining and loosening clogged and trapped sebum, allowing for it to abandon your skin easier. You can use it everyday after your toner!

Neogen Bio-Peel Gauze Peeling

Ok, seems like I’m only listing holy grails here. You’ve probably seen these around and wondered: what do they do? Well, if you have acne prone skin, this is the answer you’ve been waiting for. These mechanical and chemical double-sided exfoliating pads help get rid of dead skin cells and uneven skin while the green tea extract in them acts like a powerful antioxidant. Its natural ingredients will exfoliate and remove all those naughty things trapped deep down in your pores while soothing irritation and preventing the appearance of pimples and blackheads.

107 Rose Vinegar Mist

Something very important to know is that fighting acne is super related to hydration. Dehydrated skin will only produce more oil to compensate for the lack of moisture, which will lead to excess sebum, AKA, new pimples. There are many ways to keep your skin hydrated throughout the day, but one of our favorites is misting. This rose vinegar water mist from OneOSeven will particularly help you fight back against acne because of the 7-years-fermented vinegar contained in its formula, which is highly antibacterial.

Klairs Rich Moist Foaming Cleanser

Keeping your skin clean and free of dirt, makeup, dead skin cells, sebum, and toxins is priority when trying to keep acne away, but you need to be very careful when picking the right cleanser, as you don’t want your skin to get stripped or dehydrated. This foam cleanser is, first off, hypoallergenic, so it’s safe to use for everyone, but the most amazing thing about it is that it keeps your skin moisturized while getting rid of everything trapped inside your pores — remember we talked about the importance of keeping your skin hydrated to avoid acne?

Dr. G A-Clear Balancing Toner

If only everyone knew how important toners are. Do you know how a sponge absorbs soap better after you wet it? Well, skin works the same way… kinda. Toners prepare your skin for all the following skincare steps, allowing ingredients to absorb better and faster. This alcohol-free toner — very important when trying to keep acne away — combines only the best stuff: salicylic acid (which controls the oil levels in your skin) and what they like to call the mojito complex, containing carbonated water, lemon, apple, mint, and lime, which help skin remain firm. That way you’ll be getting rid of the bad and embracing the good.

CosRX Pimple Patches

This one’s another holy grail, and with good reasons. Let’s say you did your skincare routine properly. You washed your face, you exfoliated, you moisturized… but still that annoying pimple showed up. What to do? Desperate situations require desperate (and effective) measures. These waterproof pimple patches not only protect breakouts from getting infected, but also extract toxins and kill bacteria overnight to get rid of that pimple. Formulated to reduce inflammations and redness, these will visibly diminish any breakout while decreasing the possibilities of scars forming. Just put one on at night over your pimple and wake up to glorious, breakout-free skin.

Leegeehaam Tea Tree Soothing Mask

As I already mentioned, hydration plays a big role in acne treatment, and a simple and fun way to keep your skin moisturized is to wear a sheet mask. Whilst you don’t need to do it every day — although you can if you want — it’s important to pamper your skin with a hydration capsule, AKA, a sheet mask. This sheet masks from Leegeehaam contain tea tree extract, which has proven to be an incredible anti-inflammatory and soothing ingredient, perfect for sensitive and acne-prone skin. Just put it on and relax for about 10-20 minutes while your skin absorbs the essence.

Olivarrier Fluid Oil

There’s this myth going around that oily or acne prone skins should not use facial oils. FALSE! The magic comes when you find the right one for your skin. This fluid oil has been designed to not clog your pores, which makes it suitable for oily, combo, and dry skin.
Its bacteria-fighting properties will help acne prone skin all while providing it with powerful antioxidants. If you’re not into oils, try adding a few drops to your serum or moisturizer for an extra hydration punch.

Innisfree Super Volcanic Clay Mousse Mask

Clay masks help to detoxify the skin and draw out impurities and oils from the surface of the skin, which can be especially helpful to those with acne prone skin. This clay mousse mask from Innisfree is a best seller for a reason. It helps minimize the appearance of pores, it absorbs excessive oils, exfoliates, cleanses, evens out skin tone, and cools down your skin. Now talk about a multitasker. Just apply a layer of it all over your face and let it sit until it’s completely dry. Then rinse off and voilá! Smooth, clean skin.

Acne can be really frustrating, but you need to be consistent! We promise with time you’ll learn how to listen to your skin and its needs in order to get rid of it. Also remember acne can be a sign of hormonal issues! If you’ve tried everything and anything and it still shows up, we recommend you visit a dermatologist. What are some of your favorite products to fight acne?

Caromalis is a K-pop and K-beauty obsessed vlogger and writer. You can find her interviewing some of yours (and her) favorite groups when they visit NYC, trying the latest K-Beauty trends, testing idols’ skincare routines or doing #masKaraoke. Say hi to Caro on Instagram and Twitter!