Soko Glam’s Sale Ends This Weekend. Here’s What I’d Get.

This gel face wash gives pores a deep clean without harsh stripping thanks to beta hydroxy acid. Our writer Arielle Avila grabs a bottle whenever she’s fighting breakouts or needs extra moisture: “My skin never feels tight after washing, which isn’t the case with most other cleansers,” she says.

Just like a bar of soap, Neogen’s solid cleansing stick — featuring a soothing green-tea formula for sensitive skin — is great for avoiding spills and breezing through TSA while traveling. Our beauty columnist, Rio Viera-Newton, also totes it to the gym and the occasional sleepover.

Banila Co’s fruity cleansing balm was one of my first introductions to K-beauty back in 2015 and has since gained a cult following, including vlogger Michelle Choi. She says, “The balm does a great job of melting down all the oil and dirt stuck in the pores and keeps them clean.”

Another favorite of Viera-Newton, Mediheal’s toner pads effectively rid her face of redness and acne with consistent use. Each gauze pad is soaked with ingredients like calming centella asiatica, smoothing niacinamide, and relieving allantoin.

This toner-lotion combo kind of defies categorization, but it’s our favorite hydrating toner overall thanks to its powerfully moisturizing hyaluronic acid, squalene, and glycerin.

A great antibacterial toner that Viera-Newton occasionally uses as a gentle cleanser in the morning.

I like my toners cheap, hydrating, and free of artificial fragrances. This one checks all of the boxes, and I’ll be stocking up while it’s under $20.

Here’s an affordable chemical exfoliant from Rio’s Google doc. “It’s a light but effective exfoliant that smells great and gives great smoothing and brightening results,” she writes.

To transfer toners (and essences) to the face, use these dual-sided pads. One side is soft and spongy, and the other is good for exfoliation and removing makeup.

Even my mother (who washes her face with Dove soap) knows about this famous snail goo. I do, in fact, stand by its moisturizing properties, but it goes on sale often enough that you should never buy it full price. Now’s a good time to restock.

Soko Glam’s Charlotte Cho says this essence is a must-have. Neogen’s Real Ferment Micro Essence has a thick consistency that locks in moisture without clogging pours and, according to Cho, it’s great for mature skin.

This serum from the Strategist Beauty 100 contains azelaic acid, which can kill bacteria, break up dead-cell plugs that cause pimples, and help reduce redness.

This extra-thick moisturizer does wonders for dry, acne-prone skin. Viera-Newton warns that it’s best in small doses but says, “I wake up and my skin looks so clear and plump!”

If you’re dealing with scarring and stress, Klairs’s calming cream (somewhat of a Tatcha Recovery Cream dupe) calms redness and relieves angry skin.

For under-eye moisturizing, this majorly firming eye cream is made up of 80 percent collagen and is free of parabens, artificial fragrances, and mineral oil.

Our friends at the Cut love this Korean face mask that, they say, smells better than actual yuzu itself.

You’ll find these collagen masks as a step in many morning-shed TikTok videos. They’re incredibly effective at quenching the skin and, therefore, making fine lines less noticeable.

For folks with cystic acne, these masks use tea tree oil, willow bark, chamomile, and more to calm painful breakouts.

A sheer, blendable, and protective sunscreen.

A more unique solution to spot-treating acne, these sticks have lactic and glycolic acids that exfoliate and remove dead skin cells — both excellent ingredients for combating breakouts.

Naturium makes two of our favorite products for dry skin. The first, Glow Getter body wash, has a silky, lightweight formula that lathers well and, according to our beauty writer Brenley Goertzen, “never leaves any trace of greasiness after my shower.”

The other is this lightweight, nourishing body lotion that’s rich with omega fatty acids. A little goes a long way, says our beauty writer Tembe Denton-Hurst.