If you’re looking for the best Korean chemical exfoliator you are in the right place. In this blog post I’ll go through lots of the top Korean chemical exfoliators and identify which ones are the best options for each skin type.
It’s no secret that I think chemical exfoliants are a little bit overused in most skincare routines today.
However, I do think they are superior to physical exfoliants and are great to use in moderation.
If you are interested in creating a perfect Korean skincare routine, make sure to check out my post on the best Korean moisturisers and Korean body washes.
I’ll start with a list of the best Korean exfoliators, but skip down to the bottom to learn about how chemical exfoliants work.
These are in no particular order, since there is no single best Korean chemical exfoliator. Some links are affiliate links.
The best Korean chemical exfoliator: peeling pads
I’ll start with one of the most popular form of Korean chemical exfoliator – peeling pads or toner pads.
Same thing pretty much, just different names.
These are toner pads marinated in solution that includes one or multiple skincare ingredients. For example, many include:
- Vitamin C
- Green tea
- Glycolic, lactic or salicylic acid
- Aloe vera
- Hyaluronic acid
In Korean beauty there are lots of great ingredients that are very rare in western beauty products.
The goal of toner pads (and nearly all chemical exfoliants) is to even out skin tone, skin texture and to fade dark spots.
These skin issues aren’t exclusive to acne-prone skin, at times any skin type can be in need some gentle exfoliation.
You can use them by swiping them across your face, or by leaving them on for 5-10 minutes at a time.
The recommendations are in no particular order, avoiding fragrance and essential oils.
1. numbuzin – No.5 Vitamin-Niacinamide Concentrated Pad
These pads by Numbuzin are ideal if you’d like to exfoliate and brighten at the same time, since they contain vitamin C and niacinamide.
For the exfoliating element, they combine a gentle PHA (poly hydroxy acid) with an LHA (lipo hydroxy acid).
Remember that vitamin C can be a little irritating, so also don’t go overboard with these!
I would recommend them for skin types that aren’t particularly sensitive.
2.Torriden – Balanceful Cica Toner Pad
These pads by Torriden are perfect if you’re looking to soothe and hydrate your skin, as they are infused with centella asiatica (cica) extract.
For the calming effect, they combine cica with panthenol and allantoin, making them ideal for sensitive skin.
Shop the Torriden Balanceful Cica Toner Pads
3. Celimax – Pore & Dark Spot Brightening Pad
These pads by Celimax are excellent if you aim to refine pores and brighten dark spots, thanks to their inclusion of niacinamide and pearl extract.
I think these will be suitable for most skin types, providing you tolerate niacinamide (not everyone does). These are also ideal if uneven skin tone is a concern of yours.
4. Abib – Pine Needle Pore Pad Clear Touch
These pads by Abib are ideal if you’re looking for a refreshing feel without stripping the skin.
For the pore-clearing element, they combine salicylic acid (BHA) with witch hazel extract and LHA, making them effective at managing excess oil.
Remember that salicylic acid can be drying for some skin types, so incorporate these pads gradually into your routine!
I think these would be most suitable for oily, acne-prone skin types.
Shop the Abib Pine needle pore pad
5. Neogen – Dermalogy PoreRaser Clear BHA Pad
Neogen’s PoreRaser pads combine four different kinds of exfoliating acids – salicylic, LHA, PHA and AHA.
This sounds ideal but stronger isn’t always better. I would suggest only using these pads sparingly, since the combination of acids is very strong.
I would recommend these only for oily and non sensitive skin types.
Shop the Neogen PoreRaser pads
6. CareZone – Skin Surface Clear Toner Pad
CareZone’s skin surface clear toner pad contains a mix of BHA and PHA to exfoliate away dead cells from the surface of the skin.
It also contains a high amount of glycerin which is a great option for maintaining hydration within the skin.
I think most skin types could get along with these, provided they are not overused.
Exfoliating Korean treatment toners for oily skin
In this section I’ll list some toners that I would mostly recommend for oily skin. These are often referred to as a treatment toner or a daily toner, but unfortunately I think this is a confusing name.
As always, just because a product says to use daily, do not use daily unless you really feel you know what you’re doing!
Generally speaking, I mostly recommend products that contain beta-hydroxy acids for oilier skin – but not always!
I may recommend it for oilier skin because it combines either a high percentage of BHA, or a strong combo of acids. Either way, I’ll explain more about why I’ve made the recommendation under each product lsitng.
7. COSRX – BHA Blackhead Power Liquid
This is an interesting product that uses 4% betaine salicylate instead of salicylic acid.
Betaine salicylate is known to be a gentler alternative to salicylic acid, and tolerated better by sensitive skins. For this reason I might put it in the dry/sensitive skin category as well.
I think it’ll just depend on how you uniquely get along with this product, but I really like how the ingredients list is pretty minimal.
It also contains niacinamide for added brightening effects, which is helpful so long as you like niacinamide.
Shop the BHA Blackhead Liquid Power
8. COSRX – AHA/BHA Clarifying Treatment Toner
This is a very similar product but with slightly different ingredients. Instead of 4% betaine salicylic, it contains a mix of exfoliating apple water with some betaine salicylic.
Honestly the two are pretty similar but this one may feel sightly gentler and more suited to sensitive skin.
Shop the AHA/BHA Treatment Toner
9. Beauty of Joseon – Green Plum Refreshing Toner: AHA + BHA
This is a toner I like to use on my nose to keep my sebaceous filaments in check. Which, by the way, if you haven’t tried my sebaceous filaments hack using Cicaplast, it’s definitely worth a go!
It contains a mix of salicylic and glycolic acid for better texture, doing the job of facials scrubs in a much gentler format.
Even though glycolic acid is typically recommended for dry skin, I think the combination of BHA and AHA makes it somewhat hardcore, so my personal opinion is that it’s more suited to oily skin.
Shop the Beauty of Joseon Plum Toner
10. Isntree – Chestnut BHA 0.9% Clear Toner
If you’re looking for a pretty simple exfoliating toner, this one by Isntree could be a good option. It’s 0.9% BHA, which you can compare to the popular Paula’s Choice BHA toner, that one is 2%.
As i’ll say time and time again, stronger isn’t always better! Plenty of people find the Paula’s Choice toner too strong, so 0.9% might be just perfect for you.
This one is simple yet effective. It contains the active ingredient, but also plenty of hydrating and soothing ingredients like panthenol and glycerin.
Shop the Isntree Chestnut Toner
11. BONAJOUR – Eggplant Daily BHA Toner
This is fairly similar to the previous toner, but the salicylic acid concentration is 0.48%.
Shop the BONAJOUR Egglpant Toner
12. Pyunkang Yul – Acne Facial Cleanser
Moving over to cleansers, if you follow me on socials you’ll know that I am quite wary of exfoliating cleansers.
Mostly because people only want to buy one and use one water based cleanser, rather than using multiple. If you choose an exfoliating cleanser as your main cleanser, it means you’re guaranteed to use it 7-14x a week.
That is exfoliating 7-14x a week! Even though it’s gentle, it’s just a lot, especially if you use other toners and serums to exfoliate.
People also just kind of forget that their cleaner is exfoliating, which means if they damage their barrier, for example, it will be harder to repair it while using an exfoliating cleanser.
Anyway, as long as you’re aware of that, you can use an acid cleanser when you feel like you need it.
This Pyunkang Yul cleanser utilises willow bark extract, a sister ingredient of salicylic acid, to gently exfoliate.
Shop the Pyunkang Yul cleanser
13. ONE THING – Houttuynia Cordata Clarifying Facial Cleanser
ONE THING is a brand I really gravitate towards because of their simplicity ethos, however I do find the inclusion of salicylic acid in this cleanser a little confusing.
The cleanser is called a Houttuynia Cordata cleanser, AKA the soothing heatleaf plant, so I didn’t expect it to also be exfoliating.
Nevertheless it is still a good execution of a gentle exfoliating Korean cleanser without harsh alcohols or a fine scrub.
This one also contains a little PHA, too. Shop the ONE THING cleanser.
Best Korean chemical exfoliator for dry or sensitive skin
Moving onto dry or sensitive skins. It’s important to say that skin types aren’t actually really a thing, but it’s just the easiest way to organise things sometimes!
For example you may feel that your skin is oily but sensitive, or dry with areas of oiliness. I can sympathise with this, so I recommend trying to use products intuitively based on how your skin is currently feeling.
14. AXIS – Y – PHA Resurfacing Glow Peel
PHA or polyhydroxy acid is one of my personal favourite kinds of chemical exfoliators, it does a good job of brightening skin in just one use in most cases.
You won’t find PHA in many western formulas, although it is starting to become a little more popular.
Shop the Axis Y PHA glow peel.
15. Formotopia BFFECT AHA 30% + Mandelic Acid 4% Serum
This is a 30% AHA serum which is pretty harcore!
For reference, the Ordinary glycolic acid toner is only 7% and that is still somewhat stronger. If you’re interested in using this, remember to use it sparingly.
It might even be a good option for your feet!
16. Benton – PHA Peeling Toner
I absolutely hate when brands use the word ‘peeling’ but here we are. It’s just a known word now, so I almost feel forced to use it.
This is a lovely and simple formula that includes PHA, which is ideal for regular exfoliation on sensitive and dry skin.
17. ROUND LAB – 1025 Dokdo Toner
This is a very popular toner that contains a very mild exfoliant, probably one of the gentlest on this list!
There is no single best Korean chemical exfoliator, but I imagine this is on many top 10 lists.
It is known to be extremely soothing, even with the mild exfoliant. I feel like you probably can’t go wrong with this one.
Shop the ROUND LAB Dokdo toner
18. ROUND LAB – 1025 Dokdo Peeling Gel
Similarly we have the matching Round Lab peeling gel. A peeling gel is an interesting concept that I’ve not seen much of in western beauty.
You essentially want to massage it into the face and wash off like a cleanser, but instead it is an exfoliating treatment.
Shop the ROUND LAB peeling gel
19. Haruharu WONDER – Centella 3% PHA Gentle Liquid Exfoliating Serum
Haruharu is one of my favourite K beauty brands, and this centella PHA formula is a great example of a gentle Korean exfoliator.
It’s a mild PHA with added centella for soothing, as well as orange water for the potential of added brightness.
At this current moment I’m not sure on the efficacy of orange water instead of another vitamin C derivative, but I’m sure it can’t hurt in terms of brightening.
Shop the Haruharu Wonder PHA exfoliant
20. Isntree – Chestnut PHA 5% Clear Cream
This Isntree product is quite an interesting execution of an acid exfoliator.
It uses PHA in a cream format that you leave on your skin. I would recommend avoiding the eye area and nasolabial folds if you do go with this one.
Shop the Isntree Chestnut PHA cream
21. TIA’M – AC Fighting PHA 12 Purifying Liquid
Another great PHA product, this one is a very simple formula that can be used as a serum or toner
It also contains tea tree leaf water, which may be soothing on hormonal acne, for example.
22. Isntree – Chestnut AHA 8% Clear Essence
A korean essence is pretty much the same as a toner, but they tend to be a little thicker than a water-like toner.
This 8% AHA toner is fairly strong, so again use it sparingly.
This is the sort of product you might use a few days before an event, to give your skin a bit of a ‘polish’.
23. Haruharu WONDER – Black Rice Triple AHA Gentle Cleansing Gel
Another simple but effective formula from Haruharu, this triple AHA cleansing gel is a good one to add in as a treatment every few days.
I would not recommend it for daily use, personally.
Shop the AHA cleanser by Haruharu Wonder
24. Cos De BAHA – LS Lactic Acid 12.5 Serum
This is a simple lactic acid serum, not too different from The Ordinary’s lactic acid serum.
Lactic acid is known to be super gentle, and is well tolerated by dry and sensitive skin.
Shop the Cos De BAHA Lactic Acid serum
25. HiCA – Peel Care Serum Lactic Acid 6%
Another lactic acid serum except this one contains niacinamide, too.
So you have a couple of lactic acids to choose from, one with niacinamide for added brightening and one without!
Now for a little on the basics of chemical exfoliation, to make sure you’re in the right place and to clear up any questions.
Shop the HiCa Lactic acid serum
What is chemical exfoliation?
If you have flaky skin and your goal is smooth skin, a few years ago we’d all be reaching for facial scrubs. These would have been made of things like sugar granules or plastic beads suspended in a gel.
Physical exfoliation is exactly this, a physical way of scrubbing away at dead skin cells to reveal radiant skin underneath.
However with chemical exfoliants, there is no physical scrubbing action. Instead, the exfoliant gently breaks up the glue that sticks dead skin cells together.
Chemical exfoliants utilise key ingredients like:
- Glycolic acid
- Lactic acid
- Salicylic acid
- Mandelic acid
Usually these acids are grouped into types: alpha hydroxy acids and beta hydroxy acids. Salicylic is the most common beta hydroxy acid, and it’s often referred to as BHA.
Is gentle exfoliation okay for daily use?
One of the topics I talk about frequently on social media is whether a gentle exfoliator can be used daily.
Whether you have sensitive skin, dry skin, oily skin etc.. I personally think exfoliation is a little overplayed on social media. It’s really helpful to remove dead skin cells with an exfoliant, but exfoliating too much can have some unwanted consequences.
Even using the best Korean chemical exfoliator can cause damage if overused, so I recommend using it 1-2x a week max.
If you overuse an exfoliant you may damage your skin’s protective lipid barrier, also known as the moisture barrier.
Signs you’ve damaged your skin barrier include:
- Irritated skin
- Excess sebum – the feeling of oilier skin even though you’re doing more to tackle this very problem
- Dull skin
- Small breakouts that appear like irritation, but won’t improve with acne treatment
As you can see, if you go overboard with exfoliants you can end up making things worse! It’s a fine balance to strike.
