Oily skin + dryness & dehydration: Korean routine
A Korean skincare routine for oily skin dealing with dryness & dehydration.
Shiny by midday, enlarged pores, prone to congestion. Likes lightweight, balancing care.
Key ingredients
Routine shape
- AM: gentle cleanse → hydrating toner → targeted serum → moisturizer → SPF
- PM: (oil +) gentle cleanse → toner → treatment → moisturizer
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Explore more K-beauty guides →🙋 People also ask
What is the 10-step Korean skincare routine?
The 10-step Korean skincare routine is a layered framework popularized in Korea: oil cleanser, water cleanser, exfoliant, toner, essence, serum or ampoule, sheet mask, eye cream, moisturizer and sunscreen. It's a customizable menu, not a daily mandate, and most people use only the steps their skin needs.
What is a good Korean skincare routine for beginners?
A simple beginner Korean routine is a gentle cleanser, a hydrating toner, a lightweight moisturizer and daily sunscreen, adding one targeted serum once your skin adjusts. Introduce actives slowly, one at a time, and patch-test, following the Korean principle of gentle, barrier-friendly care over many steps at once.
How many steps should a Korean skincare routine have?
As few as three: cleanser, moisturiser and sunscreen. The ten-step routine was a Western marketing frame rather than a Korean rule — most Koreans use a handful of products daily and add extras occasionally.
What is 속건조 (inner dryness)?
속건조 describes skin that looks and feels oily on the surface while being tight and dehydrated underneath. It is why oily skin still needs hydration, and why stripping it makes things worse.
✍️ Written & reviewed by the KoreaPlus Editorial team — dermatologist-informed, cosmetic-science researched & source-cited. Last reviewed: 2026-08-08.
General educational information using cosmetic structure-function wording — not medical advice. Always patch-test new actives. © KoreaPlus.