The 7 Best Korean Sheet Masks For Every Type Of Skin Issue

Although South Korea is a relatively small country in Asia (for context, it’s about the size of Pennsylvania and five-times smaller than Texas), unmatched innovation and creativity seemingly pours from its veins, captivating—and often steering—cultural trends on a global scale. Case in point: artists like the members of Blackpink, SEVENTEEN and BTS, who have taken over charts and hearts in the U.S., and Korean films and dramas, like Parasite and Squid Game, that have set the cultural discourse on fire. And honestly, that’s just scratching the surface.

In the world of beauty, so many trends are informed by what the It girls of Seoul use on the regular—see: a snail mucin obsession and skin-tightening XERF treatments—and Western brands are constantly garnering inspiration from the country’s engrained respect and love for hydrated, healthy skin. Korean sheet masks that dramatically change your complexion, largely within minutes, are only one K-beauty product pillar of note, with beloved ingredients like niacinamide, hyaluronic acid, and ceramides often found on the back of the pretty packaging. Some other ingredients popular in the region, like birch sap and rice water, are also efficacious mainstays.

Thankfully, you don’t need to board an hours-long flight and raid the country’s beauty shelves to stock up on them. Keep scrolling for the best K-beauty sheet masks on the market, along with a little history of K-beauty origins.

Meet The Experts:

What Is K-Beauty?

Korean beauty, also known colloquially as K-beauty, refers to skincare, cosmetics, and beauty products with South Korean origins. In K-beauty, skin health is the number one priority and this is approached with hydration, gentle ingredients, and multi-step routines. In K-beauty, prevention is prioritized over correction.

Why Is Korean Skincare So Advanced?

Skincare is deeply ingrained into the daily lives of Koreans, says a spokesperson from the K-beauty brand CosRx: “Korean culture places great emphasis on maintaining healthy and youthful skin, which is often associated with overall well-being and confidence.” Because skincare is a part of Korean culture from a young age, it’s just as intuitive for Korean people to put on sunscreen or layer on a serum as it is to brush their teeth. David Yi, founder of good light skincare, also believes that this emphasis on skincare is tied to Korea’s Confucianist culture. “It’s a Confucian belief to really honor your neighbors and others by presenting yourself in your most beautiful way,” he explains. “It’s a way to show respect and honor to others.” There’s also the idea that looking good gives you an overall competitive advantage. “Traditionally, Korea’s a homogenous country,” explains Yi. “So if you look more or less like your neighbor because you're all Korean, how do you get that competitive advantage? It's your aesthetics.”

The structural infrastructure—a.k.a. factories—was already in place to support a booming Korean beauty industry. Quick history lesson: Back in the '80s, a handful of French beauty brands outsourced production to Korea. After they left, Koreans started to use the already-existing labs to create their own products, explains Yi. This transformed Korea into the epicenter of beauty innovation, pairing traditional products with creative technologies. “Korean beauty brands heavily invest in research and development, resulting in cutting-edge formulations, and innovative ingredients that cater to a wide range of skin concerns,” says CosRx.

What's The Difference Between Korean & American Skincare?

The Korean approach to skincare is way more proactive than the American approach to skincare. “In America, it’s like, ‘Oh, my face is red. Now I need something. I have a blemish right here, now I need a benzoyl peroxide,’” says Yi. “But in Korea, it’s all about prevention. Before I get that wrinkle, what can I do to prevent that?”

Koreans also view beauty as a necessity, not a luxury. From a young age, people are taught to take care of their skin. It’s a more holistic approach to skincare that’s focused on consistency and achieving results over the long haul. Skincare products take on a more mild approach, focused on healing, nourishment, and hydration. Because it’s seen as a necessity and is so ingrained in the culture, skincare is more accessible in Korea. Products are affordable and there’s wide access to experts. Meanwhile, here in America, consumers tend to prefer quick results which usually means that skincare routines are more aggressive in their approach. Also, the barriers to entry are higher in the U.S. because of high costs, lack of education about skincare ingredients, and medical costs associated with seeing a dermatologist.

Korean Sheet Masks: The Ultimate "Glass Skin" Essential

When it comes to K-beauty’s undeniable influence, Korean sheet masks are perhaps the most viral—and frequently used—staple in a skin care lover’s beauty routine. Not only are the paper-thin sheets dripping (literally) with powerfully efficacious ingredients, but the rinse-free results are the ultimate hack to giving your skin that otherworldly, youthfully dewy “glass skin” look that has A-listers like Hailey Bieber obsessed.

“Sheet masks have done well in North America because of a few key tenets of Korean skin care,” says Dr. Danny Guo is a double board-certified dermatologist. “First, K-beauty is generally barrier and hydration focused, while traditional Western skin care is focused on transformative results that often have short term side effects, like retinoid dermatitis or irritation with strong exfoliants. Because of this difference, sheet masks tend to be more instantly gratifying and soothing to use. Second, K-beauty products are generally priced lower and thus attract mass adoption and usage.”

In line with that inherent affordability, Dr. Guo describes sheet masks as a “mini hydrating facial that you could do at home,” leaving your skin feeling nourished for hours on end (and much longer than your typical moisturizer, too). As far as usage goes, he notes that sheet masks can be worn every single night if you prefer—though be mindful of any actives, like retinol or acids, as they can potentially irritate your skin depending on its tolerance.

The 7 Best Korean Sheet Masks To Shop:

No matter your skin’s main concern, be it dryness, acne scarring, uneven tone, and the like, there’s an ideal K-beauty sheet mask to round out your routine. Below, find our curated list.