11 Travel-Size Korean Beauty Products to Take with You on Your Next Trip

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Have you noticed Korean beauty products filling up the shelves at your local drug store? If so, there’s a good reason—Korea has been dominating the beauty scene with its effective, creative, and often adorably packaged products. From skin care to makeup, Korean beauty products are everywhere and of course, they’re available in travel size.

With this international K-beauty phenomenon in full swing, it’s time start stocking your travel bag with these Korean beauty essentials that can help you freshen up on your next trip.

Face Masks

Skip the hotel spa and give yourself a facial with one of our favorite Korean beauty products—sheet masks. Sheet masks that come packaged individually are perfect for traveling and easy to pack. JJ Young is a beauty line that offers face masks that can help you regain that fresh-face feeling after a long day on an airplane. Try the Pore Charcoal Mudsheet Mask to help fight breakouts; or, for something more playful, check out these Animal Print Sheet Masks from E5. They’re a little silly, but that’s part of the fun of embracing Korean beauty products.

If you want your mask to do more serious work, pack the ultra-moisturizing and wrinkle-improving Pore Good Night Mask. This mask works more like moisturizer, so you can lather it on before bed and let it soak in overnight. 

Face Cleansers

For long, sweaty travel days, there’s nothing like a refreshing face scrub to get your skin back on track. But scrubs aren’t the easiest thing to travel with, which is why I love solid facial cleansers like the Black Cleansing Stick from JJ Young. This solid face cleanser is easy to pack and I never have to worry about it leaking. The activated charcoal in this product also helps fight acne, but it can be a little drying. If breakouts aren’t a concern, try the Facial Tea Stick Balm Cleanser from COSMETEA, which uses a formula of black tea, aloe, rose water, and thyme to get your skin back on track at any time of day.

Makeup

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Although Korean beauty products are most reputable in the skin care world, there are also plenty of great makeup essentials that are not only effective but also adorably packaged. Case in point: TonyMoly. From its Petit Bunny Gloss Bar to the Panda’s Dream Mascara, these products might look like they’re for kids, but read the reviews and you’ll see these products pack some serious power with products that are long-lasting and smudge-proof. 

Eye Sticks

If jet lag has your eyes looking puffy, eye sticks are the Korean beauty product you didn’t know you needed. These super moisturizing, brightening, and wrinkle-preventing creams are available in solid form, which is great for travel. If your main concern is dark under-eye circles, check out the Panda’s Dream So Cool Eye Stick, which uses bamboo sap and bamboo shoot extract to soothe and calm the sensitive skin beneath your eyes. If moisture is what you’re after, the Iceland Hydrating Eye Stick from Saem is another bear-shaped product that uses a combination of Icelandic mineral water and native Icelandic plants to cool and tone down any eye puffiness.

Just Because They’re Cute

Keeping my skincare routine on track is not the only reason I pack so many Korean beauty products in my personal travel bag. I’m a sucker for anything cute; if you are too, here are some bonus Korean beauty products for your next self-care shopping spree. From Etude House, I love this adorable cat-eared hair band, which is useful for keeping your hair out of your face during your skincare and makeup routine. And for face-scrubbing buffs, the Exfoliating Jellyfish Silicon Brush is a delightful tool for scraping off dead skin cells.

More from SmarterTravel:

• The Best Summer Travel-Sized Skincare Essentials
• 6 Key Features of the Best Travel Makeup Bags
• Travel Hygiene Tips: Staying Fresh on the Road

Jamie Ditaranto is a writer and photographer always looking for new ways to stay fresh on long-haul flights. Follow her on Twitter @jamieditaranto.

Some review products are sent to us free of charge and with no incentive to offer a favorable review. We offer our unbiased opinions, positive and negative, and will never accept compensation to review a product.

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