If Your Foundation Is Detectable, I'd Trade It In for This Sleeper Hit
As a beauty editor, there's nothing I hate more than seeing a visible film of foundation sitting atop my skin. I'm talking about cakey texture, creasing, and smudging. When any of these things happen (or, at the very worst, all of them happen), I experience a very real and visceral frustration. I'd rather not wear foundation than put up with it, which is why I'll often just wash it off with my nearest makeup remover.
Unfortunately, there are a lot of subpar foundation formulas that look like, well, foundation. But don't let that deter you, because there are also a lot of exceptional foundations that blend into the skin beautifully—remaining discreet and undetectable no matter how long you wear them. And many of the latter happen to be Korean foundations. Thanks to innovative formulas with skin-benefiting ingredients, they tend to look seamless on the skin. Is she wearing foundation, or is her skin just that good? We'll never know. Ahead, check out the seven best Korean foundations, according to editors and the internet.
Our Top Picks for the Best Korean Foundations
- Best Overall: AmorePacific Color Control Cushion Compact SPF 50 ($75)
- Best Full Coverage: Jung Sae Mool Essential Skin Nuder Cushion Foundation ($29)
- Best for Dry Skin: Joah Beauty Luminous Peptide Foundation ($16)
- Best for Oily Skin: Touch in Sol Pretty Filter Perfect Finish Foundation ($26)
- Best Long-Wearing: Etude Double Lasting Foundation SPF35/ PA++ ($19)
- Best BB Cream: Erborian BB Cream with Ginseng ($46)
- Best CC Cream: Cle Cosmetics CCC Cream ($38)
Best Overall: AmorePacific Color Control Cushion Compact SPF 50
This cushion compact foundation has a featherlight feel. As for coverage, it's seamless and dewy, which makes it a good option for anyone who has dry skin and experiences cracking and creasing when using other formulas. To me, the best part is the fact that it contains good-for-skin ingredients like antioxidants and hydrating bamboo sap—not to mention SPF 50+. Even though it's pricey, it comes with a refill and an additional puff, so you're really getting two foundations for the price.
Pros: Featherweight formula, seamless coverage, dewy finish, SPF 50+
Cons: Limited shade range
Size: 1.05 oz
Shades: 5
Promising review: "This foundation is so hydrating and great for my dry skin. It gives a subtle dewy look and has buildable coverage for a more natural look."
Best for Dry Skin: Joah Luminous Peptide Foundation
With sunflower seed oil, hyaluronic acid, and radish root ferment filtrate, this liquid foundation benefits the skin while providing that "glass skin" effect. It offers medium buildable coverage, so it's easy to apply it according to your coverage preference.
Pros: Lightweight feel, medium coverage, hydrating formula, dewy finish
Cons: No SPF, might be too dewy for oily/acne-prone skin types
Size: 1.01 oz
Shades: 16
Promising review: "I love this foundation! I always want my skin to actually look like skin, so I thought I’d forever be a concealer-only girlie. Foundations just never were glowy enough for me with enough coverage. But this one is amazing! Highly recommend." — Joah Beauty customer
Best For Oily Skin: Touch in Sol Pretty Filter Perfect Finish Foundation
This matte and full-coverage formula contains peony extract, hyaluronic acid, and calendula for extra hydration. It contains setting powder, so it promises to blend and set seamlessly on the skin with no creasing or caking, all the while controlling shine. Cool, right?
Pros: Lightweight feel, full coverage, matte finish, contains setting powder
Cons: Limited shade range, no SPF, might be too mattifying for dry skin types
Size: 13 oz
Shades: 8
Promising review: "I love it. It is definitely my new go-to makeup forever." — Amazon customer
Best Full Coverage: Jung Sae Mool Essential Skin Nuder Cushion Foundation
This foundation was developed by Jung Saem Mool, one of Korea's top makeup artists. It promises to provide a "skin-like" finish. Translation? It provides buildable coverage with a satiny finish that's somewhere between matte and dewy.
Pros: Lightweight feel, full coverage, natural-looking finish
Cons: Limited shade range, no SPF
Size: 13 oz
Shades: 7
Promising review: "This is literally the best. I have high-end foundations between $40 and $90 that this blows the doors off. I have texture issues, wrinkles, redness, and dull skin. Been using Retin-A and glycolic acid to help with those issues and it has left my skin on the dry side. This foundation is thin but has great coverage, you can layer it for more coverage without it caking or creasing. Worth every penny!! I'm also not left oily looking.... just a soft glow to the skin." — Amazon customer
Best Long-Wearing Formula: Etude Double Lasting Foundation SPF35/ PA++
This high-coverage formula will easily cover imperfections, but here's the kicker: It's incredibly lightweight and silky. There's none of that heaviness or stickiness that some people (like yours truly) associate with full-coverage formulas. It also promises a "magnet-like adherence" for up to 24 hours of wear.
Pros: Lightweight feel, full coverage, natural-looking finish, "magnet-like adherence" that lasts 24 hours
Cons: Might be too much for those who prefer lighter coverage.
Size: 1.12 oz
Shades: 12
Promising review: "Medium to full coverage without feeling heavy or greasy in the face, a soft matte look without drying the skin. Covers my redness and blemishes well whilst looking natural. Already ordered another bottle of this! Stays on for a long time, also great if you’re out all day and can’t really touch it up. I wore this in the peak of summer in South Korea and Singapore and it actually stayed on without looking greasy! 100% recommend." — YesStyle customer
Best BB Cream: Erborian BB Cream With Ginseng
Okay, so this is technically a BB cream, but with a ginseng-enriched formula that offers lightweight, buildable coverage, it's good enough to make the list. Unlike other BB creams that offer dewy finishes, this one offers a soft, velvet-matte finish that helps minimize the appearance of pores. Plus, it's so easy to blend that you can just use your fingers.
Pros: Lightweight feel, light coverage, velvet-matte finish, SPF20
Cons: Limited shade range
Size: 0.5 oz
Shades: 4
Promising review: "The best BB cream ever. Covers perfectly and is so lightweight. I bought both colors because my skin tone is in between. I use my fingers then touch up with a damp beauty blender and it lasts and does not budge all day. Highly recommend. I have normal slightly dry skin with a little redness and acne scarring." — Amazon customer
Best CC Cream: Cle Cosmetics CCC Cream
The CCC in this Korean foundation stands for "color, control, and change." And it's not just a foundation; it's a multifunctional primer, CC cream/BB cream hybrid, and foundation all rolled into one. It contains skin-benefiting ingredients, offers light-to-medium coverage, and uses a suspension of micro-color beads that blend into the skin easily upon application. It's so easy to apply and offers a fresh (never cakey) result that I love.
Pros: Lightweight feel, multifunctional and skin-benefitting formula, SPF30
Cons: Some people might prefer more coverage.
Size: 1 oz
Shades: 14
Promising review: "This stuff is amazing, I recommend it to anyone who will listen." — Amazon customer
What Sets Korean Foundations Apart?
Korean foundations are very skin-focused. In fact, Korean brands were some of the first to incorporate skin-benefitting ingredients into their formulas, which is why so many of them contain hydrating and soothing ingredients—not to mention SPF. In other words, they do double duty, covering imperfections while treating the skin with active ingredients.
Coverage can range from light to full. Some of the most popular Korean foundations offer buildable, dewy coverage with a lightweight feel, thanks to an emphasis on cushion compacts. Of course, coverage and consistency will change depending on the brand and product. The only thing that remains constant? They rarely crease, settle, or smudge.
This article was originally published at an earlier date and has been updated.
Kaitlyn McLintock is an Associate Beauty Editor at Who What Wear. Although she covers a wide range of topics across a variety of categories, she specializes in celebrity interviews and skincare and wellness content. Having lived in Los Angeles and Austin, Texas, she recently relocated back to her home state of Michigan where she works remotely. Prior to Who What Wear, she freelanced for a variety of industry-leading digital publications, including InStyle, The Zoe Report, Bustle, Hello Giggles, and Coveteur. Before that, she held a long-term internship and subsequent contributor position at Byrdie. When she's not writing, researching, or testing the latest and greatest beauty products, she's working her way through an ever-growing book collection, swimming in the Great Lakes, or spending time with family.
-
I'm Done Gatekeeping—This Little-Known Foundation Is My Secret to Flawless Skin
I've been using it for over three years.
By Kaitlyn McLintock
-
No Lie—This Glowy Base Product Is the Reason My Skin Looks Like I Get Weekly Facials
Luminous skin, right this way.
By Morgan Fargo
-
This Undetectable (and Underrated) Foundation Is Meghan Markle's Secret to Flawless Skin
And it's available on Amazon…
By Kaitlyn McLintock
-
From Jenna Rink to Andie Anderson—Here's Every Trending Rom-Com Makeup Look Step-by-Step
An ode to the original lover girls.
By Maya Thomas
-
21 Humidity-Proof Makeup Products I'm Using to Brave My First Sweaty NYC Summer
Makeup to defy all odds.
By Maya Thomas
-
Tyla Just Convinced Me to Try This New Charlotte Tilbury Product—Now I'm Obsessed
It has a ring-light effect.
By Jamie Schneider
-
I Tried E.l.f.'s New $8 Foundation—Here Are My Honest Thoughts
Did it live up to the hype?
By Shawna Hudson
-
Do Foundations With SPF Provide Enough Protection? Experts Weigh In
We got to the bottom of this debate.
By Shawna Hudson