Looking to boost your natural glow and feel more youthful again? We've ranked the skincare treatments on the market to ‘turn back time’ based on their real-life effect and recommendations based on scientific studies.

We want to help you map out, once and for all, what products will help you feel your best.

It may seem simple, but many people forget the power of exfoliation. As we age, our skin loses the ability to refresh and turn over old and dead skin cells. This is what can lead to uneven and rough skin that dries out or changes in texture. Thus, investing in an AHA/BHA product in the mix is a perfect way to restore and promote soft and refreshed skin. It can improve hydration, reduce dark spots and promote a more even and healthy skin tone. 

1. Medicube Zero Pore Pad 2.0 
These cleansing pads are one of the top worldwide K-Beauty cleansing pads on the market at the moment. They are dual sided, with one soft side to infuse refreshing AHA and BHA with soothing centella and the other side gently exfoliates dead skin cells for a quickly softer and clearer skin tone. It’s a perfect addition to your routine if you need quality exfoliation in an easy-to-use pad. 

2. Axis Y PHA Resurfacing Glow Peel 
This product provides a perfect, lightweight and soft skin treatment that carefully digests dead skin cells and excess oils on the surface of your skin, whilst infusing green papaya and Vitamin E. With 10% PHA, this gel goes on as a soft all-over mask and after 10 minutes, rinse to experience completely refreshed and softer skin with minimal irritation. 

3. Heimish Rx AHA BHA Peeling Serum 
Similar to the PHA treatment, this peeling serum provides a deep exfoliation of skin cells. However, with 30% acid, this serum deeply eats the dry and dead outer layer of skin to create silk-soft skin underneath. It is a more intensive treatment, so if you are looking for an immediate skin refresh, this is a chemical peel that is easy to administer at home (as long as you follow the instructions to be safe!) 

Collagen is the molecule that gives our skin its natural elasticity, glow and bounce. It breaks down over time and is the reason wrinkles start to form. Thus, absorbing or stimulating new collagen formation is vital to lifting and refreshing fine lines. It is a large molecule and needs to be hydrolyzed into a small size (Less than 500Da) to pass through the skin barrier. If not, it still helps skin texture as it seals skin barrier moisture and creates softer, more hydrated skin (but its far more effective when absorbed!). 

1. VT Cosmetics Cica Collagen Mask Pack 
Is it time to sit back in the evening with a soothing, cooling face mask that plumps and hydrates with ease? Heck yeah it is! VT Cosmetics specializes in deep absorbing and effective products and this mask is deeply infused with hydrating trehalose and hydrolyzed collagen (300Da) with backgrounds of hyaluronic acid and rejuvenating hibiscus flower extracts. It’s a heavy recommend to boost natural collagen and refresh appearance. 

2. Medicube Collagen Glow Booster Serum 
Restore deep glow with a lightweight blend of hydrolyzed collagen, niacinamide and creamy milk proteins to boost, feed skin cells and create bouncier, softer skin. With biotin to strengthen skin health, with a hydration boost from beta-glucan and ceramides this booster is designed to simply infuse ingredients that boost skin appearance. It provides an instant boost, is lightweight and is perfect to add to your routine before a night out to look your best. 

3. Numbuzin No.9 NAD Collagen Under Eye Patches 
Struggling with dark circles, fine lines and puffiness around your eyes? Boost your skin with the power of brightening caffeine, NAD+ enzymes to boost collagen regeneration and a variety of plumping amino acids to restore skin energy and vitality. These patches are a part of Numbuzin’s highly popular No.9 line from Seoul – and work together to lift, plump and regenerate your skin barrier. 

Vitamin C is an essential antioxidant in your skin cells and is vital to a variety of functions. It naturally combats UV radiation, pollution and skin damage – so switching it into your routine immediately boosts your natural skin protection and regeneration. Vitamin C levels in skin decline as we age, and returning it via a vitamin-C rich treatment can boost natural collagen levels, reduce harmful molecules in our skin and reduce wrinkle depth. 

A 20% Vitamin C concentration is ideal for maximum effect, but it can be irritating (especially to sensitive skin types), so it’s best to start low and slowly introduce it to your routine and use it on alternative days to other actives (i.e. retinol or AHA/BHA). 

Our favourite Vitamin C treatments include: 

1. Missha Vita C Plus Spot Correcting and Firming Ampoule 30ml 
If you are scared of vitamin C being irritating, this serum is for you! With a base of deeply calming and invigorating licorice root extract, this ampoule is blended with refreshing bifida, tranexamic acid, arbutin and our star Vitamin C enclosed into microcapsules for deep absorption. It has a velvety soft texture, is non-irritating and you’ll notice dark spots lift quickly and skin look brighter and firmer in no time. 

2. Dr Althea Vitamin C Boosting Serum 30ml 
This serum is a boost of radiant vitamins with a 63% base of sea buckthorn extract, which is rich in 9 different vitamins (but especially Vitamin C). With a background of plumping hyaluronic acid and soothing Vitamin E, this serum is a powerhouse to getting your skin lifted, shining and looking more youthful.  

3. TIRTIR Pure Vitamin C 24% Serum 30ml 
This serum is a more complicated mix, but promises a deep and lasting glow. With 24% Vitamin C, this serum is stronger than the others – infusing a higher concentration of its active ingredient. It is also a thicker serum, making it cloying for oily skin types – but good for hydration. Also blended with triple collagen and centella asciatica, this serum plumps, hydrates and lifts both fine lines and dark spots with ease. Although its important to start slow, this serum creates a great effect. 

You might have noticed the buzz around PDRN in skincare. This is because it stimulates skin cell healing and improves your natural skin barrier from within. It stimulates collagen and fibroblast production to give you thicker, stronger skin and improves hydration. It originally was extracted from salmon but can now be extracted from a variety of plant-based sources for similar effect. Essentially, it gives you softer skin with better bounce and shine.  

There are many PDRN products on the market, but if you are looking for rapid results you can’t go wrong with these: 

1. ANUA PDRN Hyaluronic Acid 100 Moisture Cream 
This combines the plumping effect of PDRN with hyaluronic acid, to give 100 hours or lasting hydration. A good moisturizer is vital for caring for mature skin and this is a perfect, soothing one. It improves hydration by more than 120% and gives an immediate 10% plump to fine lines. 

2. Medicube PDRN Pink Exosome Shot Serum 2000 
This treatment 100% has great results, as reviewed by our team here, although it can be temporarily irritating to your skin barrier so avoid if you have sensitive skin. If you are after immediately firmer, plumper and smoother skin – this serum injects PDRN deep into your skin barrier with the power of spicules (microneedles) making this serum 200% more effective than just PDRN serums on their own. It does give you a ‘spiky’ feeling as you can feel the tiny needles do their work – but the results are kind of amazing. With 8 types of hyaluronic acid, brightening niacinamide and collagen – this serum provides an instant change to how your skin feels and looks. 

3. Some By Mi Spirulina PDRN Soothing Sherbet Mask 
If you have sensitive skin and are after a soothing, cooling effect – this mask is perfect for you to relax with. It is mixed with water to immediately bring your skin temperature down by 10C and infuses soothing seaweed, protein-rich algae and PDRN into your skin. Ideal to calm and soothe red-toned and dehydrated skin in a nourishing mask treatment that will relieve your stress in an instant. 

Retinol is the ultimate anti-aging remedy and it is a powerful one. It's essentially a form of Vitamin A, an antioxidant that has been a boon for lifting and toning mature skin. It can refresh the skin barrier, create a softer texture as well as stimulating collagen production to lift and firm fine lines. This makes it the number 1 treatment for fine lines and aging. It’s important to be careful though, as it can burn and irritate skin when used in too high a concentration. 

It’s important when using retinol to remember to start low and slow – whilst making sure you are hydrating well after (as it can dry out your skin and make you feel worse!) 
- only use in evening routine 
- start with a tiny amount and slowly increase 
- only start with one retinol product and be careful ‘combining’ retinol products 

Our favourite retinol products for fine lines (especially for beginner use) include:

1. Beauty of Joseon Revive Eye Serum: Ginseng + Retinal 
This treatment is incredibly soothing and immediately lifts, making it a perfect place to start for using retinol. It’s designed for undereye, but can be used on any fine lines for an immediate hydration and plumping effect. 

2. KSECRET Seoul 1988 Serum: Retinal Liposome 2% + Black Ginseng 
Similar to the Beauty of Joseon serum, this is a soothing blend that provides 2% retinal with black ginseng, in the form of penetrating liposomes that provide maximum lift and refreshes skin. Blended with Vitamin E to soothe and hydrate, as well as niacinamide to lift dark spots and infuse a lasting glow, this serum is an excellent, soothing addition to your routine to lift fine lines. 

3. Numbuzin Blue Bio-Retinol Pore Refining Serum 
This retinol is a lightweight, watery serum that comes with an ocean-blue hue that is incredibly calming and has 10% niacinamide for a deep radiance. This serum is ideal to smooth out rough textures and calm red or irritated skin. It contains a variety of soothing plant extracts (from aloe to ginseng to turmeric) to brighten, even skin tone and refresh your appearance. 

Refresh your skincare routine with fresh, authentic products from Seoul. Designed to restore and balance your skin to look its best and most radiant.