K-Beauty’s 10-Step Routine Becomes 2026’s Defining Beauty Blueprint

The Korean 10-step skin care routine is shifting from niche beauty subculture to global standard in 2026, as major U.S. retailers, fashion titles, and viral creators synchronize around a once-fringe regimen built on double cleansing, layering, and “glass skin” results.

Ulta Beauty now positions the oil cleanser as “Step 1” of a Korean routine-focused double cleanse, highlighting its role in dissolving makeup, sunscreen, and sebum before any water-based formula touches the face, according to the retailer’s newly published 2025 Korean skin care guide.¹ At the same time, Vogue and Glamour are expanding editorial coverage of K-beauty products and brands, while K-pop idols, TikTok creators, and BookTok-adjacent influencers mainstream the 10-step playbook across platforms.²³

Oil Cleansing and Double Cleanse Go Mainstream

At the core of the 10-step routine’s rise is the now-ubiquitous double cleanse, a two-part face wash that begins with an oil-based cleanser and is followed by a water-based counterpart.

In its 2025 explainer on the “Best Korean Skin Care Routine,” Ulta Beauty frames oil cleansing as the non-negotiable entry point for Korean-inspired routines, instructing users to start with dry hands and a dry face, then massage an oil cleanser or balm for 30–60 seconds to break down makeup and SPF before rinsing.¹ The oil step clarifies the skin without stripping and prepares it for a second, water-based cleanse that removes residual impurities.

That structure echoes a broader retail and editorial drumbeat. Ulta’s dedicated K-beauty category lists oil-based and water-based cleansers as the first two building blocks of a Korean regimen, before exfoliation, toning, treatments, and moisturizers.⁴ Allure’s feature on 11 K-pop stars’ nighttime routines similarly calls double cleansing a shared, foundational habit across idols, positioning it as a blueprint step rather than a niche add-on.⁵

Independent online retailer Soko Glam, one of the first U.S. platforms to codify and commercialize the 10-step method, continues to spotlight Korean foam cleansers and sticks from brands like Neogen as second-step companions to oil cleansers, reinforcing the ritual as a full system rather than a single product.⁶⁷

A 2026 buyer’s guide from Rains Skin Prescription underscores the Korean category’s emphasis on gentle yet effective cleansing, describing K-beauty formulas as designed “to purify [skin] while maintaining its natural balance.”⁸

Winter Skin, Glass Skin, and the Next Wave of Layering

As double cleansing cements itself in global routines, Korean beauty’s signature layering philosophy is driving specific seasonal and aesthetic trends.

A 2026 trend report from Korean platform Jivaka details a winter morning routine built on a gentle cleanse, a milky toner (with TIRTIR’s Milk Skin Toner cited as a key product), PDRN serum where used, a ceramide-rich moisturizer, and daily sunscreen even in cold weather.⁹ The structure mirrors the classic 10-step framework: cleanse, prep, treat, moisturize, protect.

Online, YouTube creators are packaging that complexity for beginners. Viral videos promising “how to get glass skin” and “full skincare routine with viral Korean products” showcase boxes of nine full-size K-beauty products designed to cover both morning and night routines, signaling how the multi-step ritual is being turned into turnkey kits for new adherents.¹⁰¹¹

These routines often lean into hallmark K-beauty ingredients—Centella asiatica, niacinamide, ceramides, hyaluronic acid, and green tea—which appear across expert lists and retailer bestsellers. Jivaka’s winter guide highlights Centella, ceramides, niacinamide, and hyaluronic acid as trending ingredients in morning routines,⁹ while Soko Glam’s bestsellers and education pages spotlight green tea leaf extract and Centella in cleansers and essences.⁷

From Face to Full Body: K-Beauty’s 2026 Expansion

While the 10-step routine was built for the face, industry observers forecast that its next evolution will play out below the neck.

Marie Claire reports that the “skinification” of body care—the idea that body skin deserves the same layered, active-driven attention as facial routines—is driving a new wave of Korean bodycare launches expected to define the category beginning in 2026.¹² The outlet notes that as consumers increasingly treat the skin on their bodies with the same rigor as their faces, K-beauty’s methodical, ingredient-forward approach makes its expansion into body products a logical next step.

This progression aligns with the original 10-step ethos: cleanse, exfoliate, hydrate, treat, and protect, now transposed onto body washes, exfoliating pads, body essences, and high-tech moisturizers.

Celebrity and Influencer Power Behind the Routine

As the 10-step K-beauty structure becomes codified by retailers and editors, its cultural cachet is being amplified by celebrity and influencer endorsements across platforms.

Allure’s feature on 11 K-pop stars’ nighttime skin-care routines positions idol regimens as reference points for fans seeking to structure their own routines, with double cleansing repeatedly cited as the first step before toners, serums, and creams.⁵

On TikTok, a widely shared clip of a 66-year-old Korean mother’s morning skincare routine frames multi-step care as a generational norm, spotlighting consistency and gentle layering for mature skin.¹³ Elsewhere on TikTok and YouTube, “everything shower” and “glass skin” content ties Korean-inspired rituals to wider glow-up narratives.¹⁰

Instagram reels and social events reinforce the community aspect. A K-beauty “skincare party” captured on Instagram invites attendees to test top Korean cleansers, serums, and creams with a glass of wine, positioning the 10-step philosophy as a social, experiential moment rather than a purely private routine.¹⁴

BookTok-adjacent culture is even pulling the routine into fiction fandom spaces: one viral Instagram reel features “Hudson the beauty influencer” demonstrating his full Korean skin care routine, explicitly tagged to #heatedrivalry and #booktok, bringing 10-step language into literary and fan communities.¹⁵

Editors, E-Commerce, and the K-Beauty Brand Boom

As demand for K-beauty structure and product formats grows, editorial and retail players are racing to crown the key brands and SKUs defining the space.

Vogue’s 2026 forecast of seven K-beauty trends slot the category firmly into mainstream luxury and fashion conversations, surrounding trends coverage with lists of the “10 Best Korean Cleansing Oils,” “26 Best Korean Skincare Products of 2025,” and “10 Best Korean Vitamin C Serums,” effectively mapping the 10-step architecture across product verticals.²

In a separate report on the best Korean skin-care brands to know, Vogue calls out newer entrants like Yepoda, launched in 2020 to make Korean beauty more accessible in Europe, framing the brand as part of a fresh wave of globally minded K-beauty players.¹⁶

Glamour’s round-up of 21 best Korean skin care products underscores the editorial embrace, with the writer citing nearly a decade of testing K-beauty innovations—from snail mucin creams and cleansing oils to lip tints and cushion foundations—and a three-month stint living in Korea to source favorites.³ The feature positions Korean brands as leaders in “innovative delivery systems and gentle efficacy,” language that tracks closely with consumer interest in 10-step-style routines.

On the commerce side, Soko Glam continues to act as a curator and educator for K-beauty in Western markets, highlighting the full 10-step routine on its site and pairing it with shoppable product pathways through categories like cleansers, toners, essences, serums, and moisturizers.⁷ Ulta, meanwhile, now surfaces over 1,200 K-beauty skin care SKUs, and its K-beauty hub lays out the standard multi-step routine as a central explainer for shoppers entering the category.⁴

A Codified Ritual With Global Reach

Though the number and order of steps can vary by user, retailers and educators generally agree on the backbone of a Korean 10-step routine: oil cleanser, water-based cleanser, exfoliator, toner, essence, treatments (like serums or ampoules), sheet mask, eye cream, moisturizer, and sunscreen by day.¹⁷⁴

Dutch-based KoreanSkincare.nl describes balm cleansers within that first step as “a solid, almost like a luxurious wax” that melts into skin to remove makeup and impurities, while doubling as a gentle facial massage—a sensory detail that helps explain why the oil-first approach has gained such cultural traction.¹⁷

From K-pop dressing rooms and TikTok bathrooms to Ulta aisles and Vogue trend pages, the 10-step K-beauty routine is now functioning less as an exotic curiosity and more as a prevailing blueprint for how beauty consumers around the world wash, prep, treat, and protect their skin—face first, and soon, by all indications, body included.

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References & Links

• Ulta Beauty – Best Korean Skin Care Routine 2025 (oil cleansing, double cleanse structure)¹
• Ulta Beauty – K-Beauty Skin Care Category (routine steps, 1,227+ products)⁴
• Marie Claire – K-Beauty’s Next Evolution: Bodycare 2026 (skinification of body care)¹²
• Rains Skin Prescription – Best Korean Cleanser 2026 Buyer’s Guide (gentle cleansing philosophy)⁸
• Jivaka – Korean Winter Skincare Trends Taking Over 2026 (winter routine, trending ingredients)⁹
• Vogue – 7 K-Beauty Trends Shaping 2026 (trend framing, cleansing oils, vitamin C)²
• Vogue – 9 Best Korean Skin-Care Brands to Know (Yepoda, brand landscape)¹⁶
• Glamour – 21 Best Korean Skin Care Products for Your K-Beauty Routine (editor-tested products, innovation)³
• Soko Glam – Korean Skin Care & Beauty Products (Neogen cleansers, brand assortment)⁶
• Soko Glam – 10-Step Korean Skincare Routine (step-by-step breakdown, key ingredients)⁷
• Allure – 11 K-Pop Stars Share Their Nighttime Skin-Care Routines (double cleansing among idols)⁵
• Instagram – Hudson Williams Korean Skincare Routine Reel (BookTok crossover, influencer adoption)¹⁵
• YouTube – How to Layer Your FULL Skincare Routine with Viral Korean Products (viral K-beauty box, full routine)¹¹
• YouTube – how to get GLASS skin for beginners | affordable skincare (glass skin and K-beauty tagging)¹⁰
• TikTok – Korean Mom’s Morning Skincare Routine at 66 Years Old (multi-step routine for mature skin)¹³
• Instagram – K-Beauty Skincare Party Reel (community and experiential K-beauty)¹⁴
• KoreanSkincare.nl – Full 10-Step Routine (balm cleanser description, step structure)¹⁷
• YouTube – ULTIMATE Korean Skincare Routine for each skin type! (discussion of toners, serums, PDRN)¹⁸

Footnotes

1. Ulta Beauty, “Best Korean Skin Care Routine 2025 – Oil Cleanser (Step 1 of Double Cleanse),” ulta.com ↩ ↩² ↩³

2. Vogue, “7 K-Beauty Trends Shaping 2026,” vogue.com ↩ ↩² ↩³

3. Glamour, “21 Best Korean Skin Care Products for Your K-Beauty Routine,” glamour.com ↩ ↩² ↩³

4. Ulta Beauty, “K-Beauty – Skin Care – 1227 Products,” ulta.com ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

5. Allure, “11 K-Pop Stars Share Their Nighttime Skin-Care Routines,” allure.com ↩ ↩² ↩³

6. Soko Glam, “Korean Skin Care & Beauty Products – Neogen Cleansers,” sokoglam.com ↩ ↩²

7. Soko Glam, “10-Step Korean Skincare Routine,” sokoglam.com ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

8. Rains Skin Prescription, “The Best Korean Cleanser: A 2026 Buyer’s Guide,” rainsskinprescription.com ↩ ↩²

9. Jivaka, “Korean Winter Skincare Trends Taking Over 2026,” jivaka.kr ↩ ↩² ↩³

10. YouTube, “how to get GLASS skin for beginners | affordable skincare …,” youtube.com ↩ ↩² ↩³

11. YouTube, “How to Layer Your FULL Skincare Routine with Viral Korean …,” youtube.com ↩ ↩²

12. Marie Claire, “K-Beauty’s Next Evolution Starts in 2026—and It’s All About Bodycare,” marieclaire.co.uk ↩ ↩²

13. TikTok, “Korean Mom’s Morning Skincare Routine at 66 Years Old,” tiktok.com ↩ ↩²

14. Instagram, “Our first K-beauty skincare party of the year was a success…,” instagram.com ↩ ↩²

15. Instagram, “Hudson Williams Skin Care Routine, Korean skin care routine, Shane Hollander, heated…,” instagram.com ↩ ↩²

16. Vogue, “9 Best Korean Skin-Care Brands to Know,” vogue.com ↩ ↩²

17. KoreanSkincare.nl, “The Full Korean 10-Step Skin Care Routine,” koreanskincare.nl ↩ ↩² ↩³

18. YouTube, “ULTIMATE Korean Skincare Routine for each skin type!,” youtube.com ↩