Want the Healthiest, Shiniest Hair of Your Life? Let Me Recommend These 10 Korean Haircare Brands
When I scroll through Instagram and TikTok, it seems like everyone is talking about Korean skincare products—and for good reason. From PDRN to snail mucin and beyond, Korean ingredients are known for being highly effective and innovative. Often, they have the power to give you smooth, plump, even-toned skin aka "glass skin." I, for one, use Korean skincare regularly. In fact, it makes up more than half of my current routine.
While Korean skincare can enjoy its well-deserved hype, Korean haircare doesn't get nearly as much love on the internet, at least not in the U.S., yet it's just as highly effective and innovative as its skin-caring counterparts. While there are so many amazing Korean haircare brands to choose from, I've listed 10 internet- and editor-favorite standouts below, from glass hair–giving essences to South Korea's top thickening shampoo. Healthy, shiny hair is right this way.
Base-K
BASE-K
The Thickening Duo
Base-K is centered on the Korean hair philosophy that a healthy scalp is the key to healthy hair. As such, its products take a scalp-first approach, blending traditional Korean ingredients (green tea, rice water, and bamboo) with modern formulas. The result? A line of products that cleanses, nourishes, and revitalizes the scalp and hair for visibly stronger, fuller, and healthier-looking hair.
Take the Thickening Duo, for instance. This shampoo-and-conditioner pairing uses matcha, clover flower, biotin, and peptides to cleanse the hair and add body and thickness without weighing the hair down. It's especially helpful for fine, breakage-prone, and/or thinning hair. Bonus points if you use it alongside the Scalp Massager ($20), which offers gentle exfoliation and a circulation-boosting massage.
Shop More of the Brand's Products
Base-K
The Bamboo Tonic Hair Density Serum
Base-K
The Rice Powder Detox Micro-Exfoliating Scalp Scaling Shampoo
Base-K
The Scalp Massager Stimulating Silicone Scalp Brush
Anillo
ANILLO
Rosy Night Repair Hair Essence
Anillo is a Korean brand that specializes in haircare and bodycare. I love its modern formulas, chic packaging, and stunning scents. While there are so many products to choose from, I have a special place in my heart for the Rosy Night Repair Hair Essence. With damask rose extract, rose hip oil, and a peptide complex, it smooths, hydrates, and boosts shine. And the smell! Rose, bergamot, and musk wrap the hair in a soft, perfume-worthy scent. It's meant to be applied either before blow-drying or on dry hair at night. Either way, it will give you strong, glossy, and sweetly scented strands.
Shop More of the Brand's Products
ANILLO
Lime Sunday Refresh Shampoo
ANILLO
Lime Sunday Refresh Conditioner
ANILLO
Rosy Night Vegan Hair Perfume
Dr. Groot
Dr. Groot
Scalp Revitalizing Solution Miracle In Shower Treatment
Dr. Groot is South Korea's number one haircare brand for thickening, and this Scalp Revitalizing Solution is helping lead the charge. It promises to reduce hair loss from breakage by up to 82% thanks to ingredients like fortifying arginine, moisturizing panthenol, keratin-producing niacinamide, and pore-clearing salicylic acid. To use it, simply shampoo, rinse, and apply it directly to the scalp. Massage it in circular motions for at least five seconds and then rinse. Easy, peasy.
Shop More of the Brand's Products
Dr. Groot
Hair Thickening Shampoo
Dr. Groot
Hair Thickening Conditioner
Dr. Groot
Hair Thickening Serum
Mise en Scène
Mise En Scène
Perfect Serum Original
Mise en Scène is known for its trendy, effective styling products, and this, dear reader, is South Korea's top hair serum. The Perfect Serum (as it's so aptly named) is one-third heat protectant, one-third leave-in conditioner, and one-third detangler. It protects the hair up to 446°F, reduces breakage, and smooths the hair for friction-free brushing. It even has an anti-frizz formulation that keeps roughness and static at bay.
Shop More of the Brand's Products
Mise En Scène
Innerplex Hair Strengthener
Mise En Scène
Perfect Serum Treatment
Mise En Scène
Perfect Super Rich Serum
Unove
UNOVE
Deep Damage Treatment Ex
Unove is Korea's affordable answer to higher-priced hair products. However, don't think affordable means ineffective. It's quite the contrary. Olive Young, the iconic and internet-famous K-beauty chain, voted Unove number one in haircare three years in a row. It specializes in protein-rich formulas that make the hair feel soft, smooth, and strong. Take the Deep Damage Treatment Ex, for instance. It uses a whopping 31 proteins and amino acids and five plant-based oils to smooth and seal the hair cuticle on a microscopic level. It's so good it went viral for helping people achieve the glass hair look.
Shop More of the Brand's Products
UNOVE
No-Wash Leave In Hair Treatment
UNOVE
No-Wash Water Ampoule Treatment
UNOVE
Volume Up Curling Essence
Elizavecca
Elizavecca
Cer-100 Collagen Coating Hair Protein Treatment
Elizavecca makes skincare, bodycare, haircare, and even makeup products, but this hair treatment is a special standout. It's packed with ceramides and collagen-rich ingredients to smooth frizz, reverse damage, and majorly boost shine. To use, apply it to rough-dried hair after shampooing. Let it sit for five to 20 minutes, and rinse with lukewarm water. Style as usual. High-shine hair will be yours.
Shop More of the Brand's Products
Elizavecca
Cer-100 Hair Essence Oil
Elizavecca
Cer-100 Collagen Shampoo
Elizavecca
Collagen Hair Rinse
Amos Professional
AMOS PROFESSIONAL
Curling Essence 2x Bouncy Wave
Amos is a popular, professional-grade haircare brand in Korea. It offers multiple product lines for different concerns, including everything from dandruff and oily scalp to aging hair. This Curling Essence is one of the brand's best sellers. It's a two-in-one cream that simultaneously hydrates and styles wavy and curly hair thanks to aloe leaf and its mineral chain effector technology. Basically, it hydrates and defines waves and curls without any weight or crunchiness.
Shop More of the Brand's Products
AMOS PROFESSIONAL
Peeling Scalp Treatment
AMOS PROFESSIONAL
Repair Cica Shampoo
AMOS PROFESSIONAL
Repair Cica Hair Mask
Ryo
Ryo
Deep Cleansing Shampoo
A selection of Ryo's high-tech, science-backed hair formulas is available on Amazon, and I highly suggest you don't sleep on them, especially the brand's Deep Cleansing Shampoo. It's a clarifying formula that's infused with seven special botanical ingredients, including Korean ginseng and caffeine, to soothe, cool, and purify an oily, dull, and/or dandruff-prone scalp. I think this shampoo is incredible at removing product buildup. (Chronic dry-shampoo users will get it.) It's refreshing, deeply cleansing, and perfect for using once or twice a week or whenever your scalp and hair need a reset.
Shop More of the Brand's Products
Ryo
Root:Gen Scalp Essence
Ryo
Oily Scalp Care Shampoo
Ryo
Sensitive Scalp Care Shampoo
Dr.ForHair
DR.FORHAIR
Folligen Shampoo
Dr.ForHair is best known for its trichologist-backed solutions for hair thinning. In fact, this shampoo is Korea's top hair-thickening formula. It uses a patented Folligen Complex that includes biotin, ceramides, and saw palmetto extract to visibly improve hair thickness. It even features a cool microcapsule delivery system for enhanced absorption, so you know the ingredients are *actually* penetrating the scalp to work their magic. While it works well alone, you can boost the thickening effects when you use the brand's other products alongside it.
Shop More of the Brand's Products
DR.FORHAIR
Folligen Sea Salt Scaler
DR.FORHAIR
Folligen Tonic Scalp Serum
DR.FORHAIR
Folligen Bio-3 Shampoo
Sungboon Editor
SUNGBOON EDITOR
Deep Collagen Retinol Scalp Serum
Okay, Sungboon Editor is more of a skincare brand than it is a haircare one. It only offers one haircare product in the U.S.—the Deep Collagen Retinol Scalp Serum. However, this scalp treatment is so good I had to add it to this list. I used it nightly for three weeks and saw a visible improvement in the density of my hairline. In fact, the baby-hair regrowth was almost unbelievable. It's all thanks to ingredients like collagen, peptides, and caffeine that promote thicker, fuller hair. Meanwhile, niacinamide strengthens the scalp barrier, biotin energizes the follicles, and salicylic acid removes product buildup and clears pores, enhancing product absorption. It's a true one-and-done scalp serum, and the rollerball applicator is so easy to use.
Shop More of the Brand's Products
SUNGBOON EDITOR
Deep Collagen Overnight Mask
SUNGBOON EDITOR
Deep Collagen Barrier Serum Mist
SUNGBOON EDITOR
Deep Collagen Retinol Cream
Explore More:
Originally published by whowhatwear.com. Syndicated material does not necessarily reflect the views of Vanity Fair Fashion.
