The best Korean body scrubs can make all the difference in your body care routine. Exfoliation, as you know, offers loads of benefits such as keeping your skin clear of acne, brightening your complexion, improving blood circulation, boosting collagen production, and smoothing out uneven texture. But a lot of them can be quite harsh or involve using loofahs, scrubbers, Italy towels, exfoliating mitts, and other tools you might not want to deal with. But that’s where Korean skin care comes in. Unlike their Western counterparts, Korean body scrubs (or seshins) are known to bring the Korean spa experience home. These body scrubs include gentler ingredients to suit all skin types and do more than just exfoliate the entire body. “Many K-beauty body scrubs are designed as multifunctional products that cleanse, exfoliate, and moisturize simultaneously,” says Vivian Chin, MD, MPH, cosmetic physician and founder of Koru Wellness & Aesthetics NYC.
To help you find the very best options, we spoke with K-beauty experts for their tips and recommendations. Below are the ones they recommend for sensitive skin, for bumps, and to use before shaving and tanning.
The best Korean body scrubs, at a glance
- Best Overall: NuTexture Gentle Body Scrub, $34
- Best for Acne: SOME MI AHA-BHA-PHA 30 Days Miracle Cleanser, $26
- Best for Sensitive Skin: Arencia Fresh Cloud Scrub Germanium Primrose, $35
- Best for Dry Skin: TONYMOLY Plum Bum Hydrating Peptide Body Wash, $17
- Best for Bumps and Uneven Texture: Peach and Lily KP Bump Boss Microderm Body Scrub, $29
Best Korean Body Scrub Overall: NuTexture Gentle Body Scrub
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If you’re looking for a more physical Korean body scrub that utilizes natural ingredients, Sarah Chung Park, founder and CEO of Landing International, a K-beauty B2B platform, recommends the NuTexture Gentle Body Scrub. It uses finely ground nut shells and fermented fruit enzymes to gently exfoliate the skin without stripping it of moisture. “It’s perfect for those who prefer a physical scrub with a spa-like scent and nourishing finish,” she adds.
Best Korean Body Scrub for Brightening: ORG Mineral Body Peel
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Another pick from Park, the O.R.G. Mineral Body Peel is a spray-on exfoliator that uses natural brightening ingredients to boost your skin’s radiance. “It’s ideal before shaving or tanning and is especially great for sensitive skin that can’t tolerate traditional scrubs,” she says. You’ll find ingredients like milk thistle and licorice root, which are known for their brightening properties, and jojoba oil to nourish skin and soothe irritation.
Best Korean Body Scrub for Sensitive Skin: Arencia Fresh Cloud Scrub Germanium Primrose
Charlotte Cho, a licensed esthetician in New York City and cofounder of Then I Met You skin care brand and Soko Glam online beauty retailer, loves the Arencia Fresh Cloud Scrub for its innovative texture (“[It feels] fluffy, like clouds,” she says) and its multifunction purpose. It uses ingredients such as witch hazel extract and French salt to gently slough away dead skin cells to reveal smoother and softer skin underneath. It’s gentle enough to exfoliate the bikini area, so you can use it for both your scalp and your body. We love a salt scrub that can do it all.
Best Softening Korean Body Scrub: SKINFOOD Black Strawberry Wash-Off Body Scrub
A pick from Dr. Chin, the Skinfood Black Strawberry Wash-Off Body Scrub is made for those who want supersmooth skin. It’s a gentle scrub that uses strawberry seeds to exfoliate away dead skin cells. You’ll also find hydrating ingredients, such as shea butter and meadowfoam oil. And if you’re a fan of sweet fruity scents, then you’re in luck. “My patients love the sweet fragrance and how it leaves the skin noticeably softer without irritation,” she says.
Best for Bumps and Uneven Texture: Peach and Lily KP Bump Boss Microderm Body Scrub
A scrub that really does it all for a complete body treatment, the Peach & Lily Bump Boss Microderm Body Scrub is a go-to for me when my body needs some T.L.C. It contains a powerful—yet gentle—alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) mix of glycolic and lactic acid to help resurface skin and fade away any dark spots or acne scars I have from pesky breakouts. It also helps reduce the appearance of ingrown hairs or bumps to give me a supersmooth skin and even texture. It’s perfect for prepping the skin for your body lotion of choice or for when you want to use your self-tanner. This earned a permanent spot in my body scrub rotation.
Best Korean Body Scrub Treatment: Dear Doer The Hidden Body Scrub & Wash
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Beloved by K-beauty fans, the Dear Doer The Hidden Body Scrub & Wash tackles all your most pressing skin concerns—and then some. It’s made with wintergreen extract, a naturally derived beta hydroxy acid (BHA), to unclog pores and provide an invigorating but still very gentle exfoliation for smooth skin. It’s also packed with hydrating ingredients such as glycerin and hyaluronic acid for any moisture your skin might need. And as an added bonus, it has a lovely musky scent to enhance the full body scrub experience.
Best Korean Body Scrub for Acne: SOME MI AHA-BHA-PHA 30 Days Miracle Cleanser
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As someone who deals with body acne, the Some By Mi AHA-BHA-PHA 30 Days Miracle Cleanser has been a true beauty godsend. The gentle exfoliator suds really well and leaves skin feeling soft, and you’ll start to notice those pesky breakouts appear less and less frequently the more you wash with this scrub. “This is the best K-beauty exfoliator for acne-prone and sensitive skin, thanks to its powerful yet gentle blend of AHA, BHA, and PHAs,” says Park. “It deeply cleanses, smooths rough texture, and calms irritation.” It contains known acne-fighting ingredients such as salicylic acid and mandelic acid to clear pores of impurities and eucalyptus to reduce redness.
Best for Dry Skin: TONYMOLY Plum Bum Hydrating Peptide Body Wash
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A pick from Dr. Chin, the Tonymoly Plum Bum Hydrating Peptide Body Wash provides a lovely body-scrubbing experience with pretty instant results. It’s a gel-based formula that suds really well and just feels nice against the skin. Thanks to the plum extracts, peptides, and glycerin, I noticed that my skin felt so much softer and more hydrated after one wash. After a few days, my skin even looked brighter. I’ll definitely be reaching for this on days when my skin is feeling too dry.
Your Korean body scrub questions, answered
What do Korean body scrubs include in their formulas?
Korean scrubs differ from their Western counterparts in many ways, but it all comes down to their formulations. Dr. Chin says that while Western products focus on just one exfoliation method, Korean body scrubs might contain a combination of the following:
- Natural exfoliating particles (sugar, rice bran, walnut shell powder, etc.) to smooth skin
- Gentle alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) in the form of fruit acids such as plum extracts to slough away dead skin cells
- Innovative ingredients such as cellulose that also provide gentle exfoliation as you massage the product onto your skin
- Hydrating and calming ingredients you’d find in facial scrubs, such as hyaluronic acid and ceramides
“K-beauty body scrubs focus on gentle, skin-friendly exfoliation that prioritizes overall skin health,” says Sarah Chung Park, founder and CEO of Landing International, a B2B platform bringing K-beauty brands to the US. “Designed specifically for sensitive skin, these scrubs exfoliate while maintaining hydration and strengthening the skin barrier—a core principle of K-beauty skin care.”
What ingredients are key in a Korean body scrub?
Dr. Chin and Park say that Korean body scrubs have distinctive ingredients. When looking for the right one for you and your skin needs, consider fermented ingredients such as kombucha, mango, and pineapple that will exfoliate and hydrate or botanical extracts like ginseng, rice bran, calendula, papaya, and green tea for their soothing properties and abilities to repair the skin barrier.
Meet the experts
- Charlotte Cho, licensed esthetician in New York City and cofounder of Then I Met You skin care brand and Soko Glam online beauty retailer
- Vivian Chin, MD, MPH, cosmetic physician and founder of Koru Wellness & Aesthetics NYC
- Sarah Chung Park, founder and CEO of Landing International, a B2B platform bringing K-beauty brands to the US
