In the “mecca of flawless, dewy skin,” South Korea has one of the world’s most exciting and fast-paced beauty markets, ranking #1 globally and introducing a plethora of new products on a constant basis.
Some of these new, often bizarre, innovations come straight from Korean pharmacies, and the aisles of Olive Young, Korea’s #1 health and beauty retailer. From snail slime to salmon DNA, these are the products that will make you do a double-take before becoming your new holy grail.
Want to try them yourself? Shop everything on Olive Young Global and use the code 10MAG26 at checkout for a discount!
List of Crazy Korean Cosmetics You Need to Try
Placenta Cream
At first glance, you might hesitate and ask yourself, “Whose placenta?” but let me assure you that of plant, animal, and human placentas, plant placentas have been shown to be the most effective in moisturizing, healing scars, fighting wrinkles, and rejuvenating the skin.
Salmon DNA (PDRN) – “Salmon Sperm Skincare”
Yes, you read that correctly. PDRN (Polydeoxyribonucleotide) is a DNA compound derived from the milt (sperm cells) of salmon, prized for its remarkable compatibility with human DNA. Originally used in Korean dermatology clinics via micro-injections for wound healing and skin rejuvenation, PDRN has now entered everyday skincare formulas thanks to advances in delivery technology.
In 2025, it was named the #1 trending K-beauty ingredient with market penetration growing 340% year-over-year. Vogue described PDRN as “2025’s major trending ingredient incorporated into serums, mists, creams, and masks”.
Snail Slime
Snail slime helps reduce inflammation and redness, stimulates skin regeneration, and locks moisture into the skin, and demand for snail cosmetics shows no signs of slowing. The ingredient has evolved from a Korean novelty to a global bestseller.
The COSRX Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence, containing 96% snail mucin filtrate, is one of the most widely loved products at Olive Young for hydration, repairing the skin barrier, and improving skin texture. You can also find snail masks, toners, eye creams containing 72% snail mucin with brightening niacinamide, and even lip balms.
Caviar Oil Cleanser
Oil cleansers effectively remove make-up, dead skin cells, and dirt collected deep within the pores. Caviar nourishes the skin, keeping the skin smooth and moisturized. The Max Clinic Royal Caviar Oil Foam, which contains beluga caviar, royal jelly, propolis, and honey, is the perfect example of this all-in-one cleanser. It combines the Korean two-step cleansing method into one when the oil transforms to foam with water, and leaves the skin moisturized after cleansing.
Firming Capsule Foundation
A new foundation was recently released by Chosungah 22 containing small capsules filled with pomegranate seed oil. Pomegranate seed oil is beneficial for cell regeneration, collagen production, anti-ageing, and anti-inflammatory effects. Pressing the cushion pact onto the face pops the capsules, releasing the seed oil to work its volumizing effects for plumper and firmer-looking skin.
Rice Cake Cleanser
Leave it to Korea to turn one of its most beloved food textures, the chewy, springy rice cake, into a cleanser. The Anua Rice Enzyme Brightening Cleansing Powder comes in a powder form that turns into a sticky texture just like rice cake when mixed with water.
Another rising star is the Arencia Fresh Green Rice Mochi Cleanser, which has a unique, playfully thick rice cake-like texture that transforms into a soft foam. It combines LHA (a next-generation derivative of salicylic acid) and salicylic acid for deep pore cleansing, with green tea for soothing, rice bran for brightening, and coconut-derived surfactants that cleanse without stripping moisture.
Cheese Cream
Dear by ENPRANI released their Melted Cheese Cream and Bounce Cheese Cream, which have become a recommended item at Olive Young stores. The product claims to improve skin elasticity “like mozzarella cheese,” and moisturize the skin.
The essential ingredient here is whey, a by-product of the cheese-making process and a natural, vitamin-rich protein that hydrates and firms the skin.
The Collagen Mask That Turns Invisible
One of the most viral K-beauty products in recent memory, the Biodance Bio-Collagen Real Deep Mask is a hydrogel sheet mask that starts out opaque white and turns completely clear and transparent as the ingredients absorb into your skin. Watching it disappear on your face is oddly mesmerizing, and the results are real.
Packed with low-molecular hyaluronic acid, collagen, galactomyces ferment filtrate (an antioxidant byproduct of Japanese sake fermentation), niacinamide, and probiotics, the mask delivers deep, multi-layer hydration while supporting the skin barrier. Vogue praised it for improving skin tone from “dull to bright and bumpy to smooth” with consistent use. It won #2 Best Face Mask at the Olive Young Awards 2025.
Microneedling in a Bottle
Meet spicules, microscopic silica needles harvested from marine sponges, and the Korean skincare innovation turning heads globally in 2025. When applied to the skin, these micro-needles create tiny channels that boost collagen, gently exfoliate, and allow active ingredients to penetrate deeper into the dermis. Cosmopolitan called them “nature’s version of microneedling minus the price tag, pain, and downtime”.
The VT Reedle Shot 100 Essence, Olive Young’s #1 bestselling dermaplaning product, contains micro-sized Cica-Reedle needles in a sky-blue serum that delivers deep hydration and skin smoothing.
Toothpaste
In the land of the toothbrushing-obsessed, one will undoubtedly come across many eccentric varieties of toothpastes. The most common in Korea is the Jookyeom Bamboo Salt toothpaste which claims to prevent cavities, reduce plaque and gingivitis, soothe sensitive teeth, fight bad breath, whiten teeth, strengthen tooth enamel, prevent receding gum line and decrease mineral loss.
Other toothpaste varieties include Jookyeom’s Myeongyakwon which is made with fermented red ginseng extracts and bear gall bladder, Finefra’s silver toothpaste made with 99.7% pure silver, Heuk’s charcoal toothpaste, and Hanil’s blueberry toothpaste.
What are some strange toothpaste flavors that you’ve come across? Leave a comment below! You can also check out our articles on “36 Korean Skincare Products For Your 10 Step Routine” and “The Five New Must-Haves for Fresh-Faced Summer Beauty“
1 comment
chungkook
finefra toothpaste is world best premium toothpaste ..You can experience amazing effects with a finefra toothpaste..but They are sold only in Japan and Korea