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best missha skincare products

What are the best Missha products? For lots of skincare fanatics, Missha was their first introduction to Korean skincare. Remember their cult CC Cream or the Time Revolution Night Activator Ampoule (not sure what happened to that one…)? They’ve got us hooked and craving for more K-beauty goodness.

But like every other brand out there, Missha has its fair share of duds. Blame it on the essential oils they use to make everything smell fab… How do you know what’s worth the splurge and what’s best left on the shelves? I’ve got you covered. Here are the best Missha skincare products for every skin type:

About The Brand: Missha

Founded in 2000, Missha is one of Korea’s most loved brands. They caught the eye of beauty lovers worldwide for being one of the first to introduce BB Creams, a cross between a foundation and moisturiser that treats your skin while giving you a flawless complexion, and essences loaded with soothing bacteria (the good kind!). Since then, the brand has gone from strength to strengths, with an annual revenue exceeding USD 384 million. Missha prides on listening to its customers when creating skincare products – and I have no doubt it does. I just wish it stopped adding so many fragrant oils everywhere – it’d make the formulations safer for sensitive skin too.

What Are The Best Missha Products?

Missha Time Revolution The First Essence Enriched($44.00)

Missha Time Revolution The First Essence Enriched is loaded with good bacteria. The kind that strengthens your skin’s protective barrier and hydrates your skin. Plus, a big dollop of niacinamide, a multitasking form of Vitamin B3 that does… well, everything: it hydrates skin, brightens the complexion, fights wrinkles, soothes irritations, fades away dark spots… This combo plumps up your skin, gives it a lovely glow and helps soothe irritations. If you have sensitive skin, it’s well worth a go.

Available at: iHerb, Soko Glam, Stylevana, and Yes Style

Active Ingredients: Fermented Cicaenzyme (Yeast) Extract, Niacinamide, andFermented Black Yeast Extract

Benefits: Moisturises and soothes skin.

Cons: You don’t need a separate essence in your routine. If you don’t need this product, don’t feel you need to buy it because you need an essence.

Skin type: All skin types can use it, but it’s most suitable for dry and sensitive skin.

Fragrance-free: Yes.

Related: The Complete Guide To Niacinamide: What It Is, What It Does And How To Use It

Don’t know which skincare products you can mix and match together and which ones deactivate each other? Download your FREE “How To Layer Actives Like A Pro” cheat sheet to get the most out of your skincare products:

Missha All Around Safe Block Essence Sun Milk SPF50+/PA+++ ($11.99)

This is a chemical sunscreen – one that does the sun protection job extremely well. Its fluid yet moisturising texture sinks in quickly into your skin without leaving a greasy residue behind, yet skin feels soft and hydrated. The UV filters provide broad spectrum protection even in the torrid summer weather while creating a sweat- and water-resistant formula that lasts for up to 40 minutes after swimming and exercising. Yep, you still need to reapply it during the day. Did I mention the finish is glowy? If your skin’s dry, you’ll love that, too.

Available at: Sephora, Stylevana and Yes Style

Active Ingredients: Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Octocrylene, Ethylhexyl Salicylate, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane, and Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine.

Benefits: Provides broad spectrum, water-resistant sun protection.

Cons: If you don’t like chemical UV filters, this isn’t for you.

Skin type: All skin types can use it, but it’s most suitable for dry skin.

Fragrance-free: Yes.

Missha Time Revolution Night Repair Ampoule 5X ($54.00)

One of the first products to catch the eye and heart of Western audiences, this essence is as soothing as it is moisturising. Its key to fame is the addition of skin-soothing bacteria that calm down redness and irritations. But it contains more than that. It’s also packed with niacinamide to do… well, everything. IT soothes skin, moisturises it, fights wrinkles, reduces dark spots. If you don’t know what to use to fix your skin, use niacinamide. You can’t go wrong with it. Plus, it has its fair share of antioxidants to prevent premature aging. The lightweight texture absorbs quickly without leaving a tacky feel on the skin. Apply it in the evening and wake up to healthy, soft, glowy skin. The catch? It contains essential oils that could irritate sensitive skin.

Available at: Soko Glam, Stylevana and Yes Style

Active Ingredients: Niacinamide and good bacteria.

Benefits: Soothes, hydrates, and prevents wrinkles.

Cons: Essential oils can irritate sensitive skin.

Skin type: All skin types can use it bar sensitive.

Fragrance-free: Technically, yes. But the essential oils that make it smell good may irritate sensitive skin.

Missha Super Aqua Snail Cleansing Foam ($12.00)

A gentle foaming cleanser enriched with snail mucin that removes every last trace of dirt and impurities while moisturising skin at the same time. That’s good. A good cleanser should remove any extra sebum on your skin so that it doesn’t clog pores, not strip it bare so that it gets all dry and irritated. I also love how soft and light it feels on my skin. Afterwards, it’s all soft and clean.

Available at: iHerb and Soko Glam

Active Ingredients: Lauramide DEA, Snail Secretion Filtrate, and Cocamidopropyl Betaine.

Benefits: Cleanses skin without drying it out.

Cons: Contains fragrance.

Skin type: Most suitable for oily skin.

Fragrance-free: No.

Missha Vita C Plus Spot Correcting Concentrate Ampoule ($30.00)

This is my fave Vitamin C product from Missha. While the others use Vitamin C derivatives that aren’t (as yet) as proven to work, this baby uses the pure form L-Ascorbic Acid (LAA). LAA fights free radicals before they can give you wrinkles, brightens the complexion, and even helps you fade away dark spots. The catch? It goes bad quickly when exposed to light, so store the bottle in its box, away from sunlight. Plus, the ampoule is loaded with antioxidants with skin-brightening properties to make your complexion glow. Who doesn’t like that?

Available at: iHerb, Stylevana, and Yes Style

Active Ingredients: Ascorbic Acid, Licorice, Tranexemic Acid.

Benefits: Brightens skin tone, fades away dark spots, and prevents wrinkles.

Cons: Contains fragranced essential oils that could irritate skin.

Skin type: Most suitable for dry skin.

Fragrance-free: No, it contained fragranced essential oils.

Missha Super Aqua Ultra Hyalron Ampoule ($24.50)

Missha Super Aqua Ultra Hyalron Ampoule is like a waterfall of moisture for your skin. It uses several forms of hyaluronic acid, a little molecule that attracts and binds to the skin up to 1000 times its weight in water. All that moisture makes your skin so happy: it plumps up fine lines and wrinkles so they look smaller (instant anti-aging hack right there!), makes your skin softer to the touch, and gives your complexion a dewy glow. The texture is refreshing and a little goes a long way. Unfortunately, the essential oils that make it smell so good can irritate sensitive skin. *sighs*

Available at: iHerb, Stylevana, and Yes Style

Active Ingredients: Hyaluronic acid.

Benefits: Hydrates skin and plumps up wrinkles.

Cons: Contains fragranced essential oils that could irritate skin.

Skin type: All skin types bar sensitive.

Fragrance-free: No, it contained fragranced essential oils.

Missha A’pieu Madecassoside Fluid 2X ($22.00)

Centella Asiatica is the IT ingredient for skin soothing. It reduces redness and irritation faster than anything else I’ve seen and there’s some preliminary evidence it helps to boost collagen for younger-looking skin. This serum is loaded with centella asiatica, both the extract itself and its individual components (added separately), madecassoside and asiaticoside. Add ceramides to strengthen the skin’s protective barrier and moisturise skin and you’ve got a lovely serum for dry skin. Sensitive skin? Unfortunately, the addition of fragrant essential oils makes it a no-no for your delicate skin type.

Available at: Stylevana and Yes Style

Active Ingredients: Centella asiatica.

Benefits: Soothes and moisturises.

Cons: Contains fragranced essential oils that could irritate skin.

Skin type: Dry skin.

Fragrance-free: No, it contained fragranced essential oils.

What Are The Best Missha Products For Wrinkles?

  • Missha Vita C Plus Spot Correcting Concentrate Ampoule ($30.00): A lightweight, fast-absorbing ampoule loaded with Vitamin C to brighten skin and prevent premature aging. Plus, it helps to fade away dark spots too. Available at iHerb, Stylevana, and Yes Style.

What Are The Best Missha Products For Acne?

Missha doesn’t have any products that help you fight acne – at least at the moment of this writing. This is a brand that focuses on hydration and soothing skin, not getting rid of pimples.

What Are The Best Missha Products For Dark Spots?

  • Missha Vita C Plus Spot Correcting Concentrate Ampoule ($30.00): A lightweight, fast-absorbing ampoule loaded with Vitamin C, auburn, and other skin-lighteners to fade away dark spots. Available at iHerb, Stylevana, and Yes Style.

What Are The Best Missha Products For Sensitive Skin?

  • Missha Time Revolution The First Essence Enriched ($44.00): A bacteria-loaded essence enriched with niacinamide to deeply soothe and hydrate sensitive skin. Available at: iHerb, Soko Glam, Stylevana, and Yes Style

Is Missha Cruelty-Free?

No, unfortunately Missha is not cruelty-free. They may test on animals, either themselves or through a third party.

The Pros Of Missha Skincare

Like most Korean skincare brands, Missha focuses highly on hydration. Makes sense: hydration is the foundation of healthy skin. When skin has all the moisture it needs, it functions properly. It exfoliates well on its own, so that it looks brighter. Fine lines and wrinkles are all plumped up, so you look younger. And your skin is as smooth as a baby’s.

The Cons Of Missha Skincare

As the focus is on hydration, the brand doesn’t make anti-aging skincare with retinoids or products that can fight acne. I guess you could always get those somewhere else. The main con for me is the addition of fragrant essential oils to most of their products. It makes your serums and ampoules smell good, but can trigger irritations and sensitivities in sensitive skin.

The Bottom Line

If you were curious about the best Missha products to try, here’s your introduction to this Korean brand. They have some fantastic hydrating products to make you look instantly younger, but you won’t find much to fight wrinkles or acne here. Just saying…

About Gio

Hi, I'm Gio. I'm a no-nonsense, tell-it-like-it-is skin coach and writer on a mission to help you achieve your best skin day ever - every day. I bust skincare myths and debunk marketing jargon to help you figure out what's worth the splurge and what's best left on the shelf - using science, not hype. I also offer skincare consultations to help you create the best skincare routine for your unique needs.