The skin hub
Everything that
made the cut.
Splurge to budget, with K-beauty where it earns it. Every product here is on my face or in my bathroom. Not a derm. Receipts over hype.
Heads up: this is my passion, not a paid placement. When you shop through these links I may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. I’m also the fractional CMO of The Piazza Center, so I have a stake in anything sold there.
The grail routine
Four steps.
Day and night.
01 · CleanseLUMION Miracle Mist
02 · DeliverINvo Exosomes
03 · MoisturizeSweet Chemistry Hydra-Cream
04 · ProtectAllies of Skin SPF 50
01 · CleansePavise Gentle Amino02 · DeliverINvo Exosomes
03 · RetinalDieux Firm Revival04 · SealSweet Chemistry Hydra-CreamDaytime starts with a hypochlorous mist and ends in SPF.
At night, Pavise is the gentle cleanse, and Dieux retinal goes where the SPF was, sandwiched between INvo and Hydra-Cream.
Cleanse
Cleansers that made the cut. Short list on purpose.
Miracle Mist, hypochlorous acid
My daytime cleanse. A hypochlorous mist, no scrubbing.$28 · Brian10Shop
Gentle Amino Powerwash
My night cleanser. Gentle, and the one Pavise I’d never give up.$64 · BRIAN10Shop
Madagascar Centella Ampoule Foam
The K-beauty cleanser I like. Hydrating, $11.$11ShopDeliver
The serum step. This is where the money goes.
Rejuvenating Complex
Three stem cell sources. Nothing compares. On bottle two.$285 · BRIAN10Shop
Professional Serum (PTT-6)
The pink booster.$100Shop
Firm Revival HydroRetinal
Retinal: gentler than tret, a step faster than retinol.$42Shop
Deliverance Repair Serum
Three serums in one, from the mid-tier brand I love most.$62Shop
Reti-A Reedle Shot 100
Spicules. One of my K-beauty grails.$32Shop
Vita-A Retinal 0.1% Shot
Retinal for $24.$24ShopMoisturize
Seal it in. Protect the barrier.
Eye creams
The hardest category for me. These earned it.
EXO EYE
My favorite eye cream. The bottle lasts forever.$155 · BRIAN10Shop
Precision Eye Lift
Mornings, under my silicone patches.$128 · BRIAN10Shop
Seoul 1988 Eye Cream, Retinal Liposome 4%
My K-beauty retinal eye cream. $22.$22ShopEye + sheet masks
Budget to splurge. Pick your level.
Celestial Black Diamond Eye Mask
The splurge.$120Shop
Eye Brightening Mask, 10 pack
Retinol, niacinamide and hyaluronic in a patch.$47 · BRIAN10Shop
Forever Eye Mask
Reusable. My responsible obsession.$25Shop
Avant Guard Silicone Sheet Mask
Single-use masks slide off my beard. This one stays.$19Shop
Spaoxy Gel, 3 treatments
Our weekly mask night.$66 · BRIAN10ShopSPF
Every morning. Pick your price.
Sunforgettable Face Shield Flex SPF 50
The SPF I truly love.$58Shop
Sunless Tan SPF 50
Sunscreen and a little tan in one.$59Shop
Hyalu-Cica Water-Fit Sun Serum SPF 50
My K-beauty dupe for both of those. $26.$26Shop
Dynamic Age Defense SPF 30
Every single morning, laser or not.$148 · BRIAN10ShopBody
Don’t overspend here. Unless you want to.
Retinol Overnight Body Lotion
Retinol for your body, straight from the drugstore aisle.At TargetShop
Retinol PM Jumbo Body + Eye Patches
Spending big on body is a waste. The QVC jumbo is the best deal.$156Shop
EXO BODY Advanced Body Lotion
Exosomes, for everything below the neck.$96 · EXOBRIAN15Shop
AlphaRet Overnight Body Cream
The other body splurge: a retinoid body cream.$140ShopK-beauty, honestly
When to bring it in.
When not to.
Don’t swap
- Your exosome serum. I have a lot of K-beauty on my ShopMy, and nothing compares to INvo.
- Your moisturizer. Sweet Chemistry’s matrikine peptide has no K-beauty equivalent I’ve found.
Bring it in
- Spicules. VT Reti-A Reedle Shot is a K-beauty grail.
- Retinal. Celimax Retinal Shot gets you retinal for $24.
- SPF. SKIN1004 Sun Serum is my $26 dupe for Colorescience and Allies.
The angles I always talk about
Skincare FAQ
Questions I get all the time.
What’s the best exosome serum?
For me, INvo Rejuvenating Complex. It pulls exosomes from three stem cell sources and replaced my vitamin C and growth factor serums. I’m on my second bottle.
Is K-beauty as good as luxury skincare?
Sometimes. I don’t swap my exosome serum or my Sweet Chemistry moisturizer. I do bring in K-beauty for spicules, retinal, SPF and masks, where it’s great for a fraction of the price.
What’s a good budget retinal?
Celimax Vita-A Retinal Shot ($24) and the K-SECRET Seoul 1988 retinal eye cream ($22). My mid-tier pick is Dieux Firm Revival ($42). Why I use retinal instead of retinol.
What’s a K-beauty dupe for Colorescience SPF?
SKIN1004 Hyalu-Cica Water-Fit Sun Serum SPF 50. It’s $26 and my dupe for both Colorescience and Allies of Skin.
Do I need an expensive body lotion?
No. Spending big on body is mostly a waste. Peter Thomas Roth’s retinol body treatment from QVC is the best deal. EXO BODY and AlphaRet Body are there if you want to splurge.
Shop the whole hub.
I’m not a derm. I’m not an editor. But I am pretty good at finding the best. — Brian
Affiliate links: I may earn a commission at no cost to you. Codes: BRIAN10 at The Piazza Center, Brian20 at Sweet Chemistry, Brian10 at LUMION. I’m the fractional CMO of The Piazza Center. I’m not a dermatologist and this isn’t medical advice.