I need a good skincare for dry skin

[CattyT3]

I have dry sensitive skin that breaks out due to irritation and getting dried out as a result. All the East Asian skin products I have purchased have worked without issue so far (thankfully). I have explored a lot of soothing options for the skin to prevent inflammation to occur so my acne doesn't erupt again when my skin barrier is damaged. Pretty much any toner I have tried out works in some fashion for my skin for hydration and soothing. I use my toners and essences on him as well and it's never an issue, I just see much dramatic results since my skin is the one gasping for hydration all the time.

CosRX snail cream and snail essence for results, or the Peach Slices snail toner. Beauty of Joseon and iUniK do very nice serums with snail mucin as well. These 3 brands also do great propolis products I have liked a lot (from bees). 
I love Peach & Lily, Krave Beauty for their lactic acid serums to help gentle skin barrier repair that helps minimize irritation.
Rovectin products work nicely to not irritate the skin and just gently condition the skin to reduce skin irritation. 

Some toners/ essences I like a lot are:
CosRX: snail 96 essences; galactomyces 95, hydrium watery toner, propolis toner, Full Fit Propolis Synergy toner

Pyung Kang Yul Calming Deep Moisture toner

Rovectin treatment lotion

Neogen Real Ferment Micro Essence

Tower 28: SOS spray
Tiam: Vita B3 Mist Toner, My Signature Vita B5 Toner

My partner enjoys sheet masks a lot and that's what keeps him motivated to do his skin care day and night, so his overall skin texture and tone is improving using those, but I personally am indifferent to sheet masks - personal taste. Overall skin maintenance is definitely superior in Asian skincare and works out to be much cheaper and never causes reaction issues for either of us.

I personally have been using retinaldehyde instead of retinol as my retinoid of choice for my overall skin health as it is much less likely to cause irritation and works with my other array of actives I use daily with less fuss. I use the Beauty of Joseon eye cream that's actually a gel texture and I use it all over the face and do many others.

For moisturizer I like to go for the very thick ones that will keep my skin plumped up and moisturized all day no matter the weather. I love the Heimish Marine eye cream as a face + neck moisturizer, Sulwhasoo Concentrated Ginseng cream 4th and 5th generations, Rovectin moisturizers, CosRX snail cream, Pyungkang Yuk Calming moisturizer, Frudia Pomegranate Nutri-Moisturizing Face Cream.

Depending on my combination of actives that night or if I need extra skin TLC, I may layer with a mask on top of the chosen moisturizer - like the laneige Cica Sleep mask or one of the Sulhwasoo overnight masks.
I am currently looking into a Korean dupe for the LRP Cicaplast B5 Baume as I would like something that is more budget friendly to use more frequently - I will update that here once I try out some options.

Face oils can be a saviour on particularly harshly cold, dry days or bad skin days - I love the Rovectin Multi oil (I use it in my hair as well) and my skin loves vit E and coconut oil, so I just go for basic oils that have jojoba, rosehip, and grape oil mixed in too. CBD/ hemp oil is also amazing for the skin, so have not explored other East Asian face oil options.

East Asian sunscreens are very advanced and diverse, you can find plenty for your preferences, and it's much cheaper than over here too - win win. Keeping skin safe from sun damage will help all skin concerns - so look out for ones known to be good for dry skin types, there are new sunscreens being released all the time!

No matter how many actives you want to try or not try, introduce new ingredients and products one by one to your existing routine so you can identify if something isn't good for your skin.

In general, dry skin some friendly ingredients to hunt for: emollients (eg. allantoin), humectants (eg. glycerin), hyaluronic acid/ sodium hyaluronate/ other HA derivatives, panthenol, niacinamide (as tolerated), peptides (various varieties), ceramides (various varieties), lactic acid/ derivatives, dimethicone.

> A few more brands to try out items from that are well loved by K beauty fans and that I can vouch for: Axis-Y, Purito, Skin1004.

Some items I have listed do have fragrance, but my skin seems to be tolerant of small amounts of synthetic/ non-essential oil fragrances. So keep that in mind if you need to look for fragrance free options.

Do message if you want to ask about any specific products by any of these brands or others, some I have at least tried a sample from might have slipped my radar in listing things off : )

[JoSometimes]

Hi @5starzgigii! What’s your routine like right now?

[SportyGirly125]

@5starzgigii @What is your budget?