It’s pretty rare for a beauty editor to be loyal to one brand from head to toe, but the best Medicube products have made me reconsider everything else on my top shelf. What I love most about Medicube is how it makes K-beauty feel simple, effective, and totally approachable—both in routine and in price. I originally came to the brand for its skin care (and the promise of that coveted glass-skin glow), but these days, Medicube has worked its way well beyond my bathroom shelf of serums and moisturizers. The brand has since expanded into body care, hair products, and even fragrance—and plenty have lived up to my admittedly high expectations. (Makeup next, perhaps?)
My Top Medicube Products:
Wrap Star: Medicube Collagen Wrapping Mask, $19
Lift Me Up: Medicube PDRN Collagen Gua Sha Neck Wrinkle Cream, $30
Cast Away: Medicube No Cast Just Glow Collagen SPF 50, $22
Multitasking Mist: Medicube Glow Vanilla Hair & Body Fragrance Mist, $22
Root Awakening: Medicube Rosemary PDRN Shampoo and Conditioner, $48
If you took a quick peek at my favorite Medicube products, you’ve probably noticed two ingredients popping up again and again: PDRN and collagen. PDRN, short for polydeoxyribonucleotide, refers to DNA fragments most commonly derived from salmon DNA and has been studied for wound healing and tissue regeneration, New York City-based board-certified dermatologist Jane Yoo, MD, previously told Allure. While it first gained popularity through injectable treatments in Korea, it’s not yet clear how much of those benefits, where it’s used to help improve skin hydration, elasticity, and overall texture, translate to skin-care products. (It’s also in hair products, where it’s thought to maintain a hydrated, balanced scalp environment and contribute to fuller-looking hair—although again, the evidence is scant right now.) Still, PDRN doesn’t appear to be going anywhere anytime soon, and as it continues popping up in Medicube’s topical formulas, there’s plenty of reason to keep an eye on the research as it catches up with the trend.
Collagen comes with a similar asterisk. The protein is essential to skin’s firmness and elasticity, but topical collagen molecules are too large to penetrate skin and replace the collagen we lose over time, New York City-based board-certified dermatologist Dendy Engleman, MD, previously told Allure. Instead, collagen in skin care primarily acts as a moisturizer, helping skin look temporarily plumper and smoother. Medicube also pairs these buzzy ingredients with familiar heavy hitters like Centella asiatica, kojic acid, hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, peptides, and ceramides to tackle everything from hydration and brightness to firmness and barrier support—which, conveniently, reads like a checklist of all my current skin-care concerns.
Beyond ingredients, Medicube has a knack for making its products feel fun and inventive. There’s a viral collagen night wrapping mask that dries into a peel-off film while you sleep, plus clever packaging like a neck cream with a gua sha tool built right into the tube. They’re the kinds of thoughtful touches that make your routine feel a little less, er, routine—and a big part of why I keep coming back to the brand. Ahead, discover the best Medicube products I’m currently loving for skin, hair, and body.
My Top Medicube Skin-Care Products
Pore No More: Zero Pore Capsule Cleansing Foam
Why it’s worth it: I always kick off my skin-care routine with the Medicube Zero Pore Capsule Cleansing Foam—it’s gentle enough for my sensitive skin yet still gives me that fresh, just-polished feel. Funnily enough, the tube has a pointed tip that reminds me of a frosting decorator, and the cleanser itself comes out nearly as thick as icing, so you do have to give it a good squeeze. Once it lathers up, though, the micro-blue exosome capsules provide gentle physical exfoliation, while mandelic and salicylic acids keep pores clear. It also has cica to soothe irritation and green tea extract for an antioxidant boost. It never fails to leave my skin feeling clean, comfortable, and ready for the rest of my routine.
Mission: Moisture: PDRN Collagen Glow Jelly Serum
Why it’s worth it: With PDRN and collagen already well represented throughout Medicube’s lineup, the 5% niacinamide is what really caught my attention in Medicube’s PDRN Collagen Glow Jelly Serum. I use prescription tretinoin, so I’m not necessarily looking for serums packed with other potent actives—I mostly want deeper hydration and gentle ingredients that complement my retinoid. Between melasma, redness-prone skin, and the occasional allergic reaction that leaves my skin extra sensitive, niacinamide checks a lot of boxes: It can curb excess pigment to even out discoloration, calm inflammation, and support the skin barrier so it’s better able to hold onto moisture. And the lightweight water-jelly texture is exactly what I love about Korean serums: It melts in almost instantly and leaves behind zero stickiness.
Wrap Star: Collagen Wrapping Mask
Why it’s worth it: As beloved—and viral—as this face mask is, there’s definitely a bit of a learning curve. The first time I tried the Medicube Collagen Wrapping Mask, I thought I could get away with applying a thin layer so it would dry faster, then peel it off after a couple of hours (nope). This one is meant to be worn while you snooze for a full seven to eight hours, and you need to apply a generous, even layer so you can peel it off properly in the morning. The formula goes on completely clear, which means it makes it easy to miss a spot, and even with Medicube’s Jelly Brush applicator, I still somehow managed to get some in my hair.
Once I got the technique down, though, I understood the hype. The overnight mask dries into a soft, flexible film that seals in ingredients like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, and ceramides, which hydrate, smooth, and support my skin barrier. It even brings me back to peeling dried glue off my fingers as a kid—right down to the faint glue-like smell of the mask. Thankfully, it’s much more comfortable to sleep in than that comparison makes it sound, and my face never feels goopy. Removing it is very oddly satisfying, especially when there’s glassy, hydrated skin waiting underneath.
Golden Hour: Kojic Acid Turmeric Brightening Gel Mask
Why it’s worth it: Though the Medicube Kojic Acid Turmeric Brightening Gel Mask can be worn overnight, it turns transparent (your sign that the serum has absorbed and it’s ready to come off) in just about an hour, so I love reaching for this when I’m short on time. I also find that gel masks cling to my face so much better than traditional fabric sheet masks; I can keep working at my desk or chase after my kids without worrying about it sliding onto the floor.
As someone with melasma and dull skin, I’m especially into the brightening lineup here: Niacinamide and vitamin C even out tone, while turmeric provides antioxidant benefits and kojic acid targets excess pigment. When I peel it off, my skin looks and feels noticeably more hydrated and plump. Maybe not quite as much as with the Collagen Wrapping Mask, but this one is more convenient to squeeze into my day. The packaging tells you to pat any excess serum into your skin afterward, but I’ve never actually had any left—maybe a sign that my perpetually dry skin drinks up every last drop.
Lift Me Up: PDRN Collagen Gua Sha Neck Wrinkle Cream
Why it’s worth it: Remember when I told you K-beauty is all about innovation? Case in point: Medicube’s PDRN Collagen Gua Sha Neck Wrinkle Cream has a gua sha applicator built right into the tube, so you can massage in the cream without reaching for a separate tool. As I enter the last year of my 30s, I’ve become much more aware of sagging around my cheeks and jawline, so anything promising a firmer, plumper look immediately gets my attention.
The formula combines PDRN and hydrolyzed collagen with Volufiline, an ingredient commonly used in products designed to give skin a fuller, more plumped-up appearance, plus a whole lineup of peptides, retinol, niacinamide, hyaluronic acid, and ceramides. Despite “neck” being in the product name, I had a little trouble figuring out the most natural way to maneuver the uniquely shaped applicator around my neck. Along my jawline, though, it feels perfectly contoured to hug the area, and the massage aids with drainage and gives everything a temporarily more lifted, sculpted look.
Cast Away: No Cast Just Glow Collagen SPF 50
Why it’s worth it: The reason I usually draw a blank when friends ask me to recommend a classic daytime moisturizer? Korean sunscreens are so hydrating and lotion-like that, most mornings, I don’t bother using both. It actually took me a while to try Medicube’s No Cast Just Glow Collagen SPF 50 because I already have a handful of K-beauty SPFs I’m fiercely loyal to.
But when commerce editor Sarah Han—also a fellow K-beauty aficionado—called this ‘one of the glowiest, most brightening sunscreens’ she’s ever tried, I was intrigued. And, of course, she was right. The creamy chemical formula leaves my dry skin looking so much dewier without feeling like a heavy layer of sunscreen. Collagen and hyaluronic acid hydrate and temporarily plump, and ceramides, squalane, and cica nourish and soothe the skin barrier. It even includes peptides for extra smoothing support. But the real selling point for me is right there in the name: It disappears into my skin without a chalky cast.
My Top Medicube Body Products
Multitasking Mist: Glow Vanilla Hair & Body Fragrance Mist
Why it’s worth it: Of course, Medicube’s first-ever fragrance couldn’t just be a fragrance—it apparently needed skin-care perks, too. Glow Vanilla Hair & Body Fragrance Mist pairs its warm gourmand scent with kojic acid and niacinamide, ingredients typically used to even out skin tone, plus seven forms of hyaluronic acid for hydration. Do I need my perfume to moonlight as skin care? Probably not, but I’m certainly not going to turn down the extra benefits.
I still spritz it on my wrists like a traditional fragrance, but I also spray it in a little halo around my face, hair, and body so my skin can get in on the action. As for the scent itself, vanilla runs throughout, but coconut, pistachio, caramel, amber, cashmere woods, and sandalwood keep it from smelling too saccharine. It’s warm, creamy, and sweet, and since it’s a hair and body mist rather than a traditional eau de parfum, it’s easy to spritz generously without overwhelming my sensitive nose.
Bright Idea: Kojic Acid Turmeric Brightening Body Wash
Why it’s worth it: Even though it comes in a giant pump bottle, I’m already on my second jug of the Medicube Kojic Acid Turmeric Brightening Body Wash. It has many of the same brightening ingredients I love in Kojic Acid Turmeric Brightening Gel Mask, including kojic acid, turmeric, vitamin C, and niacinamide; this time, they’re targeting discoloration from the neck down. It also throws in a BHA—salicylic acid—and its extra exfoliating power helps smooth out some of the rough, bumpy texture from keratosis pilaris on the backs of my arms. And for a body wash with this many actives, it doesn’t feel aggressive: It works into a really satisfying, bubbly lather that leaves my skin feeling thoroughly clean without stripping. There is a subtle fragrance, but interestingly enough, fragrance isn’t one of the things my sensitive skin tends to react to.
My Top Medicube Hair-Care Products
Root Awakening: Rosemary PDRN Shampoo and Conditioner
Why it’s worth it: So the first thing you’ll notice in the Medicube Rosemary PDRN Shampoo and Conditioner is the invigorating rosemary, peppermint, and tea tree scent. It gives your scalp that satisfying, tingly feeling, though if you’re sensitive around the eyes, I’d recommend tilting your head back while rinsing since the cooling sensation can get a little intense as it runs down your face. The shampoo works into a rich, bubbly lather, with salicylic acid to cut through scalp buildup, plus PDRN, niacinamide, panthenol, and glycerin to keep the scalp and hair feeling balanced and hydrated. It leaves my hair genuinely clean but not stripped—I wash daily and have had zero issues using it every day.
The conditioner hits that sweet spot for me: Multiple forms of hyaluronic acid and hydrolyzed proteins hydrate and soften my dry lengths, but the texture is still lightweight and slick enough to make detangling effortless. The brand doesn’t disclose exactly what’s inside the tiny green capsules suspended throughout both formulas, but they burst instantly as you massage them in, adding a fun sensory touch that K-beauty is known for.
Knot Today: Rosemary PDRN Leave in Conditioner Spray
Why it’s worth it: If I’m styling my hair, nine times out of 10 I’m using my Dyson Airwrap to dry and curl it at the same time. (And if my hair is already air-dried and I’m feeling ambitious, maybe I’ll pull out a curling iron.) Luckily, the Rosemary PDRN Leave-In Conditioner Spray works on wet or dry hair, so it’s become my first step either way. It provides heat protection up to 455°F and detangles my long hair almost instantly. The formula also contains rosemary extract and PDRN, plus biotin, keratin, and a blend of proteins and amino acids to condition and smooth. Research on what topical PDRN can do for hair and scalp is still pretty limited, but I can tell you my hair feels incredibly silky after I use this.
End Game: Rosemary PDRN Deep Damage Care Hair Mask
Why it’s worth it: A lot of the ingredients in the Medicube Rosemary PDRN Hair Mask will sound familiar from the conditioner—there’s PDRN, rosemary extract, biotin, keratin, and a blend of proteins and amino acids—but this thicker, creamier mask takes the smoothing factor up a notch with argan oil, ceramides, and smoothing silicones. And my ends can use all the help they can get: I only cut my hair once or twice a year, so by the time I’m due for a trim, they’re usually extremely parched. I’ll admit I rarely have the patience to use a mask exactly as directed, which is to towel-dry my hair, apply it, wait 10 minutes, then get back into the shower to rinse. But when my ends are feeling particularly crunchy, I’ll make the extra effort for this one. It gives them that soft, smooth, just-got-a-trim feeling without a trip to my stylist.
The Cherry on Top: Forever Cherry Glass Hair Brush
Why it’s worth it: First, the obvious: Yes, this brush is shaped like a giant cherry, and yes, that makes me like it approximately 50% more. The Glass Hair Brush comes from Medicube’s collab with Forever Cherry, the Korean lifestyle brand known for its playful cherry motif, hence the very cute packaging. The brush has four different pin lengths designed to reach through different layers of hair at once, so it works through knots while smoothing the surface and taming flyaways. Medicube doesn’t specify exactly what the pins are made of, but they have rounded tips and are surprisingly sturdy, so running them along my scalp feels like a mini massage.
I especially like using it after I’ve applied a hair oil or serum: A few passes help distribute the product much more evenly than my fingers ever could, so I don’t end up with one oily patch and another section that somehow got nothing. My hair looks smoother, shinier, and much more evenly coated. The trade-off is that the brush itself is pretty small, so with my long hair, I can really only work through one small section at a time.
In our opinion, there’s no such thing as too much K-beauty:
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12 Best Korean Hair Treatment Products for the Glass Hair of Your Dreams
11 Best Korean Face Masks for a Glow-Inducing Reset
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