5 Summer K-Beauty Products Trending Big In 2024 (2024)

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To find out what’s trending in K-beauty right now, you could either scroll through KBeautyTok for hours, or you could go directly to Hemeko. The Seoul-based e-commerce platform is one of my favorite destinations for discovering the best Korean skincare, makeup, and haircare products before everyone else gets their hands on them. Designed as “your personal K-beauty guide,” Hemeko tracks and carefully curates launches that actually live up to the hype—especially from brands you may not have heard of yet.

“We work very closely with hair and makeup artists within the K-pop industry,” says Serine Lee, COO and cofounder of Hemeko. “We find that they know best what's up and coming and what celebrities want. Also, it's their job to find the best formulations that last on stage so you never go wrong with a makeup artist's pick.” Lee says that she and her team at Hemeko regularly work with a roster of experts including Jo Eun Bee (aespa’s makeup artist who’s also worked with New Jeans and Bae Suzy) and Kiu (a celebrity hair designer who’s worked with MAMAMOO’s Solar, Kep1er’s Yujin, Gfriend members, and more—and is also Hemeko’s CEO and Lee’s fellow cofounder).

“We’re always excited to launch newer brands,” says Lee. “I feel like bestsellers and brands from huge conglomerates can feel redundant at times, so we try our best to help our customers feel like they have other options.”

What are the biggest summer K-beauty trends to try right now?

This season, Lee is keeping an eye out for Y2K shimmer and fresh ways to wear blush. “Aespa’s makeup artist [Jo Eun Bee] is well known for using blush on the bridge of the nose, which gives an overall youthful look,” she says.

While Lee’s personal summer product list doesn’t include blush, I’d recommend trying the trend with some of K-beauty’s current viral favorites: the Rom&nd Better Than Cheek blush (particularly in the lilac-hued N02 Vine Nude), the curiously bouncy fwee Lip&Cheek Blurry Pudding Pots, and the curated shade sets in Dasique’s Blending Mood Cheek palettes.

5 of the Best Summer K-Beauty Products You Need Immediately

1. A.chi Blur Tint 01 Daily ($15, Hemeko)

“A.chi's blur tint has been a rave on social media recently for neutralizing the lip color,” says Lee of this viral “gray lip tint.” A matte, cool-toned tan meant to be worn as a base, it’s a new spin on muting your natural lip shade with concealer. “It's perfect for the summer as it prevents colors from bleeding outside of the lip, and the finish is matte but doesn't emphasize dry flakes,” she explains. “At first, the color can look a little scary but once you get the hang of using it, it elevates your lip makeup experience.”

2. glow breathable blemish balm ($30, Hemeko)

A K-pop idol favorite, this BB cream was formulated to look subtly glowy on stage without being “excessively dewy,” says Lee of one of the most popular launches from her brand, glow. Since launch, it’s won over plenty of fans. “TWICE's Mina, aespa's Giselle, and Byeon Woo-seok using the product has helped it go viral,” she shares. “Makeup artists have been using it as a foundation mixer to help enhance the texture of foundations with higher coverage.”

K-beauty brands that sell globally have been critiqued for their limited shade ranges, which Lee says her team has sought to address, offering its BB cream in two additional mixing colors to help tone the base shade lighter or deeper. “As a small brand, glow has launched three shades that can be used to mix and shade-match for global viewers who want to give Korean BB cream a try,” she says.

3. ANAZE Janmuri Cara ($13, Hemeko)

This compact tube looks like a mascara or brow gel, but it’s actually a summer must for hair—the giveaway being its name (janmuri means flyaways in Korean). “It’s an easy-to-use [hair] mascara for flyaways,” says Lee of the non-sticky, clump-free formula. “It fixes hair in place without leaving [it] feeling greasy, hard, or chalky.” The hair-cara goes on clear, so you can easily apply it without having to use a mirror. “I’ve used multiple products like this in the past and it definitely has its edge to it in terms of formulation, applicator, and finish,” she says.

4. AOU Glowy Tint Balm ($15, Hemeko)

AOU’s cushiony Floofy Matte Balm made my list of K-beauty launches worth the hype—it’s just one of those rare matte tints that makes my lips look better, not worse. For summer, Lee loves the “juicy” AOU Glowy Tint Balms. “[Blackpink’s] Jennie, [aespa’s] Karina, Seventeen, and many other K-pop stars have been spotted using this product, making it the new It K-pop lippie,” she says. The “unique” melting formula, “stunning glowy finish,” and non-sticky shine make this balm a staple in Lee’s collection. “For cool tones I would recommend the Mulberry Balm and for warmer tones try out the Peanut Balm,” she says.

5. Hesul Korean Soybean Scalp Soothing Treatment ($18, Hemeko)

For anyone who loves frequent hair color changes—or just needs an extra dose of moisture, this mask that targets both your hair and scalp is a must for repairing damage without any greasy residue. “Please try this hair treatment,” says Lee, who particularly recommends it for oily and sensitive scalp types. “As someone with bleached, damaged hair, I've tried so many conditioners, and a lot of them either broke me out or weren't nourishing enough for hair damage,” she says. “This is probably the only scalp suitable hair mask I've tried that feels nourishing enough for dry and brittle hair.”

Sarah Y. Wu is a Senior Contributor for Forbes. See her work at sarahywu.com and follow her on Instagram @say.wu.