Interested to know what the best Korean beauty products and brands at Ulta are? I have been obsessed with Asian beauty for years, and I was so excited when Ulta finally started carrying some of my favorite brands. Finally, no more sketchy websites and waiting for long shipping times! If you’re new to Kbeauty, here are some of my favorite viral products at Ulta.

Are Kbeauty products better at Sephora or Ulta?

You may remember I wrote a very similar post not too long ago about Korean beauty products at Sephora. So which store carries the best Kbeauty products? To be completely honest, I think Ulta has MUCH better Kbeauty brands. Ulta carries a better variety of Kbeauty products, including many cult favorite, gone-viral items. I personally use many of the products from Ulta. Since I first wrote this post years ago, Ulta has started selling a HUGE variety of different Kbeauty brands, so much that I can’t even list them all in one post. But here are some of the most well-known brands they carry:

Best New KBeauty Brands at Ulta

Round Lab

Round Lab took the Kbeauty world by storm with their super viral Birch Juice Sunscreen. While they have other products as well, the sunscreen is what they are most well known for.

I’m From

I’m From went viral for their hydrating Rice Toner. I bought a bottle myself and agree that it’s exactly as it advertises – gentle and moisturizing. I think it’s a more affordable version of the Laneige cream skin toner. I hear the I’m From mugworth line of products is also good, although I haven’t tried them myself.

Etude

Etude has been around for many many years, but they recently broke the internet with their Soonjung line, specifically the Barrier Intensive Cream. Advertised as a no-frills, super gentle moisturizing cream for sensitive skin, I see it as kind of the Korean competitor to Cerave and Cetaphil, but slightly higher end. I bought a bottle myself, and I do think it delivers on its promises.

Medicube

Full disclosure, I have not tried any Medicube products yet, but they are so popular I had to give them a shoutout. Known more as a science-y brand with dermatologist-level skincare tools as well as products, they’re popular for their face masks and their LED + microcurrent skin tool.

Honorable Mentions: Mixsoon, Skin1004, ma:nyo, Isntree, Anua, Some By Mi

Now we’re getting into the area of Kbeauty where there’s too many popular products for me to even have tried them all. All of the above mentioned beauty brands are very popular and have their own hit products, but I have just not tried them yet. Mixsoon and Skin1004 are known for their nature-inspired skincare and gentle products. You’ll see a lot of ingredients like bifida ferment, heartleaf, and centella asiatica. Ma:nyo and Isntree have more no-frills, clinical-seeming products for sensitive skin. Anua is somewhere in between. They have more Western-sounding ingredients like retinol, but also some plant-based ingredients. I’ve heard good things about their azelaic acid products as well. Some By Mi also has Western-skincare leaning exfoliants, and is very well known for their AHA BHA PHA exfoliating pads.

Oldies but Goodies: COSRX, Banila Co., and Dear Klairs

COSRX is a wildly popular Kbeauty brand known for highlighting quality ingredients with no fuss. Their packaging is simple, and their products are great for sensitive skin as they are gentle and mostly unscented. I always keep a pack of their pimple patches on hand. I’ve also used their BHA blackhead power liquid, which I loved (I have to admit, though, I switched to Paula’s Choice for my BHA, as I think it works better). Other COSRX that have got rave reviews on Reddit include their snail mucin line, although I haven’t tried it myself.

Banila Co

Banila Co went viral for their Clean It Zero cleansing balm, which was one of the first cleansing balms on the market. It works just as well as the Farmacy Green Clean cleansing balm, but when comparing price per ounce, it’s less than HALF the cost of the Green Clean. Banila Co’s Miss Flower and Mr. Honey line of products have also gotten rave reviews recently, but I have to admit I haven’t tried it yet. It’s definitely on my list to purchase, though!

Dear Klairs

Dear Klairs is used to be my absolute favorite Korean beauty line for skincare before newer brands were born. I still love their supple preparation toner: it’s super hydrating and full of great ingredients that calm and soothe sensitive skin. My favorite product, though, is their Midnight Blue Calming Cream. It’s a medium weight moisturizer that has antiaging ingredients like peptides and also soothing ingredients like Centella Asiatica. I’ve gone through two bottles of it already!

Korean Makeup at Ulta: TirTir, rom&nd, Unleashia

Previously, the Kbeauty makeup selection at Ulta was very poor. Even now, the products available in the makeup category are MUCH less than what’s offered in skincare. However, Ulta carries a couple of THE most popular Kbeauty products on the internet, so what they do have is worthwhile.

First off is Tirtir, which went viral for their foundation cushions on Tiktok. I bought one myself, and it truly lives up to the hype. The smallest amount gives you full coverage, but it feels so light on your skin. I use shade 15C.

Next is rom&nd. They’re known for their lip products, of which I own many. I highly recommend getting any of their lip tints, which range from glossy and hydrating to blurring and matte. Their color selection is also full of amazing neutrals. I actually also own a few of their eye palettes, which are not available at Ulta unfortunately, but if you ever see them in stock, it should be an immediate purchase.

Finally, speaking of eyes, we have Unleashia. They’re very popular for their eyeshadow palettes. I have not tried any yet myself, but they’re so well known, I couldn’t go without giving them a proper mention.

More Asian Beauty and Shopping Posts

I hope this Kbeauty at Ulta guide was useful for you! If you’re interested in seeing more Asian beauty information, check out these posts: