It’s that time of year again — when I round up my top-rated (10/10) skincare from the previous year. Last year, this took two posts (Lisa’s List: Top-Rated Skincare of 2021 Part 1 — Toners, Essences, Serums, Creams & Oils and Lisa’s List: Top-Rated Skincare of 2021 Part 2 — Wash-Off Products, Actives, Sunscreen & Other Skincare), and it will take two this year as well, though split up along different product categories. (The next post will be serums and moisturizers, as well as lip and eye care.) There are some duplicates across years, as I did open and empty some of the same products, but I have noted top-rated this year vs last year below, before deep-diving on this year’s products.

🧼 Cleansers

Cleansers are traditionally not my favorite category (though I do enjoy cleansing balms), but this year two second cleanses made my list, while no first cleanses did.
Cleansers this year: Tatcha The Rice Wash; SkinRX Lab MadeCera Cream Mild Whipped Cleanser (not pictured)
Cleansers last year: Banila Clean It Zero Cleansing Balm

💜 Tatcha The Rice Wash

Tatcha’s aesthetic is endlessly covetable, and it would figure that their cleanser, The Rice Wash, is a banger. It also lasts reasonably long, as the 50 mL sample took me roughly five months to finish. Admittedly, I only cleanse in the PM and am generally reluctant to do so, but part of why this cleanser rates is because IT MADE ME WANT TO WASH MY FACE. This starts out a bit grainy, but by the time it is rubbed between the hands and applied to the face, all of the grit has broken down and it’s just a soft, creamy lather. This cream texture makes it exceptionally good for dry skin, and it doesn’t leave any residue, as is sometimes the case with cream cleansers. It also comes with the characteristic Tatcha fragrance, though much like the cleanser itself, this washes away cleanly.
Opened: March
Emptied: July
Price: $36 USD / 120 mL; shown in the $16 USD / 50 mL travel size

💖 SkinRX Lab MadeCera Cream Mild Whipped Cleanser

Cream cleansers were definitely my discovery of the year, and SkinRX Lab MadeCera Cream Mild Whipped Cleanser (not pictured due to overzealous decluttering and my assumption I would have purchased a refill by now) was another excellent one. Skin RX Lab’s MadeCera line is generally a lovely one for dry skinned folks who don’t mind fragrance, which this definitely has — a more citrusy, less delicious one than their toner or cream, unfortunately. The MadeCera line all uses a combination of madecassoside (a bioavailable compound in centella asiatica) and ceramide NP (found naturally in the skin barrier), ergo the name, but this includes a bunch of other lovely ingredients, too: sea water, hydrolyzed collagen, other centella asiatica compounds, shea butter and cholesterol. If it sounds like a moisturizer, you could argue that it is — but it also cleanses nicely without stripping the skin or leaving any residue. I went through this a bit faster than the Tatcha, but I was also using a smaller sample size, so the three-ish months to finish aren’t truly representative.
Opened: January
Emptied: March
Price: $15 USD / 100 mL; not shown in the sample size used due to personal failure

🎭 Masks

I’ve been a huge fan of masks for longer than I’ve been a huge fan of skincare itself, and my pathological bathing habit is to blame. I’m a big believer in using an exfoliating mask followed by a moisturizing mask, which this year’s favorites exemplify.
Masks this year: Some By Mi Propolis B5 Glow Barrier Calming Mask; Peach & Lily Super Reboot Resurfacing Mask; I’m From Honey Mask (repeat)
Masks last year: Peach Slices Snail Rescue Intensive Wash-Off Mask; I’m From Honey Mask

🐝 Some By Mi Propolis B5 Glow Barrier Calming Mask

Put most of the things I like into one product, and you get the Some By Mi Propolis B5 Glow Barrier Calming Mask: it’s got the bee trifecta, it’s inexpensive, and it calms my skin down. That bee trifecta is propolis extract at 56%, honey extract and royal jelly extract, though they take that a few steps further by adding pollen extract, honey and beeswax themselves (it should go without saying that if you’re allergic to bees, this may not be your jam). To help with the calming and barrier support it also includes panthenol (the vitamin B5 in the name), mugwort extract, ceramide NP, and boatloads of cica: centella leaf extract, madecassoside, madecassic acid, asiaticoside, and asiatic acid. This has a jelly texture that makes it feel fun and less precious to apply, which I did with alacrity, either on its own or after an exfoliating mask, and it never dried down uncomfortably.
Opened: August
Emptied: November
Price: $23 USD / 100 g

💻 Peach & Lily Super Reboot Resurfacing Mask

There are many alternatives to the infamous The Ordinary’s AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution, but the Peach & Lily Super Reboot Resurfacing Mask was the first and, in my estimation, the best. This uses 10% glycolic acid and .5% salicylic acid, so it has AHA and BHA at much lower, but still effective, percentages, while making it generally minimally irritating by including agave, aloe, green tea and centella asiatica. This is a jelly mask and can indeed be a bit hard to rinse, so I recommend using a corner of a damp baby wash cloth to ensure you get it all off, or to hop in the shower to power rinse it. I do tend to follow this up with a moisturizing mask, mostly for the sake of my sensitive cheeks, but it keeps the dermatitis around my nose marvelously under control.
Opened: February
Emptied: July
Price: $43 USD / 80 mL

🍯 I’m From Honey Mask

If you haven’t yet tried the I’m From Honey Mask, you are missing out and apparently the resident of the underside of a rock, from the skincare internet perspective, because this is basically the most universally beloved product I’m aware of, especially among k-beauty. This is a great mask for any skin type, thanks to honey’s myriad benefits, but especially for my fellow dry skin types it’s lovely because you can literally fall asleep with this on (and I know folks who have) without any deleterious effects from this. I love it for when I’m having breakouts or sensitivity, as well as basically any other time. I only wish it were more available, as this does have to be shipped by kbeauty retailers.
Opened: October ’21
Emptied: February
Price: $38 USD / 210 g

💦 Toners

Perhaps because I’m a Person of a Certain Age (did you know some consider middle age to start at 35?), perhaps because I live in a high desert, and perhaps just because it’s awesome, I’ve found layering toner to be a game changer for my dry skin. This year’s three toners layer beautifully, and notably two of them are repeats!
Toners this year: Cosrx Full Fit Propolis Synergy Toner (repeat); Cosrx Pure Fit Cica Toner (repeat); elmt Advanced Calming Solution
Toners last year: Missha Time Revolution First Treatment Essence; MIZON Skin Power Original First Essence; Cosrx Pure Fit Cica Toner; Cosrx Full Fit Propolis Synergy Toner; Peach Slices Snail Rescue Blemish Busting Toner; Pyunkang Yul Essence Toner

🐝 Cosrx Full Fit Propolis Synergy Toner

I wish I got kickbacks from Cosrx for hyping their Full Fit Propolis Synergy Toner, because heaven knows I do and have for years. Cosrx’s entire propolis line is fantastic. Propolis is a great ingredient for glow, moisturization and passive acne-fighting, and this toner makes it easy to fit in any routine — AM or PM, with actives or without. I personally layer this twice on top of a more lightweight toner, as it does have some body to it, but it never feels heavy or tacky.
Opened: July
Emptied: October
Price: $22 USD / 150 mL

🍃 Cosrx Pure Fit Cica Toner

I’ve been a fan of the Cosrx Pure Fit Cica Toner since I won it in a brand giveaway, so I guess I’m living proof that giveaways can be worth the marketing expense, because I have repurchased and recommended this many times. Someday when I stop being quite so skincare obsessed, this will be in my forever routine. This has three different centella extracts, as well as its bioavailable compounds (asiaticoside, asiatic acid, madecassic acid, madecassoside), plus pyccnogenol and panthenol, making it a calming, antioxidant powerhouse. This is deeply hydrating, and my top pick for the seven skins method.
Opened: November ’21
Emptied: January
Rating: 10/10

🖼 elmt Advanced Calming Solution

The elmt line from Wishtrend is all about toners (though they now have a vitamin C serum!), and their Advanced Calming Solution has been there since the beginning. The line is all about synergies between primary ingredients, in this case
centella and tremella fuciformis polysaccharide. Centella is well-known for its calming and soothing benefits, and this includes centella leaf water, centella leaf/stem extract and centella root extract at 59%. Tremella fuciformis, or snow mushroom, is increasingly popular due to its anti-oxidant and anti-irritation benefits. The bottle looks small and the thickness of the bottom is definitely a fake out so you’ll think you have more than you do, but it’s a legit 150 mL. This isn’t as deeply hydrating as other centella toners I love (cough Cosrx cough), but with its added panthenol and allantoin, it is very soothing.
Opened: January
Emptied: March
Rating: 10/10

☀️ Sunscreen

Sunscreen is one of the most important steps of a skincare routine, and it can be darn hard to find a good one due to US sunscreen filter regulations, which is why I pretty much exclusively buy mine overseas from k-beauty retailers (though one of these is available in the US from US retailers), and why all of these top-rated sunscreens are, indeed, kbeauty, and why many of them went viral.
Sunscreen this year: Mary & May CICA Soothing Sun Cream SPF50+ PA++++, Isntree Hyaluronic Acid Airy Sun Stick, Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun : Rice + Probiotics, Thank You Farmer Sun Project Water Sun Cream (not pictured), Hyggee Vegan Sun Cream (repeat)
Sunscreen last year: Hyggee Vegan Sun Cream; Isntree Watery Sun Gel

🍃 Mary & May CICA Soothing Sun Cream SPF50+ PA++++

Mary & May is a newer kbeauty brand on the market, and their CICA Soothing Sun Cream SPF50+ PA++++ is one of the latest k-beauty sunscreen releases to be go viral. It uses the new generation chemical filters, and is lightweight while feeling moisturizing. True to its name, it has seven forms of centella asiatica: three extracts, plus asiaticoside, madecassoside, madecassic acid and asiatic acid. Those concerned with fermented ingredients or fragrance should be aware that this does include both, which I’m personally fine with. This has a lightweight texture that still feels moisturizing.
Opened: August
Emptied: October
Price: $20 USD / 50 mL

🏒 Isntree Hyaluronic Acid Airy Sun Stick

Isntree Hyaluronic Acid Airy Sun Stick is the product that made me fall in love with a whole skincare format. As a lover of their Watery Sun Gel (a winner last year), it seemed an obvious choice to buy it for reapplication during the Colorado summers. My initial plan had been to use it while mountain biking, since dust, sweat and bike gloves make for less-than-easy sunscreen usage. It turns out I love it for that, plus any outdoor occasion, plus traveling. It’s great for being on-the-go: doesn’t need to go in the liquid bag; slips easily into a pocket or small bag; makes reapplication with dirty hands a non-issue. Unlike a normal sunscreen, which can feel a bit greasy or moisturizing, this almost feels like a deodorant, but that’s a good thing because it also really seems to stay put.
Opened: June
Emptied: September
Price: $21 USD / 22 g

🌾 Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun : Rice + Probiotics

Even my coworkers are hopping on the Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun : Rice + Probiotics train, and why not? It’s a “come for the sunscreen filters, stay for the rest of the inci list” situation. It uses the newer generation filters to get its SPF 50+ PA++++ rating while being non-irritating and white-cast-free. In addition it has rice bran water at 30%, which is a great brightening ingredient, plus niacinamide to brighten and a variety of ferments to support the skin barrier. This is the sort of sunscreen that even the dry skin types might be able to skip moisturizer for, because it just feels nourishing.
Opened: June
Emptied: July
Price: $18 USD / 50 mL

👩‍🌾 Thank You Farmer Sun Project Water Sun Cream

The only sunscreen on this list available in the US, Thank You Farmer Sun Project Water Sun Cream is a lovely Korean sunscreen that achieves cosmetic elegance even with the older chemical sunscreen filters. This feels moisturizing without adding any heaviness — it even passed the husband test, though it does leave a dewy finish. This is fragranced with a bit of an apricot scent that I personally enjoy. You can purchase it at Soko Glam as well as Costco. I loved this so much that I gave away my last tube, which is why it is not pictured here.
Opened: February
Emptied: May
Price: $23 USD / 50 mL; get two tubes for $32 at Costco

🧺 Hyggee Vegan Sun Cream

I initially tried the Hyggee Vegan Sun Cream because it was ostensibly a dupe for Krave Beauty’s Beet Shield (it is and it isn’t), but it has stuck around on its own merits. Much like Krave, it uses the new sunscreen filters and beet root extracts — really going for antioxidants to amplify its protection from oxidative stress. Unlike Krave Beauty, it did meet its stated SPFF 50+ PA++++ in external testing. It also feels more moisturizing, which seems to be a general theme of the popular sunscreens this year (fun fact: they are almost all manufactured by the same company). This is a great sunscreen, particularly in the winter.
Opened: November ’21
Emptied: February
Price: $24 USD / 50 mL