You’ve likely heard about K-beauty and its countless benefits for your skin. But take it from a beauty writer: Japanese skin care, aptly called J-beauty, should also be on your radar if it’s not already. Unlike the more elaborate routines that Korean beauty is known for, Japanese skin care routines tend to be much more simplistic and focus on getting your best skin in the least amount of steps.
I spoke to dermatologists about what exactly differentiates J-beauty from other products and how it can benefit your skin. I also rounded up my picks for some of the best and highly rated Japanese skin care on the market.
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The best J-beauty products in 2026
Best overall
Although this essence is best for mature skin, I love using it as a replacement for my usual toner step. The essence’s main ingredient is a naturally-derived yeast ferment that helps stimulate your skin, which increases your natural production of hydrators like hyaluronic acid, according to the brand. It’s lightweight, absorbs quickly and doesn’t leave any residue or fragrance.
Editor’s pick
This sunscreen stick cracked the top 20 of our 100 best sunscreens list for its clear, weightless formula and travel-friendly design that make it perfect for summer days. It has board-spectrum SPF 60+ protection and hydrates skin for up to eight hours, according to the brand. NBC Select editorial operations associate Jem Alabi loves using this stick when her skin is feeling particularly dry, and she likes that it’s easy to apply without getting her hands sticky. It also glides perfectly over makeup, says Alabi.
Best oil cleanser
Double cleansing is a pillar of Japanese skin care, which means you’ll need to pick up a good oil cleanser. The cleanser has antioxidant-rich olive oil and refreshing rosemary oil, which work together to cling to and dissolve sebum, dirt, makeup and bacteria on your skin, according to the brand. It has soothing vitamin E and leaves no greasy, oily residue when you’re washing it off. It’s also highly-rated, with a 4.6-star rating from more than 24,000 reviews on Amazon.
Best cleanser
This cleansing bar, which has a 4.7-star rating from nearly 200 reviews at Sephora, includes an exfoliating glove that buffs away dead skin cells. While Okinawan snow salt helps to absorb bacteria, dirt and oil, snow mushroom hydrates your skin, which helps prevent post-cleansing dryness. When double cleansing, use this bar as the second step following an oil cleanser.
Best lotion/toner
In Japanese skin care, toners are often called “lotions” because they mainly focus on hydration. This one has fermented rice to help balance your skin’s pH levels and sake ferment to help firm skin and reduce any bumps or blemishes. It has arbutin (a naturally-derived plant extract) to help even out your skin tone, according to the brand. Reviewers on Amazon (where it has a 4.4-star rating from more than 7,800 reviews) say they love the big bottle size, making it a great value for the price. For best results, use this after cleansing and before your serum step.
Best lip mask
You can use this lip mask to hydrate your lips during the day and overnight. It has Japanese peach extract to repair chapped lips, plus rose extract and Japanese camellia oil to help prevent dryness, according to the brand. “I love using this lip mask overnight; I notice a huge difference in how smooth my normally dry, chapped lips feel in the morning,” says NBC Select updates editor Mili Godio.
Best eye cream
If dark circles are an issue for you, this Shiseido eye cream has Japanese ginseng extract to help brighten your under eyes, according to the brand. It also has squalane, which hydrates, and peptides to reduce fine lines. It has a rich, creamy texture, too.
Best moisturizer
This cream may have a lightweight gel texture, but it’s still incredibly moisturizing thanks to its stacked ingredient list: hyaluronic acid and ceramides to keep your skin barrier hydrated and protected, and collagen to reduce fine lines. The gel-cream absorbs quickly into your skin, doesn’t leave a greasy finish and works well for all skin types. It’s also noncomedogenic, so it won’t clog your pores (which is great for those with sensitive skin).
Best sunscreen
This is a true triple threat: it’s a moisturizer, sunscreen and primer all in one. It’s safe for sensitive skin and has hyaluronic acid to keep your skin moisturized throughout the day. It leaves no white cast and you can easily layer it on top of other skin care products without worrying about it pilling or getting greasy over time.
How I picked the best J-beauty products
To pick the best J-beauty products, I combed through the hundreds of skin care products we’ve tested and our current favorites. I also researched top-rated products from popular Japanese brands. Here’s what I kept in mind based on my experts’ guidance:
- Product types: This list includes products across a range of categories, including cleansers, serums, essences, moisturizers and sunscreen. I was sure to choose products that captured the entire scope of a Japanese skin care routine (which you can find out more about below).
- Ingredients: In keeping with the hydration-forward philosophy of Japanese skin care, I chose products that include soothing and moisturizing ingredients that strengthen and protect your skin barrier, This includes hydrating ingredients like hyaluronic acid and ceramides, along with antioxidant-rich formulas with plant and botanical extracts.
What is Japanese skin care?
Japanese beauty, or J-beauty, covers the hundreds of skin care, hair care and beauty products originating in Japan. Following the explosion of Korean skin care into American markets, Japanese skin care, with its shorter and simpler routines, has also gained a fair amount of recent attention. Rather than the elaborate routines that are a hallmark of K-beauty, Japanese skin care is known for a more minimalist approach, often emphasizing traditional skin care ingredients like botanical extracts, fermented sake, seaweed and more that focus on hydration and prevention, and centering products like oil cleansers, essences and lotions (toners).
Japanese skin care’s key philosophy is focused on prevention, says Dr. Jane Yoo, a board- certified dermatologist and dermatologic surgeon specializing in cosmetic and surgical dermatology. “The goal is to protect the skin early through daily habits like moisturizing and wearing sunscreen, rather than waiting to fix damage later,” she says.
What kind of ingredients are used in Japanese skin care?
Japanese skin care usually has traditional ingredients derived from Japan’s natural environment. Yoo calls them “useful support players” since the outcomes depend on the concentration, formulation and consistency of each product. A few key ingredients include:
- Ferments: Ferments can improve the texture of your skin and help support your skin barrier, says Yoo.
- Rice bran/extracts: Rice bran includes essential antioxidants to help protect your skin from UV damage, while brightening and evening out your skin tone, says board-certified dermatologist Dr. Michele Green. It can also help improve skin elasticity, however, it’s rarely a treatment fix on its own, says Yoo.
- Matcha and green tea: Green tea has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, which helps brighten your skin and smooth fine lines.
- Sakura/cherry blossom extract: Sakura extract helps soothe inflammation, boost collagen production and reduce UV damage, says Green.
What is a typical Japanese skin care routine?
Japanese skin care routines are centred around minimalism and simplicity, with an emphasis on traditional methods and ingredients. An example of a typical Japanese skin care regimen is:
- Oil cleanser: Oil cleansing is a foundational part of Japanese skin care because it gently removes makeup, excess sebum, sunscreen and more without drying out your skin, says Yoo.
- Water-based cleanser: After using an oil-based cleanser, follow it up with a water-based cleanser to remove sweat, dirt and other grime from the day. Japanese water-based cleaners often have creamy, foaming textures or come as a gentle gel that keeps skin soft without making it feel tight and dry, says Yoo.
- Toner: In the West, people usually use toners to control oil or cleanse skin, and they often have high levels of alcohol and/or exfoliating ingredients. In Japanese skin care, toners (also called lotions) have hydrating ingredients that help restore the water lost during cleansing, experts say. This helps keep your skin soft and primed for the next step.
- Essence: The essence step helps to bridge the gap between hydrating lotions and more targeted treatments. Use them daily to help to improve skin texture and clarity over time, says Yoo.
- Serum: Yoo calls serums “targeted support products” because they can address specific skin care concerns like dryness, dullness and texture. Japanese serums tend to be lightweight in texture and usually zero in on a few key, carefully chosen actives, like vitamin C and hyaluronic acid, for better balance in your overall routine.
- Moisturizer: Moisturizing is essential to seal in the hydration from the previous lotion, essence and serum steps, says Yoo. When it comes to moisturizers, many Japanese formulas have non-greasy textures to encourage easy layering and daily, consistent use.
- Sunscreen: Daily sun protection is an essential part of any skin care routine because it reduces hyperpigmentation, skin barrier damage and wrinkles, experts say. Japanese sunscreens are usually lightweight and non-sticky, so they’re great to layer on top of other products, says Yoo. They typically have chemical formulas with more advanced chemical filters (which are not yet FDA-approved in the U.S.) compared to the older ones in American sunscreen, like avobenzone and oxybenzone.
Frequently asked questions
Japanese skin care is best for hydration and deep cleansing. Many products prioritize gentle cleansing, hydration and soothing ingredients like ceramides to help reduce and prevent irritation, says Yoo. There’s a strong emphasis on skin barrier health, and hydrating ingredients are layered over multiple steps while preventing greasiness or congestion, she says.
Japanese skin care is usually gentler because it’s focused on comfort and hydration. However, Yoo says that it truly depends on the product and your skin type; factors like active ingredients and added fragrances can be irritating to some skin types.
Yes, a simple routine is often better for the skin, especially if you have sensitive or mature skin. A smaller, consistent routine reduces exposure to irritants, allergens and over-exfoliation, and prevents the overuse of active ingredients, says Yoo.
American skin care is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), while Japanese skin care standards fall under the Pharmaceutical and Medical Devices Agency. In Japan, the approval process for a product is done before hitting the market, whereas in America the FDA only requires notification and post-market monitoring.
When it comes to products like sunscreen, in America, sunscreen is classified as an over-the-counter drug rather than a cosmetic, making the regulatory process a lot stricter. For example, American sunscreens can only use a small number of long-held chemical filters, whereas Japanese sunscreens have been approved for a longer list of more advanced chemicals, making the formulas newer and more innovative.
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Meet our skin care experts
At NBC Select, we work with experts who have specialized knowledge and authority based on relevant training and/or experience. We also take steps to ensure all expert advice and recommendations are made independently and without undisclosed financial conflicts of interest.
- Dr. Jane Yoo is a board certified dermatologist and dermatologic surgeon specializing in cosmetic and surgical dermatology.
- Dr. Michele Green is a board-certified cosmetic dermatologist in New York City.
Why trust NBC Select?
I am an associate SEO reporter for NBC Select, covering skin care, wellness, and more, including stories on the best K-beauty ampoules and sunscreens for dark skin tones. For this story, I rounded up top-rated and editor-favorite Japanese skin care products, along with the rundown on everything you need to know about J-beauty.
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