Japan skincare stock up

Guide

Hey guys,
I’m traveling to Japan for the next 3 weeks and I’d really love to stock up on skincare while I’m there, so I’d really appreciate some recommendations from you guys.

A few things about my skin first:
I’m from Germany, so my skin is used to a climate that’s not extremely dry but also not super humid either. My skin is VERY sensitive and extremely picky/random with products. I sometimes break out even from products that are commonly recommended for sensitive skin.

Products I tolerate really well:
COSRX Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence
SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Ampoule
Canmake Mermaid Skin Gel UV (my current holy grail sunscreen)
Beauty of Joseon products in general so far
Beauty of Joseon Ginseng Essence Water
Beauty of Joseon Revive Eye Serum (Ginseng + Retinal)

Products I did NOT tolerate well:
Round Lab 1025 Dokdo Toner (later realized it contains enzymes/exfoliating ingredients)
Hada Labo Gokujyun Hydrating Lotion (for some random reason, maybe the hyaluronic acid? not sure)
Skin1004 Cleansing Oil (sadly didn’t work for me either)

My skin is acne-prone but not super oily anymore. I used to have hormonal acne from high testosterone levels, but that got regulated. I still definitely have a keratinization/clogging issue though.

I’m mainly looking for:
a really gentle milky toner
an azelaic acid serum
a sunscreen
maybe a gentle cleansing oil
generally calming/minimalist Japanese or Korean skincare

I seem to do better with:
minimal formulations
low fragrance / fragrance-free
no essential oils
fewer plant extracts
no fermented ingredients
non-aggressive products

If anyone has recommendations from pharmacies/drugstores or brands I should check out while I’m there, I’d really appreciate it :)

Posted May 12, 2026, 8:19 AM UTC

26
Loading comments…