A dressing table can hold ten bottles. A good routine does not have to.
The ten-step Korean skincare routine is a useful way to learn the different kinds of products you will meet: an oil cleanser beside a foam, an essence beside a serum, a sheet mask saved for a quieter evening. The number is a way into the subject, not a requirement to buy ten things.
Even Soko Glam’s guidance makes clear that all ten steps are optional. Start with a routine you can understand and repeat, then decide what deserves another place on the shelf.
The ten steps, at a glance
The sequence below follows the familiar categories in Soko Glam’s ten-step framework. Not every step belongs in every morning or evening.
- Oil cleanser or makeup remover. The first cleanse, often an oil or balm.
- Water-based cleanser. A second cleansing category, such as a face wash.
- Exfoliator. A separate, occasional step rather than a daily requirement.
- Toner. A liquid skincare step after cleansing.
- Essence. Another lightweight skincare category.
- Serum or ampoule. One place in the routine, with different names and formulas.
- Sheet mask. An optional mask step.
- Eye care. Products made for the eye area.
- Moisturizer. Your cream, lotion or gel.
- Sun protection. The daytime protection step.
Begin with the everyday foundation
The American Academy of Dermatology recommends a simple approach built around cleansing, moisturizing and protecting your skin. It also notes that adding many products can irritate skin as well as increase the cost of a routine.
For daytime sunscreen, its guidance is broad-spectrum SPF 30 or higher, with reapplication as directed. Sun protection also includes shade and protective clothing. A serum, mask or moisturizer without the appropriate sunscreen labeling does not take that place.
Think of that foundation as the part of the dressing table you arrange first. The other categories can wait until you know what you want from them.
How to make a shorter routine feel complete
Write down what you already use. Include the full product name, when you apply it, and what you like about the experience. A cream you enjoy finishing is useful information. So is a cleanser you keep avoiding.
Then look for duplication. If two bottles occupy the same place, ask whether you need both. A serum and an ampoule do not have to be separate purchases. Our ampoule vs serum guide explains how to compare the formulas rather than collect the labels.
If your routine is comfortable and easy to keep, it does not become incomplete because a tenth bottle is missing.
Choose by the exact product
Categories are helpful signs on the shelf, but they are not application instructions. A toner may be very different from another toner. A mask may be designed to rinse off, peel away or remove after a specified time. Read the current packaging for directions, frequency and ingredient information.
When you explore cleansers, toners and mists, or moisturizers, compare one category at a time. Keep the bottle size in view, too. A 30ml product and a 100ml product ask for different space in your budget.
A morning shelf and an evening shelf
You can organize the products you already own into the ones you use in the morning, the ones you use in the evening, and the occasional steps. That simple arrangement makes it easier to see your actual routine.
Leave the occasional products separate. Keep directions close enough to check. If you are unsure what suits your skin, ask a qualified dermatologist rather than treating a shopping list as a personal prescription.
Our favourite routine is the one that becomes familiar: a few considered choices, a place for each, and enough room to change your mind.
Explore the Korean beauty dressing table
Written by Kim Jong Beauty. Updated October 16, 2026. Educational skincare shopping guidance; follow each product’s current directions.
