I Bought $155 Worth of Medicube, and Some Are My Favorite New Skincare Products
After years of keeping my skincare routine minimal, I finally gave in to TikTok’s latest obsession and splurged on Medicube.
Over the past year or two, I’ve kept my skincare routine extremely minimal. I stuck to the same drugstore face wash morning and night, occasionally slapping on a Mighty Patch if I broke out—and that was pretty much it. But lately, I've been targeted more and more by fancier routines while scrolling on TikTok, and I finally slapped my card down to try out a range of items from the favorite K-beauty brand Medicube.
At first, I was drawn to their the brand's Zero Pore Pads—wet toner pads designed to refine pores and balance pH. I’ve always been obsessed with minimizing pores (even though, truthfully, mine weren’t terrible), and the promise was tempting. I went to Medicube’s official website intending to buy the pore pads until I saw they were running a massive sale. A five-piece skincare set (dubbed the Glass Glow 7-Day Skincare Set), originally $155, was marked down to $77. Compared to how expensive skincare is lately, five products for that price felt like a steal.
The set included a Zero Foam Cleanser (a gentle daily cleanser), Zero Pore Pads (pore-refining toner pads), Zero Exosome Shot 7500 (an skin repair serum), Collagen Niacinamide Jelly Cream (a hydrating and brightening moisturizer), Collagen Night Wrapping Mask (an overnight hydration treatment). On top of all this goodness, it also included their other popular product I was seeing everywhere on TikTok: the Medicube Collagen Mask.
I gave the product range a try over multiple weeks and am going to be brutally honest about how my skin is doing now. Keep scrolling for my review of each product in the set, including the brand's ultra popular collagen mask, pads, and foaming cleanser.
Which Products Are Best? The Medicube Collagen Mask, Pads, More
After a few weeks of consistent use, here’s my honest verdict: I genuinely love the products. First, and most importantly, they didn’t break me out—a rare win for me when introducing new products. Every now and then, when tempted by the elaborate skincare routines flooding TikTok, I'm often reminded that, for me, more products usually meant more breakouts. But for these Medicube items, there was no adjustment phase and no bout of surprise flare-ups. My skin stayed calm and hydrated.
That said, I did tweak the routine to better fit my lifestyle. Using all five products every single night felt excessive, especially for my 22-year-old skin. Now, I use the Zero Foam Cleanser and Zero Pore Pads daily, the Exosome Shot when I’m feeling extra, and the collagen mask and treatments once a week.
I also impulsively grabbed their Red Body Wash, formulated with salicylic acid, niacinamide, and lactic acid to help combat body acne — something I had recently started struggling with. With a price point of $29, which is more expensive than I’m used to spending on body washes, I still gave it a go.
The true standouts? The Zero Foam Cleanser is incredibly soft and refreshing, and has kept acne off my face. The Zero Pore Pads deliver on their promises without stripping my skin, and it’s also incredibly convenient to use, requiring just a few swipes on my face. And the Red Body Wash—though not fragranced like typical body washes I’d typically go for—has genuinely helped slow my body acne, and I’ve grown to love its clean, simple feel. It goes on my body softly, making my skin feel hydrated even before I apply lotion.
Final Thoughts
After my beauty splurge on this suite of Medicube products, I initially felt optimistic. It's a Korean skincare brand, and in my experience, K-beauty tends to be cleaner, simpler, and gentler—exactly what my skin needs. Sure, I didn't try the brand's other very popular tool, its MUA-approved Age-R Booster wand, but these more affordable products were a great entry point.
If you’re looking for a skincare brand that’s gentle, effective, and doesn’t overwhelm your skin, Medicube is genuinely worth the investment. Not every product needs to be used religiously, in my opinion, but the staples —the cleanser, pore pads, and body wash—have become new essentials for me. Everything else feels like a fancy spa day, especially the exosome shot and the collagen masks. I have learned the hard way that skincare isn’t one-size-fits-all. But after years of scrolling past promises of glassy, flawless skin, I finally gave in to the TikTok hype, and I'm glad I did.
