When it comes to skincare trends for 2026, it’s Korean beauty for the takeover.

From Sephora’s partnership with Olive Young to Ulta and Target expanding their K-beauty aisles, analysts at Spate say K-beauty is driving skincare’s new frontier.

According to Spate’s Popularity Index, the moment’s skincare trends driven by K-beauty brands in the US are tranexamic acid cream and retinal serums.

Tranexamic Acid Cream

Tranexamic Acid Cream is a non-exfoliating treatment typically used to support more even-looking skin, a contrast to many brightening products that rely on aggressive exfoliation. Analysts say the trend has grown 705.7% compared to last year, and across platforms. Despite that surge, however, it remains Low Popularity, meaning awareness is still limited but rising fast. It receives 590.0 average monthly searches on Google and 687,200 average weekly views on TikTok. TikTok leads with 66.8% Popularity Share and growth of over 1,000%, while Search is up 117.5%, reinforcing a now-familiar pattern: consumers discover on social, then search to purchase.

Search competition remains low, with just 320 average monthly brand searches tied to Dr. Melaxin, signaling real white space for brands willing to market early. On TikTok, conversation clusters around benefit-driven hashtags like #brighteningskincare (261,300 average weekly views) and #hyperpigmentation, alongside retail-forward tags like #amazondeals (253,300) and #medicubetiktokshop (9,200), highlighting that affordability matters. Top branded hashtags include #tosowoong (261,300 average weekly views), #medicube (9,200), and #drmelaxin (215), with engagement concentrated among a small group of K-beauty brands heavily investing in paid and live selling. And it’s working. With a High Paid Views Share (43.7%) and a High TikTok Shop Views Share (43.4%), growth is being propelled by sponsored content and in-app commerce while the category is still emerging.

Retinal Serum

Often described as working faster than traditional retinol, retinal supports skin cell turnover, collagen production and acne treatment. The trend has grown 182.4% compared to last year, and remains Low Popularity, meaning most consumers still do not fully understand the difference between retinol and retinal, potentially viewing it as a tomato/tomahto situation rather than a meaningful formulation upgrade. TikTok currently leads with 54.6% Popularity Share and growth of 194.6%, while Instagram is accelerating even faster at 336.4%. The category receives 4,100 average monthly searches on Google and 438,200 average weekly views on TikTok. On Search, the term review (4,100 average monthly searches) stands out, signaling that consumers want reassurance before purchasing, especially since many of the top brands are Korean and may be unfamiliar to US shoppers. Searches for formats like eye serum (3,800) and ingredients such as ginseng (3,800) reflect interest in products like Beauty of Joseon’s Revive Eye Serum.

While K-beauty brands are leading, they’re not alone, analysts say. Search also surfaces names like Mychelle Dermaceuticals (470.0) suggesting the category is open to broader participation. On TikTok, related hashtags like #koreanskincare (80,100 average weekly views) reinforce that consumers associate next-generation actives with K-beauty innovation. Functional tags, including #hyperpigmentation (65,500), #antiaging (50,100), and #retinol (39,400), show that comparison content is driving discovery. Despite strong positive sentiment (8.1/10), engagement remains low (1.7%) alongside a very high Paid Views Share (82.0%). Consequently, analysts say valuable campaigning can position retinal as the faster, more advanced “sibling” in the retinoid family.