A Korean Skincare Routine for Sensitive Skin, Built on Vegan-Labeled Formulas
Four vegan-labeled steps — mist, serum, cream, and sunscreen — built around barrier recovery and gentle ingredients.
This Korean skincare routine for sensitive skin pairs PDRN described as plant-derived with formulas their brands label vegan, plus calming ingredients like centella asiatica and niacinamide, to support barrier recovery. It runs morning and evening, with a tone-up sunscreen added in the AM. Reactive, sensitivity-prone skin is the target.
Who This Routine Is For
If your skin tends to flush, react, or feel easily disrupted, and you also want to keep your routine entirely plant-based, this is the kind of approach worth looking at. The routine is built for reactive, sensitive skin with barrier recovery and skin defense as its main goals.
It is also designed for people who prefer products their brands label vegan. That means skipping salmon-derived PDRN — an ingredient that has become common in Korean skincare but is traditionally animal-sourced. Here, the PDRN is described as coming from rice and rose instead.
If you are already following a vegan lifestyle or simply prefer nature-inspired formulations, this routine makes it straightforward to do that without sacrificing active ingredients.
The Role of Plant-Based PDRN
PDRN (polydeoxyribonucleotide) has become a recognizable term in Korean skincare circles, partly because of its use in aesthetic and recovery contexts. Traditionally it is extracted from salmon. This routine takes a different route: Kayty's routine notes describe the PDRN in the Dr. Althea 345 Relief Cream as sourced from rice and centella asiatica, and the WHIPPED Peach Pear Vegan Tone Up Capsule lists rose PDRN.
The result is a routine that can speak the language of PDRN skincare — barrier support, calming, skin defense — using products labeled vegan. For people who have felt like plant-based skincare means settling for less active formulations, this lineup makes a reasonable counter-argument.
How the Routine Runs: AM and PM
The morning and evening sequences are nearly identical in their first three steps, with one meaningful difference: sunscreen closes the AM routine and is not part of PM.
Step 1 — Mist (AM and PM): The d'Alba White Truffle First Spray Serum opens both routines. It is formulated without sulfate-based surfactants, though it does contain fragrance (including linalool and limonene), so patch test first if your skin reacts to fragrance. Key ingredients include tocopherol, sunflower seed oil, and white truffle extract. As a mist, it applies quickly and preps skin for what follows without the friction of rubbing in a liquid.
Step 2 — Serum (AM and PM): The AXIS-Y Dark Spot Correcting Glow Serum comes next. The brand describes it as certified vegan, and it is built around niacinamide, squalane, and rice bran extract. Niacinamide is a well-established ingredient for uneven tone and skin barrier support. Squalane provides lightweight hydration without heaviness. This step is positioned after the mist while the skin is still receptive, and before the cream that will seal everything in.
Step 3 — Cream (AM and PM): The Dr. Althea 345 Relief Cream is the soothing, occlusive layer. Its key ingredients include centella asiatica extract, sodium DNA, and resveratrol. Centella asiatica is one of the most common calming ingredients in Korean skincare, widely used in formulas aimed at sensitive or post-stress skin. The cream is also where the plant-derived PDRN comes in — sourced from rice and centella rather than salmon, as Kayty's routine notes describe it.
