This K-Beauty Brand You've Probably Never Heard Of Makes The Most Incredible Moisturizer

One of the great things about the K-beauty landscape is that no matter what your skin concern or preferred price point, there's a product for you. Want to splurge on a moisturizing product that harnesses the power of bamboo sap? Grab that wallet and pray for your bank account, because it's there for you. Want something unusual to shrink the appearance of your pores, but only have a little to spend? Bless up, you're covered.

As deeply invested that I am in K-beauty products and trends, the market still regularly surprises me. Every week, I get another pitch for an indie, affordable, or luxury K-beauty brand that I haven't heard of before — and every week, I'm pretty impressed by the efficacy of the products. I recently discovered high-end K-beauty brand Amarte, and to say that I love their products is an understatement. In fact, there is one particular product from the brand that I hope to never find myself without.

For those unfamiliar with the brand (like I was a few weeks ago), Amarte began in Korea in 1994 as a product line formulated in a dermatology clinic. The specialist who started the brand wanted to create clinical-grade products to treat a variety of skin care concerns, and her success eventually lead to Amarte becoming an independent skin care line distributed throughout Asia. Dermstore.com founder Dr. Craig Kraffert discovered Amarte in 2006, became president of the brand, and led the way to bring the products to the United States.

And eventually, years later, Amarte found its way to my beauty shelf.

Amarte carries a range of cleansing and moisturizing products, but the true standout for me is the Aqua Veil Pure Hydration Serum, otherwise know as The Most Bananas Moisturizing Product I Have Ever Encountered. Like every good K-beauty enthusiast, I love hydration — but I absolutely loathe the sensation of having heavy products on my face, even if I know they're good for my skin.

The Aqua Veil comes out of its tube as an incredibly fresh-smelling gel cream — pretty standard, nothing out of the ordinary.

Once you put it on your face, though, that's where the real magic happens. As soon as you blend the product into your skin, it emulsifies and transforms into actual water droplets on the surface of your skin. Keep blending, and it totally disappears.

I know what you're thinking: It's light, it turns to water, and then it evaporates! Big deal, not helpful, I need actual moisture and not some gimmick, HOW DARE YOU. That's the thing about Aqua Veil though — it goes from being super light to imperceptible, all while locking moisture into your skin and leaving behind a smooth, velvety finish on your skin. It's the ultimate hydration secret weapon, the kind of product that you can use last to lock every other product you've used into your skin and head out into harsh, dry winter air.

Other Amarte products that deserve an honorable mention are the Ultra Veil Sunscreen, which provides SPF 40 protection in a super light, fresh formula; and the Aqua Mist Toner, which offers a serious burst of hydration every time you spray.

While it's true that I'll never stop testing and experimenting with the vast range of K-beauty products that enter the United States market (and will always share what I learn with all of our K-beauty curious readers), there are some products that I'll simply never swap out from my routine. Amarte's Aqua Veil Serum is one of those products — and if it's any indication of what the brand is capable of, I can't wait to experiment with more.