We Tested 4 Korean Products for Wavy Hair, Here’s the Winner

Wavy hair has always been a bit tricky to work with. It sits somewhere between straight and curly, which means most mainstream products for wavy hair don’t seem designed with this texture in mind. You’re either dealing with formulas that weigh everything down until your hair goes flat, or curl creams that make your hair go brick hard and lose all natural movement.

In Korea, there’s a genuine preference for long S-curl waves or hippie perms with root-to-tip curls, which has influenced curl cream formulas. Korean brands have been developing products specifically for these styles, and the market has responded enthusiastically. The question was whether these products actually performed differently, or if it was just clever marketing.

So we decided to test four of the most popular Korean curl creams properly. We’re talking multiple styling methods with heat tools and air drying, different application techniques, and tracking how the results held up over 24 hours across different testers. What we wanted to find out was whether any of these formulas could genuinely manage wavy hair without the usual trade-offs between hold and natural movement. The differences between them turned out to be more significant than anticipated.

4 Popular Korean Products for Wavy Hair, Tested & Reviewed

Curlyshyll Perfection Curl Cream

Curlyshyll is used in over 7,000 premium hair salons across Korea, and you’ll also find it stocked in high-end postnatal care centres and hotels. The brand has proven credentials, too, having won Marie Claire’s Prix D’Excellence De La Beaute 2023 in the haircare category. It’s even used backstage at fashion shows, which gives you an idea of its professional pedigree.

The main reason this came out on top in our testing is its versatility. You can create chunky, defined curls or go for finer, more delicate waves, which isn’t something every curl cream can manage. The hold is solid without being heavy-handed, and it lasts throughout the day while still washing out easily when you need it to. There’s just enough residue to clump your hair nicely and create natural-looking volume, but it doesn’t go crunchy or stiff. Instead, it forms a thin protective moisture barrier that sets gently. For casual styling and frizz control on its own, it’s slightly less effective.

The texture is thick and rich, but surprisingly, it spreads evenly once you roll it between your palms and work it through your hair. The scent is worth mentioning as well. It’s a fruity cream fragrance that’s genuinely pleasant rather than artificial, with a tart peachy note that smells fresh and uplifting, almost like fruit folded into whipped cream.

Lorinique Pro Booster Curl Cream

Lornique delivers natural, healthy-looking waves without any stiffness or that artificial, crunchy feel. It’s particularly good at taming frizzy, unruly hair and smoothing things out nicely. The formula contains 5% hydrolyzed keratin and other proteins, including elastin and collagen. It’s also got ceramides, 20 types of amino acids, argan oil, and rosehip oil, which makes it a great option for damaged hair.

Out of the four products we tested, this had the second weakest hold, but it’s by far the easiest for everyday use. If you’ve got dry, brittle hair, it fills it with healthy shine and moisture, making it the go-to choice when you can’t be bothered with complicated styling. This was the best of the bunch for applying straight to dry hair, and it left the most hydrating finish with minimal residue. It feels more like a hair oil or serum than a traditional curl cream, giving you that dewy, moisturized look whilst still offering respectable curl definition.

The texture is as smooth as a skincare essence and spreads beautifully through your hair. The scent is fairly neutral and won’t divide opinion, which makes it suitable for anyone. It’s a clean, floral soap fragrance that’s not overpowering, though there is a slight alcohol undertone if you’ve got a sensitive nose. It’s faint enough that most people won’t notice it at all, but worth mentioning if you’re particularly sensitive to that sharp, astringent smell. The overall scent profile is more reminiscent of Korean skincare products than typical haircare.

Amos Curling Essence 2X Bouncy Wave

Amos is another professional salon brand, and out of the four products tested, this delivered the bounciest curls with the most volume and the longest-lasting hold. The trade-off is that it does stiffen your hair a bit, leaving the ends with a finish that’s more akin to hair gel. The brand claims it gives a moisturized finish, but it’s not the kind of hydration you’d expect from nourishing ingredients. Instead, it creates that wet-look shine, which is more of a visual effect than genuine moisture.

The texture also made it tricky to distribute evenly through the hair, which led to some clumping in certain areas. This was the heaviest product of the four on the hair, though that weight seems to come from its stronger holding power rather than the formula itself. Even after applying it thoroughly and wiping your hands with a damp towel, there’s a sticky residue that lingers. It wasn’t the best for taming flyaways, but it felt more suited to managing waves that start from the roots, like a hippie perm style.

The consistency sits somewhere between an essence and a cream. If we’re using skincare as a reference point, it’s like mixing a serum-essence with a thick cream in a 40:60 ratio. The scent is a subtle, sweet citrus-floral that doesn’t feel too artificial and leaves you feeling refreshed.

Think Twice: Mise En Scene Curling Essence 2X Volume Curl

Mise en Scène is hands down the most popular curl cream for wavy hair in Korea. You’ll find it ranking at the top across major Korean beauty platforms like Olive Young, Glowpick, Unnie’s Pouch, and Hwahae. In our testing, it delivered the most natural-looking waves and made blow-drying and shaping particularly straightforward. It didn’t leave much residue on your hands after application, and the texture made it easy to distribute evenly through the hair. It’s thicker than Amos, but somehow easier to spread between your palms.

The consistency is thicker than Amos’s, closer to a full-bodied essence. Using the skincare comparison again, it’s like mixing serum with a thick cream in a 30:70 ratio. The scent is an artificial floral-fruity fragrance, specifically blackcurrant and rose with a hint of peach, giving it that bubblegum smell.

It’s the most affordable of the four products we tested, but there are some major drawbacks. First off, even after application, the hair feels quite dry, and apart from creating loose, natural waves, it doesn’t really offer much styling versatility. If you’re serious about your waves, this won’t give you the results you’re after. The curl hold and longevity were poor on unpermed hair, and it was the only product that caused skin issues during our testing. One tester developed a rash on the back of the neck, whilst another had a breakout. When we tested the Mise En Scène Curling Essence a second time to confirm, the inflammation returned, which verified the product was responsible.

Side-by-Side Comparison

Curl Definition

We compared styling results with a Dyson Air Wrap on untreated hair versus hair treated with each product. Curlyshyll delivered voluminous results whilst keeping the curls intact and defined. Amos stretched the curls out into thicker, heavier waves that added fullness to the hair. Lornique produced results quite similar to Curlyshyll, but with a more hydrated finish that added shine to the hair. Mise en Scène, meanwhile, gave the most natural-looking styling result.

We also tested each product with blow-drying. The method was straightforward: when hair was about 70% dry, we applied the curl cream evenly throughout, paying particular attention to the lower sections and scrunching them upwards. Then we concentrated the dryer’s heat whilst twirling the hair backwards as it dried. Amos and Mise en Scène showed the best wave definition from this method. The difference was that Amos had more weight to it, giving a look that sat heavier and lower, whereas Mise en Scène created lighter, airier waves. Curlyshyll and Lornique made the hair look shinier and healthier overall, but the curl definition wasn’t quite as impressive.

Frizz Control

Lornique delivered the best results for taming frizzy hair. As you’d expect from the thinnest formula that provides the most moisture to the hair, it excelled at frizz control. Curlyshyll and Amos came next and performed similarly to each other, though neither came close to matching Lornique’s effectiveness. That said, these two did add more curl definition throughout the hair, which meant the frizz was less visually obvious in the overall look.

Our Verdict: Best Product for Wavy Hair

Curlyshyll struck the best balance across wave definition, moisture, and frizz control. It showed impressive versatility depending on how you styled it, adapting well to different techniques and delivering consistently good results. Amos, on the other hand, performed best for heavier, more dramatic waves, whilst Lornique excelled at creating hydrated, healthy-looking waves, making it ideal for those with fine hair, damaged hair, or anyone juggling both frizz and wave concerns. Mise en Scène delivered the most natural waves, but the lack of moisture and the skin irritation issues seriously undermined its positives. Even the price advantage doesn’t hold up when you consider that spending just a bit more gets you Lornique or Amos, which is why we’re reluctant to recommend it.