Beauty of Joseon Glow Deep Serum On your shelf ✓
€0.10 an application · about 150 usesOur review, in one look
Niacinamide is the reason to consider this serum, with Alpha Arbutin behind it.
The case for it
- Niacinamide, strong evidence for the barrier
- Alpha Arbutin, moderate evidence for tone and pigment
- No fragrance, alcohol, silicones or parabens
Mind this
- Morning or evening, whichever suits your routine
- Add it on its own for a week or two, so you know what your skin is answering to
Maya's readBeauty of Joseon Glow Deep Serum is a serum built around Glycerin, Niacinamide and Alpha Arbutin. It leans strongest on hydration, barrier repair, brightening / tone. Best suited to dry, dehydrated and oily skin. Nothing in it we'd flag for most people.
Cost per use: what a day of it costs
€0.10 an applicationabout 150 uses from 30 ml
a usual amount, not a measured dose: 3-5 drops, about 0.2 ml; from €15 as read in September 2026 and a 30 ml pack.
how this is counted
About €0.10 an application, about 150 uses from 30 ml.
- a convention: no trial has measured a serum dose
- Measured or assumed: the rule, and the dose table
Skip it if you already own something similar: it's a solid, honest basic rather than a must-have upgrade.
Fragrance, texture and film: what the label says of its feel
- fragrance-free by the label: no parfum, none of the 26
- a serum in a dropper bottle
- no film-former or occlusive named on the label
- no silicone on the label
- no plant or mineral oil on the label
Facts off the label and the pack only. How it feels on a face is not something this page will say without having used it.
The formula, in order
every ingredient at its place on the label
Coloured by the job each one does here.
15 of the 32 sit above the 1% line. The other 17, hatched, are each under 1%. Widths show the ORDER on the label and nothing else: the label never discloses amounts, so we never draw them.
- Actives & signals
- Hydrators
- Texture & base
- Preservation
- Not in our library yet
- never tested
- No fragrance anywhere on the label
Fungal acne: what on this label feeds the yeast (Malassezia)
the yeast: Malassezia furfur, globosa, restricta
Nothing on this label was measured to feed Malassezia.
Each result is a pure ingredient on a lab dish, never this product on skin.
What does it do? What its ingredients deliver
How it feels A light, fast-absorbing texture that layers cleanly under the rest of your routine, with no greasy film. (estimated from the formula)
Key ingredients: what in it does the work
Classic humectant with strong evidence for improving skin hydration and supporting barrier when combined with emollients.
Glycerin: This one works on contact: there is nothing to wait for.
how it was measured
Measured on stratum corneum hydration, corneometer capacitance after a single application; on contact, by mechanism.
Multitasking vitamin that improves barrier, reduces redness, regulates oil, helps with pores and pigmentation with strong clinical support.
Tyrosinase inhibiting brightener that reduces melasma and dark spots with fewer adverse effects than hydroquinone but can still irritate sensitive or compromised skin.
Humectant and soothing ingredient that helps calm irritation and supports barrier repair and recovery.
Sugar humectant that helps bind water and protect biomolecules from dehydration and oxidative stress.
What only this label says
Niacinamide is the 8th of 32 ingredients: above the 1% line.
why
Position 8 of 32 on the label as printed; compared with the 111 other labels in the catalogue that carry a vitamin.
≈ €0.50/ml, below the median serum in our catalogue (€0.57/ml).
why
~€15 for 30 ml, checked September 2026; the median of the 47 serums in the catalogue with a known size.
Shares 4 of its 5 known actives with Anua Peach 70% Niacinamide Serum: the closest formula we have.
why
Actives our base knows on both labels: Glycerin, Niacinamide, Alpha Arbutin and Pro-vitamin B5.
3 of the 5 actives carry strong evidence in our base (Glycerin, Niacinamide and Pro-vitamin B5); Alpha Arbutin and Trehalose are moderate and emerging.
why
evidence_level in our base, per row, as printed on each glossary page.
15 ingredients sit above the 1% line; from Ethylhexylglycerin down, the order stops telling you anything.
why
The 1% line is inferred from Ethylhexylglycerin at position 16 (see The formula, drawn).
why
Every vehicle-controlled reading sits at 2 to 5%. Position on the label.
Fragrance allergens: the ones this label names
This label names none of the 26 EU fragrance allergens. What the 26 are →
Does it expire? Light, air and the pack
nothing on this label that light breaks
a dropper bottle and nothing on this label that light breaks: nothing to watch.
where this comes from
The pack form is read off the packshot; the light-sensitive actives are the base's photostability rows, sourced on each glossary page; the period after opening (12M on the pack) is read off the maker's page, never a reseller's. Catalogue checked September 2026.
How to use it, and when
Morning and/or night, after your thinner water-based steps and before heavier creams.
Where in your skin it works
2 of its 5 placed actives act below the dead surface layer, 3 on or in it: the same cross-section as our 500 dalton page, with this formula's actives on the layer each one works on. Depth is the anatomy's, never an ingredient's.
Skin surface
The stratum corneum
- Glycerinderived from what it is
- Pro-vitamin B5derived from what it is
- Trehalosederived from what it is
The living epidermis
- Alpha Arbutinlikely, sourced
- Niacinamideestablished, sourced
5 of this product's actives have a layer we can defend.
Sources for the sourced ones: Ebanks et al. 2009: mechanisms regulating skin pigmentation; Boo 2021: mechanistic basis for topical nicotinamide.
How it compares with the average serum
It scores higher than the median serum on oil control and brightening.
On hydration, barrier repair and anti-aging it is level with the median, so that is not what sets it apart.
A median, not an average: one unusual formula should not move the middle. The numbers are the same 0 to 10 reads the comparison pages use.
Full ingredients list, decoded
17 of these 32 ingredients are in our library, linked and named for what each one does, with anything that can irritate or clog flagged; the 15 we cannot place are left plain, nothing is hidden. Every ingredient on the label, in the order it appears (highest amount first).
All 32 ingredients, decoded
- Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran WaterBotanical extract
- WaterSolvent (base)
- GlycerinHumectant
- Butylene GlycolHumectant
- 1,2-HexanediolPreservative booster
- Dipropylene GlycolSolvent
- Alpha-ArbutinPhenolic derivativemild irritant
- NiacinamideVitaminmild irritant
- Methyl Gluceth-20Humectant
- PanthenolHumectant
- Polyglycerin-3Humectant
- TrehaloseHumectant
- Glyceryl Glucoside
- Hydrolyzed Jojoba Esters
- roughly the 1% lineThe rules only require descending order above 1%. From Ethylhexylglycerin down, these 17 can be listed in any order the brand likes, so position stops telling you anything.
- EthylhexylglycerinPreservative booster
- HydroxyethylcelluloseThickener
- Xanthan GumThickener
- ArginineHumectant
- Disodium EDTAChelator
- Coptis Japonica Root ExtractBotanical extract
- Sorbitan IsostearateEmulsifier
- GlucoseHumectant
- Coix Lacryma-Jobi Ma-Yuen Seed ExtractBotanical extract
- Glycine Soja (Soybean) Seed ExtractAmino acid (NMF)
- Hordeum Distichon (Barley) ExtractBotanical extract
- Oryza Sativa (Rice) ExtractBotanical extract
- Sesamum Indicum (Sesame) Seed ExtractBotanical extract
- Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Seed ExtractBotanical extract
- Vigna Radiata Seed ExtractBotanical extract
- Zea Mays (Corn) Kernel ExtractBotanical extract
Copy the raw INCI list
Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran Water, Water, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Dipropylene Glycol, Alpha-Arbutin, Niacinamide, Methyl Gluceth-20, Panthenol, Polyglycerin-3, Trehalose, Glyceryl Glucoside, Hydrolyzed Jojoba Esters, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Ethylhexylglycerin, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Xanthan Gum, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Arginine, Disodium EDTA, Coptis Japonica Root Extract, Sorbitan Isostearate, Glucose, Coix Lacryma-Jobi Ma-Yuen Seed Extract, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Seed Extract, Hordeum Distichon (Barley) Extract, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Extract, Sesamum Indicum (Sesame) Seed Extract, Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Seed Extract, Vigna Radiata Seed Extract, Zea Mays (Corn) Kernel Extract
Worried about clogged pores specifically? The pore-clogging checker reads this same list against the published comedogenic ratings.
Add it to your shelf and the app puts it in the right step and checks it against what you already use.
Read enough? Find it on amazon.com →
We don't make or sell skincare of our own. So there's nothing here we're trying to push, just an honest read of whether this formula suits your skin.
Against your shelf
Read from your own shelf, in your browser. We never see it.
Dupes? The closest formulas we have
The 3 products of the same kind sharing the most of its 5 actives. A count, not a likeness: the rest of each label, its base and its preservation, is what the count leaves out.
shares 3 of its 5 actives
Compare it with…
15 duels are built for this serum, The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% among them: type a name, or pick one below.
Common questions
How high up the list is the niacinamide in Beauty of Joseon Glow Deep Serum?
Niacinamide is the 8th of 32 ingredients: above the 1% line. Position is the only amount the law makes a brand declare, so 8th of 32 is the one number on this label a reader can check.
Is Beauty of Joseon Glow Deep Serum expensive per ml?
≈ €0.50/ml, below the median serum in our catalogue (€0.57/ml). A price per millilitre says nothing about what the formula does; it only tells you how the bottle compares with the others of its kind we have priced.
Where does the 1% line fall in Beauty of Joseon Glow Deep Serum?
15 ingredients sit above the 1% line; from Ethylhexylglycerin down, the order stops telling you anything. Above it the label is in descending order by amount; below it, it need not be.
Is Beauty of Joseon Glow Deep Serum good for dry skin?
By our read of the formula, it suits dry, dehydrated, oily skin. Beauty of Joseon Glow Deep Serum is a serum built around Glycerin, Niacinamide and Alpha Arbutin. It leans strongest on hydration, barrier repair, brightening / tone. Best suited to dry, dehydrated and oily skin. Nothing in it we'd flag for most people.
How do you use Beauty of Joseon Glow Deep Serum?
Morning and/or night, after your thinner water-based steps and before heavier creams.
What are the key ingredients in Beauty of Joseon Glow Deep Serum?
The actives that do the work are Glycerin, Niacinamide, Alpha Arbutin, Pro-vitamin B5, Trehalose. The rest of the list is texture, preservatives and emulsifiers that hold the formula together.
Does Beauty of Joseon Glow Deep Serum contain fragrance?
No. By our reading of the ingredient list it is fragrance-free, which is a plus for sensitive or reactive skin.
What the 3D scene shows
The scene shows Beauty of Joseon Glow Deep Serum beside a cross-section of skin, with 5 of its ingredients drawn at the layer each one acts on and at one shared molecular scale: Glycerin and Pro-vitamin B5 and Trehalose in the stratum corneum, the dead outer layer where most skincare works; Alpha Arbutin and Niacinamide in the living epidermis, among the cells that are still dividing. Depths come from the same sourced layer data as the rest of this site, and any ingredient whose layer is not established is left out rather than guessed.
