Head to head
Beauty of Joseon Glow Deep Serum vs The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%
Same comparison whichever way you searched it: The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% vs Beauty of Joseon Glow Deep Serum.
The bottom lineBeauty of Joseon Glow Deep Serum does more across the board (it leads on hydration, brightening / tone), while The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% is the simpler, more pared-back pick.
Reach for Beauty of Joseon Glow Deep Serum if you want the actives; The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% if you want fewer ingredients doing less, gently.
Answer nine questions and the app picks between them for your skin.
Cost per use
€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
€0.04 an applicationabout 150 uses from 30 ml
a usual amount, not a measured dose: 3-5 drops, about 0.2 ml; from €6 as read in September 2026 and a 30 ml pack.
how this is counted
About €0.04 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
Per application, The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% is the cheaper: €0.04 against €0.10.
Which should you pick?
Pick Glow Deep Serum if
- plump, lasting hydration is what you want
- dark spots, dullness or an uneven tone are your focus
- you want more actives working at once
Pick Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% if
- you want the more affordable option
- you prefer a simpler, more minimal formula
What each delivers
Side by side
| Glow Deep Serum | Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Serum | Serum |
| Key actives | Glycerin, Niacinamide, Alpha Arbutin | Niacinamide 10%, Zinc PCA, Pentylene Glycol |
| Texture | A light, fast-absorbing texture that layers cleanly under the rest of your routine, with no greasy film. | A light, fast-absorbing texture that layers cleanly under the rest of your routine, with no greasy film. |
| Fragrance | None detected | None detected |
| Feeds Malassezia | none measured / none inferred | none measured / none inferred |
| Pregnancy | No flagged actives | No flagged actives |
| Ingredients | 32 listed | 11 listed |
| Price | ~€15 | ~€6 |
What's in one but not the other
The two labels share 2 of the 41 ingredients between them. The actives are where they part company.
What each one adds acts on The stratum corneum, The living epidermis for Beauty of Joseon Glow Deep Serum and Not established, The stratum corneum for The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%. That is the layer each is understood to act on, not how deep it travels.
Only in Beauty of Joseon Glow Deep Serum
Both
Only in The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%
The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% is a different bottle only for: zinc pca, pentylene glycol.
Which keeps longer
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.
a dropper bottle and nothing on this label that light breaks; the period after opening not read yet.
Neither has anything light breaks; both are dropper bottles.
Where each label stops telling you the dose
Ingredients are listed in order of how much is inside, but only down to 1%. Below that the brand may list them in any order it likes, so the bottom of a label is a set, not a ranking. These two stop being a ranking in very different places.
Beauty of Joseon Glow Deep Serum
ordered for its first 47%
- 1Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran Water
- 2Water
- 3Glycerin
- 4Butylene Glycol
- 51,2-Hexanediol
- 6Dipropylene Glycol
- 7Alpha-Arbutin
- 8Niacinamide
- 9Methyl Gluceth-20
- 10Panthenol
- 11Polyglycerin-3
- 12Trehalose
- 13Glyceryl Glucoside
- 14Hydrolyzed Jojoba Esters
- 15Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
- 16Ethylhexylglycerin
- 17Hydroxyethylcellulose
- 18Xanthan Gum
- 19Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
- 20Arginine
- 21Disodium EDTA
- 22Coptis Japonica Root Extract
- 23Sorbitan Isostearate
- 24Glucose
- 25Coix Lacryma-Jobi Ma-Yuen Seed Extract
- 26Glycine Soja (Soybean) Seed Extract
- 27Hordeum Distichon (Barley) Extract
- 28Oryza Sativa (Rice) Extract
- 29Sesamum Indicum (Sesame) Seed Extract
- 30Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Seed Extract
- 31Vigna Radiata Seed Extract
- 32Zea Mays (Corn) Kernel Extract
17 of 32 sit below the line, marked by Ethylhexylglycerin.
The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%
ordered for its first 55%
- 1Aqua (Water)
- 2Niacinamide
- 3Pentylene Glycol
- 4Zinc PCA
- 5Dimethyl Isosorbide
- 6Tamarindus Indica Seed Gum
- 7Xanthan Gum
- 8Isoceteth-20
- 9Ethoxydiglycol
- 10Phenoxyethanol
- 11Chlorphenesin
5 of 11 sit below the line, marked by Xanthan Gum.
Below the line is not too little to work: ceramides, retinoids and peptides all act far under a percent. It means the position stops carrying information. Where the line falls is inferred from the first ingredient whose whole job is done at a fraction of a percent, so it is a close read of the label rather than a number from the formula sheet.
The molecule doing the work
Better for…
- Dark spots & uneven toneGlow Deep Serum
- Breakouts & congestionEither works
- Dryness & dehydrationGlow Deep Serum
Who each suits
- Beauty of Joseon Glow Deep Serum
- dry, combination, oily, sensitive, normal · avoid with compromised barrier, pregnancy and very sensitive skin
- The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%
- dry, combination, oily, sensitive · avoid with very sensitive skin (at high strength)
The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% is the cheaper of the two (~€6 vs ~€15).
Ready to pick one?
Affiliate links, so a purchase sends us a small commission at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, Glow Simplified earns from qualifying purchases. We make and sell nothing here, so the verdict above never bends toward a sale.
Common questions
Is Beauty of Joseon Glow Deep Serum or The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% better for dark spots & uneven tone?
For dark spots & uneven tone, Beauty of Joseon Glow Deep Serum is the stronger pick by our read of the two formulas. Beauty of Joseon Glow Deep Serum does more across the board (it leads on hydration, brightening / tone), while The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% is the simpler, more pared-back pick. Reach for Beauty of Joseon Glow Deep Serum if you want the actives; The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% if you want fewer ingredients doing less, gently.
Which is cheaper, Beauty of Joseon Glow Deep Serum or The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%?
The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% is the cheaper of the two (~€6 vs ~€15).
Can I use Beauty of Joseon Glow Deep Serum and The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% together?
They are both serums, so you would normally pick one rather than layer both in the same step. You can keep both and alternate them (morning and night, or on different days) if you like variety, but you do not need two.
What the scene shows
The cross-section at the top of this page is not decoration and not a diagram of the skin in general: it places the molecules these two are sold on at the layer each is understood to act on. Beauty of Joseon Glow Deep Serum is placed by Glycerin (the stratum corneum), Niacinamide (the living epidermis), Alpha Arbutin (the living epidermis). The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% is placed by Niacinamide (the living epidermis), Zinc PCA (not established), Pentylene Glycol (the stratum corneum). A layer is where an ingredient does its work, never how deep it travels, and never a claim about how well it works.
Compare it with…
41 duels are built for this serum, The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 (Original Formulation) and Geek & Gorgeous A-Game 10 among them: type a name, or pick one below.