Niacinamide 5 TXA Brightening Pad

Not on the ingredient list below: fragrance or parfum, denatured or SD alcohol, essential oils, silicones, parabens, sulfate surfactants, mineral oil or petrolatum and added color.

Full INCI (30): Water, Methylpropanediol, Niacinamide (5%), Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, 1,2-Hexanediol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Adenosine, Arginine, Carbomer, Disodium EDTA, Cyanocobalamin, Betaine Salicylate, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Madecassoside, Tranexamic Acid (4ppm), Gluconolactone, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Extract, Saururus Chinensis Extract, Rice Ferment Filtrate (Sake), Oligopeptide-2, Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate, Caprylyl Glycol, Copper Tripeptide-1, Hexapeptide-9, Hexapeptide-11, Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Tripeptide-1

30 of 30 explained

Water solvent

Water is the base almost every serum, toner and cream is built on. It dissolves the water-loving ingredients and sets how light the finished texture feels. On an INCI list it is usually first, which only means it is the largest single ingredient by weight.

Methylpropanediol humectant

Methylpropanediol is a small glycol used to hydrate and to help water-soluble actives penetrate the outer layer of skin more evenly. It leaves almost no tack, which suits watery textures.

Niacinamide (5%) active

Niacinamide is vitamin B3, and it is the most studied active in Korean formulation. It is used at roughly 2 to 5 percent for the look of uneven tone and visible pores, and it is water soluble, stable and comfortable beside almost every other active, which is why it turns up in so many lists.

Butylene Glycol humectant

Butylene Glycol is a small glycol that does two jobs at once: it holds water in the top layer of skin and it dissolves plant extracts and actives that plain water cannot. It also thins a formula, which is why watery Korean essences lean on it.

Glycerin humectant

Glycerin is the most used humectant in skincare. It draws water into the outer layer of skin and holds it there, and it is one of the very few ingredients whose hydrating effect is settled science rather than marketing. Higher amounts feel tacky, which is why it is usually blended.

1,2-Hexanediol humectant

1,2-Hexanediol is a glycol used for two reasons: it holds water like glycerin, and it makes a formula harder for microbes to live in, so less traditional preservative is needed. Korean formulas use it heavily for that second reason.

Ethylhexylglycerin preservative booster

Ethylhexylglycerin softens skin and boosts a preservative system, which is why it is nearly always sitting beside phenoxyethanol or 1,2-hexanediol. It also cuts down the odour bacteria produce, so it turns up in deodorising products.

Adenosine active

Adenosine is a nucleoside that Korea's own cosmetic authority recognises as a wrinkle-care functional ingredient, which is why it appears on so many Korean lists at a low level. It is used for the look of fine lines and is stable and well tolerated.

Arginine amino acid

Arginine is an amino acid that does two jobs here: it holds water in the outer layer of skin, and it neutralises acidic gelling agents, which is why it often stands in for a synthetic pH adjuster.

Carbomer thickener

Carbomer is a synthetic polymer that only gels once a base neutralises it, which is why arginine or tromethamine sits nearby on the list. It gives the clear, non-stringy gel texture a xanthan formula cannot reach.

Disodium EDTA chelator

EDTA is a chelator: it locks up trace metal ions from water and packaging that would otherwise turn a formula cloudy, off-colour or rancid. It does nothing to skin and appears at a fraction of a percent.

Cyanocobalamin vitamin

Cyanocobalamin is vitamin B12, and it is a deep pink-red, which is why a formula carrying it often has a colour nobody added on purpose. It is used as a conditioning vitamin.

Market

Korean market, the version sold in Korea

Made in

Republic of Korea

Category

Toner

Actives

Adenosine, Betaine Salicylate, Centella Asiatica, Madecassoside, Niacinamide, Peptides, Sodium Hyaluronate, Tranexamic Acid

Ships from

California or Korea

Orders ship from California or direct from Korea with tracked delivery to your door, and both routes carry the same Korean-market release. Shipping is free on orders of $100 or more. Returns are accepted for 30 days, by mail.

We split shipments free, so one out-of-stock item never holds up the rest of your order.

We stock the version of a formula that is sold in Korea, not the release a brand prepares for another market under the same name.

Every unit keeps its original barcode and batch code intact, so the unit in your hands can be checked against the brand’s own records.

Every order ships from California or direct from Korea, and returns run for 30 days.

Every claim on this page traces to the unit in the box, the barcode, the batch code and the price you can read for yourself.