Where does this cream go in my routine?

As the last skincare step, morning and evening, over serum. Anything thinner than a cream goes on before it, and anything richer goes on after. If you are adding it to a routine you already like, give it a week on its own first, so what you see is the Niacinamide and not three changes at once.

Is this the Korean-market cream or a US version?

The Korean-market one, Niacinamide and all. We match this cream to its Korean barcode before it reaches the shelf, which is the check that tells you which market release you are holding.

What else is on the list besides Niacinamide?

Caffeine, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate and Asiaticoside. The order they are printed in on this cream's panel is the order on the box, so you can see where Niacinamide sits relative to them. Further down the same panel: Madecassic Acid, Asiatic Acid and Saccharomyces Ferment.

APLB

Caffeine Niacinamide Facial Cream 55ml

Name: APLB Caffeine Niacinamide Facial Cream 55ml
Brand: APLB
SKU: 11235982049
Price: 32.5 USD
Availability: InStock

APLB's Caffeine Niacinamide Facial Cream is a 55ml cream that opens with centella asiatica leaf water ahead of plain water, with caffeine and niacinamide next to each other mid list and shea butter, macadamia oil and beeswax as the seal. The three centella acids follow. Korean-market formula.

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$32.50

55 ml

$59.09 per 100 ml

Korean-market formula
Ships from California or direct from Korea
Korean barcode and batch code intact

Suited to: Congested skinUneven textureDry skinCompromised barrier

Helps with: Shoppers looking for Niacinamide in a creamRoutines that want Niacinamide and Caffeine in one stepFilling the cream step with a Korean-market formulaAnyone who wants the Niacinamide cream sold on Korean shelves

One-time purchase

$32.50

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How it works

The Caffeine Niacinamide Facial Cream is a 55ml cream, used as the last skincare step, morning and evening, over serum. The active it is built around is Niacinamide, named twentieth on its own ingredient list. The same list carries Caffeine, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate and Asiaticoside, so the active is not the only thing on it worth naming. How much of the Niacinamide stays on the skin, and for how long, is decided by the cream format rather than by the list alone. This is the Original Korean Formula, the cream APLB sells in Korea, Niacinamide and all.

Key benefits

Niacinamide, the active this cream is built around
Caffeine, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Asiaticoside and Madecassic Acid on the same list, actives
Asiatic Acid and Saccharomyces Ferment further down the same list
Hydrolyzed Collagen and Beta-Glucan further down the same list
Niacinamide named twentieth on the manufacturer list printed on this page
Sourced for the Korean market, not a US-shelf reformulation of this cream

How to use

Use it as the last step of a routine (or before a separate night cream at night), sealing in the layers underneath. AM and PM.

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42 of 42 explained

Centella Asiatica Leaf Water plant extract: Centella Asiatica Leaf Water is the distilled water of the centella leaf, used in place of plain water as a formula base. It is far more dilute than the extract, so it sets the base rather than supplying the actives.
Aqua(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.
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.
Cetyl Ethylhexanoate emollient: Cetyl Ethylhexanoate is a synthetic ester used as a dry-feeling emollient. It spreads easily, leaves a silky rather than oily finish, and helps disperse pigments and UV filters evenly.
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.
Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate emulsifier: Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate is a sugar-derived emulsifier known for a light, non-soapy feel. It builds gel-creams that do not read as rich.
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.
Stearic Acid fatty acid: Stearic Acid is a saturated fatty acid from plant fats, and one of the three lipid classes skin's own barrier is built from. In a formula it thickens, stabilises the emulsion and can be turned into a soap-style cleanser by adding a base.
Silica absorbent: Silica is finely milled mineral, essentially very pure sand. It absorbs oil, stops powders clumping and soft-focuses the look of pores and fine lines.
Glyceryl Stearate emulsifier: Glyceryl Stearate is glycerin joined to stearic acid, and one of the most used emulsifiers in skincare. It holds oil and water together and thickens the result, and it softens skin at the same time.
Sodium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate thickener: Sodium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate is a polymer thickener that holds a gel stable even with a lot of salt or acid in the formula.
Propanediol humectant: Propanediol is a plant-derived glycol used in place of propylene glycol. It hydrates, carries actives into solution, and gives a lighter, less sticky slip than glycerin at the same strength.

30 more explained

Beeswax occlusive: Beeswax is the wax bees build comb from. In a formula it thickens the oil phase and forms a breathable, water-resisting film, which is what makes a balm hold its shape.
Hydroxyacetophenone preservative booster: Hydroxyacetophenone is an antioxidant that also strengthens a preservative system, so a formula needs less traditional preservative. Korean formulas pair it with 1,2-hexanediol constantly.
Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter emollient: Shea Butter is the fat pressed from the shea nut, rich in oleic and stearic acids and unsaponifiable plant sterols. It is a heavy emollient and partial occlusive, which is why it sits in balms and night creams rather than in essences.
Macadamia Integrifolia Seed Oil emollient: Macadamia Seed Oil is unusually high in palmitoleic acid, a fatty acid that human sebum also contains, which is why it absorbs faster than most nut oils. It is a cushioning emollient for dry skin.
Hydrogenated Polydecene emollient: Hydrogenated Polydecene is a synthetic hydrocarbon emollient used in place of mineral oil. It is stable, has no scent, and gives a cushioned slip without oxidising.
Betaine humectant: Betaine is a sugar-beet-derived humectant that cells use to hold water. In a formula it hydrates and takes the edge off cleansers and acids, which is why it often appears alongside them.
Caffeine active: Caffeine constricts small blood vessels near the surface, which is why eye products use it for the look of puffiness and shadow. It is water soluble and works only while it is on the skin.
Niacinamide 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.
Trehalose humectant: Trehalose is a sugar that some desert plants use to survive drying out. In skincare it is a humectant that holds water in the outer layer and helps a formula feel comfortable rather than tight.
Citric Acid pH adjuster: Citric Acid is used in tiny amounts to bring a formula to the pH its actives need, not as an exfoliant at that level. It is an AHA, so at much higher concentrations it can also exfoliate.
Trideceth-10 emulsifier: An ethoxylated fatty alcohol used as an emulsifier and solubiliser. It dissolves small amounts of oil or fragrance into a watery formula without clouding it.
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.
Sodium Citrate pH adjuster: Sodium Citrate is the salt of citric acid, used as a buffer: it holds a formula at a steady pH rather than pushing it in one direction. It is also a mild chelator.
Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate active: Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate is a water-soluble salt derived from licorice root. It is the licorice fraction Korean formulas use for the look of redness, and it is far more stable in water than the whole extract.
Dipropylene Glycol humectant: Dipropylene Glycol is a glycol used as a solvent and a light humectant. Its main job is keeping the rest of the formula dissolved and the texture fluid rather than adding hydration of its own.
Squalane emollient: Squalane is the stable, saturated version of squalene, a lipid human skin already makes. It is a light emollient that absorbs quickly, does not oxidise, and is one of the few oils widely considered safe for blemish-prone skin. Most cosmetic squalane is now from sugarcane or olive rather than shark.
Asiaticoside active: Asiaticoside is one of the four active triterpenes isolated from centella and the most studied of them. Korean formulas name it separately when they want to show which fraction of the plant they standardised.
Madecassic Acid active: Madecassic Acid is the fourth centella triterpene. A list that names all four is telling you the extract was standardised rather than simply pressed, which is the difference between a cica claim and a cica formula.
Asiatic Acid active: Asiatic Acid is the third of centella's four triterpenes and the aglycone form, meaning it has no attached sugar. It is oil soluble, so it turns up in cica creams and balms more than in watery layers.
Sodium Hyaluronate humectant: Sodium Hyaluronate is the salt of hyaluronic acid, and it is what most products labelled hyaluronic actually contain. The salt dissolves more readily and the molecule is smaller, so it sits in the outer layer of skin rather than only on top of it.
Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Extract plant extract: Tea Tree Leaf Extract is the water-based extract rather than the essential oil, so it is far milder and much less aromatic. It is used in formulas for blemish-prone skin.
Hippophae Rhamnoides Fruit Extract plant extract: Sea Buckthorn Fruit Extract is high in vitamin C and carotenoids, which give it a strong orange colour. It is used as an antioxidant extract.
Hydrolyzed Collagen protein: Hydrolyzed Collagen is collagen broken into fragments small enough to dissolve in water. It cannot become collagen in skin; what it does is hold water at the surface and leave a smooth, conditioned film.
Beta-Glucan polysaccharide: Beta-Glucan is a polysaccharide from oats or yeast. It holds a large amount of water, forms a soothing film, and is one of the ingredients formulators reach for in products aimed at reactive skin.
Caprylyl Glycol preservative booster: Caprylyl Glycol is a glycol that conditions skin and, more importantly, strengthens a preservative system so less of the traditional preservative is needed. It appears in most modern formulas built without parabens.
Nelumbium Speciosum Flower Extract plant extract: Lotus flower extract, from the same sacred lotus as the leaf. It carries flavonoids and sugars and is used as a conditioning, hydrating extract.
Artemisia Annua Extract plant extract: Artemisia Annua is sweet wormwood, a mugwort relative. Its extract is used in Korean formulas for the look of reactive skin.
Oryza Sativa (Rice) Extract plant extract: Rice Extract is the anchor of the Korean rice-skincare category. It carries starches, amino acids and ferulic acid, and it is used for the look of dullness and for a soft, blurred finish.
Saccharomyces Ferment ferment: Saccharomyces Ferment is a brewer's yeast ferment. It supplies amino acids, sugars and B vitamins and is used as a conditioning, hydrating ferment.
Solanum Melongena (Eggplant) Fruit Extract plant extract: Eggplant Fruit Extract carries nasunin, the antioxidant pigment in aubergine skin. It is used as an antioxidant plant extract.

Inside the formula

Ingredients declared

No fragrance

on the list

Worth knowing

Patch test this cream on a small area and wait a day before using it more widely, especially with Niacinamide on the list.
Introduce this cream on its own for the first week, so anything your skin does is traceable to the Niacinamide rather than to three changes at once.

Complete the routine

This itemAPLB Caffeine Niacinamide Facial Cream 55ml$32.50
Seal the routine in as the last stepAPLB Lactic Acid Retinol Facial Cream 55ml$32.50
The treatment step of this routineAPLB AHA BHA PHA Glutathione Cica Ampoule Serum 50ml$52.50

Total for 3 items$117.50

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APLB Caffeine Niacinamide Facial Cream 55ml

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APLB, Korean-market original

The Original Korean Formula cream from APLB, 55ml formulated with Niacinamide and Caffeine, shipped from California or direct from Korea.

Verify your unit when it arrives

Korean-market stock with the original barcode and batch code intact, exactly as it left Korea.

On the unit itself

The Korean-market barcode, unaltered from the retail package.
The manufacturer’s batch code, exactly as the maker printed it.

정품Genuine article, Korean-market stock

What professionals say

What skin-care professionals say about skin care, quoted from the medical sources linked beside each.

Your skin barrier is basically your outer layer of the skin.
Melissa Piliang, MDDermatologist, Cleveland Clinic
Pretty much every step of a Korean skin care routine is going to have some component of hydration.
Alok Vij, MDDermatologist, Cleveland Clinic