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 Retinol and not three changes at once.

What else is on the list besides Retinol?

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

APLB

Lactic Acid Retinol Facial Cream 55ml

Name: APLB Lactic Acid Retinol Facial Cream 55ml
Brand: APLB
SKU: 10780019590
Price: 32.5 USD
Availability: InStock

APLB Lactic Acid Retinol Facial Cream is a 55ml cream whose ingredient list carries Retinol alongside Madecassic Acid and Asiaticoside.

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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 Retinol in a creamRoutines that want Retinol and Madecassic Acid in one stepFilling the cream step with a Korean-market formula

One-time purchase

$32.50

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Key benefits

Retinol, the active this cream is built around
Madecassic Acid, Asiaticoside, Asiatic Acid and Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate on the same list, actives
Lactic Acid and Saccharomyces Ferment further down the same list
BHT and Hydrolyzed Collagen further down the same list
Retinol named eighth on the manufacturer list printed on this page

Key actives

8Retinolactive

Retinol is the alcohol form of vitamin A and the strongest retinoid available without a prescription. Skin converts it in two steps to retinoic acid, and it is used at night, at low percentages, for the look of fine lines and rough texture. It is the entry this cream is named after, and the list carries it.

All products with Retinol

35Madecassic Acidactive

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. It is named thirty-fifth on this cream's list, alongside Retinol.

All products with Madecassic Acid

36Asiaticosideactive

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. The panel names it thirty-sixth on this cream's list, beside Retinol.

All products with Asiaticoside

37Asiatic Acidactive

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. It is named thirty-seventh on this cream's list, alongside Retinol.

All products with Asiatic Acid

43Dipotassium Glycyrrhizateactive

Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate is a water-soluble salt derived from licorice root. The panel names it forty-third on this cream's list, beside Retinol.

All products with Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate

Inside the formula

Ingredients declared

No fragrance

on the list

8Retinol35Madecassic Acid43Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate

8Retinol
35Madecassic Acid
43Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate

Where each key active sits on the declared ingredient list, by entry number. Position is proportion: the further forward, the larger its share.

1 of 5

43 of 43 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.
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.
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.
Lactic Acid exfoliant: Lactic Acid is a larger AHA than glycolic, so it works nearer the surface and is easier on skin, and it is a humectant as well as an exfoliant. It is the AHA of choice for dry skin.
Retinol active: Retinol is the alcohol form of vitamin A and the strongest retinoid available without a prescription. Skin converts it in two steps to retinoic acid, and it is used at night, at low percentages, for the look of fine lines and rough texture. It can leave skin flaking while it acclimatises.
Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil emollient: Soybean Oil is a linoleic-rich plant oil used as an emollient. It also carries soy phytosterols and vitamin E.
BHT antioxidant: BHT is a synthetic antioxidant used in traces to stop the oils in a formula going rancid. It protects the product, not the skin.
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.
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.

31 more explained

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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 Ternifolia 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.
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.
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.
Nelumbo Nucifera Extract plant extract: Lotus extract with the plant part unstated. Lotus carries flavonoids and alkaloids, and its extracts are used as conditioning antioxidant botanicals.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.

How it works

The Lactic Acid Retinol Facial Cream is a 55ml cream, used as the last skincare step, morning and evening, over serum. The active it is built around is Retinol, named eighth on its own ingredient list. The same list carries Madecassic Acid, Asiaticoside and Asiatic Acid, so the active is not the only thing on it worth naming. How much of the Retinol stays on the skin, and for how long, is decided by the cream format rather than by the list alone. APLB sells this Retinol cream in Korea, and this is that version.

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.

Worth knowing

Patch test this cream on a small area and wait a day before using it more widely, especially with Retinol on the list.
Retinol is on this list, so keep this cream to the evening and build the nights up slowly rather than starting nightly.
Citric Acid and Lactic Acid on this list makes this cream an exfoliating step, so do not stack it with another one on the same night.

Complete the routine

This itemAPLB Lactic Acid Retinol Facial Cream 55ml$32.50
Seal the routine in as the last stepAPLB Glycerin Vitamin C 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 Lactic Acid Retinol Facial Cream 55ml

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APLB, Korean-market original

The Original Korean Formula cream from APLB, 55ml formulated with Retinol and Madecassic Acid, 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 the key actives in this formula, quoted from the medical sources linked beside each.

Vitamin A has a molecular structure that's tiny enough to get into the lower layers of your skin, where it finds and boosts collagen and elastin, which is a protein that strengthens your skin's flexibility.
Wilma Bergfeld, MDDermatologist, Cleveland Clinic
Centella can make your skin appear more hydrated, plumper and healthier.
Samantha Stein, PA-CDermatology physician assistant, Cleveland Clinic