APLB Salicylic Acid BHA Arbutin Facial Cream 55ml
Salicylic Acid BHA Arbutin Facial Cream is APLB's face cream (55ml), built around Centella Asiatica Extract and Salicylic Acid. It is used as the last step of a routine, to seal in the layers underneath. This is the Original Korean Formula, not a version reworked for US retail.
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- Suited to
- Congested skinUneven textureDry skinCompromised barrier
- Helps with
- Shoppers looking for Arbutin in a creamRoutines that want Arbutin and Madecassic Acid in one stepFilling the cream step with a Korean-market formulaAnyone who wants the Arbutin cream sold on Korean shelves
In stock. Ships from our California warehouse, dispatched within 2 business days
You’re $100.00 away from free US shipping.
- Duties prepaid
- 30-day returns
- Free US shipping on orders of $100 or more
- Dispatched within 2 business days
Key benefits
- Arbutin, the active this cream is built around
- Madecassic Acid, Asiaticoside, Asiatic Acid and Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate on the same list, actives
- Salicylic Acid and Saccharomyces Ferment further down the same list
- Hydrolyzed Collagen and Beta-Glucan further down the same list
- Arbutin named eighth on the manufacturer list printed on this page
- Original Korean Formula, the cream sold on Korean shelves
Key actives
Arbutinactive
Arbutin is the naturally occurring form of the same compound, from bearberry and related plants, used for the look of uneven tone. The alpha isomer is the more stable of the two. The name on the box points at it, and it is named eighth on this cream's own ingredient list.
Madecassic 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-fourth on this cream's list, alongside Arbutin.
Asiaticosideactive
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-fifth on this cream's list, beside Arbutin.
Asiatic 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-sixth on this cream's list, alongside Arbutin.
Dipotassium Glycyrrhizateactive
Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate is a water-soluble salt derived from licorice root. The panel names it forty-second on this cream's list, beside Arbutin.
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.
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 Arbutin and not three changes at once.
Is this the Korean-market cream or a US version?
The Korean-market one, Arbutin 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 Arbutin?
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 Arbutin sits relative to them. Further down the same panel: Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Salicylic Acid and Saccharomyces Ferment.
- Ships from
- California
Duties are prepaid. Nothing is owed at delivery. Returns are accepted for 30 days, by mail.
Orders ship from our California warehouse, dispatched within 2 business days, and arrive in 3 to 5 days. Shipping is free on orders of $100 or more.
We split shipments free, so one out-of-stock item never holds up the rest of your order.
Where this unit came from
- 1Seoul
Bought as Korean-market stock - 2Customs
Duty paid by us before it enters the US - 3California
Ships domestically, no international leg
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.
Import duties are paid by us before the parcel reaches you, so nothing is owed at the door, 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.
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How it works
The Salicylic Acid BHA Arbutin Facial Cream is a 55ml cream, used as the last skincare step, morning and evening, over serum. The active it is built around is Arbutin, 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 Arbutin 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, Arbutin and all.
Worth knowing
- Patch test this cream on a small area and wait a day before using it more widely, especially with Arbutin on the list.
- Citric Acid and Salicylic Acid on this list makes this cream an exfoliating step, so do not stack it with another one on the same night.
Reviews
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Korean-market original
Salicylic Acid BHA Arbutin Facial Cream, 55ml, APLB's face cream with Centella Asiatica Extract and Salicylic Acid.
Verify your unit when it arrives
Verify your unit when it arrives
Korean-market stock with the original barcode and batch code intact, exactly as it left Korea.
Match the batch code on the box against the code printed on the bottle or tube itself; the two are stamped separately and should agree.
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 professionals say
What skin-care professionals say about the key actives in this formula, quoted from the medical sources linked beside each.
Arbutin works to inhibit tyrosinase, an enzyme present in melanocytes, the pigment-producing cells in the skin. This results in less pigment, dark spots and skin lightening.
Tiffany Jow Libby, MDBoard-certified dermatologist, mindbodygreen Centella can make your skin appear more hydrated, plumper and healthier.
Samantha Stein, PA-CDermatology physician assistant, Cleveland Clinic
1 more professional perspective
It contains liquiritin, an active compound that helps to disperse and remove existing melanin in the skin.
Jennifer Chwalek, MDDermatologist, Byrdie
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