Beauty of Joseon
Glow Deep Serum: Rice + Arbutin
The brightening step in Beauty of Joseon's Glow Deep line, 30 ml, for uneven tone and the marks a breakout leaves behind. Use it after toner, morning and evening, before your moisturizer.
No reviews yet30ml
$56.63 per 100 ml
- Korean-market formula
- Ships from California or direct from Korea
- Korean barcode and batch code intact
- Suited to
- NormalCombinationDryOily
- Helps with
- A concentrated brightening stepLayering under moisturizerAM or PM use
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- 30-day returns
- Free US shipping on orders of $100 or more
- Tracked delivery to your door
How it works
Dullness and dark spots are two different problems that usually get treated as one; this serum answers them from adjoining positions on the list. Rice bran water is entry one, ahead of even water, and alpha-arbutin, declared at 2 percent, sits at entry seven with niacinamide following directly behind at entry eight, the same brightening lane back to back. Panthenol and trehalose carry the comfort side further down. Beauty of Joseon recommends evening-only use, since alpha-arbutin is sensitive to heat and light; use it at night and let sunscreen carry the daytime half of the routine.
Key benefits
- Rice bran water, entry one, ahead of water
- Alpha-arbutin declared at 2 percent, entry seven
- Niacinamide follows directly at entry eight, back to back with the arbutin
- Panthenol and trehalose carry the comfort side of the formula
- Evening-only recommended: alpha-arbutin is heat and light sensitive, per the brand's own instructions
Inside the formula
Inside the formula
Beauty of Joseon Glow Deep Serum: Rice + Arbutin
Where does alpha-arbutin sit on this serum's ingredient list?
Alpha-arbutin is the seventh ingredient, following the rice bran water base, water, and the glycol carriers. Niacinamide follows directly behind it at position eight, which reads as a deliberate pairing rather than two unrelated actives.
Why does Beauty of Joseon recommend using this serum only at night?
The brand's own instructions recommend evening use because alpha-arbutin is a light- and heat-sensitive ingredient. Using it at night, then following with sunscreen in the morning, is the pattern most Korean brands recommend for this class of brightening active.
What is the base ingredient of this serum?
Rice bran water is the first ingredient, ahead of plain water, which makes it the structural liquid of the formula rather than a marketing flourish. Panthenol and trehalose follow further down the list to carry the comfort side alongside the two brightening actives.
Does this serum contain fragrance?
No parfum or fragrance ingredient appears on this serum's own ingredient list. The formula is also alcohol-free, which suits skin that reacts to drying or scented brightening products, and any scent you notice comes from the botanical extracts themselves.
How can I confirm this is the authentic Korean-market Beauty of Joseon formula, not a US reformulation?
Beauty of Joseon verifies its products by sourcing chain rather than a scan, because the brand has retired its own QR verification and is phasing out its authenticity seal. Your unit arrives with its Korean-market barcode and batch code intact, not swapped for an export label, and we publish exactly where we buy. That intact packaging is the record the brand itself points to now that its earlier scan-based check is gone.
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 (32): Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran Water, Water, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Dipropylene Glycol, Alpha-Arbutin, Niacinamide, Methyl Gluceth-20, Panthenol, Polyglycerin-3, Trehalose, Glyceryl Glucoside, Hydrolyzed Jojoba Esters, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Ethylhexylglycerin, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Xanthan Gum, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Arginine, Disodium EDTA, Coptis Japonica Root Extract, Sorbitan Isostearate, Glucose, Coix Lacryma-Jobi Ma-Yuen Seed Extract, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Seed Extract, Hordeum Distichon (Barley) Extract, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Extract, Sesamum Indicum (Sesame) Seed Extract, Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Seed Extract, Vigna Radiata Seed Extract, Zea Mays (Corn) Kernel Extract
Ingredient list read from incidecoder.com on 30 August 2026.
32 of 32 explained
- Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran Water plant extract
- Rice Bran Water is the water from washing or steeping rice bran, the traditional Korean and Japanese rinse. It is used in place of plain water as a formula base.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Alpha-Arbutin active
- Alpha-Arbutin is a plant-derived compound, related to the sugar-bound form found in bearberry, used for the look of dark spots and uneven tone. It is stable in water and works at skin-friendly pH.
- 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.
- Methyl Gluceth-20 humectant
- Methyl Gluceth-20 is a sugar-derived humectant. It holds water in the outer layer of skin and gives a smooth, cushioned slip that plain glycerin does not.
- Panthenol humectant
- Panthenol is pro-vitamin B5: skin converts it to pantothenic acid. It is a humectant that holds water and leaves skin feeling soft and less tight, and it is one of the ingredients formulators reach for when a formula also contains something harsh.
- Polyglycerin-3 humectant
- Polyglycerin-3 is a short chain of glycerin units used as a gentler, less sticky humectant. It also helps oils and water stay blended.
- 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.
20 more explained
- Glyceryl Glucoside humectant
- Glyceryl Glucoside is glycerin bound to glucose, from the resurrection plant. It is a humectant that holds water in the outer layer of skin.
- Hydrolyzed Jojoba Esters emollient
- Jojoba Esters are jojoba wax rebuilt into a softer, meltable form. They condition skin and give body to balms without the heaviness of a butter.
- Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer thickener
- This is the thickener behind most gel-cream textures. It builds a soft, bouncy gel that collapses to a light fluid as it is rubbed in.
- 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.
- Hydroxyethylcellulose thickener
- Hydroxyethylcellulose is a cellulose thickener that builds a clear, smooth gel and holds the rest of the formula in suspension.
- Xanthan Gum thickener
- Xanthan Gum is a polysaccharide made by fermenting sugar. It thickens a watery formula into a gel and holds the whole thing in suspension so nothing separates. Too much of it and a serum turns stringy, which is why it appears in fractions of a percent.
- Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer thickener
- This is a carbomer relative with fatty side chains, so it thickens and stabilises an emulsion at the same time. It gives a light gel-cream body rather than a heavy one.
- 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.
- 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.
- Coptis Japonica Root Extract plant extract
- Coptis Japonica is a traditional East Asian medicinal root, bright yellow from its berberine content. In skincare its extract is used for the look of congested, oily skin.
- Sorbitan Isostearate emulsifier
- Sorbitan Isostearate is a mild emulsifier that holds water into oil, the direction a cleansing balm or an oil-based cream needs.
- Glucose humectant
- Glucose is a simple sugar used as a humectant and as food for the ferment ingredients in the same formula. It hydrates mildly and adds a soft slip.
- Coix Lacryma-Jobi Ma-Yuen Seed Extract plant extract
- Adlay, or Job tears, a grain used in both Korean cooking and Korean herbal practice. The seed extract carries starch-derived sugars and amino acids.
- Glycine Soja (Soybean) Seed Extract plant extract
- Soybean Seed Extract carries isoflavones, plant sterols and soy proteins. It is used as a conditioning antioxidant extract.
- Hordeum Distichon (Barley) Extract plant extract
- Barley extract, carrying beta-glucan, amino acids and B vitamins. It hydrates and is used as a conditioning grain extract.
- 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.
- Sesamum Indicum (Sesame) Seed Extract plant extract
- Sesame seed extract. It carries sesamol and sterols and is used as a conditioning, antioxidant-rich extract.
- Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Seed Extract plant extract
- Wheat seed extract, carrying proteins, sugars and vitamin E. It is used as a conditioning grain extract.
- Vigna Radiata Seed Extract plant extract
- Mung bean seed extract, the nokdu of Korean cleansing powders. It carries starches, proteins and saponins and is used as a conditioning, mildly cleansing extract.
- Zea Mays (Corn) Kernel Extract plant extract
- Corn kernel extract, mostly starch-derived sugars with some amino acids. It is used as a conditioning, water-holding extract.
- Market
- Korean market, the version sold in Korea
- EAN (barcode)
- 8809738312728
- Made in
- Republic of Korea
- Volume
- 30ml
- Category
- Serum & Ampoule / Brightening Serum
- Actives
- Arbutin, Niacinamide, Panthenol, Rice Extract, Trehalose
- 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.
Where this unit came from
- 1Seoul
Bought as Korean-market stock - 2Barcode
Listed against the Korean barcode on its box - 3California or Korea
Ships to you from either, as the same Korean-market release
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. The barcode in the specification above is the Korean-market one and it is printed on the box you receive.
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.
How to use
- Use it after toner, twice a day, before the moisturizer that follows it.
- One or two pumps for the whole face, smoothed on while skin is still damp from toner.
- In the morning, put your sunscreen on over the top as the last step of the routine.
- Do not run it alongside a second brightening serum; one tone step in a routine is enough.
Worth knowing
- Patch-test on a small area first if you are new to this formula or to the brand.
- Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran Water and this formula's other named actives are new to your skin the first time you use it, so introduce it a few times a week before moving to daily use if your skin runs sensitive.
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Beauty of Joseon Glow Deep Serum: Rice + Arbutin
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Beauty of Joseon, Korean-market original
Brightening serum, 30 ml, with Alpha-Arbutin and Niacinamide on the ingredient list.
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.
For Beauty of Joseon, verification is by sourcing chain. Your unit arrives with its Korean-market barcode and batch code intact, and we publish where we buy. The brand has retired its QR scan and is phasing out its authenticity seal, so the box itself is the record.
Source: Beauty of Joseon help centre
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 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
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