Hydro Cera-Nol Serum
A 30 ml milky serum with panthenol fourth and niacinamide sixth on its own list, then five ceramides, cholesterol and phytosphingosine with eight hyaluronic forms: the Korean-market barrier serum for skin that feels tight and stripped.
No reviews yet30ml
$49.97 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 serumRoutines that want Niacinamide and Adenosine in one stepFilling the serum step with a Korean-market formulaAnyone who wants the Niacinamide serum sold on Korean shelves
Sold out.
Tell us where to send it
One email, the moment this exact unit is back in stock. Not a newsletter and not a sequence, and your address comes off the list the second it is sent.
- 30-day returns
- Free US shipping on orders of $100 or more
- Tracked delivery to your door
How it works
The Hydro Cera-Nol Serum is a 30ml serum, used after toner and before moisturizer, morning and evening. The active it is built around is Niacinamide, named sixth on its own ingredient list. The same list carries Adenosine, Allantoin and Ceramide NP, 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 serum format rather than by the list alone. This is the Original Korean Formula, the serum Biodance sells in Korea, Niacinamide and all.
Key benefits
- Niacinamide, the active this serum is built around
- Adenosine and Allantoin on the same list, actives
- Ceramide NP and Ceramide NS on the same list, barrier lipids
- Cholesterol and Phytosphingosine further down the same list
- Ceramide AP and Ceramide AS further down the same list
- Niacinamide named sixth on the manufacturer list printed on this page
Inside the formula
Inside the formula
Biodance Hydro Cera-Nol Serum
Where does this serum go in my routine?
After toner and before moisturizer, morning and evening. Anything thinner than a serum 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 serum or a US version?
The Korean-market one, Niacinamide and all. We match this serum 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?
Adenosine, Allantoin and Ceramide NP. The order they are printed in on this serum's panel is the order on the box, so you can see where Niacinamide sits relative to them. Further down the same panel: Ceramide NS, Cholesterol and Phytosphingosine.
Not on the ingredient list below: fragrance or parfum, denatured or SD alcohol, essential oils, parabens, sulfate surfactants, mineral oil or petrolatum and added color.
Full INCI (44): Water (Aqua), Propanediol, Glycerin, Panthenol, Butylene Glycol, Niacinamide, 1,2-Hexanediol, Pentylene Glycol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Vinyl Dimethicone, Cetearyl Olivate, Sodium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Sorbitan Olivate, Diphenylsiloxy Phenyl Trimethicone, Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Xanthan Gum, Ethylhexylglycerin, Octyldodecanol, Adenosine, Disodium EDTA, Citric Acid, Allantoin, Echium Plantagineum Seed Oil, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Stearic Acid, Perilla Ocymoides Seed Extract, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil Unsaponifiables, Cardiospermum Halicacabum Flower/Leaf/Vine Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Ceramide NP, Ceramide NS, Cholesterol, Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate, Phytosphingosine, Ceramide AP, Ceramide AS, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate, Hyaluronic Acid, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Potassium Hyaluronate, Ceramide EOP
Ingredient list read from inkeedecoder.com on 10 September 2026.
43 of 44 explained
- Water (Aqua) 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Pentylene Glycol humectant
- Pentylene Glycol hydrates and, like the other longer-chain glycols, makes a formula less hospitable to microbes so the preservative system can be lighter. It also improves how evenly a product spreads.
- Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride emollient
- Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride is the light fraction of coconut oil, with the heavy parts removed. It is the workhorse emollient of modern formulas: it softens skin, dissolves oil-soluble actives and absorbs without the greasy weight of a whole plant oil.
- Vinyl Dimethicone silicone
- Vinyl Dimethicone is a silicone used as a building block of the crosspolymer gels that give a formula its soft, blurring feel.
- Cetearyl Olivate emulsifier
- Cetearyl Olivate is the water-loving half of the olive-derived emulsifier pair. With sorbitan olivate it builds emulsions whose lipid profile is close to skin's own.
- 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.
31 more explained
- Sorbitan Olivate emulsifier
- Sorbitan Olivate is an olive-derived emulsifier, the oil-loving half of the pair sold as Olivem. It holds oil into water and leaves a light, non-waxy feel.
- Diphenylsiloxy Phenyl Trimethicone silicone
- Diphenylsiloxy Phenyl Trimethicone is a high-shine silicone used where a formula needs gloss without stickiness.
- Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate thickener
- Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate is a polymer thickener that gels instantly and gives a light, silky body.
- 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.
- 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.
- Octyldodecanol emollient
- Octyldodecanol is a branched fatty alcohol used as an emollient and as a solvent for pigments and mineral powders. It thickens slightly and leaves a soft finish.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Allantoin active
- Allantoin is a comfrey-derived compound used to condition skin and soften the outer layer so it feels smoother. It is one of the standard additions to a formula built for easily irritated skin.
- Echium Plantagineum Seed Oil emollient
- Echium seed oil, one of the few plant oils carrying stearidonic acid. It is a light oil used to soften skin.
- Hydrogenated Lecithin emulsifier
- Hydrogenated Lecithin is lecithin with its unsaturated bonds filled in, which makes it far more stable. It emulsifies and is the standard shell for the liposomes that carry actives into the outer layer of skin.
- Cetearyl Alcohol fatty alcohol
- Cetearyl Alcohol is a waxy solid, not the drying kind of alcohol. It is a blend of cetyl and stearyl alcohols used to thicken a cream and keep oil and water from separating, and it softens skin as it does so.
- 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.
- Perilla Ocymoides Seed Extract plant extract
- Perilla seed extract, from the herb Korean cooking knows as kkaennip. The seed is high in omega-3 fatty acids and the extract carries rosmarinic acid.
- Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil Unsaponifiables emollient
- The fraction of sunflower oil that cannot be turned into soap, which is where its sterols and vitamin E concentrate. It softens skin and helps hold water in.
- Cardiospermum Halicacabum Flower/Leaf/Vine Extract plant extract
- Balloon vine extract, taken from the whole climbing plant. It is one of the plant extracts formulas built for reactive, itchy-feeling skin lean on.
- 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.
- Ceramide NP barrier lipid
- Ceramide NP is the most used cosmetic ceramide, the same class of lipid that makes up roughly half the mortar between cells in the outer layer of skin. Added to a cream it slots into that structure, which is why ceramide formulas feel less leaky rather than merely greasy.
- Ceramide NS barrier lipid
- Ceramide NS is another of the ceramides skin makes for itself. It is used alongside NP and AP so a formula supplies a mixture rather than a single lipid.
- Cholesterol barrier lipid
- Cholesterol is the third of the three lipids the outer layer of skin is built from, with ceramides and fatty acids. Formulas that carry all three are following the ratio skin itself holds.
- Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate humectant
- Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate carries a positive charge, and skin carries a slight negative one, so it is attracted to the surface and stays through rinsing. It is the hyaluronic used where a formula gets washed off.
- Phytosphingosine barrier lipid
- Phytosphingosine is the backbone every ceramide is built on, and skin uses it in its own lipid layer. In a formula it works with ceramides and cholesterol and also keeps the product stable against microbes.
- Ceramide AP barrier lipid
- Ceramide AP is a second cosmetic ceramide, distinguished by an extra hydroxyl group. Formulas that name several ceramides are copying the mix skin actually holds rather than relying on one.
- Ceramide AS barrier lipid
- Ceramide AS is a further member of the same lipid family. Its presence usually signals a formula built around a full ceramide profile rather than a single headline one.
- Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid humectant
- Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid is hyaluronic acid cut into much shorter fragments. The smaller the fragment, the further into the outer layer it can settle, which is why serums stack several sizes together instead of using one.
- Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate humectant
- Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate is hyaluronic acid modified to be part oil-loving, so it clings to skin instead of rinsing away. Formulators call it the one that stays put.
- Hyaluronic Acid humectant
- Hyaluronic Acid is a sugar chain the body already makes, and one gram of it can hold several litres of water. In a formula it is a humectant that pulls water to the surface of skin and holds it in a film, which is what makes skin look plumper while it is there.
- Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer humectant
- Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer is hyaluronic acid linked into a mesh. It holds water in a soft gel on the surface rather than sinking in, and it releases that water slowly through the day.
- Potassium Hyaluronate humectant
- Potassium Hyaluronate is another salt of hyaluronic acid, used for the same reason as the sodium form: it dissolves easily and holds a large amount of water in the outer layer of skin.
- Ceramide EOP barrier lipid
- Ceramide EOP is the ceramide with the longest tail, and in skin it acts as the rivet holding the lipid layers together. It is the third member of the standard cosmetic ceramide trio.
- Market
- Korean market, the version sold in Korea
- EAN (barcode)
- 8809891185184
- Made in
- Republic of Korea
- Volume
- 30ml
- Category
- Serum & Ampoule / Barrier Repair Serum
- Actives
- Adenosine, Allantoin, Ceramide NP, Ceramides, Hyaluronic Acid, Niacinamide, Panthenol, Sodium Hyaluronate
- 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 the Hydro Cera-Nol Serum after your toner and before your moisturizer, morning and evening.
- Two or three drops for the whole face, pressed in with the flats of your fingers while skin is still damp.
- Follow with a moisturizer within a minute or two, because a thin serum left bare dries down and takes surface water with it.
- Twice a day, every day. Do not use it as your only layer on skin that already feels tight; a serum is not a seal.
Worth knowing
- Patch test this serum on a small area and wait a day before using it more widely, especially with Niacinamide on the list.
- Introduce this serum on its own for the first week, so anything your skin does is traceable to the Niacinamide rather than to three changes at once.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Tell us how much you love the product!
Write a reviewWrite a review
Biodance Hydro Cera-Nol Serum
How it felt, how your skin took it, what you layer it with. Straight answers help the next person choose.
We’re on gram!
Creators trying on authentic Korean skincare routines and products from us.
Rating a shelf of Dr. Althea products one by one.
Jasmine Loo · YouTube
Two hydrating serums side by side, IUNIK and Dr. Althea.
Kristin · YouTube
A walk through the Dr. Althea serum lineup and who each one suits.
auraofmahmuda · YouTube
A blunt first take on the Dr. Althea range.
Lexi Chang · YouTube
A first look at the viral 345 Relief Cream before buying.
Shelley Nayak · YouTube
A first try of the Dr. Althea serum on camera.
Hannah Ziad · YouTube
Biodance, Korean-market original
The Original Korean Formula serum from Biodance, 30ml formulated with Niacinamide and Adenosine, shipped from California or direct from Korea.
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.
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
Ask an AI assistant about this product
Ask an AI assistant about this product
Opens ChatGPT, Perplexity or Claude in a new tab with the question prefilled. Claude asks you to sign in first.









