Where does this essence go in my routine?

After toner and before serum, morning and evening, on damp skin. Anything thinner than an essence 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 essence or a US version?

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

Does this essence contain fragrance?

Yes. The ingredient list names Fragrance and Parfum. They sit on the panel printed on this page, so you can read the position for yourself before you buy. If fragrance components are something you avoid, this essence is not the one.

What else is on the list besides Niacinamide?

Adenosine, Allantoin and Caffeine. The order they are printed in on this essence's panel is the order on the box, so you can see where Niacinamide sits relative to them. Further down the same panel: Sodium DNA, Acetyl Dipeptide-1 Cetyl Ester and Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5.

CLIO

Glazing Milky Essence 120ml

Name: CLIO Glazing Milky Essence 120ml
Brand: CLIO
SKU: 12454035261
Price: 40.0 USD
Availability: InStock

Niacinamide sits fifth, and the glaze comes from Diisostearyl Malate with shea butter, squalane and olive and coconut oils behind it. A 120 ml milky essence that leaves a finish rather than disappearing. Korean-market formula.

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$40.00

120 ml

$33.33 per 100 ml

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

Suited to: Dry skinCompromised barrierDehydrated skinSensitive skin

Helps with: Shoppers looking for Niacinamide in an essenceRoutines that want Niacinamide and Adenosine in one stepFilling the essence step with a Korean-market formulaAnyone who wants the Niacinamide essence sold on Korean shelves

One-time purchase

$40.00

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$36.00

In stock. Arrives in 3 to 7 business days

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How it works

The Glazing Milky Essence is a 120ml essence, used after toner and before serum, morning and evening, on damp skin. The active it is built around is Niacinamide, named fifth on its own ingredient list. The same list carries Adenosine, Allantoin and Caffeine, 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 essence format rather than by the list alone. This is the Original Korean Formula, the essence CLIO sells in Korea, Niacinamide and all.

Key benefits

Niacinamide, the active this essence is built around
Adenosine, Allantoin, Caffeine and Sodium DNA on the same list, actives
Acetyl Dipeptide-1 Cetyl Ester and Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5 further down the same list
Acetyl Tetrapeptide-5 and Sphingomonas Ferment Extract further down the same list
Niacinamide named fifth on the manufacturer list printed on this page
The Korean-market release of this essence, confirmed against its Korean barcode

Inside the formula

Ingredients declared

Last

Fragrance on the list

1 of 3

57 of 57 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Diisostearyl Malate emollient: Diisostearyl Malate is a thick, glossy ester used to hold pigment in suspension and give a cushioned shine. It is the standard emollient in lip products.
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.
Caprylyl Methicone silicone: Caprylyl Methicone is a silicone with a fatty tail, so it mixes with plant oils as well as with silicones. It gives a dry slip and helps disperse powders.
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.
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.
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.
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.

45 more explained

Methyl Methacrylate Crosspolymer absorbent: Methyl Methacrylate Crosspolymer is a polymer in fine sphere form. It absorbs oil, soft-focuses the look of texture and gives a powdery slip.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Polymethylsilsesquioxane silicone: Polymethylsilsesquioxane is a silicone resin in fine sphere form. It soft-focuses the look of pores and lines and gives a smooth, powdery finish.
Methylpropanediol humectant: Methylpropanediol is a small glycol used to hydrate and to help water-soluble actives penetrate the outer layer of skin more evenly. It leaves almost no tack, which suits watery textures.
Polyether-1 film former: A synthetic polyether polymer used as a film former and viscosity agent. It leaves a smooth, slightly tacky feel that helps a formula stay put.
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.
Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil emollient: Olive Fruit Oil is high in oleic acid and plant sterols. It is a rich emollient that suits dry skin and is heavy enough that blemish-prone skin often does not get on with it.
Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil emollient: Coconut Oil is high in lauric acid, which makes it a rich emollient and partial occlusive. It is well known to be poorly suited to blemish-prone skin.
Dimethiconol silicone: Dimethiconol is a high-molecular-weight silicone that leaves a longer-lasting smooth film than dimethicone. It is used for lasting slip and shine.
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.
Sphingomonas Ferment Extract ferment: Sphingomonas Ferment Extract is the liquid left after Sphingomonas bacteria have fermented a sugar substrate. It carries water-holding polysaccharides and is used as a conditioning ferment.
Potassium Cetyl Phosphate emulsifier: Potassium Cetyl Phosphate is an emulsifier prized for keeping powdered ingredients evenly suspended, which is why tinted and mineral-powder textures use it.
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.
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.
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.
Sodium Phytate chelator: Sodium Phytate is a rice-derived chelator used in place of EDTA. It ties up trace metals so the formula stays stable and its colour and scent hold.
Aminomethyl Propanediol pH adjuster: An alkaline compound used to raise the pH of a formula, most often so an acrylate thickener will swell into a gel.
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.
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.
Tocopherol antioxidant: Tocopherol is vitamin E. It is an oil-soluble antioxidant that protects the oils in a formula from going rancid and works on skin as an emollient, and it is regularly paired with vitamin C because each keeps the other going for longer.
Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran Oil emollient: Rice Bran Oil is pressed from the bran left over from milling rice. It carries vitamin E and a group of rice-specific antioxidants, and it is a light emollient.
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.
Ectoin humectant: Ectoin is a small molecule that microbes in salt flats and hot springs make to survive extreme conditions. In skincare it holds water tightly around itself, which is why it appears in formulas aimed at reactive, easily dehydrated skin.
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.
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.
Sorbitan Laurate emulsifier: Sorbitan Laurate is a light emulsifier and solubiliser, used to keep small amounts of oil or fragrance dissolved in a watery formula.
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.
Hydroxyethylcellulose thickener: Hydroxyethylcellulose is a cellulose thickener that builds a clear, smooth gel and holds the rest of the formula in suspension.
Benzyl Glycol preservative booster: Benzyl Glycol is a solvent that also makes a formula less hospitable to microbes, so it appears in preservative blends built without parabens.
Acetyl Dipeptide-1 Cetyl Ester peptide: Acetyl Dipeptide-1 Cetyl Ester is a two-amino-acid peptide with a fatty cetyl tail attached, which lets it sit in the oil phase of a formula rather than only the water phase.
Hydrolyzed Glycosaminoglycans humectant: Hydrolyzed Glycosaminoglycans are short fragments of the sugar chains that sit between cells in skin, hyaluronic acid among them. They act as humectants and give a cushioned feel.
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.
Rice Ferment Filtrate (Sake) ferment: Rice Ferment Filtrate is the clear liquid from fermented rice, the same process that makes sake. It carries amino acids, sugars and organic acids and is used as a conditioning ferment.
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5 peptide: Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5 is a fatted three-amino-acid peptide used for the look of firmness and fine lines. The palmitoyl tail is what lets it cross an oily surface.
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.
Acetyl Tetrapeptide-5 peptide: Acetyl Tetrapeptide-5 is a four-amino-acid peptide used in eye products for the look of puffiness and crepiness.
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 DNA active: Sodium DNA is the salt of DNA, in Korean skincare almost always salmon derived, and it is the ingredient behind the PDRN category. It is used as a humectant and for the look of tired skin; the fragments themselves are what the name PDRN refers to.
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.
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 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.
Fragrance (Parfum) fragrance: Fragrance, or Parfum, is a single declaration standing for a whole scent blend, which can be dozens of materials. Regulators allow it as a trade secret, so a list showing only this word does not say what the scent is made of. It is the most common trigger named by people with reactive skin.

How to use

Use it as the essence step, AM and PM, after toner and before serum, giving it a moment to settle before the next step.

Worth knowing

Patch test this essence on a small area and wait a day before using it more widely, especially with Niacinamide on the list.
This list names Fragrance and Parfum, so skip it if fragrance components are something you avoid.

Complete the routine

This itemCLIO Glazing Milky Essence 120ml$40.00
From the same Korean-market lineCLIO Essential Lipcheek Tap 4.5g (8colors)$22.50
The treatment step of this routineCLIO Glazing Prep Base 40ml$40.00

Total for 3 items$102.50

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CLIO Glazing Milky Essence 120ml

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CLIO, Korean-market original

The Original Korean Formula essence from CLIO, 120ml formulated with Niacinamide and Adenosine, 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