Dr. Althea
147 Barrier Cream
A barrier cream from Dr. Althea's Korean-market lineup. Ceramide NP sits at position 26 of 44 on the brand's own ingredient list, a barrier lipid from the ceramide family; Squalane follows at position 29, a lightweight emollient that mimics skin's own sebum. 50ml to a unit.
No reviews yet- Ships from our California warehouse
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- Suited to
- Dry skinCompromised barrierDehydrated skinSensitive skin
- Helps with
- Shoppers looking for Ceramide NP in a creamRoutines that want Ceramide NP and Cholesterol in one stepFilling the cream step with a Korean-market formula
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- 30-day returns
- Free US shipping on orders of $100 or more
- Dispatched within 2 business days
How it works
The 147 Barrier Cream is a 50ml cream, used as the last skincare step, morning and evening, over serum. The barrier lipid it is built around is Ceramide NP, named twenty-fifth on its own ingredient list. The same list carries Cholesterol, Beta-Glucan and Laminaria Japonica Extract, so the barrier lipid is not the only thing on it worth naming. How much of the Ceramide NP stays on the skin, and for how long, is decided by the cream format rather than by the list alone. Dr.Althea sells this Ceramide NP cream in Korea, and this is that version.
Key benefits
- Ceramide NP, the barrier lipid this cream is built around
- Cholesterol on the same list, a barrier lipid
- Beta-Glucan on the same list, a polysaccharide
- Laminaria Japonica Extract and Eclipta Prostrata Extract on the same list, plant extracts
- Coptis Japonica Root Extract and Artemisia Princeps Leaf Extract further down the same list
- Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Fruit Extract and Brassica Oleracea Acephala Leaf Extract further down the same list
Key actives
Ceramide NPbarrier 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. On this cream's own ingredient list it is named twenty-fifth.
Cholesterolbarrier 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. It is named thirty-fifth on this cream's list, alongside Ceramide NP.
Beta-Glucanpolysaccharide
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. It is named thirty-ninth on this cream's list, alongside Ceramide NP.
Laminaria Japonica Extractplant extract
Laminaria Japonica is kombu kelp. Its extract carries alginates, minerals and iodine, and it is used as a hydrating, mineral-rich ingredient. The panel names it twenty-second on this cream's list, beside Ceramide NP.
Eclipta Prostrata Extractplant extract
Eclipta Prostrata is false daisy, long used in Ayurvedic and East Asian practice. Its extract is used as a conditioning plant extract, most often in scalp and hair formulas. The panel names it twenty-third on this cream's list, beside Ceramide NP.
Dr. Althea 147 Barrier Cream
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 Ceramide NP and not three changes at once.
What else is on the list besides Ceramide NP?
Cholesterol, Beta-Glucan and Laminaria Japonica Extract. The order they are printed in on this cream's panel is the order on the box, so you can see where Ceramide NP sits relative to them. Further down the same panel: Eclipta Prostrata Extract, Coptis Japonica Root Extract and Artemisia Princeps Leaf Extract.
- 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.
Payment and security
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How to use
- Use the 147 Barrier Cream last in the evening, and under sunscreen in the morning.
- A pea-sized amount for the whole face, pressed in rather than rubbed, while skin is still damp from the layer before it.
- It goes on after your serum or ampoule. In the morning your sunscreen is the only thing that follows it.
- Twice a day, every day. Do not confuse it with the 345 cream in the same range; the numbers are how the two are told apart.
Worth knowing
- Patch test this cream on a small area and wait a day before using it more widely, especially with Ceramide NP on the list.
- Introduce this cream on its own for the first week, so anything your skin does is traceable to the Ceramide NP rather than to three changes at once.
Reviews
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Dr. Althea, Korean-market original
The Original Korean Formula cream from Dr.Althea, 50ml formulated with Ceramide NP and Cholesterol, held in the United States and shipped domestically.
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.
Ceramides are part fatty acid and part amino acid and are able to be the grout that keeps the building blocks of the skin together and functioning as a barrier between the inside and outside world.
Amy Kassouf, MDDermatologist, Cleveland Clinic It can be especially useful for skin that is easily irritated or prone to redness, including conditions such as rosacea, eczema and contact dermatitis.
Derrick Phillips, MDConsultant dermatologist, Vogue
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