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 Niacinamide and not three changes at once.

What else is on the list besides Niacinamide?

Madecassoside, Sodium DNA and Resveratrol. The order they are printed in on this cream's panel is the order on the box, so you can see where Niacinamide sits relative to them. Further down the same panel: Tocopherol, Ceramide NP and Beta-Glucan.

Dr.Althea

345 Relief Cream (Travel Size)

Name: Dr.Althea 345 Relief Cream (Travel Size)
Brand: Dr.Althea
Price: 5.99 USD
Availability: OutOfStock

A travel-size cream from Dr. Althea's Korean-market lineup. Niacinamide sits at position 10 of 39 on the brand's own ingredient list, a brightening and barrier-support active; Panthenol follows at position 12, a barrier-support humectant that also settles visible irritation. 15ml to a unit.

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$5.99

15ml

$3.99 per 10 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 a creamRoutines that want Niacinamide and Madecassoside in one stepFilling the cream step with a Korean-market formula

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Key benefits

Niacinamide, the active this cream is built around
Madecassoside and Sodium DNA on the same list, actives
Resveratrol and Tocopherol on the same list, antioxidants
Ceramide NP and Beta-Glucan further down the same list
Coptis Japonica Root Extract and Centella Asiatica Extract further down the same list
Niacinamide named ninth on the manufacturer list printed on this page

Key actives

9Niacinamideactive

Niacinamide is vitamin B3, and it is the most studied active in Korean formulation. On this cream's own ingredient list it is named ninth.

All products with Niacinamide

28Resveratrolantioxidant

Resveratrol is an antioxidant from grape skin and Japanese knotweed. It is used for the look of dullness and is often paired with ferulic acid, which keeps it stable. It is named twenty-eighth on this cream's list, alongside Niacinamide.

All products with Resveratrol

31Tocopherolantioxidant

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. It is named thirty-first on this cream's list, alongside Niacinamide.

All products with Tocopherol

32Madecassosideactive

Madecassoside is the centella triterpene most associated with the look of redness, and the one brands lead with in cica products. It is water soluble and stable, so it appears in essences as readily as in creams. The panel names it thirty-second on this cream's list, beside Niacinamide.

All products with Madecassoside

33Sodium DNAactive

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. It is named thirty-third on this cream's list, alongside Niacinamide.

All products with PDRN

Inside the formula

Ingredients declared

No fragrance

on the list

9Niacinamide28Resveratrol31Tocopherol

9Niacinamide
28Resveratrol
31Tocopherol

Where each key active sits on the declared ingredient list, by entry number. Position is proportion: the further forward, the larger its share.

1 of 5

Dr. Althea 345 Relief Cream (Travel Size)

38 of 38 explained

Aqua (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.
Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Water plant extract: Tea Tree Leaf Water is the distillate, used in place of plain water as a base. It carries a trace of the plant's aroma and none of the essential oil's strength.
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.
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.
Hydrogenated Polydecene emollient: Hydrogenated Polydecene is a synthetic hydrocarbon emollient used in place of mineral oil. It is stable, has no scent, and gives a cushioned slip without oxidising.
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.
C14-22 Alcohols fatty alcohol: C14-22 Alcohols is a declaration for a mixture of long-chain fatty alcohols. They thicken a cream and hold the emulsion together.
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.
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.
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.
Dicaprylyl Carbonate emollient: Dicaprylyl Carbonate is a light, fast-spreading emollient with a notably dry finish. It is chosen where a formula has to spread thin without leaving a heavy film.

26 more explained

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.
Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer thickener: This is a synthetic thickener that gels quickly and holds an emulsion stable across a wide pH range. It gives a light, non-tacky body.
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.
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.
C12-20 Alkyl Glucoside emulsifier: C12-20 Alkyl Glucoside is a sugar-derived emulsifier used in mild, plant-based cream bases.
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.
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.
Polyquaternium-51 film former: Polyquaternium-51 is a polymer, sometimes sold as Lipidure, built on the same phosphorylcholine structure as a cell membrane. It holds water in a film on the surface and gives a distinctive soft, dry finish.
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.
Tromethamine pH adjuster: Tromethamine neutralises acidic thickeners such as carbomer so they gel, and holds a formula near skin-friendly pH. It is used at a fraction of a percent.
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.
Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate emulsifier: Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate is an amino-acid-derived emulsifier. It holds oil and water together and is mild enough for formulas built for reactive skin.
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.
Centella Asiatica Leaf Water plant extract: Centella Asiatica Leaf Water is the distilled water of the centella leaf, used in place of plain water as a formula base. It is far more dilute than the extract, so it sets the base rather than supplying the actives.
Beta-Glucan polysaccharide: 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.
Resveratrol antioxidant: Resveratrol is an antioxidant from grape skin and Japanese knotweed. It is used for the look of dullness and is often paired with ferulic acid, which keeps it stable.
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.
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Water plant extract: Camellia Sinensis Leaf Water is green tea distillate used in place of plain water as a base. It is far more dilute than the extract, so it sets the base rather than supplying the antioxidants.
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.
Madecassoside active: Madecassoside is the centella triterpene most associated with the look of redness, and the one brands lead with in cica products. It is water soluble and stable, so it appears in essences as readily as in creams.
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.
Centella Asiatica Extract plant extract: Centella Asiatica is the plant behind the whole cica category, sold as gotu kola or Madagascar centella. Its extract is the anchor of Korean formulas built for easily reddened skin, and its work is done by four triterpenes: asiaticoside, madecassoside, asiatic acid and madecassic acid.
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.
Tannic Acid plant extract: Tannic Acid is the tannin fraction of plants such as oak and tea. It binds to proteins on the surface, which is what gives a tannin its tightening, astringent feel.
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.
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.

How it works

The 345 Relief Cream (Travel Size) is a 15ml cream, used as the last skincare step, morning and evening, over serum. The active it is built around is Niacinamide, named ninth on its own ingredient list. The same list carries Madecassoside, Sodium DNA and Resveratrol, 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 cream format rather than by the list alone. Dr.Althea sells this Niacinamide cream in Korea, and this is that version.

How to use

Use the 345 Relief 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 keep the travel tube as a spare for months; a small tube in a bag gets warm and warm cream turns first.

Worth knowing

Patch test this cream on a small area and wait a day before using it more widely, especially with Niacinamide on the list.
Introduce this cream on its own for the first week, so anything your skin does is traceable to the Niacinamide rather than to three changes at once.

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Dr. Althea 345 Relief Cream (Travel Size)

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Dr.Althea, Korean-market original

The Original Korean Formula cream from Dr.Althea, 15ml formulated with Niacinamide and Madecassoside, 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 the key actives in this formula, quoted from the medical sources linked beside each.

Centella can make your skin appear more hydrated, plumper and healthier.
Samantha Stein, PA-CDermatology physician assistant, Cleveland Clinic
Niacinamide helps reduce the appearance of pores in a few ways. By strengthening the skin barrier and improving elasticity, pores appear less noticeable and more even.
Ashlyn YankeAesthetician, Cleveland Clinic

1 more professional perspective

It's still a very new ingredient in the field of regenerative medicine.
Catherine ChangBeverly Hills board-certified plastic and reconstructive surgeon, Harper's Bazaar