345 Relief Serum
A calming serum from Dr. Althea's Korean-market lineup. Niacinamide sits at position 8 of 51 on the brand's own ingredient list, a brightening and barrier-support active; Panthenol follows at position 9, a barrier-support humectant that also settles visible irritation.
No reviews yet- 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 serumRoutines that want Niacinamide and Madecassoside in one stepFilling the serum step with a Korean-market formula
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- 30-day returns
- Free US shipping on orders of $100 or more
- Tracked delivery to your door
Key benefits
- Niacinamide, the active this serum is built around
- Madecassoside, Asiaticoside, Asiatic Acid and Madecassic Acid on the same list, actives
- Sodium DNA and Pantothenic Acid further down the same list
- Resveratrol and Ceramide NP further down the same list
- Niacinamide named eighth on the manufacturer list printed on this page
Key actives
8Niacinamideactive
Niacinamide is vitamin B3, and it is the most studied active in Korean formulation. On this serum's own ingredient list it is named eighth.
31Madecassosideactive
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-first on this serum's list, beside Niacinamide.
35Asiaticosideactive
Asiaticoside is one of the four active triterpenes isolated from centella and the most studied of them. Korean formulas name it separately when they want to show which fraction of the plant they standardised. The panel names it thirty-fifth on this serum's list, beside Niacinamide.
37Asiatic Acidactive
Asiatic Acid is the third of centella's four triterpenes and the aglycone form, meaning it has no attached sugar. It is oil soluble, so it turns up in cica creams and balms more than in watery layers. The panel names it thirty-seventh on this serum's list, beside Niacinamide.
38Madecassic Acidactive
Madecassic Acid is the fourth centella triterpene. A list that names all four is telling you the extract was standardised rather than simply pressed, which is the difference between a cica claim and a cica formula. It is named thirty-eighth on this serum's list, alongside Niacinamide.
Inside the formula
Inside the formula
- 8Niacinamide
- 31Madecassoside
- 35Asiaticoside
- 38Madecassic Acid
Where each key active sits on the declared ingredient list, by entry number. Position is proportion: the further forward, the larger its share.
Dr. Althea 345 Relief 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.
What else is on the list besides Niacinamide?
Madecassoside, Asiaticoside and Asiatic Acid. 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: Madecassic Acid, Sodium DNA and Pantothenic Acid.
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 (50): Aqua (Water), Betula Platyphylla Japonica Juice, Propanediol, Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Water, Dipropylene Glycol, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Niacinamide, Panthenol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Hydrogenated Polydecene, C14-22 Alcohols, Hydroxyacetophenone, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, C12-20 Alkyl Glucoside, Tromethamine, Glyceryl Caprylate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Xanthan Gum, Pentylene Glycol, Disodium EDTA, Caprylyl Glycol, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Water, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Hyaluronic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate, Poloxamer 407, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Madecassoside, Pantothenic Acid, Polyglutamic Acid, Decyl Glucoside, Asiaticoside, Beta-Glucan, Asiatic Acid, Madecassic Acid, Sodium Phytate, Sodium DNA, Ceramide NP, Aluminum/Magnesium Hydroxide Stearate, Centella Asiatica Extract, Cholesterol, Lysolecithin, Phosphatidylcholine, Xylose, Hydroxypropyl Cyclodextrin, Tannic Acid, Resveratrol
49 of 50 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.
- Betula Platyphylla Japonica Juice plant extract
- Betula Platyphylla Japonica Juice is Asian white birch sap, tapped in spring. It is over 98 percent water with trace minerals and sugars, and Korean formulas use it in place of plain water as a hydrating base.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
37 more explained
- 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.
- 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.
- C12-20 Alkyl Glucoside emulsifier
- C12-20 Alkyl Glucoside is a sugar-derived emulsifier used in mild, plant-based cream bases.
- 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.
- Glyceryl Caprylate emulsifier
- Glyceryl Caprylate is a mild emulsifier that also makes a formula less hospitable to microbes, so it is often part of a preservative-free system.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 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.
- Poloxamer 407 surfactant
- Poloxamer 407 is a block copolymer used as a very mild surfactant and solubiliser. It carries small amounts of oil into water without the sting of a classic detergent.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Pantothenic Acid vitamin
- Pantothenic Acid is vitamin B5, the form skin converts panthenol into. It is used as a conditioning humectant that leaves skin feeling soft rather than tight.
- Polyglutamic Acid humectant
- Polyglutamic Acid comes from fermented soy and holds several times more water than hyaluronic acid for its weight. It forms a light film on the surface, so it is often layered with hyaluronic rather than replacing it.
- Decyl Glucoside surfactant
- Decyl Glucoside is a sugar and coconut-derived surfactant, one of the mildest cleansers available. It produces a soft, low foam and rinses without stripping.
- Asiaticoside active
- Asiaticoside is one of the four active triterpenes isolated from centella and the most studied of them. Korean formulas name it separately when they want to show which fraction of the plant they standardised.
- 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.
- Asiatic Acid active
- Asiatic Acid is the third of centella's four triterpenes and the aglycone form, meaning it has no attached sugar. It is oil soluble, so it turns up in cica creams and balms more than in watery layers.
- Madecassic Acid active
- Madecassic Acid is the fourth centella triterpene. A list that names all four is telling you the extract was standardised rather than simply pressed, which is the difference between a cica claim and a cica formula.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Aluminum/Magnesium Hydroxide Stearate dispersant
- A mineral soap used to suspend powders and thicken an oil phase, which is what stops pigment settling to the bottom of a bottle.
- 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.
- 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.
- Phosphatidylcholine emulsifier
- Phosphatidylcholine is the main phospholipid in lecithin and in cell membranes. It emulsifies and forms the liposome walls a formula uses to carry an active.
- Xylose sugar
- Xylose is a simple wood sugar. It is a humectant, and it is the unit the xylitol-based hydration blends are built from.
- Hydroxypropyl Cyclodextrin solvent
- Hydroxypropyl Cyclodextrin is a ring-shaped sugar that traps an active molecule inside itself, keeping it stable and releasing it slowly. It is a delivery shell rather than an active.
- 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.
- 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.
- Market
- Korean market, the version sold in Korea
- Made in
- Republic of Korea
- Category
- Serum & Ampoule
- Actives
- Beta-Glucan, Birch Sap, Centella Asiatica, Ceramide NP, Green Tea, Hyaluronic Acid, Madecassoside, Niacinamide, Panthenol, PDRN (Sodium DNA), Sodium Hyaluronate, Tea Tree
- 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.
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 it works
The 345 Relief Serum is a serum, used after toner and before moisturizer, morning and evening. The active it is built around is Niacinamide, named eighth on its own ingredient list. The same list carries Madecassoside, Asiaticoside and Asiatic Acid, 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. Dr.Althea sells this Niacinamide serum in Korea, and this is that version.
How to use
- Use the 345 Relief Serum after toner and before moisturizer, morning and evening.
- Three or four drops covers the whole face. Press it in with flat palms instead of rubbing it around.
- Toner first so the surface is damp, then this, then about a minute before your moisturizer goes over the top.
- Twice a day, every day. Do not stack it with a second serum of the same kind; two hydrating serums in one routine do the work of one.
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.
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Dr. Althea 345 Relief Serum
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Dr.Althea, Korean-market original
The Original Korean Formula serum from Dr.Althea, formulated with Niacinamide and Madecassoside, 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 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
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