Dr.Althea
Aqua Glowing Sunscreen SPF50+ PA++++
A sun care formula from Dr. Althea's Korean-market lineup, built around Niacinamide and Panthenol, 45ml to a unit.
No reviews yet45 ml
$39.20 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 a sunscreenRoutines that want Niacinamide and Adenosine in one stepFilling the sunscreen step with a Korean-market formulaAnyone who wants the Niacinamide sunscreen sold on Korean shelves
In stock. Arrives in 3 to 7 business days
We accept
You’re $100.00 away from free US shipping.
- 30-day returns
- Free US shipping on orders of $100 or more
- Tracked delivery to your door
How it works
The Aqua Glowing Sunscreen is a 45ml sunscreen, used as the last step of the morning routine, over moisturizer and under makeup. The active it is built around is Niacinamide, named tenth on its own ingredient list. The same list carries Adenosine, Sodium DNA and Tocopherol, 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 sunscreen format rather than by the list alone. This is the Original Korean Formula, the sunscreen Dr.Althea sells in Korea, Niacinamide and all.
Key benefits
- Niacinamide, the active this sunscreen is built around
- Adenosine and Sodium DNA on the same list, actives
- Tocopherol on the same list, an antioxidant
- Ceramide NP on the same list, a barrier lipid
- Caulerpa Lentillifera Extract and Isononyl Isononanoate further down the same list
- Glycereth-26 and Panthenol further down the same list
Inside the formula
Inside the formula
Where does this sunscreen go in my routine?
As the last step of the morning routine, over moisturizer and under makeup. Anything thinner than a sunscreen 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 sunscreen or a US version?
The Korean-market one, Niacinamide and all. We match this sunscreen 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, Sodium DNA and Tocopherol. The order they are printed in on this sunscreen's panel is the order on the box, so you can see where Niacinamide sits relative to them. Further down the same panel: Ceramide NP, Caulerpa Lentillifera Extract and Isononyl Isononanoate.
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 (39): Water, Bambusa Vulgaris Water, Isononyl Isononanoate, Propanediol, Butyloctyl Salicylate, Ethylhexyl Triazone, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Dibutyl Adipate, Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate, Niacinamide, Drometrizole Trisiloxane, Methylene Bis-Benzotriazolyl Tetramethylbutylphenol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Pentylene Glycol, Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate, Glycereth-26, Panthenol, Behenyl Alcohol, Tromethamine, Decyl Glucoside, Caprylyl Methicone, Hydrogenated Castor Oil/Sebacic Acid Copolymer, Carbomer, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Polyglyceryl-6 Distearate, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Candelilla/Jojoba/Rice Bran Polyglyceryl-3 Esters, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Adenosine, Glycerin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Xanthan Gum, Ceramide NP, Tocopherol, Butylene Glycol, Caulerpa Lentillifera Extract, Sodium DNA
Ingredient list read from jolse.com on 9 September 2026.
35 of 39 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.
- Bambusa Vulgaris Water plant extract
- Bamboo water, the sap or leaf distillate of bamboo, used in place of plain water. It carries silica and minerals and is a dilute base ingredient.
- Isononyl Isononanoate emollient
- Isononyl Isononanoate is a branched ester used as a dry emollient. It spreads far for its weight and leaves almost no residue, which is why it appears in formulas that have to feel weightless.
- 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.
- Butyloctyl Salicylate emollient
- Butyloctyl Salicylate is an ester used as a solvent and emollient, particularly for dissolving powdered ingredients evenly. Despite the salicylate name it is not an exfoliant.
- 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.
- Dibutyl Adipate emollient
- Dibutyl Adipate is a light ester emollient used as a solvent for UV filters and pigments and to keep a formula from feeling tacky.
- 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.
- Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate emulsifier
- Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate is a sugar-derived emulsifier known for a light, non-soapy feel. It builds gel-creams that do not read as rich.
- Glycereth-26 humectant
- Glycereth-26 is a modified glycerin that hydrates with far less stickiness than glycerin itself. It is a common way to load water into a formula that has to stay light.
23 more explained
- 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.
- Behenyl Alcohol fatty alcohol
- Behenyl Alcohol is a long-chain fatty alcohol used to thicken and stabilise a cream. It gives a richer, more velvety body than cetyl alcohol.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Hydrogenated Castor Oil/Sebacic Acid Copolymer thickener
- A castor-oil polymer used to gel oil phases. It gives a balm or a stick body without a hard wax.
- Carbomer thickener
- Carbomer is a synthetic polymer that only gels once a base neutralises it, which is why arginine or tromethamine sits nearby on the list. It gives the clear, non-stringy gel texture a xanthan formula cannot reach.
- 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.
- Polyglyceryl-6 Distearate emulsifier
- Polyglyceryl-6 Distearate is a sugar-derived emulsifier used in mild cream bases, often alongside jojoba esters.
- Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6 thickener
- Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6 is a thickener chosen for a notably fresh, bouncy gel feel that breaks down to water on the skin.
- Trimethylsiloxysilicate silicone
- A silicone resin supplied in a volatile carrier. The carrier flashes off and the resin stays behind as a light, transfer-resistant film.
- 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.
- Candelilla/Jojoba/Rice Bran Polyglyceryl-3 Esters emulsifier
- A wax-and-glycerin emulsifier built from candelilla wax, jojoba and rice bran. It holds water inside an oil phase and gives a balm the body it needs to stay solid.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Caulerpa Lentillifera Extract plant extract
- Extract of sea grape, a green seaweed. It carries mineral-rich polysaccharides and is used as a hydrating marine extract.
- 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.
- Market
- Korean market, the version sold in Korea
- EAN (barcode)
- 8809447255828
- Made in
- Republic of Korea
- Volume
- 45 ml
- Category
- Sun Care
- Actives
- Adenosine, Ceramide NP, Niacinamide, Panthenol, PDRN (Sodium DNA), 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 Aqua Glowing Sunscreen as the last step of the morning routine, over moisturizer and under makeup.
- Apply about two finger lengths of sunscreen 15 minutes before going outside.
- Nothing skincare goes over it. It is the last thing on in the morning, and it is never mixed into the moisturizer underneath it.
- Every morning, and again through the day as the instruction on the pack directs. Do not stir it into your moisturizer to save a step.
Worth knowing
- Patch test this sunscreen on a small area and wait a day before using it more widely, especially with Niacinamide on the list.
- Introduce this sunscreen on its own for the first week, so anything your skin does is traceable to the Niacinamide rather than to three changes at once.
Complete the routine
- This itemDr.Althea Aqua Glowing Sunscreen SPF50+ PA++++$17.64
- Seal the routine in as the last stepDr.Althea 147 Barrier Cream 50ml$52.50
- Prep after cleansing, before the treatment stepDr.Althea Anastatica Skin Conditioning Pad 65ea/170ml$47.50
Total for 3 items$117.64
Reviews
No reviews yet. Tell us how much you love the product!
Write a reviewWrite a review
Dr. Althea Aqua Glowing Sunscreen SPF50+ PA++++
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
Dr.Althea, Korean-market original
The Original Korean Formula sunscreen from Dr.Althea, 45ml 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.