Dr. Althea
Gentle Vitamin C Serum
A serum from Dr. Althea's Korean-market lineup, built around 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid and Niacinamide, 30ml to a unit.
No reviews yet- Ships from our California warehouse
- Duties prepaid
- Suited to
- NormalCombinationDry
- Helps with
- A targeted treatment step between toner and moisturizerA concentrated step layered under a moisturizerDaily use as the treatment step of a routine
Sold out.
Tell us where to send it
One email, the moment this exact unit is back in stock. Not a newsletter and not a sequence, and your address comes off the list the second it is sent.
- Duties prepaid
- 30-day returns
- Free US shipping on orders of $100 or more
- Dispatched within 2 business days
How it works
The Gentle Vitamin C Serum is a 30ml serum, used after toner and before moisturizer, morning and evening. The antioxidant it is built around is 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, named fourteenth on its own ingredient list. The same list carries Niacinamide, Adenosine and Allantoin, so the antioxidant is not the only thing on it worth naming. How much of the 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid stays on the skin, and for how long, is decided by the serum format rather than by the list alone. Dr.Althea sells this 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid serum in Korea, and this is that version.
Key benefits
- Built on 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, a stabilized vitamin C derivative
- Niacinamide runs alongside it, the brightening and barrier-support active
- No parfum or fragrance ingredient on the list
- 30ml serum sold in Dr. Althea's Korean-market packaging, not a US-reformulated version
- Takes after toner and before moisturizer
- 20 ingredients on the manufacturer's own list, in the order Dr. Althea lists them
Key actives
3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acidantioxidant
3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid is a stable vitamin C derivative that skin converts to ascorbic acid. It survives in a formula far better than pure vitamin C and works at a gentler pH, so it suits skin that finds the pure acid uncomfortable. The name on the box points at it, and it is named fourteenth on this serum's own ingredient list.
Niacinamideactive
Niacinamide is vitamin B3, and it is the most studied active in Korean formulation. It is named fourth on this serum's list, alongside 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid.
Adenosineactive
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. The panel names it sixteenth on this serum's list, beside 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid.
Allantoinactive
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. It is named eighteenth on this serum's list, alongside 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid.
Hippophae Rhamnoides Fruit Extractplant extract
Sea Buckthorn Fruit Extract is high in vitamin C and carotenoids, which give it a strong orange colour. It is used as an antioxidant extract. It is named eleventh on this serum's list, alongside 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid.
Dr. Althea Gentle Vitamin C 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 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid and not three changes at once.
What else is on the list besides 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid?
Niacinamide, Adenosine and Allantoin. The order they are printed in on this serum's panel is the order on the box, so you can see where 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid sits relative to them. Further down the same panel: Hippophae Rhamnoides Fruit 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
We accept
How to use
- Use the Gentle Vitamin C Serum after your toner and before your moisturizer, in the morning to begin with.
- Two or three drops for the whole face, pressed in with the flats of your fingers while skin is still damp.
- Follow with a moisturizer, then sunscreen. In the morning nothing goes on after the sunscreen.
- Once a day at first, and build to twice if it suits you. Do not start it in the same week as a new acid or a new retinoid.
Worth knowing
- A vitamin C formula: patch test first if skin is currently reactive, and introduce it gradually.
- Discontinue if irritation develops and check the ingredient list against any known sensitivity.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Tell us how much you love the product!
Write Reviews (opens in a new tab)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 serum from Dr.Althea, 30ml formulated with 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid and Niacinamide, 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.
Using topical vitamin C can result in less cell damage and better-looking skin.
Melissa Piliang, MDDermatologist, Cleveland Clinic Allantoin can tone down the dryness of the individual cells. It increases the water content of the skin, which means it helps to hydrate and moisturize.
Wilma Bergfeld, MDDermatologist, Cleveland Clinic
1 more professional perspective
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
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.