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?

Tranexamic Acid, Adenosine and Sodium DNA. 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: Ceramide NP, Lithospermum Erythrorhizon Root Extract and Hydrolyzed Gardenia Florida Extract.

Dr.Althea

Melaclear Cream

Name: Dr.Althea Melaclear Cream
Brand: Dr.Althea
Price: 22.99 USD
Availability: OutOfStock

A brightening cream from Dr. Althea's Korean-market lineup. Niacinamide sits at position 5 of 31 on the brand's own ingredient list, a brightening and barrier-support active; Tranexamic Acid follows at position 6, a brightening active that targets uneven tone at its source. 20g to a unit.

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$22.99

20g

$11.50 per 10 g

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 Tranexamic Acid 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
Tranexamic Acid, Adenosine and Sodium DNA on the same list, actives
Ceramide NP on the same list, a barrier lipid
Lithospermum Erythrorhizon Root Extract and Hydrolyzed Gardenia Florida Extract further down the same list
Hydrolyzed Malt Extract and Hydrolyzed Viola Tricolor Extract further down the same list
Niacinamide named fifth on the manufacturer list printed on this page

Key actives

5Niacinamideactive

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

All products with Niacinamide

6Tranexamic Acidactive

Tranexamic Acid is a synthetic amino acid derivative used for the look of stubborn discolouration and post-blemish marks. It is water soluble, stable and comfortable next to niacinamide, which is how it is usually paired. The panel names it sixth on this cream's list, beside Niacinamide.

All products with Tranexamic Acid

17Adenosineactive

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. It is named seventeenth on this cream's list, alongside Niacinamide.

All products with Adenosine

27Ceramide 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. It is named twenty-seventh on this cream's list, alongside Niacinamide.

All products with Ceramide NP

29Sodium 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. The panel names it twenty-ninth on this cream's list, beside Niacinamide.

All products with PDRN

Inside the formula

Ingredients declared

No fragrance

on the list

5Niacinamide17Adenosine27Ceramide NP29Sodium DNA

5Niacinamide
17Adenosine
27Ceramide NP
29Sodium DNA

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 Melaclear Cream

29 of 30 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.
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.
Tranexamic Acid active: Tranexamic Acid is a synthetic amino acid derivative used for the look of stubborn discolouration and post-blemish marks. It is water soluble, stable and comfortable next to niacinamide, which is how it is usually paired.
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.
Coco-Caprylate/Caprate emollient: Coco-Caprylate/Caprate is a coconut-derived ester used as a light, dry emollient in place of silicone. It spreads far and leaves a soft finish.
Diethoxyethyl Succinate solvent: Diethoxyethyl Succinate is a solvent that helps water-resistant actives spread and sink in evenly. It also leaves a light, silky feel.
Hydroxyethyl Urea humectant: Hydroxyethyl Urea is a humectant that holds a lot of water for its size and stays comfortable at high levels. It is used where a formula needs to feel deeply hydrating without oil.
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.
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.
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.

17 more explained

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.
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.
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.
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.
Lithospermum Erythrorhizon Root Extract plant extract: Purple gromwell root, long used in Korean and Chinese herbal practice. The root is deep red-purple, so it colours a formula, and it is used for the look of reactive skin.
Hydrolyzed Gardenia Florida Extract plant extract: Hydrolyzed Gardenia Florida Extract is gardenia extract broken into smaller fragments so a water-based formula can carry it evenly.
Hydrolyzed Malt Extract plant extract: Malt extract with its sugars and proteins already broken into smaller pieces. It is used as a hydrating, conditioning extract.
Hydrolyzed Viola Tricolor Extract plant extract: Heartsease, the wild pansy, with its extract broken into smaller fragments. It is used as a conditioning plant extract.
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.
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.
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.
Linolenic Acid fatty acid: Linolenic Acid is an omega-3 fatty acid from seed oils. It is an emollient and part of the lipid mix skin uses in its own surface layer.
Plumeria Rubra Flower Extract plant extract: Frangipani flower extract. It is used as a conditioning plant extract and contributes its own scent.
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.
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.
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.
Solanum Lycopersicum (Tomato) Fruit Extract plant extract: Tomato fruit extract, a source of lycopene and other carotenoids. It is used as a plant antioxidant extract.

How it works

The Melaclear Cream is a 20g cream, used as the last skincare step, morning and evening, over serum. The active it is built around is Niacinamide, named fifth on its own ingredient list. The same list carries Tranexamic Acid, Adenosine and Sodium DNA, 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 Melaclear Cream as the last skincare step, morning and evening, over serum.
A pea for the face and another for the neck. Warm it between fingertips first so it spreads in one pass.
It closes the routine at night, and in the morning it is the layer sunscreen goes over.
Twice a day. Do not skip it on an oily day; without a sealing layer the water the steps beneath it brought in leaves again.

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 Melaclear Cream

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Dr.Althea, Korean-market original

The Original Korean Formula cream from Dr.Althea, 20g formulated with Niacinamide and Tranexamic Acid, 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.

Topical tranexamic acid 5% cream is under investigation in the treatment of melasma and is showing promising results in the treatment of epidermal-type melasma.
Faisal R AliConsultant Dermatologist, DermNet NZ
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