Manyo Factory
Bifida Complex Ampoule Gel Cleanser 400ml$30.00Pure Grinding Cleansing Balm
A cleansing oil from Dr. Althea's Korean-market lineup, built around Madecassoside and Centella Asiatica Extract, 50ml to a unit.
No reviews yet$21.99
50ml
$43.98 per 100 ml
- Korean-market formula
- Ships from California or direct from Korea
- Korean barcode and batch code intact
- Suited to
- Dry skinCompromised barrierSensitive skin
- Helps with
- Shoppers looking for Madecassoside in a cleansing balmRoutines that want Madecassoside and Asiaticoside in one stepFilling the cleansing balm step with a Korean-market formulaAnyone who wants the Madecassoside cleansing balm sold on Korean shelves
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$30.00
$75.00
$27.50
- 30-day returns
- Free US shipping on orders of $100 or more
- Tracked delivery to your door
How it works
The Pure Grinding Cleansing Balm is a 50ml cleansing balm, used as the first of two evening cleanses, on dry skin, before any water reaches the face. The active it is built around is Madecassoside, named eleventh on its own ingredient list. The same list carries Asiaticoside, Centella Asiatica Extract and Synthetic Wax, so the active is not the only thing on it worth naming. How much of the Madecassoside stays on the skin, and for how long, is decided by the cleansing balm format rather than by the list alone. This is the Original Korean Formula, the cleansing balm Dr.Althea sells in Korea, Madecassoside and all.
Key benefits
- Madecassoside, the active this cleansing balm is built around
- Asiaticoside on the same list, an active
- Centella Asiatica Extract on the same list, a plant extract
- Synthetic Wax on the same list, an occlusive
- Camellia Sinensis Seed Oil and Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Oil further down the same list
- Madecassoside named eleventh on the manufacturer list printed on this page
Inside the formula
Inside the formula
14
Ingredients declared
No fragrance
on the list
Dr. Althea Pure Grinding Cleansing Balm
Where does this cleansing balm go in my routine?
As the first of two evening cleanses, on dry skin, before any water reaches the face. Nothing goes under it: this cleansing balm is the step everything else in the routine lands on top of. 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 Madecassoside and not three changes at once.
Is this the Korean-market cleansing balm or a US version?
The Korean-market one, Madecassoside and all. We match this cleansing balm 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 Madecassoside?
Asiaticoside, Centella Asiatica Extract and Synthetic Wax. The order they are printed in on this cleansing balm's panel is the order on the box, so you can see where Madecassoside sits relative to them. Further down the same panel: Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Camellia Sinensis Seed Oil and Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Oil.
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 (14): Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Synthetic Wax, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Sorbitan Sesquioleate, PEG-10 Isostearate, PEG-20 Glyceryl Triisostearate, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Camellia Sinensis Seed Oil, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Oil, Madecassoside, Centella Asiatica Extract, Asiaticoside, Water
Ingredient list read from jolse.com on 9 September 2026.
14 of 14 explained
- Cetyl Ethylhexanoate emollient
- Cetyl Ethylhexanoate is a synthetic ester used as a dry-feeling emollient. It spreads easily, leaves a silky rather than oily finish, and helps disperse pigments and UV filters evenly.
- Synthetic Wax occlusive
- Synthetic Wax is a purpose-built hydrocarbon wax used to structure balms and sticks. It is odourless and does not oxidise, unlike most natural waxes.
- 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.
- Sorbitan Sesquioleate emulsifier
- Sorbitan Sesquioleate is a water-in-oil emulsifier and pigment disperser. Cleansing oils use it so water can be worked into the oil at the rinse.
- PEG-10 Isostearate emulsifier
- A nonionic emulsifier made by attaching a short polyethylene glycol chain to a branched fatty acid. It keeps oil dispersed in water.
- PEG-20 Glyceryl Triisostearate emulsifier
- A nonionic emulsifier built on glycerin and branched fatty acids. Cleansing oils and balms use it so they emulsify the moment water is added.
- 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.
- 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.
- Camellia Sinensis Seed Oil emollient
- Oil pressed from tea seeds. It is high in oleic acid, carries some of the antioxidants of the tea plant, and is lighter in feel than most oleic oils.
- Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Oil emollient
- Grape Seed Oil is a light, linoleic-acid-rich oil with a fast, dry absorption. It is one of the plant oils used where an oil is wanted without a heavy finish.
- 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.
- 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.
2 more explained
- 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.
- 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.
- Market
- Korean market, the version sold in Korea
- EAN (barcode)
- 8809447255071
- Made in
- Republic of Korea
- Volume
- 50ml
- Category
- Cleanser / Minimalist balm cleanser / first cleanse
- Actives
- Centella Asiatica, Green Tea, Madecassoside
- Ships from
- California or Korea
LightTextureRich
MatteFinishDewy
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 Pure Grinding Cleansing Balm as the first of two evening cleanses, on dry skin and dry hands.
- Scoop out a fingertip's worth with the spatula, warm it between your fingers, then massage over dry skin for a full minute.
- Add a little water and keep massaging until it turns milky, rinse, then follow with a water-based cleanser.
- Once a day, in the evening. Do not put wet fingers into the jar, because water in a balm is how a jar spoils early.
Worth knowing
- Patch test this cleansing balm on a small area and wait a day before using it more widely, especially with Madecassoside on the list.
- Introduce this cleansing balm on its own for the first week, so anything your skin does is traceable to the Madecassoside rather than to three changes at once.
Reviews
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Dr. Althea Pure Grinding Cleansing Balm
How it felt, how your skin took it, what you layer it with. Straight answers help the next person choose.
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Dr.Althea, Korean-market original
The Original Korean Formula cleansing balm from Dr.Althea, 50ml formulated with Madecassoside and Asiaticoside, 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
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