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Free US shipping on orders of $100 or more. 100% authentic Korean-market formulas. Ships from our California warehouse, at your door in 3-5 days. Intact Korean batch codes on every unit.

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KOREAN PHARMACY

Dr. Althea

Pure Grinding Cleansing Balm

A cleansing oil from Dr. Althea's Korean-market lineup, built around Madecassoside and Centella Asiatica Extract, 50ml to a unit.

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$21.99

50ml

  • Korean-market formula
  • Ships from our California warehouse
  • Duties prepaid
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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Next step in this routine

  1. Cleanse
  2. Prepnext
  3. Treat
  4. Seal
  5. Morning finish

Also standing in Prep: ANUA Peach 77 Niacin Essence Toner, $24.71.

  • Duties prepaid
  • 30-day returns
  • Free US shipping on orders of $100 or more
  • Dispatched within 2 business days

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

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Dr. Althea Pure Grinding Cleansing Balm

Dr. Althea Pure Grinding Cleansing Balm

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How to use

  1. Use the Pure Grinding Cleansing Balm as the first of two evening cleanses, on dry skin and dry hands.
  2. Scoop out a fingertip's worth with the spatula, warm it between your fingers, then massage over dry skin for a full minute.
  3. Add a little water and keep massaging until it turns milky, rinse, then follow with a water-based cleanser.
  4. 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.

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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 cleansing balm from Dr.Althea, 50ml formulated with Madecassoside and Asiaticoside, 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 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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