Where does this essence go in my routine?

After toner and before serum, morning and evening, on damp skin. Anything thinner than an essence 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 essence or a US version?

The Korean-market one, Niacinamide and all. We match this essence to its Korean barcode before it reaches the shelf, which is the check that tells you which market release you are holding.

Does this essence contain fragrance?

Yes. The ingredient list names Fragrance. It sits on the panel printed on this page, so you can read the position for yourself before you buy. If fragrance components are something you avoid, this essence is not the one.

What else is on the list besides Niacinamide?

Allantoin, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate and Adenosine. The order they are printed in on this essence's panel is the order on the box, so you can see where Niacinamide sits relative to them. Further down the same panel: Hyacinthus Orientalis Extract, Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Leaf Extract and Salvia Sclarea (Clary) Extract.

Elizavecca

Milky Piggy Hell-Pore Gold Essence 50ml

Name: Elizavecca Milky Piggy Hell-Pore Gold Essence 50ml
Brand: Elizavecca
SKU: Elizavecca928
Price: 45.0 USD
Availability: InStock

Milky Piggy Hell-Pore Gold Essence is Elizavecca's essence (50ml), built around Gold and Niacinamide. It is used after toner and before moisturizer, as the routine's concentrated treatment step. This is the Original Korean Formula, not a version reworked for US retail.

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$45.00

50 ml

$90.00 per 100 ml

Korean-market formula
Ships from California or direct from Korea
Korean barcode and batch code intact

Suited to: NormalCombinationDrySensitive

Helps with: Uneven tone and visible dullnessReactive, easily irritated skin that needs calmingDehydration and a barrier that feels compromisedThe look of fine lines and a loss of firmness

One-time purchase

$45.00

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$40.50

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How it works

The Milky Piggy Hell-Pore Gold Essence is a 50ml essence, used after toner and before serum, morning and evening, on damp skin. The active it is built around is Niacinamide, named fourth on its own ingredient list. The same list carries Allantoin, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate and Adenosine, 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 essence format rather than by the list alone. This is the Original Korean Formula, the essence Elizavecca sells in Korea, Niacinamide and all.

Key benefits

Niacinamide, the active this essence is built around
Allantoin, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate and Adenosine on the same list, actives
Hyacinthus Orientalis Extract on the same list, a plant extract
Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Leaf Extract and Salvia Sclarea (Clary) Extract further down the same list
Centaurea Cyanus Flower Extract and Borago Officinalis Extract further down the same list
Niacinamide named fourth on the manufacturer list printed on this page

How to use

Apply after toner and before moisturizer. Pat or smooth it over a cleansed face and let it absorb before the next step, AM and PM.

1 of 3

34 of 37 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.
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.
Dipropylene Glycol humectant: Dipropylene Glycol is a glycol used as a solvent and a light humectant. Its main job is keeping the rest of the formula dissolved and the texture fluid rather than adding hydration of its own.
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.
Polysorbate 20 emulsifier: Polysorbate 20 is a solubiliser: it dissolves small amounts of oil or fragrance into a watery formula so nothing separates or floats.
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.
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.
Allantoin active: 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.
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.
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.
Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate active: Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate is a water-soluble salt derived from licorice root. It is the licorice fraction Korean formulas use for the look of redness, and it is far more stable in water than the whole extract.
Caprylhydroxamic Acid preservative booster: A chelator that works by denying microbes the iron they need, which lets a formula hold at a skin-friendly pH with less conventional preservative.

22 more explained

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.
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.
Disodium EDTA chelator: EDTA is a chelator: it locks up trace metal ions from water and packaging that would otherwise turn a formula cloudy, off-colour or rancid. It does nothing to skin and appears at a fraction of a percent.
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.
Hyacinthus Orientalis (Hyacinth) Extract plant extract: Hyacinth extract, used as a floral herbal extract. It is one of the less common botanicals to meet on a Korean label.
Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Leaf Extract plant extract: Peppermint leaf extract, the water-based extract rather than the essential oil, so it carries far less menthol. It is used as a refreshing herbal extract.
Salvia Sclarea (Clary) Extract plant extract: Clary sage extract, carrying flavonoids and tannins. It is the water-based extract and a different ingredient from clary sage essential oil.
Centaurea Cyanus Flower Extract plant extract: Cornflower extract, a traditional eye-area ingredient in European pharmacy. It carries flavonoids and anthocyanins and is used in gentle formulas.
Borago Officinalis Extract plant extract: Borage extract. The plant is best known for the gamma-linolenic acid in its seed oil, while the water extract carries mucilage that holds water at the surface.
Monarda Didyma Leaf Extract plant extract: Bee balm leaf extract, a mint family plant. The leaf carries aromatic terpenes and flavonoids and is used as a conditioning botanical with a faint scent.
Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract plant extract: Chamomile Flower Extract is one of the oldest ingredients in skincare, carrying bisabolol and chamazulene. It is used for the look of redness in formulas for reactive skin.
Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower/Leaf Extract plant extract: German chamomile, taken from flower and leaf together. It carries bisabolol and the blue azulenes and is used for the look of reactive, reddened skin.
Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract plant extract: Rosemary Leaf Extract carries rosmarinic and carnosic acids, both effective antioxidants. It is often there to keep the oils in a formula from going rancid.
Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Extract plant extract: Lavender extract, the water-soluble fraction rather than the essential oil. It is used as a conditioning extract and carries a light lavender scent.
Fragrance fragrance: Fragrance, or Parfum, is a single declaration standing for a whole scent blend, which can be dozens of materials. Regulators allow it as a trade secret, so a list showing only this word does not say what the scent is made of. It is the most common trigger named by people with reactive skin.
Gold (100Ppm) colorant: Gold in a formula is metallic gold beaten or milled into flakes so fine they stay suspended. It is inert, sits on the surface, and is there for the visible glint.
Dimethicone silicone: Dimethicone is the most used cosmetic silicone. It forms a breathable film that smooths the surface, slows water leaving skin, and gives the slip that makes a primer or cream feel silky. It is inert and does not penetrate.
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.
Althaea Rosea Root Extract plant extract: Hollyhock root extract. Like the flower it is rich in mucilage, so it hydrates and leaves a slippery, cushioned feel.
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract plant extract: Aloe Leaf Extract is mostly water with polysaccharides, amino acids and mild plant acids. It hydrates and leaves a light, cooling film, which is why it is the default after-sun ingredient.
Phenoxyethanol preservative: Phenoxyethanol is the most widely used cosmetic preservative outside the paraben family. It keeps a water-containing formula from growing bacteria and mould, and is capped at one percent in most markets, so it always sits low on a list.
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.

Inside the formula

Ingredients declared

Last

Fragrance on the list

Worth knowing

New to this formula or to the brand: patch-test on the inner arm and wait a day before applying it to the face.
Discontinue use and rinse the area with water if redness, itching or irritation develops.

Complete the routine

This itemElizavecca Milky Piggy Hell-Pore Gold Essence 50ml$45.00
From the same Korean-market lineElizavecca Witch Piggy Hell-Pore Blemish Spot Patch 44ea$12.50
Seal the routine in as the last stepElizavecca Skin Liar Moisture Cream 100ml$27.50

Total for 3 items$85.00

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Elizavecca Milky Piggy Hell-Pore Gold Essence 50ml

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Elizavecca, Korean-market original

Milky Piggy Hell-Pore Gold Essence, 50ml, Elizavecca's essence with Gold and Niacinamide.

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 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