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, Arbutin and Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate. 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: Adenosine, Bisabolol and Hexylresorcinol.

Fation

Mela Zero Dark Spot Toning Cream 50ml

Name: Fation Mela Zero Dark Spot Toning Cream 50ml
Brand: Fation
SKU: 10186372437
Price: 62.5 USD
Availability: InStock

Fation Mela Zero Dark Spot Toning Cream is Fation's 50ml cream, formulated with Niacinamide.

No reviews yet

$62.50

50 ml

$125.00 per 100 ml

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

One-time purchase

$62.50

SubscribeSave 10%

$56.25

In stock. Arrives in 3 to 7 business days

You’re $100.00 away from free US shipping.

30-day returns
Free US shipping on orders of $100 or more
Tracked delivery to your door

Verified authentic Shipping and returns

Key benefits

Niacinamide, the active this cream is built around
Tranexamic Acid, Arbutin, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate and Adenosine on the same list, actives
Bisabolol and Hexylresorcinol further down the same list
Glutathione and Tocopherol further down the same list
Niacinamide named third on the manufacturer list printed on this page

Key actives

3Niacinamideactive

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

All products with Niacinamide

24Tranexamic 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 twenty-fourth on this cream's list, beside Niacinamide.

All products with Tranexamic Acid

25Arbutinactive

Arbutin is the naturally occurring form of the same compound, from bearberry and related plants, used for the look of uneven tone. The alpha isomer is the more stable of the two. The panel names it twenty-fifth on this cream's list, beside Niacinamide.

All products with Arbutin

33Dipotassium Glycyrrhizateactive

Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate is a water-soluble salt derived from licorice root. It is named thirty-third on this cream's list, alongside Niacinamide.

All products with Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate

35Adenosineactive

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 thirty-fifth on this cream's list, beside Niacinamide.

All products with Adenosine

Inside the formula

Ingredients declared

No fragrance

on the list

3Niacinamide24Tranexamic Acid33Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate

3Niacinamide
24Tranexamic Acid
33Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate

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 3

62 of 63 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Methyl Trimethicone silicone: Methyl Trimethicone is a light, volatile silicone chosen for a notably dry finish. It thins a formula and disperses powders evenly.
Dicaprylyl Ether emollient: Dicaprylyl Ether is a very light emollient used to make a formula spread quickly and feel dry rather than oily.
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.
Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate emulsifier: Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate is a sugar-derived emulsifier known for a light, non-soapy feel. It builds gel-creams that do not read as rich.
Cetearyl Alcohol fatty alcohol: Cetearyl Alcohol is a waxy solid, not the drying kind of alcohol. It is a blend of cetyl and stearyl alcohols used to thicken a cream and keep oil and water from separating, and it softens skin as it does so.
Chlorella Vulgaris Extract plant extract: Chlorella Vulgaris is a freshwater green algae. Its extract carries proteins, chlorophyll and amino acids and is used as a conditioning ingredient.
Copernicia Cerifera (carnauba) Wax occlusive: Carnauba wax comes from a Brazilian palm leaf and is the hardest wax in common cosmetic use. A small amount raises the melting point of a stick sharply.

50 more explained

Olea Europaea (olive) Fruit Oil emollient: Olive Fruit Oil is high in oleic acid and plant sterols. It is a rich emollient that suits dry skin and is heavy enough that blemish-prone skin often does not get on with it.
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.
Glycyrrhiza Glabra (licorice) Root Extract plant extract: Licorice Root Extract carries glabridin and liquiritin. It is one of the classic plant ingredients used for the look of uneven tone and redness, and it appears in almost every brightening formula that avoids synthetic actives.
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.
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.
Pentylene Glycol humectant: Pentylene Glycol hydrates and, like the other longer-chain glycols, makes a formula less hospitable to microbes so the preservative system can be lighter. It also improves how evenly a product spreads.
Dicaprylyl Carbonate emollient: Dicaprylyl Carbonate is a light, fast-spreading emollient with a notably dry finish. It is chosen where a formula has to spread thin without leaving a heavy film.
Polyglyceryl-3 Distearate emulsifier: Polyglyceryl-3 Distearate is a plant-derived emulsifier used to hold oil and water together in creams and lotions.
Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer thickener: This is the thickener behind most gel-cream textures. It builds a soft, bouncy gel that collapses to a light fluid as it is rubbed in.
Panthenol humectant: Panthenol is pro-vitamin B5: skin converts it to pantothenic acid. It is a humectant that holds water and leaves skin feeling soft and less tight, and it is one of the ingredients formulators reach for when a formula also contains something harsh.
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.
Arbutin active: Arbutin is the naturally occurring form of the same compound, from bearberry and related plants, used for the look of uneven tone. The alpha isomer is the more stable of the two.
C12-20 Alkyl Glucoside emulsifier: C12-20 Alkyl Glucoside is a sugar-derived emulsifier used in mild, plant-based cream bases.
Glucose humectant: Glucose is a simple sugar used as a humectant and as food for the ferment ingredients in the same formula. It hydrates mildly and adds a soft slip.
Cetyl Palmitate emollient: Cetyl Palmitate is a wax ester, the same kind of molecule that makes up much of spermaceti and jojoba. It thickens the oil phase and leaves a smooth, non-greasy film.
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.
Fructooligosaccharides humectant: Fructooligosaccharides are short fructose chains used as humectants and as food for the skin's own resident microbes.
Fructose humectant: Fructose is a simple sugar used as a light humectant. It holds water in the outer layer and often arrives as part of a fruit or honey extract.
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.
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.
Glyceryl Stearate Citrate emulsifier: Glyceryl Stearate Citrate is a mild, citrate-modified emulsifier. It holds oil and water together and is chosen for formulas aimed at reactive skin.
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.
Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate emulsifier: Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate is a sugar-derived emulsifier and solubiliser, mild enough to be a standard choice in Korean essences. It dissolves small amounts of oil into water without any tightening feel.
Cellulose absorbent: Cellulose is plant fibre. In a formula it thickens, absorbs oil and, in a sheet mask, is often the fabric itself.
Sorbitan Isostearate emulsifier: Sorbitan Isostearate is a mild emulsifier that holds water into oil, the direction a cleansing balm or an oil-based cream needs.
Betaine humectant: Betaine is a sugar-beet-derived humectant that cells use to hold water. In a formula it hydrates and takes the edge off cleansers and acids, which is why it often appears alongside them.
Polyacrylate-13 thickener: Polyacrylate-13 is a pre-neutralised thickener that gels instantly and holds an emulsion together, so a formula can be built without heat.
Polyglutamic Acid humectant: Polyglutamic Acid comes from fermented soy and holds several times more water than hyaluronic acid for its weight. It forms a light film on the surface, so it is often layered with hyaluronic rather than replacing it.
Phosphatidylcholine emulsifier: Phosphatidylcholine is the main phospholipid in lecithin and in cell membranes. It emulsifies and forms the liposome walls a formula uses to carry an active.
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.
Cholesterol barrier lipid: Cholesterol is the third of the three lipids the outer layer of skin is built from, with ceramides and fatty acids. Formulas that carry all three are following the ratio skin itself holds.
Hydrogenated Polyisobutene emollient: Hydrogenated Polyisobutene is a stabilised synthetic hydrocarbon used in place of mineral oil. It is an emollient that leaves a smooth, cushioned film.
Bisabolol active: Bisabolol is the main active fraction of chamomile oil, usually supplied from candeia wood. It is used for the look of redness in formulas for reactive skin, and it helps other ingredients absorb.
Ceramide Ap barrier lipid: Ceramide AP is a second cosmetic ceramide, distinguished by an extra hydroxyl group. Formulas that name several ceramides are copying the mix skin actually holds rather than relying on one.
Glutathione antioxidant: Glutathione is a small peptide the body uses as one of its main antioxidants. In skincare it is used as an antioxidant and for the look of dullness; it is unstable in water, so formulas that carry it are usually built around protecting it.
Hexylresorcinol active: Hexylresorcinol is a resorcinol derivative used for the look of dark spots and uneven tone. It is one of the stronger non-prescription tone ingredients.
Tocopherol antioxidant: Tocopherol is vitamin E. It is an oil-soluble antioxidant that protects the oils in a formula from going rancid and works on skin as an emollient, and it is regularly paired with vitamin C because each keeps the other going for longer.
Ascorbyl Palmitate antioxidant: Vitamin C joined to palmitic acid so it dissolves in oil rather than water. It is used in oil phases, where ascorbic acid cannot go.
Ethylhexyl Palmitate emollient: Ethylhexyl Palmitate is a palm-derived ester used as a light emollient and a solvent for pigment. It gives a smooth, non-greasy slip.
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.
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.
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.
Benzyl Glycol preservative booster: Benzyl Glycol is a solvent that also makes a formula less hospitable to microbes, so it appears in preservative blends built without parabens.
Hydrolyzed Glycosaminoglycans humectant: Hydrolyzed Glycosaminoglycans are short fragments of the sugar chains that sit between cells in skin, hyaluronic acid among them. They act as humectants and give a cushioned feel.
Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer humectant: Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer is hyaluronic acid linked into a mesh. It holds water in a soft gel on the surface rather than sinking in, and it releases that water slowly through the day.
Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate humectant: Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate carries a positive charge, and skin carries a slight negative one, so it is attracted to the surface and stays through rinsing. It is the hyaluronic used where a formula gets washed off.
Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate emulsifier: Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate is an amino-acid-derived emulsifier. It holds oil and water together and is mild enough for formulas built for reactive skin.
Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate humectant: Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate is hyaluronic acid modified to be part oil-loving, so it clings to skin instead of rinsing away. Formulators call it the one that stays put.
C14-22 Alcohols fatty alcohol: C14-22 Alcohols is a declaration for a mixture of long-chain fatty alcohols. They thicken a cream and hold the emulsion together.
Carbomer thickener: Carbomer is a synthetic polymer that only gels once a base neutralises it, which is why arginine or tromethamine sits nearby on the list. It gives the clear, non-stringy gel texture a xanthan formula cannot reach.

How it works

The Mela Zero Dark Spot Toning Cream is a 50ml cream, used as the last skincare step, morning and evening, over serum. The active it is built around is Niacinamide, named third on its own ingredient list. The same list carries Tranexamic Acid, Arbutin and Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, 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. Fation sells this Niacinamide cream in Korea, and this is that version.

How to use

Apply as the last step of the routine, morning and/or night, smoothing over the whole face after serum or essence has absorbed.

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.

Complete the routine

This itemFation Mela Zero Dark Spot Toning Cream 50ml$62.50
Prep after cleansing, before the treatment stepFATION Aqua Biome Toner Pad 170ml (80 pads)$20.00
The treatment step of this routineFATION Nosca9 Trouble Serum 30ml$35.00

Total for 3 items$117.50

Reviews

No reviews yet. Tell us how much you love the product!

Write a review

FATION Mela Zero Dark Spot Toning Cream 50ml

How it felt, how your skin took it, what you layer it with. Straight answers help the next person choose.

Read every customer review

Fation, Korean-market original

The Original Korean Formula cream from Fation, 50ml 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
Arbutin works to inhibit tyrosinase, an enzyme present in melanocytes, the pigment-producing cells in the skin. This results in less pigment, dark spots and skin lightening.
Tiffany Jow Libby, MDBoard-certified dermatologist, mindbodygreen

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