What is the difference between a balm and a cream?

A balm is heavier and stays on the surface longer, so it is still slowing water loss when you wake up. A cream has usually absorbed and finished by then. That is why a balm belongs at night.

Do I use it instead of my cream or on top?

On very dry skin, on top, as the final layer of the evening. On normal skin it can replace the cream entirely. Either way it is the last thing you apply.

Can I wear it in the daytime?

Not under makeup, because a balm will move a foundation as you blend it. On a bare skin day at home in winter it is fine. Most people keep it strictly for nights.

Is it too heavy for combination skin?

Often yes across the nose and forehead. Using it on the cheeks only, with a lighter cream elsewhere, is a reasonable compromise in winter. In summer most combination skin skips it.

How long does a 50ml jar last?

Used at night only, three months or more. A small amount warmed between the fingers goes a long way, and that is also how you avoid a thick layer on the pillow.

Genabelle

PDRN Enriched Recovery Balm 50ml

Name: Genabelle PDRN Enriched Recovery Balm 50ml
Brand: Genabelle
SKU: 11697433571
Price: 60.0 USD
Availability: InStock

A rich recovery balm in a 50ml jar, made for dry or unsettled skin that wants the heaviest possible closing step at night.

No reviews yet

$60.00

50 ml

$120.00 per 100 ml

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

Suited to: Dry skinSensitive skinNormal skin

Helps with: A tight feeling overnightDry looking skin in winterA heavy closing step

One-time purchase

$60.00

SubscribeSave 10%

$54.00

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

How it works

PDRN Enriched Recovery Balm is Genabelle's balm, formulated to work as a richer, more occlusive balm step for areas that need extra sealing. Niacinamide sits right at the top of the ingredient list, just after the base, a barrier-supporting, tone-evening amide that also supports a brighter-looking tone with regular use. Panthenol sits high on the ingredient list, provitamin B5, supporting barrier softness and easing the look of dryness. Sodium DNA sits high on the ingredient list, the salmon-derived polynucleotide (PDRN) this formula is built around, associated with supporting the skin barrier and with plumping. Genabelle's PDRN line runs on Sodium DNA, the salmon-derived polynucleotide the brand is best known for, alongside centella and portulaca extracts.

Key benefits

Niacinamide, a barrier-supporting, tone-evening amide that also supports a brighter-looking tone with regular use
Panthenol, provitamin B5, supporting barrier softness and easing the look of dryness
Sodium DNA, the salmon-derived polynucleotide (PDRN) this formula is built around, associated with supporting the skin barrier and with plumping

Inside the formula

Ingredients declared

No fragrance

on the list

1 of 4

57 of 57 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.
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.
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.
Neopentyl Glycol Diethylhexanoate emollient: A light branched ester with a dry, powdery finish. It is used to thin heavier oils without adding shine.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Hydrogenated Polydecene emollient: Hydrogenated Polydecene is a synthetic hydrocarbon emollient used in place of mineral oil. It is stable, has no scent, and gives a cushioned slip without oxidising.
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.
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.
Glyceryl Stearate emulsifier: Glyceryl Stearate is glycerin joined to stearic acid, and one of the most used emulsifiers in skincare. It holds oil and water together and thickens the result, and it softens skin at the same time.

45 more explained

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.
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.
C12-16 Alcohols fatty alcohol: C12-16 Alcohols is a blend of medium-chain fatty alcohols used to thicken and stabilise an emulsion.
Microcrystalline Cellulose absorbent: Microcrystalline Cellulose is purified cellulose ground fine. It thickens, holds powders in suspension and gives a soft, matte feel.
Sodium DNA(5,000ppm) 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.
Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil emollient: Sweet almond oil, one of the oldest cosmetic oils. It is high in oleic acid, which makes it richer and slower to absorb than the linoleic oils.
Isononyl Isononanoate emollient: Isononyl Isononanoate is a branched ester used as a dry emollient. It spreads far for its weight and leaves almost no residue, which is why it appears in formulas that have to feel weightless.
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.
Cetearyl Olivate emulsifier: Cetearyl Olivate is the water-loving half of the olive-derived emulsifier pair. With sorbitan olivate it builds emulsions whose lipid profile is close to skin's own.
PEG-100 Stearate emulsifier: PEG-100 Stearate is a water-loving emulsifier almost always paired with glyceryl stearate. Together they form the standard cream base of the last fifty years.
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.
Glycosyl Trehalose humectant: A sugar humectant built on trehalose, the sugar that lets some plants survive drying out. It holds water at the surface with a light, non-sticky feel.
Cetearyl Glucoside emulsifier: Cetearyl Glucoside is a sugar-derived emulsifier used to hold oil and water together in creams with a light finish.
Palmitic Acid fatty acid: Palmitic Acid is a saturated fatty acid present in skin's own lipids. It thickens a formula, stabilises the emulsion and softens skin.
Sorbitan Olivate emulsifier: Sorbitan Olivate is an olive-derived emulsifier, the oil-loving half of the pair sold as Olivem. It holds oil into water and leaves a light, non-waxy feel.
Cellulose Gum thickener: Cellulose Gum is plant cellulose modified to dissolve in water. It thickens, holds particles in suspension and gives a smooth, slippery body.
Glycol Stearate SE emulsifier: Glycol stearate supplied self emulsifying, which is what SE records: a little soap is already included so it disperses without a second emulsifier. It also gives a pearlised look.
Hydrogenated Starch Hydrolysate humectant: A starch-derived sugar syrup used as a humectant. It holds water and adds a soft cushioned slip without the tack of glycerin.
Stearic Acid fatty acid: Stearic Acid is a saturated fatty acid from plant fats, and one of the three lipid classes skin's own barrier is built from. In a formula it thickens, stabilises the emulsion and can be turned into a soap-style cleanser by adding a base.
Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter emollient: Shea Butter is the fat pressed from the shea nut, rich in oleic and stearic acids and unsaponifiable plant sterols. It is a heavy emollient and partial occlusive, which is why it sits in balms and night creams rather than in essences.
Squalane emollient: Squalane is the stable, saturated version of squalene, a lipid human skin already makes. It is a light emollient that absorbs quickly, does not oxidise, and is one of the few oils widely considered safe for blemish-prone skin. Most cosmetic squalane is now from sugarcane or olive rather than shark.
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.
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.
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.
Sucrose Stearate emulsifier: Sucrose Stearate is a sugar-based emulsifier chosen for a light finish in formulas built for reactive skin.
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.
Hydrolyzed Corn Starch absorbent: Hydrolyzed Corn Starch is starch broken into smaller fragments. It gives a silky, powdery slip and absorbs a little oil.
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.
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.
Polysorbate 60 emulsifier: Polysorbate 60 is a water-loving emulsifier used with a fatty co-emulsifier to build stable lotions and creams.
Sucrose humectant: Sucrose is table sugar, used here as a humectant. It draws water into the outer layer of skin and, in a scrub, doubles as the physical grain.
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.
Biosaccharide Gum-1 polysaccharide: Biosaccharide Gum-1 is a fermentation-derived sugar polymer that binds to skin and holds a moisture film in place. It gives a silky, non-tacky feel.
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.
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.
Hydrogenated Phosphatidylcholine emulsifier: Hydrogenated Phosphatidylcholine is the stabilised form of the main lecithin phospholipid. It builds the liposome shells that hold an active together in a formula.
Hydrolyzed Sodium DNA(10ppm) polysaccharide: DNA, usually from salmon milt, cut into short water soluble fragments and neutralised as a sodium salt. It is the same raw material family PDRN comes from, and it is used as a water holding conditioning ingredient.
Beta-Glucan polysaccharide: Beta-Glucan is a polysaccharide from oats or yeast. It holds a large amount of water, forms a soothing film, and is one of the ingredients formulators reach for in products aimed at reactive skin.
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.
Tripeptide-1 peptide: Tripeptide-1 is the copper-free version of the classic three-amino-acid peptide. It is used for the look of firmness in formulas that avoid copper's blue tint.
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.
Madecassic Acid active: Madecassic Acid is the fourth centella triterpene. A list that names all four is telling you the extract was standardised rather than simply pressed, which is the difference between a cica claim and a cica formula.
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.
Asiatic Acid active: Asiatic Acid is the third of centella's four triterpenes and the aglycone form, meaning it has no attached sugar. It is oil soluble, so it turns up in cica creams and balms more than in watery layers.
Acetyl Hexapeptide-8 peptide: Acetyl Hexapeptide-8 is a six-amino-acid peptide used for the look of expression lines, particularly around the eyes. It is the peptide sold under the name Argireline and is water soluble and stable.

How to use

Apply it last at night, after your toner, serum and, on very dry skin, your usual cream.
Warm a small amount between your fingers first so it spreads instead of dragging.
Press it over slightly damp skin and take it down over the neck in the same pass.
Do not use it in the morning under makeup, because a balm will move a foundation around as you blend.

Worth knowing

Oily skin usually finds a balm too much, even at night in summer.
Keep it away from the lash line, since a heavy texture can migrate into the eye overnight.

Complete the routine

This itemGenabelle PDRN Enriched Recovery Balm 50ml$60.00
The treatment step of this routineGenabelle PDRN Vita Toning Ampoule 30ml$32.50
Seal the routine in as the last stepGenabelle Melacare Intensive Cream 50ml$62.50

Total for 3 items$155.00

Reviews

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

Write a review

Genabelle PDRN Enriched Recovery Balm 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

We’re on gram!

Creators trying on authentic Korean skincare routines and products from us.

Watch on YouTube
Rating a shelf of Dr. Althea products one by one.
Jasmine Loo · YouTube
Watch on YouTube
Two hydrating serums side by side, IUNIK and Dr. Althea.
Kristin · YouTube
Watch on YouTube
A walk through the Dr. Althea serum lineup and who each one suits.
auraofmahmuda · YouTube
Watch on YouTube
A blunt first take on the Dr. Althea range.
Lexi Chang · YouTube
Watch on YouTube
A first look at the viral 345 Relief Cream before buying.
Shelley Nayak · YouTube
Watch on YouTube
A first try of the Dr. Althea serum on camera.
Hannah Ziad · YouTube

Genabelle, Korean-market original

Built around Niacinamide, pdrn enriched recovery balm names its lead ingredient rather than hiding behind a vague claim.

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