No.3 Skin Softening Serum 50ml
Numbuzin No.3 Skin Softening Serum 50ml is a serum led by Bifida Ferment Lysate on its own ingredient panel, sourced as the Korean-market formula.
No reviews yet50 ml
$65.00 per 100 ml
- Korean-market formula
- Ships from California or direct from Korea
- Korean barcode and batch code intact
- Suited to
- normalcombinationdryoily
- Helps with
- tone and texture supported by Bifida Ferment Lysatedaily hydration through the serum stepa Korean-market formula rather than a US reformulationa routine step matched to this format
In stock. Arrives in 3 to 7 business days
We accept
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
How it works
Bifida Ferment Lysate leads the ingredient panel on this serum. Bifida Ferment Lysate is a bifidobacteria ferment with the cells broken open. It is the ingredient behind the first-essence category and is used for the look of tired, reactive skin. On this panel it sits alongside Galactomyces Ferment Filtrate, Niacinamide and Alteromonas Ferment Extract. Galactomyces Ferment Filtrate is a yeast ferment filtered clear, the ingredient that made the Korean and Japanese essence category. It carries amino acids, vitamins and organic acids and is used for the look of dullness and rough texture.
Key benefits
- Bifida Ferment Lysate named on this product's own ingredient panel, near the top of it
- Galactomyces Ferment Filtrate on the same panel, the formula's ferment
- Niacinamide on the same panel, the formula's active
- 50 ml to a unit
- Korean GS1 barcode matched against a Korea sourcing supplier's record for this item
Inside the formula
Inside the formula
Is this the same formula sold in Korea, or a US version?
This is the exact Korean-market formula, not a US-shelf reformulation. Numbuzin sells a separate reformulation on some US shelves, and this listing is not that version. The Korean-market batch coding and packaging travel with it, which is the detail worth checking against the box on arrival.
Where does this formula come from?
It comes from the Korean-market catalog rather than a US-shelf reformulation, and the packaging carries the same Korean-market batch coding a shopper would find on the box in Korea. That sourcing is checked on this row before the page is written, not assumed from the product name. It is the detail worth checking against the box on arrival.
Can I use this alongside other actives in my routine?
Yes. Bifida Ferment Lysate is the lead active here, and it is formulated to sit alongside the rest of a routine rather than replace it. Introduce any new step on its own for the first week or two before adding it next to another strong active, so it is easy to tell which product is responsible for any change. Once it is settled into the routine, it layers the way any other serum in a Korean routine does.
What does Bifida Ferment Lysate do in this formula?
Bifida Ferment Lysate is a fermented ingredient Korean formulas use to condition the surface with a lighter feel than many actives. Fermented ingredients like this are a defining thread of Korean formulation, chosen for a gentler daily-use feel. It sits at its own position on this product's own ingredient list rather than being assumed from the product name.
What does Niacinamide do in this formula?
Niacinamide supports an even-looking skin tone and works alongside the formula's humectants to keep the surface comfortable. It is one of the most studied actives in Korean formulation for tone evenness and is gentle enough for daily AM and PM use. It sits at its own position on this product's own ingredient list rather than being assumed from the product name.
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 (28): Bifida Ferment Lysate (42%), Galactomyces Ferment Filtrate (21%), Butylene Glycol, Methyl Gluceth-20, Purified Water, Niacinamide, PEG-90, 1,2-Hexanediol, Glycerin, Squalane, Alteromonas Ferment Extract, Silk Extract, Goat Milk Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Panthenol, Adenosine, Glycereth-26, Xanthan Gum, Polyglyceryl-3 Distearate, Glyceryl Stearate SE, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate, Carbomer, Tromethamine, Ethylhexylglycerin, Caprylyl Glycol, Tropolone, Disodium EDTA
Ingredient list read from inkeedecoder.com on 10 September 2026.
25 of 28 explained
- Bifida Ferment Lysate (42%) ferment
- Bifida Ferment Lysate is a bifidobacteria ferment with the cells broken open. It is the ingredient behind the first-essence category and is used for the look of tired, reactive skin.
- Galactomyces Ferment Filtrate (21%) ferment
- Galactomyces Ferment Filtrate is a yeast ferment filtered clear, the ingredient that made the Korean and Japanese essence category. It carries amino acids, vitamins and organic acids and is used for the look of dullness and rough texture.
- 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.
- Methyl Gluceth-20 humectant
- Methyl Gluceth-20 is a sugar-derived humectant. It holds water in the outer layer of skin and gives a smooth, cushioned slip that plain glycerin does not.
- Purified 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Alteromonas Ferment Extract ferment
- A ferment of a marine bacterium, extracted after culture. It supplies an exopolysaccharide that holds water and leaves a smooth film, which is what it is used for.
- Silk Extract protein
- A water extract of silk fibre, carrying sericin and fragments of fibroin protein. It is used as a conditioning protein that dries to a smooth, soft film.
- 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.
13 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Xanthan Gum thickener
- Xanthan Gum is a polysaccharide made by fermenting sugar. It thickens a watery formula into a gel and holds the whole thing in suspension so nothing separates. Too much of it and a serum turns stringy, which is why it appears in fractions of a percent.
- Polyglyceryl-3 Distearate emulsifier
- Polyglyceryl-3 Distearate is a plant-derived emulsifier used to hold oil and water together in creams and lotions.
- Glyceryl Stearate SE emulsifier
- Glyceryl Stearate SE is the self-emulsifying grade, supplied with a little soap already built in so it can hold an emulsion with less help. It thickens and softens like the plain form.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Market
- Korean market, the version sold in Korea
- EAN (barcode)
- 8809652580036
- Made in
- Republic of Korea
- Volume
- 50 ml
- Category
- Serum & Ampoule
- Actives
- Adenosine, Niacinamide, Panthenol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Squalane
- Ships from
- California or Korea
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
- Apply after the toner while the skin is still damp so a thin layer covers the face in one pass.
- Press it in with the flats of the fingers rather than rubbing it around in circles.
- Follow with a cream to hold it in place, and with sunscreen as the final morning step.
- Do not expect it to do the work of an exfoliating step, since this is a daily softening layer rather than a rationed one.
Worth knowing
- Patch test on the inner arm first if trying a new brand's formula for the first time.
- Stop use and check the ingredient list against any known sensitivities before continuing.
Complete the routine
- This itemNumbuzin No.3 Skin Softening Serum 50ml$32.50

- Prep after cleansing, before the treatment stepnumbuzin No.3 Bifida Bakuchiol Exfoliating Toner Pads 190ml/70ea$40.00

- The treatment step of this routinenumbuzin No.3 Bifida Bakuchiol Zero Pore Serum 30ml$47.50

Total for 3 items$120.00
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numbuzin No.3 Skin Softening Serum 50ml
How it felt, how your skin took it, what you layer it with. Straight answers help the next person choose.
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Numbuzin, Korean-market original
The Korean-market serum built around Bifida Ferment Lysate, from Numbuzin, sourced for the Korean market and reviewed before it ever reaches this page.
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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