When in a routine should I use this toner?

Use it as the toner step, AM and PM, right after cleansing and before serum. Placing a toner out of order is the most common reason a Korean routine feels like it is not working, so keep this one at its own step rather than doubling it up with a product built for a different stage. Give it a few weeks at that placement before judging the result.

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.

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.

Numbuzin

No.3 Super Glowing Essence Toner 200ml

Name: Numbuzin No.3 Super Glowing Essence Toner 200ml
Brand: Numbuzin
SKU: 5609723316
Price: 27.5 USD
Availability: InStock

Numbuzin No.3 Super Glowing Essence Toner 200ml carries 22 separate lactobacillus ferment forms on its own ingredient panel, including Lactococcus/Bean Seed Extract Ferment Filtrate, Lactobacillus/Rice Ferment, Lactobacillus/Algae Extract Ferment, Lactobacillus/Pumpkin Ferment Extract.

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$27.50

200 ml

$13.75 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 Niacinamidedaily hydration through the toner stepa Korean-market formula rather than a US reformulationa routine step matched to this format

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How it works

The panel on this essence names 22 forms of lactobacillus ferment rather than one: Lactococcus/Bean Seed Extract Ferment Filtrate, Lactobacillus/Rice Ferment, Lactobacillus/Algae Extract Ferment, Lactobacillus/Pumpkin Ferment Extract, Lactobacillus/Soybean Ferment Extract, Lactobacillus/Soybean Extract Ferment Filtrate, Lactobacillus/Eriodictyon Californicum Ferment Extract, Lactobacillus/Water Hyacinth Ferment, Lactobacillus/Rye Flour Ferment, Lactobacillus/Hibiscus Sabdariffa Flower Ferment Filtrate, Lactobacillus/Milk Ferment Filtrate, Lactobacillus/Panax Ginseng Root Ferment Filtrate, Lactobacillus/Acerola Cherry Ferment, Lactobacillus Ferment, Lactobacillus Ferment Lysate Filtrate, Lactococcus/Milk Ferment Lysate, Lactococcus Ferment, Lactococcus Ferment Extract, Lactococcus Ferment Lysate, Lactobacillus/Wasabia Japonica Root Ferment Extract, Lactobacillus/Punica Granatum Fruit Ferment Extract, Lactobacillus/Pear Juice Ferment Filtrate. Bean seed extract fermented with lactococcus and strained clear. Fermentation breaks the bean protein and starch into peptides and smaller sugars. On this panel it sits alongside Niacinamide, Spiraea Ulmaria Extract and Chlorella Ferment. 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.

Key benefits

22 forms of lactobacillus ferment on one panel, not a single token inclusion
Niacinamide on the same panel, the formula's active
Spiraea Ulmaria Extract on the same panel, the formula's plant extract
200 ml to a unit
Korean GS1 barcode matched against a Korea sourcing supplier's record for this item

Inside the formula

Ingredients declared

No fragrance

on the list

1 of 2

Not on the ingredient list below: fragrance or parfum, denatured or SD alcohol, silicones, parabens, sulfate surfactants, mineral oil or petrolatum and added color.

Full INCI (71): Water, Dipropylene Glycol, Glycereth-26, 1,2-Hexanediol, Niacinamide, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Methyl Gluceth-20, Spiraea Ulmaria Extract, Lactococcus/Bean Seed Extract Ferment Filtrate, Lactobacillus/Rice Ferment, Chlorella Ferment, Lactobacillus/Algae Extract Ferment, Saccharomyces/Grape Ferment Extract, Lactobacillus/Pumpkin Ferment Extract, Lactobacillus/Soybean Ferment Extract, Lactobacillus/Soybean Extract Ferment Filtrate, Saccharomyces/Rice Ferment Filtrate, Saccharomyces/Barley Seed Ferment Filtrate, Saccharomyces/Calcium Ferment, Saccharomyces/Laminaria Saccharina Ferment, Saccharomyces/Potato Extract Ferment Filtrate, Lactobacillus/Eriodictyon Californicum Ferment Extract, Lactobacillus/Water Hyacinth Ferment, Lactobacillus/Rye Flour Ferment, Lactobacillus/Hibiscus Sabdariffa Flower Ferment Filtrate, Lactobacillus/Milk Ferment Filtrate, Lactobacillus/Panax Ginseng Root Ferment Filtrate, Lactobacillus/Acerola Cherry Ferment, Lactobacillus Ferment, Lactobacillus Ferment Lysate Filtrate, Lactococcus/Milk Ferment Lysate, Lactococcus Ferment, Lactococcus Ferment Extract, Lactococcus Ferment Lysate, Streptococcus Thermophilus Ferment, Aureobasidium Pullulans Ferment Filtrate, Bifida Ferment Filtrate, Bifida Ferment Extract, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Lactobacillus/Wasabia Japonica Root Ferment Extract, Lactobacillus/Punica Granatum Fruit Ferment Extract, Bacillus/Glutamic Acid Ferment Filtrate, Bacillus/Rice Bran Extract/Soybean Extract Ferment Filtrate, Monascus/Rice Ferment, Saccharomyces/Rice Bran Ferment Filtrate Extract, Saccharomyces/Rice Bran Ferment, Lactobacillus/Pear Juice Ferment Filtrate, Pichia Ferment Lysate Filtrate, Alteromonas Ferment Extract, Saccharomyces/Coix Lacryma-Jobi Ma-Yuen Seed Ferment Filtrate, Saccharomyces/Soy Protein Ferment, Sphingomonas Ferment Extract, Saccharomyces/Malachite Ferment, Saccharomyces Ferment, Saccharomyces Ferment Filtrate, Schizosaccharomyces Ferment Filtrate, Aspergillus Ferment, Aspergillus/Glucose/Soybean/Starch Ferment Filtrate, Pelargonium Graveolens Flower Oil, Sodium Hyaluronate, Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Betaine, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Tromethamine, Polyquaternium-51, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Adenosine, Geraniol, Citronellol

Ingredient list read from incidecoder.com on 10 September 2026.

71 of 71 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Spiraea Ulmaria Extract plant extract: Meadowsweet extract. The plant carries salicylates and tannins, so it has an astringent character, and it is the botanical the name aspirin was originally taken from.
Lactococcus/Bean Seed Extract Ferment Filtrate ferment: Bean seed extract fermented with lactococcus and strained clear. Fermentation breaks the bean protein and starch into peptides and smaller sugars.
Lactobacillus/Rice Ferment ferment: Rice fermented with lactobacillus, the same bacteria behind kimchi and makgeolli. Fermentation breaks the rice starch into smaller sugars and amino acids that hold water.
Chlorella Ferment ferment: Chlorella, a single celled green algae, put through fermentation. The culture breaks the tough cell wall so the amino acids, sugars and pigments inside are available in the formula.

59 more explained

Lactobacillus/Algae Extract Ferment ferment: Algae extract fermented with lactobacillus. Fermentation opens the algal cell material, so the sugars, amino acids and minerals in it are more available.
Saccharomyces/Grape Ferment Extract ferment: Grape fermented with yeast, then extracted, which is wine making in a formula. It carries grape polyphenols alongside the yeast metabolites and organic acids.
Lactobacillus/Pumpkin Ferment Extract ferment: Pumpkin fermented with lactobacillus and then extracted. Fermentation frees the fruit's sugars and enzymes, and the result is used as a conditioning ferment.
Lactobacillus/Soybean Ferment Extract ferment: This is soybean fermented by lactobacillus. The fermentation breaks soy proteins into smaller pieces, which is what makes the extract easier for a formula to carry.
Lactobacillus/Soybean Extract Ferment Filtrate ferment: Soybean extract fermented with lactobacillus and strained clear. Fermentation frees the soy isoflavones and breaks the protein into peptides.
Saccharomyces/Rice Ferment Filtrate ferment: Rice fermented with yeast and then strained, the same process behind sake and its lees. It carries amino acids and sugars and is the classic rice ferment of Korean and Japanese formulas.
Saccharomyces/Barley Seed Ferment Filtrate ferment: Barley fermented with brewing yeast and strained clear. Fermentation breaks the grain starch and protein into sugars, peptides and B vitamins that hold water.
Saccharomyces/Calcium Ferment ferment: Yeast cultured with a calcium source, so the mineral is taken up into the ferment. It is a way of carrying calcium in an organic rather than a plain salt form.
Saccharomyces/Laminaria Saccharina Ferment ferment: Sugar kelp fermented with yeast. Fermentation breaks the algal polysaccharides into smaller water holding sugars and frees the minerals held in the seaweed.
Saccharomyces/Potato Extract Ferment Filtrate ferment: Potato extract fermented with yeast and strained. It supplies sugars and amino acids and is used as a conditioning ferment.
Lactobacillus/Eriodictyon Californicum Ferment Extract ferment: Yerba santa fermented with lactobacillus, then extracted. The plant carries flavonoids and resins, and fermentation makes them more water soluble.
Lactobacillus/Water Hyacinth Ferment ferment: Water hyacinth fermented with lactobacillus. The plant is largely water holding cellulose and sugars, and fermentation breaks them into smaller pieces.
Lactobacillus/Rye Flour Ferment ferment: Rye flour fermented with lactobacillus, the same culture that raises sourdough. It supplies lactic acid, smaller sugars and peptides from the grain.
Lactobacillus/Hibiscus Sabdariffa Flower Ferment Filtrate ferment: Hibiscus flower fermented with lactobacillus and strained. It carries the flower's plant acids and sugars and is used as a conditioning ferment.
Lactobacillus/Milk Ferment Filtrate ferment: Milk fermented with lactobacillus and strained clear, which is yoghurt culture in a formula. It carries lactic acid, milk peptides and lactose.
Lactobacillus/Panax Ginseng Root Ferment Filtrate ferment: Ginseng root fermented with lactobacillus and strained. Fermentation cuts the large ginsenosides into smaller forms, which is why Korean brands ferment ginseng so often.
Lactobacillus/Acerola Cherry Ferment ferment: Acerola cherry fermented with lactobacillus. Acerola is one of the richest fruit sources of vitamin C, and the ferment supplies it alongside organic acids and sugars.
Lactobacillus Ferment ferment: Lactobacillus Ferment is the liquid left after lactobacillus bacteria have fermented a plant or milk substrate. It carries the small molecules the fermentation produced, including lactic acid and amino acids, and is used for the look of dull, uneven skin.
Lactobacillus Ferment Lysate Filtrate ferment: A lactobacillus culture broken open and then strained clear. Lysing releases what was inside the cells, so the filtrate carries peptides, sugars and cell wall fragments.
Lactococcus/Milk Ferment Lysate ferment: Milk fermented with lactococcus, then the cells broken open. It carries milk peptides, lactic acid and the contents of the bacterial cells.
Lactococcus Ferment ferment: A ferment of lactococcus, one of the lactic acid bacteria used to make cheese and buttermilk. It supplies peptides and organic acids and is used as a conditioning ferment.
Lactococcus Ferment Extract ferment: An extract of a lactococcus culture, one of the lactic acid bacteria used in cheesemaking. It supplies peptides and organic acids as a conditioning ferment.
Lactococcus Ferment Lysate ferment: Lactococcus Ferment Lysate is a lactic-culture ferment with the bacterial cells broken open, so their contents are in the formula too. It is used as a conditioning ferment in barrier-focused products.
Streptococcus Thermophilus Ferment ferment: Streptococcus Thermophilus Ferment is a yoghurt-culture ferment. It is used for its conditioning effect on the outer layer of skin.
Aureobasidium Pullulans Ferment Filtrate polysaccharide: The strained culture of the yeast that produces pullulan, a beta glucan sugar polymer. That polysaccharide is what holds water and leaves a smooth film.
Bifida Ferment Filtrate ferment: Bifida Ferment Filtrate is the liquid strained off a bifidobacteria culture, with the cells filtered out. It is the fraction the first-essence category is built on and is used for the look of tired, reactive skin.
Bifida Ferment Extract ferment: An extract of a bifidobacteria culture, the same organism behind bifida ferment lysate. It is used as a conditioning ferment.
Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate preservative: This is radish root fermented by Leuconostoc, the culture behind kimchi, then filtered clear. It carries natural antimicrobial peptides, so formulas use it in place of part of a conventional preservative.
Lactobacillus/Wasabia Japonica Root Ferment Extract ferment: Wasabi root fermented with lactobacillus, then extracted. Fermentation tempers the pungent sulphur compounds of the raw root and frees its sugars and amino acids.
Lactobacillus/Punica Granatum Fruit Ferment Extract ferment: Pomegranate fruit fermented with lactobacillus, then extracted. Fermentation breaks the fruit sugars and polyphenols into smaller pieces, and the filtrate is used as a conditioning ferment.
Bacillus/Glutamic Acid Ferment Filtrate ferment: A bacillus culture grown on glutamic acid and strained clear. Bacillus fermentation of glutamic acid is how polyglutamic acid is made, and that polymer holds a great deal of water.
Bacillus/Rice Bran Extract/Soybean Extract Ferment Filtrate ferment: Rice bran and soybean fermented together with bacillus and strained clear, the same culture behind natto. It carries peptides, sugars and polyglutamic acid.
Monascus/Rice Ferment ferment: Rice fermented with monascus, the mould behind red yeast rice. The ferment is naturally deep red and is used as a conditioning ferment.
Saccharomyces/Rice Bran Ferment Filtrate Extract ferment: Rice bran fermented with yeast, strained, then extracted. It carries the amino acids, sugars and ferulic acid of the bran in a more soluble form.
Saccharomyces/Rice Bran Ferment ferment: Rice bran fermented with yeast. Fermentation breaks the bran starch and protein into sugars, peptides and amino acids that hold water.
Lactobacillus/Pear Juice Ferment Filtrate ferment: Pear juice fermented with lactobacillus and strained clear. Fermentation converts the fruit sugars into lactic acid and smaller sugars that hold water.
Pichia Ferment Lysate Filtrate ferment: A pichia yeast culture broken open and strained clear. Lysing releases the contents of the cells, so the filtrate carries amino acids, peptides and sugars.
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.
Saccharomyces/Coix Lacryma-Jobi Ma-Yuen Seed Ferment Filtrate ferment: Job's tears, the yulmu of Korean grain tea, fermented with yeast and strained. It supplies sugars and amino acids and is used as a conditioning ferment.
Saccharomyces/Soy Protein Ferment ferment: Soy protein fermented with yeast. Fermentation cuts the protein into peptides and amino acids, which dissolve and spread more evenly than whole protein.
Sphingomonas Ferment Extract ferment: Sphingomonas Ferment Extract is the liquid left after Sphingomonas bacteria have fermented a sugar substrate. It carries water-holding polysaccharides and is used as a conditioning ferment.
Saccharomyces/Malachite Ferment ferment: Yeast cultured with malachite, a copper carbonate mineral, so the copper is taken up into the ferment. It is a way of carrying copper in an organic rather than a plain salt form.
Saccharomyces Ferment ferment: Saccharomyces Ferment is a brewer's yeast ferment. It supplies amino acids, sugars and B vitamins and is used as a conditioning, hydrating ferment.
Saccharomyces Ferment Filtrate ferment: Saccharomyces Ferment Filtrate is a brewers yeast ferment filtered clear. It supplies amino acids, B vitamins and sugars, and it is one of the ferments the Korean essence category was built on.
Schizosaccharomyces Ferment Filtrate ferment: The strained culture of a fission yeast. It carries amino acids, sugars and enzymes, and this yeast is also the usual source of the fermentation derived zinc and copper complexes.
Aspergillus Ferment ferment: Aspergillus Ferment is a mould ferment, from the same organism family used to make soy sauce and sake. It supplies amino acids and organic acids and is used as a conditioning ferment.
Aspergillus/Glucose/Soybean/Starch Ferment Filtrate ferment: Soybean and starch fermented with aspergillus on glucose, then strained clear. Aspergillus is the koji mould of East Asian brewing, and it breaks starch and protein into sugars and peptides.
Pelargonium Graveolens Flower Oil fragrance component: Pelargonium Graveolens is rose geranium. Its flower oil is an essential oil used to scent a formula, carrying citronellol and geraniol.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Polyquaternium-51 film former: Polyquaternium-51 is a polymer, sometimes sold as Lipidure, built on the same phosphorylcholine structure as a cell membrane. It holds water in a film on the surface and gives a distinctive soft, dry finish.
Hydroxyethylcellulose thickener: Hydroxyethylcellulose is a cellulose thickener that builds a clear, smooth gel and holds the rest of the formula in suspension.
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.
Geraniol fragrance component: Geraniol is a rose-scented aromatic found in geranium and citronella oils. It is one of the 26 declarable fragrance components.
Citronellol fragrance component: Citronellol is a rose-geranium aromatic and one of the 26 fragrance components EU labelling names individually.

How to use

Apply within a minute of cleansing while the face is still wet, so it spreads without dragging.
Pour a generous amount into damp palms and press it over the face and down the neck.
Move on to serum and cream while the surface still feels slightly tacky rather than waiting for it to dry.
Do not sweep it on with dry cotton, since anything with body to it mostly ends up in the cotton rather than on the skin.

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 Super Glowing Essence Toner 200ml$27.50
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$115.00

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numbuzin No.3 Super Glowing Essence Toner 200ml

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Numbuzin, Korean-market original

The Korean-market toner built around Niacinamide, from Numbuzin, sourced for the Korean market and reviewed before it ever reaches this page.

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