SOME BY MI
Retinol Intense Reactivating Serum - 30ml(1.01oz)
SOME BY MI's Retinol Intense Reactivating Serum is 1.01 oz, used at the serum step, after toner and before moisturizer.
No reviews yet1.01 oz
- Korean-market formula
- Ships from California or direct from Korea
- Korean barcode and batch code intact
In stock. Arrives in 3 to 7 business days
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Inside the formula
Inside the formula
How to use
- Use the Retinol Intense Reactivating Serum after toner and before moisturizer, in the evening.
- Three or four drops covers the whole face. Press it in with flat palms instead of rubbing it around.
- Toner first so the surface is damp, then this, then about a minute before your moisturizer goes over the top. The retinoid this product is named for is what puts the step in the evening rather than the morning.
- Start at two or three evenings a week and build up from there. Do not use it in the same routine as another retinoid or a resurfacing acid.
Does this product contain added fragrance?
Yes. The ingredient list for SOME BY MI Retinol Intense Reactivating Serum - 30ml(1.01oz) includes Fragrance. That is the label name for an added scent blend, whose individual components are not itemised beyond any allergens the label declares separately. The full list is printed in the Ingredients section of this page.
Are any declarable fragrance allergens listed?
No. None of the 26 fragrance components that EU cosmetic labelling requires to be named individually appear on the ingredient list for SOME BY MI Retinol Intense Reactivating Serum - 30ml(1.01oz). They are the components most often reported as contact allergens, which is why that rule names them one by one.
Does this product contain denatured or SD alcohol?
No. The ingredient list for SOME BY MI Retinol Intense Reactivating Serum - 30ml(1.01oz) names no denatured alcohol, SD alcohol or ethanol. Fatty alcohols such as cetyl and cetearyl alcohol are a different class of ingredient, used as emollients and thickeners, and are not counted here.
Not on the ingredient list below: denatured or SD alcohol, essential oils, parabens, sulfate surfactants, mineral oil or petrolatum and added color.
Full INCI (65): Water, Cyclohexasiloxane, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Glycerin, Methylpropanediol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Niacinamide, Hydrogenated Poly(c6-14 Olefin), Panthenol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Piper Methysticum Leaf/Root/Stem Extract, Centella Asiatica Extract, Panax Ginseng Berry Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (licorice) Root Extract, Ficus Carica (fig) Fruit Extract, Centella Asiatica Leaf Extract, Centella Asiatica Root Extract, Melaleuca Alternifolia (tea Tree) Leaf Extract, Artemisia Capillaris Extract, Eclipta Prostrata Extract, Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract, Elaeis Guineensis (palm) Oil, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Glyceryl Stearate, Bakuchiol, Palmitic Acid, Sodium Polyacrylate, Stearic Acid, Xanthan Gum, Retinol, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Butylene Glycol, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Adenosine, Tromethamine, Polyquaternium-51, Beta-Glucan, Cetyl Alcohol, BHT, Collagen, Myristic Acid, BHA, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Tocopherol, Bifida Ferment Lysate, Ceramide Np, Saccharomyces Ferment, Retinal, Asiaticoside, Glyceryl Polymethacrylate, Madecassoside, Propylene Glycol, Polyglyceryl-10 Oleate, Glycolipids, Glycine Soja (soybean) Peptide, Resveratrol, Sucrose Distearate, Asiatic Acid, Madecassic Acid, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Moringa Oleifera Seed Oil, PEG-100 Stearate, Polysorbate 20, Fragrance, Ethylhexylglycerin
Ingredient list read from somebymi.co.kr on 13 September 2026.
62 of 65 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.
- Cyclohexasiloxane silicone
- Cyclohexasiloxane is a volatile silicone used for a light, fast-spreading feel that leaves nothing behind.
- 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.
- 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.
- Methylpropanediol humectant
- Methylpropanediol is a small glycol used to hydrate and to help water-soluble actives penetrate the outer layer of skin more evenly. It leaves almost no tack, which suits watery textures.
- 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.
- Hydrogenated Poly(c6-14 Olefin) emollient
- Hydrogenated Poly(C6-14 Olefin) is a synthetic hydrocarbon emollient. It gives a smooth, silicone-like glide and is completely stable, so it does not go rancid.
- 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.
- Tocopheryl Acetate antioxidant
- Tocopheryl Acetate is a stable vitamin E ester that skin converts to tocopherol. It is used as an antioxidant and a light emollient and holds up better than plain vitamin E in a formula.
- Piper Methysticum Leaf/Root/Stem Extract plant extract
- Kava extract, from the Pacific pepper plant. It carries kavalactones and is used as a conditioning plant extract.
- 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.
50 more explained
- Panax Ginseng Berry Extract plant extract
- Extract of the ginseng fruit rather than the root. The berry carries a different balance of ginsenosides and is harvested for only a short window each year.
- 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.
- Ficus Carica (fig) Fruit Extract plant extract
- Fig Fruit Extract carries fruit sugars, mild acids and a protein-digesting enzyme. It is used as a hydrating extract with a light smoothing effect.
- Melaleuca Alternifolia (tea Tree) Leaf Extract plant extract
- Tea Tree Leaf Extract is the water-based extract rather than the essential oil, so it is far milder and much less aromatic. It is used in formulas for blemish-prone skin.
- Artemisia Capillaris Extract plant extract
- Artemisia Capillaris is a mugwort species used in Korean and Chinese traditional practice. Its extract is used for the look of reddened, reactive skin.
- Eclipta Prostrata Extract plant extract
- Eclipta Prostrata is false daisy, long used in Ayurvedic and East Asian practice. Its extract is used as a conditioning plant extract, most often in scalp and hair formulas.
- Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract plant extract
- Melia Azadirachta is neem. Its leaf and flower extracts are long-standing Ayurvedic ingredients, and Korean formulas use them in products aimed at the look of congested, blemish-prone skin.
- Elaeis Guineensis (palm) Oil emollient
- Palm Oil is a rich emollient high in palmitic and oleic acids. In skincare it is more often a source material for esters and emulsifiers than an ingredient on its own.
- 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.
- 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.
- Bakuchiol active
- Bakuchiol is a compound from the babchi seed, used as a plant-derived alternative to retinol. It is oil soluble, stable in daylight and does not carry retinol's acclimatisation period, which is why sensitive-skin formulas choose it.
- 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.
- Sodium Polyacrylate thickener
- Sodium Polyacrylate is a polymer that absorbs many times its weight in water. It thickens a formula and holds water in a gel against the skin.
- 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.
- 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.
- Retinol active
- Retinol is the alcohol form of vitamin A and the strongest retinoid available without a prescription. Skin converts it in two steps to retinoic acid, and it is used at night, at low percentages, for the look of fine lines and rough texture. It can leave skin flaking while it acclimatises.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Cetyl Alcohol fatty alcohol
- Cetyl Alcohol is a waxy fatty alcohol from coconut or palm, unrelated to drying ethanol. It thickens creams, stabilises the emulsion and leaves skin feeling softer.
- BHT antioxidant
- BHT is a synthetic antioxidant used in traces to stop the oils in a formula going rancid. It protects the product, not the skin.
- Collagen protein
- Collagen is the structural protein that makes up most of the dermis. Applied on top it is far too large to enter skin, so in a formula it works as a humectant and a smoothing film former.
- Myristic Acid fatty acid
- Myristic Acid is a saturated fatty acid used to thicken and, with a base added, to build the foam in a soap-style cleanser.
- BHA exfoliant
- BHA is short for beta hydroxy acid, which on a Korean list almost always means salicylic acid or one of its salts. It is the oil-soluble exfoliant class, the one that can work inside a pore.
- 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.
- 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.
- Bifida Ferment Lysate 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Retinal active
- Retinal is retinaldehyde, a vitamin A derivative one chemical step closer to retinoic acid than retinol is. It is yellow-orange and unstable in light, so products carrying it are usually opaque.
- 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.
- Glyceryl Polymethacrylate film former
- Glyceryl Polymethacrylate is a polymer that forms a smooth, water-holding film and gives a formula a cushioned, non-sticky feel.
- 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.
- Propylene Glycol humectant
- Propylene Glycol is a small glycol used as a humectant and solvent. It hydrates and helps actives dissolve; newer formulas often swap it for propanediol, which does the same job with a lighter feel.
- Polyglyceryl-10 Oleate emulsifier
- Polyglyceryl-10 Oleate is a mild sugar-derived emulsifier and solubiliser used where a formula must stay clear.
- Glycolipids barrier lipid
- Glycolipids are lipids joined to a sugar. In a formula they work partly as barrier lipids and partly as mild emulsifiers, holding oil and water together.
- Resveratrol antioxidant
- Resveratrol is an antioxidant from grape skin and Japanese knotweed. It is used for the look of dullness and is often paired with ferulic acid, which keeps it stable.
- Sucrose Distearate emulsifier
- Sucrose Distearate is a sugar-based emulsifier that is mild and gives a light, silky feel. It also conditions skin.
- 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.
- 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.
- Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1 peptide
- Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1 is a short peptide with a fatty tail added so it can travel through the oily outer layer of skin. It is used for the look of firmness and is almost always paired with palmitoyl tetrapeptide-7.
- Moringa Oleifera Seed Oil emollient
- Moringa Seed Oil is high in oleic acid and behenic acid and very stable. It is a conditioning emollient with a light, non-sticky finish.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Market
- Korean market, the version sold in Korea
- EAN (barcode)
- 8809647392668
- Made in
- Republic of Korea
- Volume
- 1.01 oz
- Category
- Serum & Ampoule
- Actives
- Adenosine, Bakuchiol, Beta-Glucan, Centella Asiatica, Ceramide NP, Collagen, Ginseng, Licorice Root, Madecassoside, Niacinamide, Panthenol, Peptides, Retinol, Tea Tree
- 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.
Key benefits
- ["Adenosine","Bakuchiol","Beta-Glucan","Centella Asiatica","Ceramide NP","Collagen","Ginseng","Licorice Root","Madecassoside","Niacinamide","Panthenol","Peptides","Retinol","Tea Tree"]
Complete the routine
- This itemSOME BY MI Retinol Intense Reactivating Serum - 30ml(1.01oz)$42.50
- Prep after cleansing, before the treatment stepSOME BY MI AHA BHA PHA 30 Days Miracle Toner 150ml$32.50
- Seal the routine in as the last stepSOME BY MI AHA-BHA-PHA 30Days Miracle Cream (Moisturizer) 60g$37.50
Total for 3 items$112.50
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SOME BY MI Retinol Intense Reactivating Serum - 30ml(1.01oz)
How it felt, how your skin took it, what you layer it with. Straight answers help the next person choose.
We’re on gram!
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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.
Pretty much every step of a Korean skin care routine is going to have some component of hydration.
Alok Vij, MDDermatologist, Cleveland Clinic 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
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