Who is the True Mushroom LX Balancing Emulsion 115ml suited for?

It suits normal, combination and oily skin looking for lightweight daily moisture. Fragrance is on the ingredient list, so anyone avoiding added scent should check the list before buying. The SAEM sells this as the same formula stocked on Korean shelves, not a version built for US retail.

How do I use the True Mushroom LX Balancing Emulsion 115ml?

Apply after essence or serum as a lightweight moisture step before a heavier cream if needed. Give it a few weeks in that slot before judging the result, since an emulsion works cumulatively rather than after one use.

Is the True Mushroom LX Balancing Emulsion 115ml the authentic Korean-market formula?

Yes. We stock The SAEM's Korean-market formula rather than a version reformulated for US shelves. What ships is the 115ml unit sold on Korean shelves, with the Korean barcode and batch code intact on the box.

The SAEM

True Mushroom LX Balancing Emulsion 115ml

Name: The SAEM True Mushroom LX Balancing Emulsion 115ml
Brand: The SAEM
SKU: 9788183411
Price: 55.0 USD
Availability: InStock

True Mushroom LX Balancing Emulsion 115ml is The SAEM's emulsion, and Niacinamide sits at position 13 of 48 on its own ingredient list, the formula's clearest headline active.

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$55.00

115 ml

$47.83 per 100 ml

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

Suited to: NormalCombinationOily

Helps with: Lightweight daily moistureLayering step under creamWarm-weather moisturizer

One-time purchase

$55.00

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How it works

True Mushroom LX Balancing Emulsion 115ml is a Korean color and skincare brand known for approachable, everyday formulas, formulated as an emulsion for the Korean market rather than a US-shelf reformulation. Niacinamide is one of the most established multi-tasking actives in Korean formulation, valued for supporting an even, calm-looking tone and a smoother surface texture with continued use. It sits at position 13 of 48 ingredients on this row's own list, ahead of most of the formula's supporting agents. Adenosine is a wrinkle-care ingredient standard across Korean cosmetics, commonly included to support a firmer, smoother-looking surface as part of a daily routine. Further down the list, Ceramide NP appears at position 42 of 48, adding a supporting layer rather than the lead role.

Key benefits

Niacinamide appears at position 13 of 48 on the ingredient list, ahead of most of the formula's supporting agents.
Adenosine closes out the back half of the list at position 29 of 48, a supporting rather than lead role.
Ceramide NP closes out the back half of the list at position 42 of 48, a supporting rather than lead role.
Beta-Glucan closes out the back half of the list at position 34 of 48, a supporting rather than lead role.
Acetyl Hexapeptide-8 closes out the back half of the list at position 40 of 48, a supporting rather than lead role.
Fragrance is listed, so this is a scented rather than fragrance-free formula.

How to use

Apply after essence or serum as a lightweight moisture step before a heavier cream if needed.

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45 of 47 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.
Ganoderma Lucidum (Mushroom) Extract plant extract: Reishi mushroom extract. Like most mushroom extracts it carries beta-glucan-type polysaccharides, which hold water and leave a light film.
Phellinus Linteus Extract plant extract: Sanghuang, a hard bracket mushroom used in Korean and Chinese herbal tradition. Its extract carries water-holding polysaccharides.
Sparassis Crispa Extract plant extract: Cauliflower mushroom extract, one of the richest natural sources of beta-glucan. It hydrates and leaves a soft film.
Tremella Fuciformis (Mushroom) Extract plant extract: Tremella Fuciformis is snow mushroom. Its polysaccharide holds even more water than hyaluronic acid for its weight, which is why it appears in hydrating Korean formulas as a plant alternative.
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.
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.
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.
Ethylhexyl Stearate emollient: Ethylhexyl Stearate is an ester emollient with a slightly richer feel than the palmitate. It softens skin and helps a formula spread evenly.
Isopentyldiol solvent: Isopentyldiol is a glycol used as a light solvent and humectant. It thins a formula, keeps extracts dissolved and leaves a dry finish.
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.

33 more explained

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.
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.
Propylene Glycol Dibenzoate emollient: Propylene Glycol Dibenzoate is a light ester used as an emollient and solvent. It gives a dry, non-greasy slip and helps dissolve powders and pigments.
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.
Triethylhexanoin emollient: Triethylhexanoin is a light ester emollient that softens skin and disperses pigment. It absorbs cleanly and is often used to thin a heavy oil phase.
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.
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.
Parfum 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Dextrin thickener: Dextrin is a starch fragment used to thicken and to give a formula a light, powdery finish. It is also a common carrier for powdered extracts.
Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Extract plant extract: Cocoa Extract carries polyphenols and a little caffeine. It is used as an antioxidant plant extract and gives a faint warm tint.
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.
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.
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.
Mannitol humectant: Mannitol is a sugar alcohol used as a humectant and antioxidant. It hydrates and helps stabilise the rest of the formula against oxidation.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Ergothioneine antioxidant: Ergothioneine is a sulphur-bearing amino acid mushrooms make. It is a strong antioxidant and is stable in water.
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.
Ceramide NS barrier lipid: Ceramide NS is another of the ceramides skin makes for itself. It is used alongside NP and AP so a formula supplies a mixture rather than a single lipid.
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.
Phytosphingosine barrier lipid: Phytosphingosine is the backbone every ceramide is built on, and skin uses it in its own lipid layer. In a formula it works with ceramides and cholesterol and also keeps the product stable against microbes.
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.
Ceramide AS barrier lipid: Ceramide AS is a further member of the same lipid family. Its presence usually signals a formula built around a full ceramide profile rather than a single headline one.
Ceramide EOP barrier lipid: Ceramide EOP is the ceramide with the longest tail, and in skin it acts as the rivet holding the lipid layers together. It is the third member of the standard cosmetic ceramide trio.

Inside the formula

Ingredients declared

#22

Fragrance on the list

Worth knowing

Fragrance is on the ingredient list, so anyone avoiding added scent should check the list before buying.
Patch test on a small area first if you are new to this formula or to the brand.

Complete the routine

This itemThe SAEM True Mushroom LX Balancing Emulsion 115ml$55.00
Prep after cleansing, before the treatment stepThe SAEM Derma Plan Soothing Toner 155ml$25.00
Seal the routine in as the last stepThe SAEM Derma Plan Ultra Balm Cream 60ml$27.50

Total for 3 items$107.50

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The SAEM, Korean-market original

True Mushroom LX Balancing Emulsion 115ml, 115ml, Niacinamide at position 13 of 48.

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