Glucamune Essence

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 (20): Water, Butylene Glycol, Propanediol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Betaine, Carbomer, Hydroxyacetophenone, Arginine, Sodium Polyacrylate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Tremella Fuciformis (Mushroom) Extract, Ethylhexylglycerin, Allantoin, Panthenol, Malt Extract, Glycerin, Beta-Glucan, Squalane, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate

20 of 20 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Hydroxyacetophenone preservative booster

Hydroxyacetophenone is an antioxidant that also strengthens a preservative system, so a formula needs less traditional preservative. Korean formulas pair it with 1,2-hexanediol constantly.

Arginine amino acid

Arginine is an amino acid that does two jobs here: it holds water in the outer layer of skin, and it neutralises acidic gelling agents, which is why it often stands in for a synthetic pH adjuster.

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.

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.

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.

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

Made in

Republic of Korea

Volume

100ml

Category

Essence

Actives

Allantoin, Beta-Glucan, 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.

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.

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.