Beauty of Joseon Glow Serum: Propolis + Niacinamide for combination skin
Propolis Extract
Niacinamide
Sodium Hyaluronate
Centella Asiatica Extract
Curcuma Longa Root ExtractAverage
- HighCombination Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- HighSafety
Works for combination skin; other serums fit it better.
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with combination skin: an oily T-zone, enlarged pores, and dry cheeks. For scores and recommendations based on your full skin profile, including your 12D face scan results and any goals or preferences you have, please use the Lovi app.
Page built Nov 8, 2026How the Fit score works
Lovi Assistant explains
- This serum offers moderate benefits for your combination skin, with niacinamide and betaine salicylate helping to regulate oil and gently exfoliate, supporting your goal of managing oily shine.
- While glycerin and propolis extract provide general hydration and soothing effects, the formula is not specifically targeted to address the primary concern of oily shine with specialized ingredients.
- The product is safe for your combination skin, as it contains no harsh or prohibited ingredients that would cause irritation.
How to apply
- Use your serum as part of your PM routine. Start using it 3 times a week and move to daily use if your skin likes it.
- Apply the serum after cleansing and toner, and right before your moisturizer.
- Gently press 2-3 drops of the serum into your skin and wait a minute ⏳for it to soak in.
- Apply the serum on clean and dry skin since your skin is not sensitive.
- Always do a patch test before using the serum for the first time, and avoid the eye area .
People Say
★4.6Overall rating based on 5.3k+ reviewsBased on a very large amount of data, this serum is widely praised for delivering a "glass skin" finish, effectively calming acne-prone and sensitive skin while providing deep hydration without heaviness. Most users report a noticeable reduction in redness and an immediate healthy glow, though a minority experienced breakouts or found the effects too subtle.
Highlights
Imparts healthy glow Mostly Mentioned
- “Gives a dewy, glass-skin finish immediately.”
- “Skin looks radiant and healthy, not oily.”
- “Leaves a lovely sheen that looks great under makeup.”
Calms redness Often Mentioned
- “Significantly reduced redness from active acne.”
- “Soothed my irritated, sensitive skin overnight.”
- “Helps calm down angry breakouts quickly.”
Hydrating lightweight Often Mentioned
- “Honey-like consistency that absorbs surprisingly fast.”
- “Deeply hydrating but doesn't feel heavy or greasy.”
- “Plumps up dry patches and dehydration lines.”
Acne pore control Sometimes Noted
- “Helped minimize the appearance of my pores.”
- “Kept hormonal breakouts at bay.”
- “Faded post-acne marks faster than usual.”
No visible results Sometimes Noted
- “Finished the bottle but saw no difference.”
- “Hydrating, but didn't brighten or fix texture.”
- “Just felt like a basic moisturizer, nothing special.”
Caused breakouts Rarely Noted
- “Triggered fungal acne bumps on my forehead.”
- “Broke me out in small whiteheads after three days.”
- “My sensitive skin reacted poorly to it.”
Poor packaging Rarely Noted
- “Dropper doesn't reach the last bit of product.”
- “Hard to get the remaining serum out of the bottom.”
- “Pipette struggles to pick up the thick liquid.”
Sticky residue Rarely Noted
- “Left a tacky film that didn't fully dry down.”
- “Felt too sticky to layer under my sunscreen.”
- “Hair kept sticking to my face after application.”
Sources: lovi.care, iherb.com, yesstyle.com, stylevana.com, sokoglam.com, reddit.com, and more
Questions and answers
How well does Beauty of Joseon Glow Serum work for combination skin?
This serum works moderately well for your combination skin, using niacinamide and betaine salicylate to help regulate oil and gently exfoliate. While it provides general hydration and soothing effects, combination skin needs products with a high concentration of effective ingredients like niacinamide and zinc PCA to manage oily shine and provide optimal balance without overwhelming oilier areas.
Which ingredients make this serum a good fit for combination skin?
This serum works for combination skin because niacinamide and betaine salicylate help manage oily shine while glycerin and propolis extract keep skin calm and hydrated. A treatment for this skin needs high concentrations of specialized oil-regulating and brightening ingredients like zinc PCA to provide optimal balance without overwhelming oilier areas.
What does Propolis Extract do for combination skin?
Propolis extract helps calm redness and keeps breakouts under control while supporting skin healing, making it a great match for combination skin. It works to balance different areas of the face by soothing dry patches and calming oily zones without clogging pores.
What does Niacinamide do for combination skin?
Niacinamide helps balance oily areas by reducing excess shine and pore size while keeping dry patches hydrated and smooth. It also works to calm redness and even out skin tone, making it very suitable for combination skin.
Where does this serum go in a skincare routine for combination skin?
This serum goes in your evening routine after your cleansing toner and before your moisturizer. Combination skin needs products with ingredients like niacinamide and salicylic acid to help regulate oil and gently exfoliate.
Can I use this serum with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this serum with retinol by applying the serum first, letting it absorb, and then following with your retinol. This product is safe and unlikely to cause irritation on your combination skin.
How often should I use this serum?
This serum works well in your evening routine, and some treatments can also be used in the morning or twice a day if your skin tolerates them well. A combination skin type needs a product with targeted ingredients like specialized oil-controlling agents and balancing botanicals to manage oily shine.
Can this serum clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for combination skin?
This serum is unlikely to cause irritation or breakouts on combination skin since it contains no harsh ingredients, though a few reviewers have reported minor breakouts. To better manage oily shine, combination skin needs targeted ingredients that actively control oil and clear pores while keeping dry areas balanced.
Is this serum fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
Yes, it has no fragrance and no drying alcohol.
What the research says
A single application of a moisturizing fluid containing hyaluronic acid 1%, glycerin 5%, and Centella asiatica stem cells extract significantly increased skin hydration by 29% and reduced transepidermal water loss at 24 hours compared to baseline and an untreated control site in twenty healthy women.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017A cream combining propolis, tea tree oil, and Aloe vera reduced erythema scars, acne severity index, and total lesion count better than erythromycin cream in sixty patients with mild to moderate acne vulgaris compared to placebo.
Clinical Pharmacology, 2018Topical propolis application significantly reduced postoperative pain, hemorrhage, and accelerated wound healing in patients undergoing tonsillectomy compared to a control group.
Clinical and Experimental Otorhinolaryngology, 2018Topical treatment with ethanol propolis extract resulted in complete mycological and clinical cure in 56.25% of patients with onychomycosis, demonstrating non-toxicity and effective antifungal activity against Trichophyton spp. both in vitro and in patients.
Frontiers in Microbiology, 2018Topical post-laser application of human adipocyte-derived mesenchymal stem cell media combined with niacinamide significantly improved wrinkle index, melanin index, patient satisfaction, and investigator esthetic improvement scores compared to vehicle cream in patients with aging skin.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2021Topical nicotinamide prevented solar-simulated UV-induced immunosuppression in healthy volunteers, and men experienced immunosuppression at solar-simulated UV doses three times lower than those required for women.
The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2008Topical 5% niacinamide applied twice daily for 12 weeks reduced fine lines and wrinkles, hyperpigmented spots, red blotchiness, and skin sallowness, and improved skin elasticity compared to vehicle control in 50 female white subjects with facial photoaging.
Dermatologic Surgery, 2005Topical application of 0.1% hyaluronic acid formulations of different molecular weights led to significant improvements in skin hydration and elasticity, with low-molecular-weight formulations also significantly reducing wrinkle depth in seventy-six female subjects compared to a vehicle control.
Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2011Topical application of hyaluronic acid in conjunction with free gingival graft significantly reduced donor site postoperative pain until day 7 compared to normal saline, with no significant differences in graft dimensions or patient satisfaction.
Clinical Oral Investigations, 2022Treatment with a hyaluronic acid-containing mouth rinse or topical gel led to significant lesion reduction, pain relief, and normalization of lesion color in adult patients with minor recurrent aphthous stomatitis, with the gel formulation showing an earlier healing onset at 3 days.
BMC Oral Health, 2019Topical application of 0.05% w/w ECa 233 gel reduced erythema index by 0.03 U and improved early crusting and general wound appearance compared to placebo in thirty individuals undergoing facial laser resurfacing.
Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 2020Moisturizer containing 5% panthenol, madecassoside, and copper-zinc-manganese decreased adverse reactions and downtime after ablative fractional carbon dioxide laser resurfacing with comparable efficacy to 0.02% triamcinolone acetonide cream in 20 subjects.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2019Topical treatment with 5% vitamin C and 0.1% madecassoside significantly improved clinical scores for wrinkles, suppleness, firmness, roughness, and skin hydration, along with functional and structural remodeling of the elastic fiber network in 20 female volunteers with photoaged skin after 6 months compared to baseline.
Experimental Dermatology, 2008Topical application of curcumin or turmeric treats various skin conditions by leveraging antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial properties.
Skin Pharmacology and Physiology, 2023Topical formulations of curcumin target oxidative damage and inflammation to improve wound healing in animal models.
Drug Discovery Today, 2017A curcumin-loaded spanlastic anti-aging gel utilizing formula F5 incorporated into 2% HPMC E50 demonstrated sustained release action, compatibility, and the ability to penetrate skin layers to a depth of about 112.5 um without signs of irritation.
Saudi Pharmaceutical Journal, 2024
Why other serums fit combination skin better
Niacinamide and ferulic acid incorporated in a stable multiple emulsion successfully reduced melanin, sebum, and skin erythema while improving skin elasticity and hydration in human skin compared to a placebo.
BioMed Research International, 2022A panthenol-enriched mask improved skin hydration, regulated sebum, and reduced redness and TEWL across dry sensitive, oily sensitive, and oily acne skin subgroups with excellent tolerance and no adverse reactions.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024
Ingredients
Propolis Extract, Dipropylene Glycol, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Water, Niacinamide, 1,2-Hexanediol, Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract, Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Curcuma Longa Root Extract, Ocimum Sanctum Leaf Extract, Theobroma Cacao Seed Extract, Melaleuca Alternifolia Tree Extract, Centella Asiatica Extract, Corallina Officinalis Extract, Lotus Corniculatus Seed Extract, Calophyllum Inophyllum Seed Oil, Betaine Salicylate, Sodium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Tromethamine, Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Dextrin, Pentylene Glycol, Octanediol, Tocopherol, Xanthan Gum, Carbomer
Behind this fit score
Lovi calculates every fit score from the full ingredient list with brand-independent rules our dermatologists and cosmetic chemists build and review, and personalizes every pick with AI trained on the real results of millions of users. Lovi trains its fit score models on a proprietary dataset built from more than 10,000 expert-labeled products and more than 100,000 simulated examples, following an internally consistent methodology presented at Cosmoprof, AMWC, and Skin of Color Update.
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Co-founder, Medical Director
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetologist, aesthetic products developer
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Co-founder, CEO and CTO
PhD in computer science, 3x US patent holder, ex-Google, ex-Yandex
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Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc
Medical Board
Aesthetic medicine practitioner, MSc in Longevity and Anti-Aging Medicine
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Medical Board
Specialist dermatologist, MBBS, MD, IFAAD
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Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, SCS, IFSCC member
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Medical Board, Medical Advisor
Dermatology MD
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Elina Nazarenko, MD
Medical Board
Dermatology and diagnostic consultant
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Victoria Derkova, MS
Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetic development technologist
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