Beauty of Joseon Glow Deep Serum: Rice + Alpha Arbutin

What the experts use it for.

The concerns the experts tie this product to, in their own words. Paid and founder takes don't count.

Breakouts and acne1 expert

“The Beauty of Joseon Glow Serum is secretly an amazing serum for acne prone skin.”

Redness1 expert

“This also contains propolis, which is an amazing very gentle antibacterial and anti-inflammation ingredient that really helps to soothe acne prone skin, take down the swelling and the redness and the look of the pimples.”

Kelly Driscoll, watch at 13:43

Skin barrier support1 expert

“This contains 2% of niacinamide which is great for brightening but it's also great for strengthening your skin barrier, one of the first defenses against the acne bacteria.”

Kelly Driscoll, watch at 13:43

What the gurus are saying.

Every take we've logged from this product's reviews across YouTube. Click any row to watch the moment they said it.

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Dr. Aleksandra Brown

153k subs

✓Yay

"It's almost like a honey-like serum designed to soothe irritation while adding a nice glow. It's very beneficial for sensitive or reactive skin thanks to its calming and barrier-supporting formula. It has a high concentration, up to 60%, of propolis extract, which is a resin-like material made by bees with really strong anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties. So it's going to help with redness, breakouts, and dullness, but it's also going to gently even out the skin tone."

CYoung

96k subs

✓Nay

"If it's summer and you have normal skin you could just try it on. [...] Except for me, nobody else on the team had used it before and I didn't even recognize it. Even though it has propolis it doesn't have a strong scent, it's a small bottle, but I didn't even finish it, which means I didn't really see that much difference. Yuna, who has drier skin than me, said it doesn't feel like it's working well for hydration. It's affordable, but nah."

All 5 takes from CYoung

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"If it's summer and you have normal skin you could just try it on. [...] Except for me, nobody else on the team had used it before and I didn't even recognize it. Even though it has propolis it doesn't have a strong scent, it's a small bottle, but I didn't even finish it, which means I didn't really see that much difference. Yuna, who has drier skin than me, said it doesn't feel like it's working well for hydration. It's affordable, but nah."

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"Beauty of Joseon has four different serum types, but the propolis one is the most popular, and I kind of like it the most, not too sticky or too heavy, I can feel it's hydrating, it's okay as a daily serum. I gave it to my husband, who has oily skin, and he said it's pretty good, which means it's easy to use. I'd give this an A+, plus one more point because it's easy to find quickly."

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"The rice and green tea glow serum is relatively light, which is fine for oily skin. It just makes my skin feel moisturized, but it doesn't last long, it wears off quickly. The size is also small, which is good for carrying around, but it's okay to use and I don't feel the need to buy it again since there are more affordable and better working versions out there."

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"Beauty of Joseon's most popular serum is the propolis one. It's very lightweight and absorbs well, but it didn't do anything for my skin, no fragrance, it's just okay. It's too pricey if you think about how little product you get, because you can't see the effect from using this alone. I think Beauty of Joseon's best product is actually their sunscreen, go with that instead."

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"It's very lightweight and absorbs naturally, good enough for oily skin, it feels a bit glue-like when you apply it, but that's about it, and it dries out too quickly. You have to use it for a month or two to see the effects, but the bottle is too small. There are so many better serums in K-beauty, pass."

Dr Dray

2.69M subs

✓Yay

"We have the Beauty of Joseon Glow Deep Serum here, with propolis and niacinamide. If you're allergic to fragrance, be really careful with propolis, because it can cross-react with a lot of fragrance allergies, but it's a very hydrating ingredient. Centella asiatica extract is anti-inflammatory, and niacinamide is good for redness, dark spots, and moisture barrier. This one is $32.99."

Alexandra Anele

1.45M subs

✓Yay

"Vitamin C serums [...] have always broken me out, [...] no matter what I used, but this one is incredibly gentle, which I really love so far. [...] Korean vitamin C serums have been very positive for me. They're very gentle, they don't break me out, and they don't pill with anything, so I've really been loving this one. If you're looking for something and you've had that problem, I highly recommend it."

Nipun Kapur

413k subs

✓Yay

"The Glow Deep Serum is a product I've recommended, and I've put it in my recommendations here. This is the rice and alpha arbutin one. You get rice, and it's a brightening serum. It's a single-ingredient serum, so if you have a lot of sensitive skin, it tends to be a better idea and a better alternative."

Dr. Jenny Liu

324k subs

✓Yay

"This is a lovely serum I love it for lots of different reasons including the fact that it has a good concentration of niacinamide at 2%"

All 2 takes from Dr. Jenny Liu

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"This is just a really nice, slightly thicker serum, but it's very lightweight and non-sticky, and it leaves your skin very hydrated. Ingredient-wise, with the propolis and the niacinamide, I can see this being beneficial for individuals who are suffering from hyperpigmentation or uneven skin tone. Niacinamide can be really helpful with that, and then the propolis, as I mentioned, can really help to hydrate and plump the skin. It's just a really nice hydrating serum."

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"This is a lovely serum I love it for lots of different reasons including the fact that it has a good concentration of niacinamide at 2%"

Hyram

4.33M subs

✓Yay

"Beauty of Josan is already like a really good price point these serums are like $14... [...] beauty of Josan has like some of the highest quality skincare ingredients out there in beautiful formulas that are already accessible"

All 3 takes from Hyram

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"If you're someone who struggles with dehydration and you want to add a little bit of glow to the skin, this is an awesome formula to test out. Beauty of Joseon has such good prices, and I've been getting their products shipped from Korea for so long, so seeing them at Marshalls is great. This serum is a win. I know I'm cheating a little bit because I've tried it before, but it's just because I love this brand and this formula so much."

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"Oh my gosh, absolutely, yes. I love all the Beauty of Joseon serums, they're all great, and I've tried [...] the Beauty of Joseon Glow Deep Serum too. I was actually using the serums way back in the day, like in 2019 and 2020. They're awesome."

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"Beauty of Josan is already like a really good price point these serums are like $14... [...] beauty of Josan has like some of the highest quality skincare ingredients out there in beautiful formulas that are already accessible"

Cassandra Bankson

2.46M subs

✓Yay

"Beauty of Joseon actually has a very good alpha arbutin serum. I've seen amazing reviews on it online."

All 2 takes from Cassandra Bankson

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"When I'm talking to patients or clients, I want to give them informed consent, so I'll tell them straight up it's a great product, it works well, and people see good before and afters. But it's not something I put my money towards, so for me it doesn't get the cast pass. I'm going to be honest and say it as it is: it's a really good product. [...] I won't buy it, and I won't spend my money on it, but it's really good."

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"Beauty of Joseon actually has a very good alpha arbutin serum. I've seen amazing reviews on it online."

AliceintheRabbitHole

59k subs

✓Yay

"In my opinion this comes together to be a great option for people with acne prone, oily or dry skin, basically anybody might like this. That said, [...] if your skin is already in a pretty good place I don't think this will actually do all that much for you, [...] and I have seen a few people say [...] it just didn't do enough for them. But I've gone through every bottle of this I've had and I will go through this one too."

Mad About Skin

734k subs

✓Yay

"You've got niacinamide, and you've also got some other glow-enhancing ingredients too. So yes, it's definitely one of the most gentle brightening serums on the market, but a really, really nice one all the same. You don't get a whole lot of product in this, but I would probably only use a couple of drops, spread evenly over the skin morning and evening. Over time you'll definitely see that boost to radiance and luminosity, and you'll get practically zero sensitivity and irritation."

Kelly Driscoll

91k subs

✓Yay

"For acne-prone skin that also deals with hyperpigmentation, I have the serum for you, the Beauty of Joseon Glow Serum. I love it because it is everything you want in one bottle. [...] It contains propolis, which is healing, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial, and it takes down inflammation, [...] redness, and swelling of pimples. It has 2% niacinamide, the clinical amount for brightening, and it helps with overproduction of sebum."

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All 6 takes from Kelly Driscoll

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"I really like this one because it's a great serum that addresses acne and breakouts on the skin and congestion but it also addresses hyperpigmentation from the inflammation"

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"My favorite is the glow serum. It's a great combination of propolis and niacinamide. This is a formula that really is about teasing out a healthy, lit-from-within glow to your skin, and that's what propolis can do. It's a bee byproduct. It's not honey, but it's similar to honey. It has antibacterial properties and skin-healing properties."

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"OMG, I adore this. And this is a product that is so good especially if you have sensitive skin and you have acne or you break out and you have congested skin because this is such a good gentle anti acne serum."

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"Arbutin is the brightener here, and it really helps to target the hyperpigmentation and discoloration on the skin to give you a much brighter complexion. They've married the arbutin with rice. We've already covered rice, that it brings that healthy glow to the skin and really conditions the skin, and they've created it in a much lighter gel texture. So if you're a little bit more oily, this will be appropriate for your skin type, but it will also work for combination and dry skin types as well."

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"The Beauty of Joseon Glow Serum is secretly an amazing serum for acne prone skin. This contains 2% of niacinamide which is great for brightening but it's also great for strengthening your skin barrier, one of the first defenses against the acne bacteria. This also contains propolis, which is an amazing very gentle antibacterial and anti-inflammation ingredient that really helps to soothe acne prone skin, take down the swelling and the redness and the look of the pimples."

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"For acne-prone skin that also deals with hyperpigmentation, I have the serum for you, the Beauty of Joseon Glow Serum. I love it because it is everything you want in one bottle. [...] It contains propolis, which is healing, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial, and it takes down inflammation, [...] redness, and swelling of pimples. It has 2% niacinamide, the clinical amount for brightening, and it helps with overproduction of sebum."

Dr. Vanita Rattan

1.23M subs

✓Nay

"It's found in a lot of acne skincare, but it can actually be an irritant and lead to hyperpigmentation in skin of color, so I always say to avoid all essential oils. So yes, I would say this product is hydrating but potentially irritating. There's nothing in here really for pore size other than niacinamide, personally. If you had to pick between this and another product for pore size, go for 2% salicylic acid to prevent you from getting all the potential issues that can happen with this product."

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All 2 takes from Dr. Vanita Rattan

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"It's found in a lot of acne skincare, but it can actually be an irritant and lead to hyperpigmentation in skin of color, so I always say to avoid all essential oils. So yes, I would say this product is hydrating but potentially irritating. There's nothing in here really for pore size other than niacinamide, personally. If you had to pick between this and another product for pore size, go for 2% salicylic acid to prevent you from getting all the potential issues that can happen with this product."

Is Beauty of Joseon Safe for Black Skin?

"It's a nice safe product with 2% alpha arbutin, which is [...] one of my favorite over-the-counter tyrosinase inhibitors for skin of color, at the right percentage. It also has niacinamide and humectants. But there's nothing else in here, so [...] you're not going to get much hyperpigmentation benefit, and you won't get much for severe hyperpigmentation that's been there a while."

Gothamista

683k subs

✓Yay

"My skin just loves propolis serums and it loves this one it's just that incomparable glow that you get"

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James Welsh

1.58M subs

✓Yay

"Beauty of Joan do a good range of serums like if you don't really know where to start with your serums just by what they have to offer then you have a good bit"

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All 2 takes from James Welsh

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"Beauty of Joan do a good range of serums like if you don't really know where to start with your serums just by what they have to offer then you have a good bit"

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"It's actually 60 percent propolis which is a really good amount, and two percent niacinamide which is a sensible amount. [...] It's just in this really nice honey-feeling serum that gives your skin instant glow as well as making your skin feel nicely moisturized. [...] For 9.90 for 30 ml, which is the usual size of a serum, you're getting a good bargain there. [...] This is great if you do have very dry skin. It's a really good one."

Lab Muffin Beauty Science

865k subs

✓Yay

"This serum ticks off a whole bunch of boxes for it: even skin tone, smoother skin, and hydration. It's just a really lovely product that I use on my face when I want my skin to look smooth and even the next day, without having to risk any irritation. It's one of the few products I can use for that when my skin is irritated, without having to worry about making it worse."

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What the evidence says.

Independent of what the gurus think, this is what the published research supports about the main active ingredients here.

Niacinamide

Niacinamide has evidence behind it for redness, uneven tone and supporting the skin barrier, and it is usually well tolerated even by skin that reacts to most things.

Source: DermNet

Humectants and emollients

Ingredients like these draw water into the surface layers and slow how fast it leaves. The evidence is for comfort, softness and hydration rather than for changing the structure of the skin.

Source: DermNet

Frequently asked.

What is Beauty of Joseon Glow Deep Serum: Rice + Alpha Arbutin?

A lightweight brightening and hydrating serum from Beauty of Joseon, formulated with propolis and niacinamide and designed to add glow, even out skin tone and calm the look of irritation.

Is Beauty of Joseon Glow Deep Serum: Rice + Alpha Arbutin worth it?

Mostly yes. 13 of the 15 gurus who reviewed it give it their stamp of approval, for a Guru Score of 78%.

What is Beauty of Joseon Glow Deep Serum: Rice + Alpha Arbutin's Guru Score?

Beauty of Joseon Glow Deep Serum: Rice + Alpha Arbutin holds a Guru Score of 78%. That is our read on how warmly the experts talk about it, based on the verdicts of 15 expert reviewers we have collected.

Who is Beauty of Joseon Glow Deep Serum: Rice + Alpha Arbutin best for?

Beauty of Joseon Glow Deep Serum: Rice + Alpha Arbutin is generally suited to normal skin.

What is Beauty of Joseon Glow Deep Serum: Rice + Alpha Arbutin good for, according to the experts?

In their reviews, experts say Beauty of Joseon Glow Deep Serum: Rice + Alpha Arbutin is good for breakouts and acne (1 expert), redness (1 expert) and skin barrier support (1 expert).