Index / Dr. Althea / 345 Relief Cream
Dr. Althea

345 Relief Cream.

Dr. Althea 345 Relief Cream
Moisturizers

About this product

A lightweight gel-cream moisturizer designed for post-acne skin, formulated with soothing and hydrating ingredients including niacinamide, centella, and ceramides.

Type

MoisturizersCream

Formula notes

Fragrance-freeNo drying alcohol

Full ingredients

Guru Score

69%

Mixed

5 experts · Moderate agreement
5Gurus
2Approved
2Mixed
1Skip

What the gurus are saying

This cream pairs well with actives like tretinoin and retinoids, and gurus praise its lightweight texture and fragrance-free formula for sensitive or reactive skin. However, the takes split sharply on longevity and texture fit. Those with dry or reactive skin find it hydrating and soothing enough to layer under or sandwich with actives, and some note it helps with post-acne marks. Others with combination skin report it either dries out too quickly or turns oily fast, and find the finish does not last through the day. Best suited for people using tretinoin or managing irritation rather than those seeking a long-wear moisturizer.
Synthesized from 5 expert reviews · most recent take July 2026
Every take, in full

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.

All takes Approved takes Critical takes Mixed takes Hide sponsored
~Approved
"I have been using this since last year and I'm halfway through this one, I use it twice a day most times but more in my morning routine because it's lightweight and pairs well underneath sunscreen and makeup. The 345 means three blemish relief ingredients like niacinamide, resveratrol, and hibiscus leaf extract, four nourishing ingredients like ceramides and panthenol, and five soothing ingredients like beta glucan and hyaluronic acid. It's great for post acne marks and acne prone skin, and works for oily, dry, or normal skin, though if you have extremely dry, parched skin it may not be hydrating enough for you. This never breaks me out and it was hydrating enough for me even in the dead of winter. There are no conflicts, so you can pair it with tranexamic acid, retinol, copper peptides, or vitamin C. It's fragrance free and I've never experienced peeling with this."
All 6 takes from Sincerely Miss Ash
BEST NIGHTTIME SKINCARE ROUTINE FOR ANTI-AGING, HYDRATION & HYPERPIGMENTATION OVER 30
"If I'm not using this at nighttime, I will opt for the Dr. Althea 345 Relief Cream. I actually really like to use that one in my morning, but sometimes if I want more of that lightweight option, I will use the Dr. Althea on top of my tretinoin. This is fragrance-free. It's great for all skin types and I just really love this with actives. So, if you have dry skin, tight skin, or your skin tends to be a little bit reactive with tretinoin or retinol, this would be a really nice option to use on top of it or you could do the sandwich technique with this cream along with your tretinoin where you put a layer of this on first, then your tretinoin, and then another layer of this. So, you're sandwiching the tretinoin in between. That's a great tip to do if you're a beginner or if you're experiencing a lot of dryness and irritation."
TOP 6 BEST MOISTURIZERS FOR DRY SKIN 2025 | WORKS WITH TRETINOIN, AHA'S + RETINOL
"It's fragrance-free. You don't need a lot of this product. It spreads quite nicely. You can use this on top of tretinoin or on top of a retinol. You can use this with your exfoliating acids. You can honestly pair this up with anything like vitamin C, copper peptides. I have used this with so many things and I've just loved my experience every time I have used this. Once this dries down, you will have a silky finish to your skin and you might have a slight glow to your skin as well."
BEST KOREAN SKINCARE TRIO FOR ANTI-AGING AND GLOWING SKIN
"There's no fragrance. It's very lightweight and I just love the finish that it gives the skin because once it dries down, it's skin-like. It just looks like your skin. So, it's not super shiny. It's not mattifying and it just makes your skin feel so good. And when I have post acne marks, it actually does help to brighten up the skin, especially those areas. This has a lot of ceramides in here as well, lipids, cholesterol, fatty acids. This one is more lightweight and perfect for your morning routine."
MY NIGHTTIME ANTI-AGING SKINCARE ROUTINE - P.M. SKINCARE ROUTINE OVER 30
"Sometimes I like to use the Dr. Althea 345 Relief Cream. I've talked about this before. This is great for acne-prone skin, great if you have discoloration, but also it's very hydrating and repairing. This is K-beauty, by the way."
21 BEAUTY PRODUCTS I'VE USED UP | BEAUTY EMPTIES 2026 - SKINCARE, MAKEUP & HAIRCARE - PROJECT PAN
"If I'm not using the Embryolisse, I'm using this. It's actually great for those that are acne prone with oily combination skin, it has a gel-lotion type of hybrid texture. If you have dryness and you're very tight, this might not be satisfying enough for you, you might like the Embryolisse better if you're on the drier side, or the Aurora face cream. This is really nice if you're acne prone, and I love how lightweight it is, so I tend to use it a lot in the summer months, though I do use it occasionally at night too. It really works if you have post acne marks and discoloration, and it's very calming and soothing to the skin. I did purchase another one."
5 KOREAN SKINCARE PRODUCTS I WISH I'D TRIED SOONER - K-BEAUTY MUST HAVES!
"I have been using this since last year and I'm halfway through this one, I use it twice a day most times but more in my morning routine because it's lightweight and pairs well underneath sunscreen and makeup. The 345 means three blemish relief ingredients like niacinamide, resveratrol, and hibiscus leaf extract, four nourishing ingredients like ceramides and panthenol, and five soothing ingredients like beta glucan and hyaluronic acid. It's great for post acne marks and acne prone skin, and works for oily, dry, or normal skin, though if you have extremely dry, parched skin it may not be hydrating enough for you. This never breaks me out and it was hydrating enough for me even in the dead of winter. There are no conflicts, so you can pair it with tranexamic acid, retinol, copper peptides, or vitamin C. It's fragrance free and I've never experienced peeling with this."
~Mixed
"I was torn on it, but the fact that I repurchased it multiple times really says something. This is the full size, 1.7 oz, 50 ml, 27 bucks, so it puts it right on the edge of being too pricey, but it's still overall relatively affordable. In terms of the it factor, I didn't love this product, I wasn't overly impressed, I just find it more of a moisturizer. That being said, it probably isn't geared towards my skin type, but if you really do have acne-prone skin, there are a lot of ingredients that are actually really gold standard treatments for acne. This one's got a different ingredient list everywhere, so it's really hard to compare. Seems like there might be one ingredient list for Korea, one for the US, probably one for mainland China."
~Mixed
"It does a good job at moisturizing. Some relief when my skin was irritated, but the texture has always been a bit of a letdown for me. Either I find myself getting too dry too quickly or too oily too quick. And obviously, that's on my skin. But there's other creams that I feel like do a very similar job, but do it better."
~Skip
"It's not long lasting in my personal experience and testing with this product. If you're really drawn in by the claims of that glassy shiny kind of look and finish to this moisturizer, I don't think that it's long lasting. I'm just really not impressed by it that much. I don't feel that this product falls into that at all. I think there's a very specific type of person that will be really thrilled with this product and I will be honest with you I am not that person. My skin type does not jive with this product at all. I do have combination skin so I do produce a little bit more oil in my T-Zone area and then my U Zone area is more dry and prone to dehydration."
All 3 takes from Kelly Driscoll
My TOP 5 Dr. Althea Skincare Picks! | 2026 Update!
"I personally don't enjoy it as much as I do the 147 cream. The 345 cream gets a lot more attention, particularly in content, but the 147 cream is really focused on calming the skin, strengthening the skin in this nice creamy texture that's not really heavy and dense."
K-Beauty at Ulta! The BEST and WORST! | Pt 2
"I'm going to pick the Dr. Althea 345 relief cream. The reason why I'm calling it the worst, and it's not the worst, it's just a fine product in my opinion, for me it was sort of a meh. I feel like it got really hyped up on TikTok particularly, a lot of folks go hard for this cream, and for me it just didn't live up to the hype that it had. That's part of the reason why I want to name it as not even a worse but like a meh product, just because I think the hype is a little bit bigger than this particular product. But on the whole it's not a bad product at all. They're using 1% of niacinamide, 1% of panthenol, as well as 1% of prickly pear extract, and they've also included some ceramide MP and resveratrol, which is an anti-inflammatory antioxidant. This entire formula really is geared towards folks who are suffering with acne who also need a little bit of brightening from their moisturizer, because that's really where the benefits of this particular product lie. It's in soothing inflammation, taking down redness from acne. The niacinamide helps to gently brighten up hyperpigmentation or just any discoloration that you might have after an inflammatory event or pimples on the skin. Prickly pear helps to hydrate."
Dr. Althea Worth the Hype? | 345 + 147 Moisturizer Review
"It's not long lasting in my personal experience and testing with this product. If you're really drawn in by the claims of that glassy shiny kind of look and finish to this moisturizer, I don't think that it's long lasting. I'm just really not impressed by it that much. I don't feel that this product falls into that at all. I think there's a very specific type of person that will be really thrilled with this product and I will be honest with you I am not that person. My skin type does not jive with this product at all. I do have combination skin so I do produce a little bit more oil in my T-Zone area and then my U Zone area is more dry and prone to dehydration."
~Approved
"Dr. Althea's 345 Relief Cream is great for acne prone skin, and a lot of my friends are obsessed with this product, it's insanely viral. It has a range of ingredients that target dry, normal, oily, and blemish and acne prone skin: acne controlling ingredients, soothing ingredients, nourishing ingredients, and irritation reducing ingredients. It has niacinamide for oil control, centella, glycerin for hydration, beta glucan, hyaluronic acid, vitamin E, and ceramides. It's almost a gel cream hybrid, more cream than gel, with a beautiful water break on the skin and a cooling effect. It has a distillate of tea tree that gives antimicrobial and soothing benefits without the irritating allergens, which can help acne prone skin and possibly even fungal acne. A clinical study showed a 92% increase in hydration, a 10% decrease in acne, and a 33% decrease in oil production. I brought this on a recent trip to the desert and it was a savior, extremely easy to use, my skin just loved it, a perfect lightweight foil for that dry, hot air, and it also worked well for me in humid weather in Spain. It's perfect for someone dry in the summer or great for someone with normal skin year round."
Sponsored
Common questions

Frequently asked.

What is Dr. Althea 345 Relief Cream?

A lightweight gel-cream moisturizer designed for post-acne skin, formulated with soothing and hydrating ingredients including niacinamide, centella, and ceramides.

Is Dr. Althea 345 Relief Cream worth it?

The gurus mostly approve it, but with enough reservations to keep it in the middle at a Guru Score of 69%.

What is Dr. Althea 345 Relief Cream's Guru Score?

Dr. Althea 345 Relief Cream holds a Guru Score of 69%. That is our read on how warmly the experts talk about it, based on the verdicts of 5 independent expert reviewers we have collected.

Who is Dr. Althea 345 Relief Cream best for?

Dr. Althea 345 Relief Cream is generally suited to dry skin, sensitive skin and acne-prone skin.

Spend less, score well

Cheaper alternatives the gurus rate.

Lower-priced moisturizers the gurus still rate highly, versus this mid-range pick.

See how they stack up →
You might also like

Similar products worth a look.

Other products the same gurus have weighed in on, plus more from this brand and category.

Compare side by side →

This week's top beauty news, in your inbox.

A weekly read of the takes worth catching up on: the raves, the splits, the ones the gurus won't shut up about. Free, no spam, unsubscribe whenever.

Subscribe to the digest