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Product Comparison

Here's our complete breakdown comparing the ingredients, attributes, and more of Beauty of Joseon Glow Serum: Propolis + Niacinamide versus Skinfood Royal Honey Propolis Enrich Essence .

Last updated on October 22, 2023. Published on April 16, 2021

Overview

What they are

These products are both reef safe . They have a total of 6 ingredients in common

Cool Features

They both contain hyaluronic acid

Suited For

They're both likely to be good for fighting acne, dry skin and brightening skin

Free From

They both do not contain any harsh alcohols, common allergens, parabens, silicones or sulfates

We independently verify ingredients, and our claims are backed by peer-reviewed research. Spot a product that need an update? Let us know.

Serum South Korean Brand South Korea
Essence South Korean Brand South Korea

Serum

Serums are highly concentrated with ingredients to provide skin with benefits. They should be used after cleansing and before moisturizing.

Essence

Essences are used to prep skin for further treatment and may provide extra skin benefits. They are usually used before serum and moisturizers. Essences are thought to have originated in either Japan or Korea and is an essential step in K-Beauty.

Price

Shop

Buy Glow Serum: Propolis + Niacinamide

Starts at $13.60
Shop

Buy Royal Honey Propolis Enrich Essence

Starts at $22.99

Ingredient Info

Click any item below to learn more and view relevant ingredients.
alcohol-free
silicon-free
fragrance-free
sulfate-free
paraben-free
oil-free
fungal-acne safe
reef-safe
eu-allergen-free
vegan
cruelty-free
ph level
6.3
alcohol-free
silicon-free
fragrance-free
sulfate-free
paraben-free
oil-free
fungal-acne safe
reef-safe
eu-allergen-free
vegan
cruelty-free
ph level
4.5

At a glance

Click on any of the items below to learn more

Notable Ingredients

BHA
Vitamin E
Niacinamide
Hyaluronic Acid

Benefits

Hydrating
Good For Oily Skin (3)
Redness Reducing (2)
Reduces Irritation
Reduces Large Pores (2)
Dark Spots
Acne Fighting (2)
Brightening (3)

Concerns

Rosacea

Benefits

Hydrating
Redness Reducing
Acne Fighting
Brightening
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Ingredients Side-by-side

Ingredients that are highlighted in purple are present in both products.

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Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.

1
What it does: Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Liked

Propolis Extract is also known as bee glue. It is a resinous mixture created from beeswax, bee saliva, and parts of trees.

Propolis Extract has antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, wound healing, and antioxidant properties. Studies show propolis helps fight against bacteria, viruses, and fungi. This may help with reducing acne and accelerate wound healing.

The flavonoids found in propolis extract are potent antioxidants. Antioxidants may help with reducing the signs of aging.

A study from 2020 found propolis to help reverse skin damage from UV.

Bees use propolis as a sealant to close any gaps in their hives.

speeding up new healthy cell growth.

Learn more about Propolis Extract

Beauty of Joseon Glow Serum: Propolis + Niacinamide contains this as ingredient number 1.

Skinfood Royal Honey Propolis Enrich Essence contains this as ingredient number 1.

2
What it does: Masking, Solvent
Community Rating: Disliked

Dipropylene Glycol is a synthetically created stabilizer and solvent. It is a part of the glycol class in the alcohol family.

Dipropylene Glycol helps dissolve and evenly distribute ingredients. It also helps decrease viscosity and thin out texture.

As a masking agent, Dipropylene Glycol can be used to cover the smell of other ingredients. However, it does not have a scent.

Studies show Dipropylene Glycol is considered safe to use in skincare.

Learn more about Dipropylene Glycol

Beauty of Joseon Glow Serum: Propolis + Niacinamide contains this as ingredient number 2.

Skinfood Royal Honey Propolis Enrich Essence contains this as ingredient number 5.

3
What it does: Humectant, Skin Conditioning, Skin Protecting, Solvent
Community Rating: Loved

Glycerin is already naturally found in your skin. It helps moisturize and protect your skin.

A study from 2016 found glycerin to be more effective as a humectant than AHAs and hyaluronic acid.

As a humectant, it helps the skin stay hydrated by pulling moisture to your skin. The low molecular weight of glycerin allows it to pull moisture into the deeper layers of your skin.

Hydrated skin improves your skin barrier; Your skin barrier helps protect against irritants and bacteria.

Glycerin has also been found to have antimicrobial and antiviral properties. Due to these properties, glycerin is often used in wound and burn treatments.

In cosmetics, glycerin is usually derived from plants such as soybean or palm. However, it can also be sourced from animals, such as tallow or animal fat.

This ingredient is organic, colorless, odorless, and non-toxic.

Glycerin is the name for this ingredient in American English. British English uses Glycerol/Glycerine.

Learn more about Glycerin

Beauty of Joseon Glow Serum: Propolis + Niacinamide contains this as ingredient number 3.

Skinfood Royal Honey Propolis Enrich Essence contains this as ingredient number 7.

4
What it does: Humectant, Masking, Skin Conditioning, Solvent
Community Rating: Mixed

Butylene Glycol (or BG) is used within cosmetic products for a few different reasons:

  • It is a solvent, meaning that it helps to dissolve other ingredients. This also enhances the absorption of the product into one's skin.
  • It is a humectant, which means that it helps attract moisture into the skin.
  • It helps improve product application.

Overall, Butylene Glycol is a safe and well-rounded ingredient. It is unlikely to irritate skin, and works well with pretty much all other ingredients.

Beauty of Joseon Glow Serum: Propolis + Niacinamide contains this as ingredient number 4.

Skinfood Royal Honey Propolis Enrich Essence contains this as ingredient number 4.

5
What it does: Humectant, Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Loved

Sodium Hyaluronate is hyaluronic acid's salt form. It is commonly derived from the sodium salt of hyaluronic acid.

Like hyaluronic acid, it is great at holding water and acts as a humectant. This makes it a great skin hydrating ingredient.

Sodium Hyaluronate is naturally occurring in our bodies and is mostly found in eye fluid and joints.

These are some other common types of Hyaluronic Acid:

Learn more about Sodium Hyaluronate

Beauty of Joseon Glow Serum: Propolis + Niacinamide contains this as ingredient number 10.

Skinfood Royal Honey Propolis Enrich Essence contains this as ingredient number 11.

6
What it does: Emulsion Stabilising, Gel Forming
Community Rating: Disliked

Carbomer is a polymer of acrylic acid. Its main role is to create gel consistency within products.

Carbomer is commonly found in many types of cosmetics products. It is found to be safe in concentrations up to 15%. However, a high amount of carbomer can cause pilling or balling up of products. Most products contain 1% of less of carbomer.

Beauty of Joseon Glow Serum: Propolis + Niacinamide contains this as ingredient number 30.

Skinfood Royal Honey Propolis Enrich Essence contains this as ingredient number 14.

Here's what our community thinks of the ingredients in these two products.

60% are loved or liked
17% have mixed ratings
13% are disliked or very disliked
10% have no rating yet
60% are loved or liked
20% have mixed ratings
20% are disliked or very disliked
0% have no rating yet

Usage

Here's some more info on how this product is used by our community.

When to use

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Reviews

Here's what our community thinks

Beauty of Joseon Glow Serum: Propolis + Niacinamide 30 ingredients

3.2 /5
from 24 ratings
Hydrating (3) Sticky (3) Heavy (2) Drying (1) Great Value (1) Absorbs Well (1)
tabby_274's avatar

tabby_274

1 year ago · Combination Skin
Review

not for me
i like the consistency but that’s about it. really tried to like this product as i went through two bottles of it. everytime i used this...

not for me
i like the consistency but that’s about it. really tried to like this product as i went through two bottles of it. everytime i used this product it would leave a shiny film on my skin that would pill under makeup and/or moisturizer no matter what i did. i suspect it also caused closed comedones from product buildup. after i ceased use the pilling and cc’s went away. didn’t improve my skin in any way.

TarteEcole_113's avatar

TarteEcole_113

1 year ago · Sensitive Skin
Review

Glow yes acne no
Well it's my first time trying niacinamide and I don't like it (new red spots appeared) , or maybe I am allergic to propolis idkn...

Glow yes acne no
Well it's my first time trying niacinamide and I don't like it (new red spots appeared) , or maybe I am allergic to propolis idkn tbh, but it does give glow

Skinfood Royal Honey Propolis Enrich Essence 15 ingredients

3.3 /5
from 4 ratings
Absorbs Well (2) Broke Me Out (1) Expensive (1) Hydrating (1) No Scent (1) Works Well (1)
Butter's avatar

Butter

5 months ago · Sensitive Skin
Review

Another holygrail product! My skin type has changed recently and I'm a lot more acne-prone than I used to be but I still have issues with...

Another holygrail product! My skin type has changed recently and I'm a lot more acne-prone than I used to be but I still have issues with dryness/dry patches this product helps to treat both. Quite often as I've found things that treat acne, dry out my skin and things that treat dryness break me out. This product is one of few that does neither. With 63% propolis extract, 10% honey extract, and 10% royal jelly extract to help hydrate the skin. Both propolis and honey extract have anti-bacterial properties with help to treat acne. The only downside is it's a little expensive so I made sure to get the Black Fridays deals! 😅

mimi83077's avatar

mimi83077

3 months ago · Combination Skin
Review

I was very excited to try this product. While it was very hydrating it left a waxy film and ended up causing fungal acne on my cheeks.

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Our Dupe Finder has found 5 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to Skinfood Royal Honey Propolis Enrich Essence.

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