Derma Factory Niacinamide Serum Ingredients: Too Strong for Sensitive Skin?
Too strong? It can be if you skip the easing in. Derma Factory Niacinamide Serum (더마팩토리 나이아신아마이드 20% 세럼) is niacinamide in rose water, so sensitive skin should start with one pump and a moisturizer on top. Two Korean YouTube channels, neither with an ad mark, use it for oily skin and body smoothing.
A small sample: two channels out of 183 ad-free Korean beauty videos from the past month. Treat it as a hint.
Is Derma Factory Niacinamide Serum too strong for sensitive skin?
The label says it is strong but plain. About a fifth of the bottle is niacinamide, rose water makes up most of the rest, and the list has no fragrance, ethanol or essential oils.
The brand’s description on the Olive Young Global listing tells sensitive skin to begin with one pump, and warns that too much can leave a white look. That is the practical rule: small amount, moisturizer after.
- Sensitive skin: I’d start small and patch test, because a fifth of the bottle is niacinamide even though nothing on the list is a fragrance or alcohol. Ask a dermatologist if your skin reacts easily.
- Oily skin: the best fit. The texture is watery, the list has no oils, and both pharmacist videos use it for oil control. A cheap oily-skin lotion is the Daiso Blanc Doux one.
- Dry skin: I’d be careful. Glycerin helps, but there is no cream base, so follow it with a moisturizer.
What did the two channels say?
| Channel | Video | Why they picked it | Skin context |
|---|---|---|---|
| 한알두알 (Han-al Du-al), pharmacist sisters, 2.2K subscribers | Niacinamide roundup, Oct 8, at 7:34 | Best value in the roundup, oil control | Oily skin |
| 한알두알 | Dry-weather routine, Oct 15, at 2:37 | The sebum-control step of their routine | Oily on the surface, dry underneath (수부지) |
| 문느루 (Mun Neu-ru), 15.5K subscribers | Favorites video, Oct 20, at 21:34 | Smoothing rough skin on the body | Body, mixed with an essence |
The pharmacist pair call it the product they are happiest with, though they warn that a weak barrier may feel a sting. Mun Neu-ru mixes it with an essence for the arms and legs, having heard that it is strong on its own.
They agree it is strong, and both handle it with care: one eases in, the other mixes it. They split on the job, oil control for one and body smoothing for the other. If you try it, start small or mix it into something.
What is inside Derma Factory Niacinamide Serum, and is the US bottle the same?
The 30 ml Korean listing names only three ingredients, each with a percentage. The 80 ml Korean edition and the US page show the full list.
| Version | Ingredients listed |
|---|---|
| Olive Young Korea, 30 ml | Rosa damascena flower water 64.5%, niacinamide 20%, glycerin 8% (no other names) |
| Olive Young Korea, 80 ml Korean edition | Those three first, then butylene glycol, 1,2-hexanediol, an acrylates thickener, ethylhexylglycerin, tromethamine, xanthan gum, disodium EDTA |
| Amazon US, DERMA FACTORY store | The same ten names in the same order, plus Water at the very end |
Verdict: the US bottle is the same formula, and its list only adds Water at the end. I couldn’t see a full Korean list for the 30 ml bottle, only its top three, which match.
The US bottle is 1.01 fl oz, the same size as the 30 ml Korean one. Search Amazon for the longer listing name, which adds “Face Serum for Oily Skin”.
Rose water stands in for plain water, which fits the watery texture the creators and the listing describe. The rest are a humectant (butylene glycol), a preservative and texture or stability helpers such as xanthan gum and EDTA. Rose water is a plant distillate, so if rose products bother you, patch test first.
Which marketing claims survive the label?
The Korean notice backs the headline number. Niacinamide is listed at 20%, which the Olive Young Global listing also states.
- “92.5% active ingredients”: that adds rose water, niacinamide and glycerin together. Only the niacinamide is the star, so I wouldn’t count the rest as extra potency.
- “No irritation”: the rose-water blurb says it causes no irritation, yet the same page tells sensitive skin to start with one pump. The label can’t promise either way.
- “Brightening”: Olive Young Korea’s notice says it has not been screened as a functional cosmetic, although MFDS’s functional records list many brightening products built on niacinamide. Treat the word as marketing.
- “No.1 Pore Serum”: the badge on the Global page is based on a June 2025 sales ranking, so it is dated.
Buy it for the niacinamide, not for the badges.
Where is the cheapest place to buy it?
| Where | What you get | Price | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Olive Young Korea | 30 ml serum | 5,700 won (about US$4.24), 19,000 won per 100 ml | 4.8 from about 26,700 reviews |
| Olive Young Korea | 80 ml Korean edition | 13,300 won, 16,625 won per 100 ml; sold out when I checked | 4.8 from about 27,100 reviews |
| Olive Young Global | 30 ml serum | US$6.65 (list US$7.00) | 4.7 from about 17,300 reviews |
| Amazon US | 1.01 fl oz, sold by Derma Factory, shipped by Amazon | Check the current price on Amazon → | On Amazon |
| Where it’s official | Olive Young Global, and the Derma Factory store on Amazon |
Prices are as of November 4, 2026, converted at the ECB rate of 1,344.59 won per dollar from November 3. Olive Young Global costs about 57% more than Korea before shipping. I found no Derma Factory serum at Sephora US.
To avoid fakes on Amazon, look for “Sold by Derma Factory” or “Ships from and sold by Amazon.com”. If you are in Korea or travelling there, buy the 30 ml bottle in a store and skip the markup.
At about four dollars for 30 ml in Korea, I’d buy one bottle to test on oily skin. I wouldn’t pay the Global markup unless shipping is already covered.
For another serum I checked line by line, see my Medipeel Mooltox review.
The short version
Two Korean channels pick Derma Factory Niacinamide Serum for oily skin and body smoothing, and both handle it with care. The Korean notice confirms 20% niacinamide in rose water and glycerin, the US list matches it, and Olive Young Global costs about 57% more than Korea.
Some links on Haamoni may be affiliate links. If you buy through one, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This post is not medical advice.
Sources
- 한알두알, pharmacist sisters’ niacinamide serum roundup, uploaded 2026-10-08
- 한알두알, dry-weather routine from a combination-skin pharmacist, uploaded 2026-10-15
- 문느루, favorites video with skincare and body care, uploaded 2026-10-20
- Olive Young Korea, Derma Factory Niacinamide 20% Serum 30 ml, product information disclosure and price (checked 2026-11-04)
- Olive Young Korea, Derma Factory Niacinamide 20% Serum 80 ml Korean edition, full ingredient list (checked 2026-11-04)
- Olive Young Global, DERMA FACTORY Niacinamide 20% Serum 30 ml, product page and price (checked 2026-11-04)
- Amazon US, DERMA FACTORY Niacinamide 20% Face Serum 1.01 fl oz, ingredients and seller (checked 2026-11-04)
- Sephora US, search for Derma Factory showed no Derma Factory serum (checked 2026-11-04)
- MFDS cosmetic ingredient database (data.go.kr)
- MFDS functional cosmetic report data (data.go.kr)
- YouTube Data API v3, Korean beauty videos from the last 30 days (collected 2026-11-04)
- Frankfurter (ECB reference rate), USD/KRW on 2026-11-03
