The full name of this product is Niacinamide 10 TXA 4 Serum, and almost every review treats it as “the Anua niacinamide serum” — which loses the more interesting half of the formula.
TXA is tranexamic acid. It is not a filler and it is not there for texture. It is a pigmentation ingredient, used for stubborn discolouration and the kind of marks left behind after a breakout clears.
That changes what this bottle is for. A 10% niacinamide serum is a general-purpose tone-and-oil product. Niacinamide 10 plus tranexamic acid 4 is a dark-spot serum, and Anua’s own listing says so — it files it under brightening and dark spots.
If your complaint is shine and visible pores, that is a different product. If your complaint is marks that will not fade, this is aimed squarely at you.
Buy the right Anua niacinamide serum
There are two, and the numbers are the only reliable way to tell them apart.
| Product | Monthly searches (US) |
|---|---|
| Niacinamide 10 TXA 4 Serum — the one in this review | 5,400 · plus 2,400 for the full “dark spot correcting” name |
| Peach 70 Niacinamide Serum | 1,900 |
| “anua niacinamide serum” (ambiguous) | 6,600 |
| “anua 10 niacinamide serum” | 590 |
Read the third row: 6,600 people a month search a phrase that does not specify which of the two they want. A retailer’s algorithm decides for them.
What to check before you pay: the string 10 TXA 4, and 30 ml. If the listing says Peach 70, that is the other serum.
This is the sixteenth Korean product I have checked where the naming is the main buying risk.
What Korea shelves niacinamide for — and why that matters here
I went through the Korean niacinamide shelf in detail in the niacinamide guide, and the finding was counterintuitive for anyone who learned about the ingredient in English.
Olive Young files niacinamide under 피지 케어 — sebum care — first, and brightening second. The shelf strip above the niacinamide bottles says exactly that, and the badge on one of them advertises a sebum-reduction figure rather than a brightening one.
English-language coverage reverses that, leading with dark spots.
Anua’s serum is the product that reconciles the two. The niacinamide is doing the oil-and-tone work Korea emphasises; the tranexamic acid is doing the pigment work the English-language internet came for. That combination is the actual reason to pick this over a plain niacinamide serum — and it is also why it costs more than the budget-lab options Korea actually buys most of.
Because that is the other finding from that guide, and it holds here: the three most-searched niacinamide names in Korea are The Ordinary, Nano Recipe and Derma Factory — one British brand and two Korean budget labs. Anua’s niacinamide serum pulls about 110 searches a month in Korea against 6,600 in English.
⚠️ A caveat on the numbers: Korea runs most of its searches through Naver rather than Google, so Google’s Korean figures understate domestic interest. I use them for relative comparison inside one market, never as a headcount.
What Koreans actually reach for
| Korea | English-speaking | |
|---|---|---|
| Brand | 아누아 — 9,900 | anua — 60,500 |
| This serum | 아누아 나이아신아마이드 — 110 | 6,600 |
| Their cleansing oil | 아누아 클렌징오일 — 390 | 12,100 |
| The ingredient itself | 나이아신아마이드 — 12,100 | — |
Anua is a real Korean brand with a real domestic following. Both of its famous products, though — this serum and the heartleaf cleansing oil — are far bigger abroad than at home.
And look at the last row: 12,100 Koreans a month search the ingredient while 110 search Anua’s version of it. In Korea, niacinamide is a category you shop, not a brand you follow.
How to use it
- After toner, before moisturiser, morning or night.
- Start every other day if you have not used a 10% niacinamide before. Some people flush at that concentration; most do not.
- Sunscreen, daily, non-negotiable. Both niacinamide and tranexamic acid work on pigment, and daily UV makes new marks faster than any serum clears old ones. This is the step that decides whether the bottle does anything.
- Give it eight to twelve weeks. Pigmentation moves slowly. Judging it at three weeks is the standard mistake.
- One new active at a time. If you are also introducing a retinoid or acid pads, stagger them.
[🇰🇷 Kate 확인 필요] — 전성분표 뒷면 사진. TXA 4% 표기와 나이아신아마이드 10% 표기가 실제로 라벨에 있는지 확인되면 이 글의 핵심 숫자가 근거로 완성된다.
[🇰🇷 Kate 확인 필요] — 올리브영 실가격. 나이아신아마이드 가이드에서 코스알엑스 15 세럼은 ₩16,580 을 라벨로 확인했다. 아누아 가격이 확인되면 그 둘을 나란히 비교한다.
Who this is for
Buy it if: your concern is dark spots and post-breakout marks, you want niacinamide and tranexamic acid in one step, and you will wear sunscreen daily.
Buy a cheaper plain niacinamide if: your concern is oil and pores rather than pigment. Korea’s own shelf leaders are budget-lab bottles, and that guide covers which and at what percentage.
Buy the Peach 70 instead if: that is the one your review meant. Check the name.
Skip it if: you are already running a retinoid plus acids and your barrier is complaining. Add this later, on its own.
[🇰🇷 Kate 확인 필요] — 실사용 후기. 써봤다면 1인칭 문단(자극 여부·흡수·색소 변화 체감 기간). 안 써봤다면 이 섹션은 비워두고 성분·검색 근거만으로 간다. 사용 경험을 창작하지 말 것.
Where to get it
- 🛒 Anua Niacinamide 10 TXA 4 Serum on Amazon — check for 10 TXA 4 and 30 ml, not Peach 70
- 🛒 Anua Heartleaf Pore Control Cleansing Oil on Amazon — the brand’s other big one
- 🛒 Shop Korean skincare at Jolse — search “Anua niacinamide” (K-beauty retailer, ships worldwide)
- 🇰🇷 In Korea: Olive Young. Ask for 나이아신아마이드 세럼 and you will be shown a section, not this bottle
This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, and we may earn a small commission from other links — at no extra cost to you. Nothing here was gifted or sponsored.
How I put this together
Not a lab test, not a sponsored placement. What is here: the product names and sizes as listed by Anua, Amazon, Ulta and Olive Young Global, the top seventeen Google results for the product name — which is how I established that a second Anua niacinamide serum exists — and Google search volumes pulled for Korea and the United States in the same month. The Korean shelf-section detail (niacinamide filed under 피지 케어, sebum care) comes from an Olive Young shelf strip I photographed in Seoul, as does the ₩16,580 COSRX comparison price. Anua’s own shelf price and the printed ingredient percentages are not included because I have not read them off a label myself.
FAQ
What is TXA in Anua Niacinamide 10 TXA 4?
Tranexamic acid — a pigmentation ingredient used for stubborn discolouration and post-breakout marks. It is what makes this a dark-spot serum rather than a general niacinamide serum.
Which Anua niacinamide serum should I buy?
Check the numbers. Niacinamide 10 TXA 4 Serum is the one most reviews mean. Peach 70 Niacinamide Serum is a different product with 1,900 searches a month of its own.
Is 10% niacinamide too strong?
For most people, no. If you have not used it before, start every other day. Flushing or stinging means space it out rather than push through.
How long until I see a difference?
Eight to twelve weeks for pigmentation, with daily sunscreen. Judging it earlier than that is the usual reason people conclude it does nothing.
Do Koreans use this serum?
Not much. It pulls about 110 searches a month in Korea against 6,600 in English, while the ingredient itself pulls 12,100 domestically. Koreans shop niacinamide as a category, led by budget-lab brands.
Can I use it with retinol or acids?
Yes, but introduce one active at a time and avoid stacking everything into the same routine.
What size is it?
30 ml.
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