The Beauty of Joseon Glow Deep Serum gets 2,400 US Google searches a month. Add the reordered and review searches (“glow deep serum beauty of joseon”, “beauty of joseon deep glow serum”, “beauty of joseon glow deep serum review”) and the cluster passes 3,700.
The first page for it is the brand’s own store, Amazon, Sephora, a Reddit thread asking “Glow vs Glow Deep Serum?”, a YouTube how-to and a few blog reviews. They all describe the English label. None of them tell you what this serum is called in Korea, or what the Korean box says that the English page doesn’t. This post covers:
- The Korean name, and why it’s not a translation of “Glow Deep”
- The full ingredient list, checked against the Korean one
- Glow Serum vs Glow Deep Serum, the comparison people keep asking about
- How Korea and the US search for it, which says a lot about who this serum is really for
“Glow Deep Serum” in the US, “쌀겨수맑은세럼” in Korea
On the brand’s US store the product is Glow Deep Serum : Rice + Alpha-Arbutin, sold in 30 ml (1.01 fl oz) and 60 ml (2.03 fl oz). On the brand’s Korean store it’s called something else entirely.
| Where | What it is called |
|---|---|
| Beauty of Joseon US store (beautyofjoseon.com) | Glow Deep Serum : Rice + Alpha-Arbutin |
| Sephora, Amazon (as shown in Google’s results) | Glow Deep Serum / Glow Deep Serum Rice Alpha-Arbutin |
| Beauty of Joseon Korean store (beautyofjoseon.co.kr) | 쌀겨수맑은세럼 : 쌀겨수 + 알파-알부틴 |
| Olive Young Korea online (as shown in Google Korea) | [피부톤업] 조선미녀 쌀겨수맑은세럼 30ml |
| 11st (as shown in Google Korea) | 조선미녀 쌀겨수맑은세럼 : 쌀겨수 + 알파-알부틴 Beauty of Joseon Glow Deep Serum (both names in one title) |
| Some Korean resellers of the export version | 글로우 딥 세럼 (a direct transliteration of the English name) |
What the Korean name actually says:
- 쌀겨수 (ssal-gyeo-su) means “rice bran water”. It’s the first ingredient, and in Korea the product is named after it.
- 맑은 (malgeun) means “clear” or “bright”, as in clear skin or clear water. It’s the Korean way of saying brightening without the word “glow”.
- So 쌀겨수맑은세럼 reads roughly as “Rice Bran Water Clear Serum”. There’s no “glow” and no “deep” in it. If you’re shopping in Seoul, look for 쌀겨수. “Glow Deep” won’t be on a Korean shelf tag.
- The Korean brand name is different too. Beauty of Joseon is 조선미녀 (Joseon-minyeo), literally “a beauty of Joseon”. That’s the name on Korean shelves and in Korean searches.
- Olive Young adds a tag. Its online title starts with [피부톤업], meaning “skin tone-up”. That’s the retailer’s category label, not part of the product name.
The same rice-bran naming shows up on the brand’s best-known product. Its sunscreen, Relief Sun : Rice + Probiotics, is 맑은쌀 선크림 (“clear rice sunscreen”) in Korea. We covered that one in our Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun post.
What the Korean box says that the US page doesn’t
A Korean Naver blogger who photographed the box in July 2024 shows the Korean packaging printed with [미백 기능성 화장품], “brightening functional cosmetic”, along with 쌀겨수 68.6%, 알파 알부틴 2%.
That label matters. In Korea, 미백 (mibaek) is a regulated category. Its literal meaning is “whitening”, but on cosmetics it means a brightening product that uses an ingredient approved by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) at an approved level. Korean retailer copy describes arbutin at 2% as an MFDS-listed brightening ingredient. The US page doesn’t mention this, because that category doesn’t exist in the US.
The two percentages show up on English retailer pages too. Olive Young’s global store says 68% rice bran water and 2% arbutin, and YesStyle says 68.6% and 2%. The brand’s US product page, as I read it on 28 September 2026, names the key ingredients but doesn’t print the percentages.
[🇰🇷 Kate 확인 필요] — 한국 박스 라벨. 박스에 “미백 기능성화장품” 문구와 쌀겨수 68.6% / 알파-알부틴 2% 표기가 지금 판매분에도 그대로 있는지 실물 라벨로 확인할 것. 위 내용은 2024-07 네이버 블로그 사진 기준이다.
What Koreans actually search
| Korea (Google) | English-speaking (US Google) | |
|---|---|---|
| Brand, Korean name | 조선미녀 — 5,400 | |
| Brand, English name | beauty of joseon — 3,600 | beauty of joseon — 110,000 |
| The brand’s sunscreen | 조선미녀 선크림 — 1,300 | beauty of joseon sunscreen — 74,000 |
| This serum, English name | beauty of joseon glow deep serum — 110 | beauty of joseon glow deep serum — 2,400 |
| This serum, Korean name | 쌀겨수맑은세럼 / 조선미녀 쌀겨수 세럼 — too few to register | |
| The sister serum | beauty of joseon glow serum — 9,900 | |
| Generic | 조선미녀 세럼 — 50 | beauty of joseon serum — 1,900 · alpha arbutin serum — 6,600 |
What stands out:
- In Korea, the English name is the only one Google measures. “beauty of joseon glow deep serum” gets 110 Korean Google searches a month. The Korean name, 쌀겨수맑은세럼, doesn’t register at all. People in Korea who look this serum up on Google mostly type the English name they’ve seen abroad or on social media.
- Korea knows the brand, not the serum. 조선미녀 gets 5,400 Korean searches, and the sunscreen alone gets 1,300. The serum is a small part of how Korea thinks of this brand.
- In the US, the Glow Serum is bigger. “beauty of joseon glow serum” (9,900) gets about four times the searches of the Glow Deep Serum (2,400). Some of those people are probably looking for the Glow Deep Serum and using the shorter name. That’s the confusion the next section clears up.
⚠️ A caveat on the numbers: most searching in Korea happens on Naver, not Google, so Google’s Korean figures understate domestic interest. I only use them to compare terms within one market, never as a headcount. The Korea column tells you how these names rank against each other on Korean Google. It doesn’t tell you how many Koreans use the serum.
Beauty of Joseon Glow Deep Serum ingredients
This is the list on the Beauty of Joseon US store when I checked on 28 September 2026:
Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran Water, Water, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Dipropylene Glycol, Alpha-Arbutin, Niacinamide, Methyl Gluceth-20, Panthenol, Polyglycerin-3, Trehalose, Glyceryl Glucoside, Hydrolyzed Jojoba Esters, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Ethylhexylglycerin, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Xanthan Gum, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Arginine, Disodium EDTA, Sorbitan Isostearate, Glucose, Coix Lacryma-Jobi Ma-Yuen Seed Extract, Coptis Japonica Root Extract, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Seed Extract, Hordeum Distichon (Barley) Extract, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Extract, Sesamum Indicum (Sesame) Seed Extract, Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Seed Extract, Vigna Radiata Seed Extract, Zea Mays (Corn) Kernel Extract
The Korean list
The Korean brand page shows its details as images, so I couldn’t copy a Korean list from it. The Korean list below is the one transcribed from the box by the Naver blogger mentioned above (July 2024):
쌀겨수 68.6%, 정제수, 글리세린, 부틸렌글라이콜, 1,2-헥산다이올, 다이프로필렌글라이콜, 알파-알부틴 2%, 나이아신아마이드, 메틸글루세스-20, 판테놀, 폴리글리세린-3, 트레할로오스, 글리세릴글루코사이드, 하이드롤라이즈드호호바에스터, 하이드록시에틸아크릴레이트/소듐아크릴로일다이메틸타우레이트코폴리머, 에틸헥실글리세린, 하이드록시에틸셀룰로오스, 잔탄검, 아크릴레이트/C10-30알킬아크릴레이트크로스폴리머, 알지닌, 다이소듐이디티에이, 황련뿌리추출물, 솔비탄아이소스테아레이트, 글루코오스, 율무씨추출물, 검정콩추출물, 발레이추출물, 쌀추출물, 검은깨추출물, 밀추출물, 녹두추출물, 옥수수커넬추출물
I compared them one by one. Both lists have the same 32 ingredients. The first 21 are in exactly the same order. The only difference is where one plant extract sits: the Korean list puts 황련뿌리추출물 (Coptis japonica root extract) just before sorbitan isostearate, while the US list puts it after coix seed extract. That’s at the very end of the list, where the plant extracts are present only in tiny amounts. A few Korean names differ only in translation: 율무 is Job’s tears (coix), 검정콩 is black soybean, 검은깨 is black sesame and 녹두 is mung bean (Vigna radiata).
So, according to the brand’s US page and a Korean box photo, this is the same formula in both markets. The name is what changes.
[🇰🇷 Kate 확인 필요] — 한국 박스 뒷면 전성분. 위 한국어 목록은 블로거 전사본(2024-07)이다. 현재 판매분 박스 인쇄 전성분과 같은지, 황련뿌리추출물 위치가 실제로 다른지 라벨 사진으로 확인할 것.
What those ingredients do, in plain words
Rice bran water is the base, not a side ingredient. It’s listed before water, and the Korean box puts it at 68.6%. So most of what’s in the bottle is rice bran water. The brand says it’s rich in amino acids and minerals and uses it for hydration and a dewy finish. It’s also the Joseon-era rice-water idea the brand is built on.
Alpha-arbutin is the brightening active, at 2%. Arbutin slows down tyrosinase, the enzyme skin uses to make pigment. That means it works on new pigment being made, so marks fade gradually as skin renews. It isn’t a quick fix. It’s also why the Korean box can carry the 미백 functional-cosmetic label.
There’s niacinamide in it too, but the amount isn’t stated. Niacinamide is eighth on the list, right after alpha-arbutin. Neither the US page nor the Korean box photo gives a percentage. A handful of resellers describe this serum as “rice + arbutin + niacinamide”, but the brand names only rice and alpha-arbutin as its key ingredients.
The rest is hydration and texture. Glycerin, butylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, panthenol, trehalose, polyglycerin-3 and glyceryl glucoside all help hold water in the skin. Hydrolyzed jojoba esters add a little slip. The polymers, cellulose and xanthan gum make it a light gel-serum.
No acids, no retinoid, no listed fragrance. There’s no AHA, BHA, PHA or retinoid on the list, and no fragrance or essential oil. One recent verified review on the brand store mentions “no smell”, which fits the list.
A detail for anyone with food allergies: the end of the list includes extracts of wheat, soybean, sesame, barley and corn. They’re present in small amounts. If you react to any of those on skin, check with your doctor before using it.
Why the brand says night only
The brand’s FAQ says to use this serum in the evening only, “since alpha arbutin can be vulnerable to light and heat”. It also says to store the bottle in a cool, dark place away from direct sunlight. That’s unusual advice for a K-beauty serum, and most Reddit and blog reviews don’t mention it.
Beauty of Joseon Glow Serum vs Glow Deep Serum
The Reddit thread on page one asks exactly this. The names are almost the same, but the formulas aren’t.
| Glow Deep Serum | Glow Serum | |
|---|---|---|
| Full US name | Glow Deep Serum : Rice + Alpha-Arbutin | Glow Serum : Propolis + Niacinamide |
| Korean name | 쌀겨수맑은세럼 | [🇰🇷 Kate 확인 필요] — 한국 매대명 |
| First ingredient | Rice bran water | Water |
| Main active | Alpha-arbutin (2% per Korean box) | Propolis extract + niacinamide |
| Exfoliant | None | Betaine salicylate (a mild BHA-type ingredient) |
| Also contains | Niacinamide (amount not stated), panthenol, grain extracts | Tea tree, centella, turmeric extracts |
| Brand’s use advice | Evening only | 2–3 drops on face and neck (no time-of-day limit given) |
| Brand’s pitch | Dullness and dark spots | Glow and oil control |
| Sizes (US store) | 30 ml, 60 ml | 30 ml, 60 ml |
Simply put, the Glow Deep Serum is the brightening one, aimed at dark spots and dull tone. The Glow Serum is the oil-and-glow one, aimed at shine control and congestion. The brand’s own clinical note for the Glow Serum reports a 51.42% improvement in sebum and a 23.31% improvement in glossiness after three weeks, in 21 people. The brand also sells the two together as a “Glow Boosting Duo”. That set sits on page one too.
If your concern is post-acne marks or uneven tone, the Glow Deep Serum is the one that matches. If it’s oiliness and clogged pores, the Glow Serum is closer. Using both isn’t required.
Beauty of Joseon Glow Deep Serum reviews: what people report
The brand’s US store showed 4.8 out of 5 from 1,488 reviews on 28 September 2026, with 96% saying they’d recommend it. Around 1,300 of those were five stars.
The most recent verified reviews on that page were short. One reviewer with combination, acne-prone skin said it helped minimise their acne marks and that friends noticed their skin glowing. Another said it had no smell, and a third called it a great serum to use at night.
The longer-form reviews on page one are framed around time. An Instagram post is titled “My honest review after 3 months”, and a YouTube review promises “3 month results” with before and after pictures. That framing fits the ingredient: it’s judged over months, not days.
Those are individual experiences, not tests. But they match what the ingredient list suggests. This is a gentle, hydrating serum with a moderate brightening active, so hydration and glow tend to show up first and marks fade later.
[🇰🇷 Kate 확인 필요] — 실사용 후기. 써봤다면 1인칭 문단(제형 점도·흡수감, 향 유무, 밤 전용 사용 체감, 몇 주 차에 무엇이 달라졌는지, 트러블 여부). 안 써봤다면 이 섹션은 비워두고 성분·검색 근거만으로 간다. 사용 경험을 창작하지 말 것.
Who it’s for, and who should skip it
It makes sense if:
– you want a gentle brightening serum for dullness and leftover marks
– you’d rather avoid acids and retinoids in your brightening step
– you already have a separate morning routine and want a simple night serum
Look elsewhere if:
– you want something faster or stronger for dark spots. Formulas with higher niacinamide or tranexamic acid target spots more directly. See our Anua Niacinamide 10 TXA 4 serum post, or the milder 5%-niacinamide option in our AXIS-Y Dark Spot Correcting Glow Serum post
– your main issue is oil and congestion. The Glow Serum (propolis + niacinamide) is the one aimed at that
– you’re sensitive to wheat, soy, sesame, barley or corn on skin
– you’re dealing with deep or long-standing pigmentation. That’s a question for a dermatologist, not a serum
How to use the Glow Deep Serum
The brand’s directions:
- Apply a few drops to clean hands.
- Gently pat into the skin, then follow with moisturiser.
- Use in the evening only, and keep the dropper from touching your skin.
| Step | Night |
|---|---|
| Cleanse | Your usual gentle cleanser |
| Toner (optional) | A hydrating, non-exfoliating toner |
| Serum | Glow Deep Serum, a few drops patted in |
| Moisturiser | Your usual |
In the morning, sunscreen matters more than the serum. The brand says to use this serum at night because alpha-arbutin is sensitive to light, and unprotected sun can darken the marks you’re trying to fade. If you want to stay within the brand, its sunscreen is covered in our Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun post.
Price, size and where Korea sells it
Size: 30 ml in Korea. The US store sells 30 ml and 60 ml.
Korean shelf name: 쌀겨수맑은세럼. Olive Young’s online listing is “[피부톤업] 조선미녀 쌀겨수맑은세럼 30ml”. That’s an online product page I found in Google Korea’s results, not a confirmed shelf sighting.
[🇰🇷 Kate 확인 필요] — 올리브영 매대 여부. _olive_young_confirmed.json 에 이 세럼 항목이 없다(조선미녀는 맑은쌀 선크림만 매대 확인됨, 리바이브 아이세럼은 olive_young: false). 구글 한국 결과에 올리브영 온라인 상세페이지만 확인했다. 매대에서 보면 진열 여부와 이름표·가격표 사진을 함께 기록할 것.
Price: [🇰🇷 Kate 확인 필요] — 실가격(라벨/매대 가격만). 한국 공식몰·올리브영 온라인·US 공식몰 가격이 페이지에 보이지만 할인 기간 가격이 섞여 있고 라벨에서 직접 읽은 값이 아니라서 옮기지 않았다.
What I can say without guessing: in Korea it’s listed on the brand’s own store (beautyofjoseon.co.kr), Olive Young online, Coupang, Musinsa, 11st and SSG. At a Korean store, look for 조선미녀 쌀겨수맑은세럼, not “Glow Deep”.
Where to get it
- 🛒 Beauty of Joseon Glow Deep Serum on Amazon. Check that the listing is the Rice + Alpha-Arbutin serum sold by Beauty of Joseon or an authorised seller, not the Propolis + Niacinamide Glow Serum.
- 🛒 Shop Korean skincare at Jolse. Search “beauty of joseon” (K-beauty retailer, ships worldwide).
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
This isn’t a lab test, a sponsored post or a personal review. I’ve left the first-person section empty on purpose until it can be written from real use.
What is here:
- From the Beauty of Joseon US store, as published on 28 September 2026: the full ingredient list, sizes, directions, the evening-only and storage advice, and the review count and rating. The same day, the Glow Serum page’s ingredient list, directions and clinical note.
- From the Beauty of Joseon Korean store the same day: the Korean product name.
- Product names as they appear in the top Google results in Korea: Olive Young online, 11st, Musinsa, Coupang, SSG and resellers.
- The Korean box wording (미백 functional cosmetic, 68.6% rice bran water, 2% alpha-arbutin) and the Korean ingredient list, from a Korean Naver blogger’s box photos (July 2024).
- Percentages on English retailer pages (Olive Young global, YesStyle), as shown in Google’s results.
- Google search volumes for Korea and the US, pulled on 28 September 2026.
What I have not confirmed:
- Whether the box on sale today still carries the same wording and ingredient order as the 2024 photo.
- The niacinamide percentage, which no source I checked states.
- Any price, in Korea or the US.
- Whether Olive Young stocks this serum on the shop floor.
- The Korean shelf name of the Glow Serum (Propolis + Niacinamide).
I’ve flagged each of those instead of borrowing a figure from someone else’s page.
FAQ
What is the Korean name of the Beauty of Joseon Glow Deep Serum?
쌀겨수맑은세럼 : 쌀겨수 + 알파-알부틴, which reads as “Rice Bran Water Clear Serum : Rice Bran Water + Alpha-Arbutin”. The brand is 조선미녀 in Korea. Olive Young’s online listing adds the tag [피부톤업], “skin tone-up”.
Is the glow deep serum Beauty of Joseon sells in the US the same as the Korean one?
Going by the brand’s US page and a Korean box photo, yes. Both lists have the same 32 ingredients, and the first 21 are in the same order. Only one trace plant extract sits in a different spot. I haven’t compared a current Korean box myself.
What’s the difference between the Beauty of Joseon Glow Serum vs Glow Deep Serum?
The Glow Deep Serum (Rice + Alpha-Arbutin) is the brightening serum for dark spots and dullness, and the brand says to use it at night only. The Glow Serum (Propolis + Niacinamide) targets oil and glow and contains betaine salicylate, a mild BHA-type ingredient.
Is the Beauty of Joseon deep glow serum good for hyperpigmentation?
It’s built for it, but gently. Alpha-arbutin (2% per the Korean box) slows pigment production, and the Korean box labels it a brightening functional cosmetic. Expect slow, gradual fading, and wear sunscreen every morning. Deep or long-standing pigmentation is a question for a dermatologist.
What do Beauty of Joseon Glow Deep Serum reviews say?
The brand’s US store shows 4.8 out of 5 from 1,488 reviews, with 96% recommending it. Recent short reviews mention help with acne marks, no smell and night use. The longer reviews ranking on Google judge it over about three months. Those are individual opinions, not test results.
Can I use the Glow Deep Serum in the morning?
The brand says no: evening only, because alpha-arbutin can be sensitive to light and heat. It also recommends storing the bottle away from sunlight in a cool, dark place.
Does the Beauty of Joseon Glow Deep Serum have niacinamide?
Yes. It’s the eighth ingredient, right after alpha-arbutin, but neither the brand’s US page nor the Korean box photo states the percentage.
What do “before and after” results look like?
I can’t show verified before and after photos, and individual results vary a lot. Because alpha-arbutin works on new pigment, results build over weeks to months. The before-and-after reviews ranking on page one are framed around about three months of use.
Is Beauty of Joseon popular in Korea?
The brand is. 조선미녀 gets 5,400 Korean Google searches a month, and its sunscreen alone gets 1,300. This serum is much smaller: its English name gets 110 Korean searches and its Korean name doesn’t register. Korean Google figures understate domestic interest because of Naver.
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