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Beauty of Joseon Glow Serum: Propolis + Niacinamide vs The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 (Original Formulation)

Same comparison whichever way you searched it: The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 (Original Formulation) vs Beauty of Joseon Glow Serum: Propolis + Niacinamide.

The bottom line

Beauty of Joseon Glow Serum: Propolis + Niacinamide does more across the board (it leads on brightening / tone, oil-control & blemishes, anti-aging), while The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 (Original Formulation) is the simpler, more pared-back pick.

Reach for Beauty of Joseon Glow Serum: Propolis + Niacinamide if you want the actives; The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 (Original Formulation) if you want fewer ingredients doing less, gently.

Reviewed by Maya FaourLast reviewed September 2026
Beauty of JoseonGlow Serum: Propolis + NiacinamideSerum · ~€16See every ingredient in Glow Serum: Propolis + Niacinamide, decoded
The OrdinaryHyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 (Original Formulation)Serum · ~€8See every ingredient in Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 (Original Formulation), decoded

Which should you pick?

Pick Glow Serum: Propolis + Niacinamide if

  • you are dealing with breakouts and oiliness
  • dark spots, dullness or an uneven tone are your focus
  • you want more actives working at once

Pick Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 (Original Formulation) if

  • you want the more affordable option
  • you are prone to fungal acne (malassezia)
  • you prefer a simpler, more minimal formula

What each delivers

HydrationBarrierBrighteningOil-controlAnti-aging
Glow Serum: Propolis + NiacinamideHyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 (Original Formulation)
  • Hydration
    1010
  • Barrier repair
    98
  • Brightening / tone
    73
  • Oil-control & blemishes
    83
  • Anti-aging
    62

Side by side

Glow Serum: Propolis + NiacinamideHyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 (Original Formulation)
TypeSerumSerum
Key activesGlycerin, Niacinamide, Hyaluronic acidGlycerin, Hyaluronic acid 2%, Crosslinked sodium HA
TextureA light, fast-absorbing texture that layers cleanly under the rest of your routine, with no greasy film.A light, fast-absorbing texture that layers cleanly under the rest of your routine, with no greasy film.
FragranceNone detectedNone detected
Fungal-acne safeNot likelyLikely
PregnancyNo flagged activesNo flagged actives
Ingredients30 listed17 listed
Price~€16~€8

What's in one but not the other

The two labels share 6 of the 41 ingredients between them. The actives are where they part company.

What each one adds acts on The living epidermis, Not established, The stratum corneum for Beauty of Joseon Glow Serum: Propolis + Niacinamide and The stratum corneum for The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 (Original Formulation). That is the layer each is understood to act on, not how deep it travels.

Only in Glow Serum: Propolis + Niacinamide

Both share

Only in Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 (Original Formulation)

Where each label stops telling you the dose

Ingredients are listed in order of how much is inside, but only down to 1%. Below that the brand may list them in any order it likes, so the bottom of a label is a set, not a ranking. These two stop being a ranking in very different places.

Beauty of Joseon Glow Serum: Propolis + Niacinamide

  1. 1Propolis Extract
  2. 2Dipropylene Glycol
  3. 3Glycerin
  4. 4Butylene Glycol
  5. 5Water
  6. 6Niacinamide
  7. 71,2-Hexanediol
  8. 8Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract
  9. 9Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract
  10. 10Sodium Hyaluronate
  11. 11Curcuma Longa (Turmeric) Root Extract
  12. 12Ocimum Sanctum Leaf Extract
  13. 13Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Extract
  14. 14Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Extract
  15. 15Centella Asiatica Extract
  16. 16Corallina Officinalis Extract
  17. 17Lotus Corniculatus Seed Extract
  18. 18Calophyllum Inophyllum Seed Oil
  19. 19Betaine Salicylate
  20. 20Sodium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate
  21. 21Tromethamine
  22. 22Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate
  23. 23Caprylyl Glycol
  24. 24Ethylhexylglycerin
  25. 25Dextrin
  26. 26Pentylene Glycol
  27. 27Octanediol
  28. 28Tocopherol
  29. 29Xanthan Gum
  30. 30Carbomer

7 of 30 sit below the line, marked by Ethylhexylglycerin.

The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 (Original Formulation)

  1. 1Aqua (Water)
  2. 2Sodium Hyaluronate
  3. 3Pentylene Glycol
  4. 4Propanediol
  5. 5Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer
  6. 6Panthenol
  7. 7Ahnfeltia Concinna Extract
  8. 8Glycerin
  9. 9Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
  10. 10Citric Acid
  11. 11Isoceteth-20
  12. 12Ethoxydiglycol
  13. 13Ethylhexylglycerin
  14. 14Hexylene Glycol
  15. 151,2-Hexanediol
  16. 16Phenoxyethanol
  17. 17Caprylyl Glycol

5 of 17 sit below the line, marked by Ethylhexylglycerin.

Below the line is not too little to work: ceramides, retinoids and peptides all act far under a percent. It means the position stops carrying information. Where the line falls is inferred from the first ingredient whose whole job is done at a fraction of a percent, so it is a close read of the label rather than a number from the formula sheet.

The molecule doing the work

Glow Serum: Propolis + NiacinamideGlycerin
Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 (Original Formulation)Glycerin

Better for…

  • Dark spots & uneven toneGlow Serum: Propolis + Niacinamide
  • Fine lines & firmnessGlow Serum: Propolis + Niacinamide
  • Breakouts & congestionGlow Serum: Propolis + Niacinamide
  • Dryness & dehydrationEither works

The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 (Original Formulation) is the cheaper of the two (~€8 vs ~€16).

Ready to pick one?

Glow Serum: Propolis + Niacinamide on amazon.comHyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 (Original Formulation) on amazon.com

Affiliate links, so a purchase sends us a small commission at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, Glow Simplified earns from qualifying purchases. We make and sell nothing here, so the verdict above never bends toward a sale.

Common questions

Is Beauty of Joseon Glow Serum: Propolis + Niacinamide or The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 (Original Formulation) better for dark spots & uneven tone?

For dark spots & uneven tone, Beauty of Joseon Glow Serum: Propolis + Niacinamide is the stronger pick by our read of the two formulas. Beauty of Joseon Glow Serum: Propolis + Niacinamide does more across the board (it leads on brightening / tone, oil-control & blemishes, anti-aging), while The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 (Original Formulation) is the simpler, more pared-back pick. Reach for Beauty of Joseon Glow Serum: Propolis + Niacinamide if you want the actives; The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 (Original Formulation) if you want fewer ingredients doing less, gently.

Which is cheaper, Beauty of Joseon Glow Serum: Propolis + Niacinamide or The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 (Original Formulation)?

The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 (Original Formulation) is the cheaper of the two (~€8 vs ~€16).

Can I use Beauty of Joseon Glow Serum: Propolis + Niacinamide and The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 (Original Formulation) together?

They are both serums, so you would normally pick one rather than layer both in the same step. You can keep both and alternate them (morning and night, or on different days) if you like variety, but you do not need two.

What the scene shows

The cross-section at the top of this page is not decoration and not a diagram of the skin in general: it places the molecules these two are sold on at the layer each is understood to act on. Beauty of Joseon Glow Serum: Propolis + Niacinamide is placed by Glycerin (the stratum corneum), Niacinamide (the living epidermis), Hyaluronic acid (the stratum corneum). The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 (Original Formulation) is placed by Glycerin (the stratum corneum), Hyaluronic acid (the stratum corneum), Crosslinked sodium HA (the stratum corneum). A layer is where an ingredient does its work, never how deep it travels, and never a claim about how well it works.

Back up to the scene

Compare it with…

VSSKIN1004Madagascar Centella AmpouleShares Centella Asiatica ExtractVSGeek & GorgeousA-Game 10Shares Pentylene Glycol and Pro-vitamin B5VSEucerinAnti-Pigment Dual SerumShares Vitamin E and Hyaluronic acid
All 41 comparisons