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Beauty of Joseon Glow Serum: Propolis + Niacinamide vs The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%

Same comparison whichever way you searched it: The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% vs Beauty of Joseon Glow Serum: Propolis + Niacinamide.

The bottom line

Beauty of Joseon Glow Serum: Propolis + Niacinamide and The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% land in much the same place on performance, so value decides it: The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% does the same job for less.

Reviewed by Maya FaourLast reviewed September 2026
Beauty of JoseonGlow Serum: Propolis + NiacinamideSerum · ~€16See every ingredient in Glow Serum: Propolis + Niacinamide, decoded
The OrdinaryNiacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%Serum · ~€6See every ingredient in Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%, decoded

Which should you pick?

Pick Glow Serum: Propolis + Niacinamide if

  • plump, lasting hydration is what you want
  • you want more actives working at once

Pick Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% 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 + NiacinamideNiacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%
  • Hydration
    106
  • Barrier repair
    99
  • Brightening / tone
    77
  • Oil-control & blemishes
    88
  • Anti-aging
    66

Side by side

Glow Serum: Propolis + NiacinamideNiacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%
TypeSerumSerum
Key activesGlycerin, Niacinamide, Hyaluronic acidNiacinamide 10%, Zinc PCA, Pentylene Glycol
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 listed11 listed
Price~€16~€6

What's in one but not the other

The two labels share 3 of the 38 ingredients between them. The actives are where they part company.

What each one adds acts on The stratum corneum, Not established for Beauty of Joseon Glow Serum: Propolis + Niacinamide and Not established, The stratum corneum for The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%. 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 Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%

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 Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%

  1. 1Aqua (Water)
  2. 2Niacinamide
  3. 3Pentylene Glycol
  4. 4Zinc PCA
  5. 5Dimethyl Isosorbide
  6. 6Tamarindus Indica Seed Gum
  7. 7Xanthan Gum
  8. 8Isoceteth-20
  9. 9Ethoxydiglycol
  10. 10Phenoxyethanol
  11. 11Chlorphenesin

5 of 11 sit below the line, marked by Xanthan Gum.

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
Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%Niacinamide

Better for…

  • Dark spots & uneven toneEither works
  • Breakouts & congestionEither works
  • Dryness & dehydrationGlow Serum: Propolis + Niacinamide

The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% is the cheaper of the two (~€6 vs ~€16).

Ready to pick one?

Glow Serum: Propolis + Niacinamide on amazon.comNiacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% 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 Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% better for dryness & dehydration?

For dryness & dehydration, 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 and The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% land in much the same place on performance, so value decides it: The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% does the same job for less.

Which is cheaper, Beauty of Joseon Glow Serum: Propolis + Niacinamide or The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%?

The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% is the cheaper of the two (~€6 vs ~€16).

Can I use Beauty of Joseon Glow Serum: Propolis + Niacinamide and The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% 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 Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% is placed by Niacinamide (the living epidermis), Zinc PCA (not established), Pentylene Glycol (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 ExtractVSThe OrdinaryCaffeine Solution 5% + EGCG Eye SerumShares Pentylene GlycolVSEucerinAnti-Pigment Dual SerumShares Vitamin E and Hyaluronic acid
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