Clarifying Serum
Reviewed by SerumTruth Editorial · Updated July 2026
The most crowded of the three Byoma serums, and the one with the clearest case for its price: a decently dosed niacinamide and PHA pairing plus the ceramide complex for barrier support, with zinc and blue tansy rounding it out as label appeal. Good for oily, breakout-prone skin that wants gentle exfoliation and calming in one cheap step, not for anyone chasing a dedicated blue tansy or zinc treatment.
- Evidence18 / 30
Strength of the research behind the key actives
- Niacinamide: moderate evidence
- Gluconolactone (PHA): moderate evidence
- Zinc PCA: limited evidence
- Heartleaf (Houttuynia Cordata): limited evidence
- Ceramides: moderate evidence
The average of the key actives’ evidence grades.
- Potency20 / 25
Dosed at studied levels, not fairy-dusted
- Niacinamide: dosed at a studied level
- Gluconolactone (PHA): dosed at a studied level
- Zinc PCA: present, but below a studied dose
- Heartleaf (Houttuynia Cordata): below the 1% line, treated as fairy-dusted
- Ceramides: dosed at a studied level
How strongly the actives are dosed, led by the strongest, not how many there are.
- Delivery & stability16 / 20
Delivery tech + packaging that protects fragile actives
- Delivery: standard
- Packaging: airless, opaque
- No fragile actives here, so packaging barely moves the score.
Delivery tech plus packaging, and packaging only counts when actives are fragile.
- Formulation5 / 10
Disclosure, active breadth, and ingredient generation
- 0 of 5 actives disclose a concentration
- 5 key actives (breadth credit caps at 3)
- Current-generation or synergistic: Niacinamide, Gluconolactone (PHA), Zinc PCA, Ceramides
Disclosure, active breadth, and current-generation or synergistic actives.
- Value14 / 15
What a month of use costs vs. the category
- About $10 per month to use
- $15.99 for 30 ml, used about twice a day (about 0.3 ml each time), so a bottle lasts about 1.7 months
What a month of use costs: full marks at $6 a month or less, the floor at $60 a month or more.
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What’s inside
| Active | Disclosed | Dose |
|---|---|---|
| Niacinamide | n/a | Studied |
| Gluconolactone (PHA) | n/a | Studied |
| Zinc PCA | n/a | Light |
| Heartleaf (Houttuynia Cordata) | n/a | Below 1% line |
| Ceramides | n/a | Studied |
A busier formula than its stablemates: niacinamide sits third, right behind glycerin, with gluconolactone (a gentle PHA) close behind at sixth, ahead of Byoma's Tri-Ceramide Complex. Zinc lactate, not the zinc PCA this catalog tracks but a comparable oil-balancing salt, shows up mid-list at an undisclosed level. The "blue tansy" marketed on the box is really Tanacetum Annuum flower oil, and it sits down near the preservative tail, well below the 1% line, so it reads as a marketing accent rather than a real calming dose. Sodium hyaluronate is present too but sits low enough to be a finishing touch, not a hydration headline.
How it’s delivered
Air- and light-sensitive actives (vitamin C, copper peptides) lose potency fast in the wrong packaging, so delivery and the bottle are scored, not just what’s on the label.
The actives, explained
Cosmetic information for general education, not medical advice. The SerumProof score reflects our reading of publicly available research and formulation disclosures. See how scoring works.