K-beauty · Repurchased
Dr.G Red Blemish Clear Soothing Cream EX: four jars in, and the one sold abroad isn't the same
I bought every jar of this with my own money. The Stylevana link below is an affiliate link, tracked through Awin — if you buy through it I may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. The OLIVE YOUNG Global option earns me nothing and I'm listing it anyway.
The short answer
This is the cream I keep rebuying — four jars now, no reaction. But the version sold abroad often isn't the EX. One retailer states it ships packaging at random. If you want the formula I use, check the jar says EX, 10-CICA EXOSOME and 200 hours. Bought again
Where to buy — and which version you'll get
The listing says outright that packaging is sent at random and you may receive either the original or the new version — a coin flip, and the cheapest of the three. Stylevana ships this from its US store, which is the one I am able to link and the one I checked myself.
Stylevana US →Sold as R.E.D. Blemish Clear Soothing Face Cream, without EX in the name. Third-party sellers, wide price spread, and the listings I checked describe the 5-CICA formula rather than the EX one.
Check Amazon →The only place I found that names the EX explicitly — Dr.G Red Blemish Clear Soothing Cream EX 70ml. I earn nothing if you buy there, and I'm telling you anyway, because it is the one listing that says which version it is.
Prices checked 29 August 2026 and they move. I paid ₩38,000 (about $27) in Korea for the set: 100mL of cream plus 20mL of serum.
Why I keep buying this one
My skin went bad last year. I went to an Olive Young, tested this at the counter, and bought it with the matching toner. The redness settled. Since then it has been my daytime moisturiser through four jars, and I have never once thought about switching.
It is light. There is very little oil in the finish, so it holds up on a hot, humid Korean day when heavier creams turn into a problem by lunchtime. It is not an anti-ageing cream and it doesn't pretend to be — this is built for irritation and sensitivity, and that is the job it does.
That is the entire verdict, and it would be a short article. The interesting part is what happened when I lined up the empty jar against the new one.
I compared the batch codes, because nobody else does
Brands change formulas quietly. The name on the front stays put, the ingredient list shifts, and the person who has been buying it for a year finds out by accident. So before writing this I put the finished jar next to the new one and read both labels line by line.
They are identical. Different batches, same cream. That is the boring answer and it is the one I wanted — it means the four jars I'm describing are the same four jars you would be buying.
The version sold abroad often isn't this one
Here is where it stops being boring.
Dr.G currently sells two creams whose names differ by two letters. The Korean jar in my hand says Clear Soothing Cream EX, and its label prints 10-CICA EXOSOME and 200 hours of hydration. The older cream, still widely sold, is Clear Soothing Cream — described as 5-CICA with 100 hours.
| What the jar says | Where it turns up | |
|---|---|---|
| Clear Soothing Cream EX (the one I use) |
10-CICA EXOSOME · 200 hours · 70mL | Korean shelves. Abroad, only where the listing spells out EX. |
| Clear Soothing Cream (the older one) |
5-CICA · 100 hours · 70mL | Dr.G's own global store, most Amazon listings, most eBay sellers. |
And one large K-beauty retailer doesn't leave it ambiguous. Its product page states that packaging is sent at random and that you may receive either the original or the new version. The seller is telling you it is a coin flip. I appreciate the honesty and I still think you should know before you click.
There is no ppm figure on this label, and that's legitimate
Usually this is the part where I read the concentration off the Korean label. Korean cosmetics law requires a brand to print how much of an ingredient is inside when that ingredient is named in the product name. Anua's heartleaf oil has to say 10 ppm. Beauty of Joseon's rice balm has to say 100 ppm.
Clear Soothing Cream EX names no ingredient, so there is no figure to disclose and none is printed. That is not a brand hiding something. It is the rule working exactly as written, and it is worth saying plainly rather than implying an absence means evasion.
What the list does show is that centella is not a garnish here. It appears four separate times — leaf extract, flower/leaf/stem extract, root extract and whole extract — and all four cica actives are present: madecassoside, asiaticoside, madecassic acid and asiatic acid. Niacinamide sits fifth on the list. Ceramide NP, squalane and panthenol are further down. It is made by Cosmax for Gowoonsesang Cosmetics.
What the box claims, and what I can actually vouch for
The box prints a set of numbers: a 52% improvement in a weakened moisture barrier after two weeks, 10.7% redness reduction after one day, 200 hours of hydration, and 2.7× barrier, 3× moisture depth and 1.5× heat-calming against the previous generation.
Those are the brand's own figures from its own testing, and I'm repeating them as that — not as findings. What I can tell you is the part a lab can't: I have bought this four times, I use it every day, and the redness that made me walk into that Olive Young in the first place has stayed away.
Buying it in Korea costs less and gets you more
I paid ₩38,000, about $27, in August 2026. That was a set: 100mL of cream in total plus 20mL of serum. Dr.G's own global store lists a single 70mL jar at $34.95.
So the export price is roughly a third less product for more money. That is not a scandal — shipping, import duty and a retailer's margin all sit in between, and it is the normal shape of buying Korean skincare abroad. But it does change what “worth it” means. At $27 for 120mL this is an easy repurchase. At $35 for 70mL it is a considered one.
Not sure where this fits in a routine?
Three taps and I'll match you to the Korean cleansers I've actually used — with the label figures, and what I'd buy again.
Try the Korean Cleanser FinderThe verdict, after four jars
Bought again
Buy it if your problem is redness and sensitivity, you want something light enough for humid weather, and you are willing to check which version a seller is actually shipping. It has been my daily moisturiser for a year and I have reordered it without hesitating four times, which is the only endorsement I have that a star rating can't fake.
Skip it if you want anti-ageing. That is a different product and this one has never claimed otherwise.
And if you order abroad: check the jar says EX. The two creams cost about the same and are not the same.
Where to buy — and which version you'll get
The listing says outright that packaging is sent at random and you may receive either the original or the new version — a coin flip, and the cheapest of the three. Stylevana ships this from its US store, which is the one I am able to link and the one I checked myself.
Stylevana US →Sold as R.E.D. Blemish Clear Soothing Face Cream, without EX in the name. Third-party sellers, wide price spread, and the listings I checked describe the 5-CICA formula rather than the EX one.
Check Amazon →The only place I found that names the EX explicitly — Dr.G Red Blemish Clear Soothing Cream EX 70ml. I earn nothing if you buy there, and I'm telling you anyway, because it is the one listing that says which version it is.
Prices checked 29 August 2026 and they move. I paid ₩38,000 (about $27) in Korea for the set: 100mL of cream plus 20mL of serum.
Dr.G Red Blemish Soothing Cream FAQ
Is Dr.G Red Blemish Clear Soothing Cream EX the same as the regular one?
No. The EX is the newer formula. The Korean jar of the EX prints 10-CICA EXOSOME and 200 hours of hydration; the older Soothing Cream is described as 5-CICA with 100 hours. Both are sold right now, often under names that differ by two letters, so the version you receive depends on which listing you buy from.
How do I tell which version I'm getting?
Look for three things on the jar: the letters EX after Clear Soothing Cream, the phrase 10-CICA EXOSOME, and 200 hours. The older version says 5-CICA and 100 hours. If a listing doesn't show the jar text, assume you can't tell — one retailer states plainly that packaging is sent at random.
Does the Dr.G cream label print ingredient concentrations?
No, and that is legitimate. Korean cosmetics law requires a brand to print how much of an ingredient is inside when that ingredient is named in the product name. Nothing in Clear Soothing Cream EX names an ingredient, so there is no figure to disclose. The full ingredient list is printed, and centella appears in four separate forms.
What's actually in it?
Water, glycerin, butylene glycol, dicaprylyl ether and niacinamide lead the list. Centella asiatica appears four times — leaf, flower/leaf/stem, root and whole extract — alongside all four of the cica actives: madecassoside, asiaticoside, madecassic acid and asiatic acid. Ceramide NP, squalane and panthenol are further down. Manufactured by Cosmax for Gowoonsesang Cosmetics.
Is it good for acne-prone or sensitive skin?
That is what it is built for. The Korean jar states it completed human application testing for acne-prone skin and for sensitive skin, plus dermatological testing. It is not an anti-ageing cream and doesn't claim to be. Jinjja or Not has used it as a daily moisturiser through four jars without a reaction, but skin is individual and a patch test is still the sensible move.
How much does it cost in Korea versus abroad?
Jinjja or Not paid ₩38,000 (about $27) in Korea in August 2026 for a set containing 100mL of cream and 20mL of serum. Dr.G's own global store lists a single 70mL jar at $34.95. That is roughly a third less product for more money, which is the usual shape of buying Korean skincare abroad.