Are the 42 and 21 percent figures really on the pack?

They are printed on the ingredient panel, and the list stored here carries them. Both the photograph-sourced INCIDecoder entry and the Skin Cupid listing reproduce them. numbuzin's own US site shows the identical twenty-eight ingredients in identical order but leaves the two figures out of its web block. Where a brand's web copy and a panel photograph disagree that way, we keep what the panel shows.

Will it make my pores smaller?

Pores do not permanently open, close or shrink, whatever goes on top of them. What a serum can change is how noticeable they look, because a smoother surface scatters light differently. numbuzin's own two-week test measured a fall in pore area rather than in pore count. Read that as what one brand-run measurement found on its subjects, not as a promise about your face.

No, and we are not tagging it as such. Silk Extract sits twelfth on the list and Goat Milk Extract thirteenth, both animal-derived, so the formula settles the question without needing any paperwork. numbuzin publishes no vegan claim for this serum. It does say its products are never tested on animals, which is a separate matter from what is inside the bottle.

Does it contain fragrance or alcohol?

Neither one. Nothing among the twenty-eight declared entries is a parfum, a fragrance blend, an essential oil, ethanol or denatured alcohol. Preservation is handled by caprylyl glycol, ethylhexylglycerin, 1,2-hexanediol and tropolone, with disodium EDTA chelating. The entries worth a second look are the silk and goat milk extracts, which are proteins and belong on an allergy check rather than a scent one.

Where does it go in a routine?

After your toner, before anything heavier. numbuzin's own direction is to spread it evenly over the whole face and press it home, which is right for something this thin. Nothing about it is restricted to mornings or to evenings, so either slot works and using both is fine. Let it settle a moment before a cream, or before sunscreen goes on top.

Is this the renewed version?

Not the Korean one. numbuzin relaunched a reformulated No.3 serum in Korea in April 2026, adding a fermented bakuchiol on top of the existing bifida and galactomyces base. The list numbuzin publishes on its own US site today contains no bakuchiol and matches ours item for item, so this is the pre-renewal formulation. If US stock changes over, the list here changes with it.

How is it different from the No.3 toner?

They share a number and very little else. The Super Glowing Essence Toner runs to sixty-nine ingredients built around roughly fifty separate ferments and led by water. This one is twenty-eight ingredients led by two ferments at declared percentages, with squalane and an emulsifier package that make it a light milky fluid instead of a watery one. Same line, different job in the routine.

Free standard shipping to eligible countries from €71

NUMBUZIN

numbuzin No.3 Skin Softening Serum 50ml

Smooths
Hydrating
Lightweight

50ml ·€13.00

Smooths

Hydrating

Lightweight

PRODUCT DETAILS

The 3 on the bottle is not a strength and not a count of anything. numbuzin sorts its whole range by the concern each number answers: No.1 is the soothing number, No.9 the firming one, and No.3 is the pore and texture number. The carton puts the idea as a question along its side panel — what's your number?

The top of the list is where this one is unusual. Bifida Ferment Lysate is declared at 42 percent and Galactomyces Ferment Filtrate at 21 percent, and both are printed above the water, which does not turn up until fifth. Most serums lead with water. Here the two ferments are carrying most of the liquid themselves.

What follows is short enough to read in one go. Niacinamide sits sixth, squalane tenth as the emollient the name leans on, then sodium hyaluronate, panthenol and adenosine. Silk and goat milk extracts appear in the middle of the twenty-eight, which matters if you avoid animal-derived ingredients. There is no parfum, no essential oil and no alcohol.

The fluid itself is milky rather than water-clear, and spreads thin out of a glass dropper without leaving tack behind. numbuzin publishes a two-week measurement for pore area and for surface roughness; those two figures appear further down this page.

Learn more

GOES WELL WITH

BEAUTY OF JOSEON Red Bean Refreshing Pore Mask 140ml€13.00

ANUA Rice Enzyme Brightening Cleansing Powder 40g€13.00

Collagen gel mask Heartleaf jelly 35g 1ea€3.88

BEPLAIN Mung Bean Pore Clay Mask 120ml€14.98

BRMUD Recovery Mud Mask 110ml€10.98

ANUA Heartleaf Pore Control Cleansing Oil 200ml€15.00

ANUA Heartleaf Pore Control Cleansing Oil Mild 200ml€15.99

ANUA Heartleaf Quercetinol Pore Deep Cleansing Foam 150ml€10.00

Everything below is read off the declared ingredient list and numbuzin's own numbering, not off the front-of-pack promise.

Two ferments before the water
The number is a line, not a dose
Squalane where the name lands
Nothing added for scent

Key Ingredients

Abstract ivory folds and glossy rounded forms arranged on a warm peach surface with soft studio light and a gentle shadow.

Bifida Ferment Lysate

A biotechnology-derived ferment lysate used to condition skin; direct human evidence is limited to specific materials and complete formulas.

A translucent amber gel-like abstract form with small bubbles rests on a warm, speckled surface against a soft blush backdrop.

Galactomyces Ferment Filtrate

A yeast-derived ferment filtrate used as a humectant and skin conditioner to help formulas leave skin feeling hydrated, soft and smooth.

Squalane

Softens dry-feeling skin and adds slip to skin, body, hair and makeup.

Real Results

30.9%Measured pore area down at the two-week mark¹
11.4%Measured skin roughness down over the same fortnight¹

Figures published by numbuzin for this serum used on its own over two weeks. The brand states no participant count, test institute or method, and we found none on any retailer carrying the same numbers. Individual results may vary.

1. numbuzin US — No.3 Skin Softening Serum product page

One clear drop hanging from the pipette tip above the open bottle neck.

Concerns & Benefits

Your Concerns

1
Enlarged Pores
Pores across the nose and cheeks that catch the light and show through makeup.
2
Texture
Skin that reads smooth in the mirror but feels grainy under your fingertips.
3

How To Use

1After cleansing and toner, take two or three drops onto your fingertips or straight into the palm.
2Spread them evenly over the face, then press in with the flats of your fingers rather than rubbing. The fluid is thin and disappears quickly, so there is no need to work at it.
3Follow with a cream, and with sunscreen if it is daytime. Give each layer a moment to settle first.
4Keep the pipette clean, close the cap firmly, and store the bottle out of direct sun.

A wet, glossy film worked across the back of a hand, fingertips at its edge.

Frequently asked questions

What does the 3 actually mean?

It is a line number, not a percentage and not a tally of ingredients. numbuzin sorts its range by the concern each number answers, and publishes No.3 as its pore-care line: minimise how noticeable pores look, smooth rough texture. No.1 is the soothing line, No.9 the firming one. The same 3 appears on a toner, a cleansing balm and a base makeup, all with completely unrelated formulas.

Keep learning

Customer reviews

Frequently Bought Together

Buy these products together

This itemnumbuzin No.3 Skin Softening Serum 50ml€13.00

BEAUTY OF JOSEON Red Bean Refreshing Pore Mask 140ml€13.00

ANUA Rice Enzyme Brightening Cleansing Powder 40g€13.00

Total price: €39.00

This itemnumbuzin No.3 Skin Softening Serum 50ml€13.00

BEAUTY OF JOSEON Red Bean Refreshing Pore Mask 140ml€13.00

ANUA Rice Enzyme Brightening Cleansing Powder 40g€13.00

Total price: €39.00

BEAUTY OF JOSEON

BEAUTY OF JOSEON Red Bean Refreshing Pore Mask 140ml

A creamy, non-drying clay mask with kaolin and red bean powder to absorb excess oil, smooth texture and refresh the look of pores.

€13.00

ANUA

ANUA Rice Enzyme Brightening Cleansing Powder 40g

A rice and enzyme powder wash that foams with water, doubles as a wash-off mask, and leaves ceramides behind so skin never feels tight.

€13.00

ABIB

Collagen gel mask Heartleaf jelly 35g 1ea

A no-mesh hydrogel sheet of set essence, with heartleaf, centella and calamine, for a cool twenty-minute sit

€3.88

BEPLAIN

BEPLAIN Mung Bean Pore Clay Mask 120ml

A rinse-off clay mask that stays on for three to five minutes and washes away with lukewarm water

€14.98

BRMUD

BRMUD Recovery Mud Mask 110ml

A creamy 30% Boryeong mud wash-off mask that lifts excess oil and buildup for smoother-looking, refreshed skin.

€10.98

ANUA

ANUA Heartleaf Pore Control Cleansing Oil 200ml

A lightweight, emulsifying first-cleanse oil with heartleaf and plant oils for makeup, sunscreen and daily buildup.

€15.00

ANUA

ANUA Heartleaf Pore Control Cleansing Oil Mild 200ml

The fragrance-free half of ANUA's heartleaf cleansing oil pair — twelve ingredients, no added perfume, and a milky rinse.

€15.99

ANUA

ANUA Heartleaf Quercetinol Pore Deep Cleansing Foam 150ml

An airy daily cleansing foam that lifts pore buildup and excess oil while leaving skin feeling fresh, soft, and comfortable.

€10.00

numbuzin No.3 Skin Softening Serum 50ml | Sleepy Hello

NUMBUZIN

numbuzin No.3 Skin Softening Serum 50ml

Smooths
Hydrating
Lightweight

numbuzin No.3 Skin Softening Serum 50ml

50ml ·€13.00

Smooths

Hydrating

Lightweight

PRODUCT DETAILS

Learn more

GOES WELL WITH

BEAUTY OF JOSEON Red Bean Refreshing Pore Mask 140ml€13.00

ANUA Rice Enzyme Brightening Cleansing Powder 40g€13.00

Collagen gel mask Heartleaf jelly 35g 1ea€3.88

BEPLAIN Mung Bean Pore Clay Mask 120ml€14.98

BRMUD Recovery Mud Mask 110ml€10.98

ANUA Heartleaf Pore Control Cleansing Oil 200ml€15.00

ANUA Heartleaf Pore Control Cleansing Oil Mild 200ml€15.99

ANUA Heartleaf Quercetinol Pore Deep Cleansing Foam 150ml€10.00

Everything below is read off the declared ingredient list and numbuzin's own numbering, not off the front-of-pack promise.

Two ferments before the water
The number is a line, not a dose
Squalane where the name lands
Nothing added for scent