Anua PDRN cream review: a light daily moisturizer to buy before the serum
Updated October 22, 2026
Anua PDRN Hyaluronic Acid 100 Moisturizing Cream is worth buying if you want a light, fragrance-free daily moisturizer for skin that feels tight or short on water, and it costs $15.99 for 60 ml (out of stock at Sleepy Hello when checked). Buy it for the moisturizing base (squalane, glycerin, niacinamide and ten forms of hyaluronic acid) rather than for the PDRN, which Anua puts at 100 ppm, or 0.01% of the formula.
If you only want one product from Anua's PDRN line, make it this cream. Add the PDRN Capsule 100 Serum only if your skin still feels tight after moisturizer; the toner, pads and mist are optional extras with different jobs.
This is a researched review of current US brand and retailer information, checked October 2026. We haven't worn or tested the product; texture descriptions are Anua's, and the buying advice comes from comparing formulas, directions, sizes and prices across the line.
What is PDRN in skincare?
PDRN stands for polydeoxyribonucleotide: short, purified fragments of DNA, usually taken from salmon. On a cosmetic ingredient list it appears as , which is how it shows up in this cream, tenth on the label. says its PDRN is derived from salmon DNA.
Much of PDRN's reputation comes from Korean clinics, where practitioners inject it under the skin. A cream is a different thing. Applied to the surface, Sodium DNA is classed as a skin-conditioning ingredient, and the cosmetic claims made for it are about moisture and a smoother, plumper look, not the results people describe after clinic procedures.
The amount matters too. PPM means parts per million, so 100 ppm is 0.01%. In a 60 ml jar, that works out to roughly six milligrams of PDRN in total. Small amounts of conditioning ingredients are normal in skincare, so that isn't a flaw. It does mean the moisture you feel comes mostly from the rest of the formula.
What's in Anua PDRN Hyaluronic Acid 100 Moisturizing Cream?
The ingredient list starts with water, squalane, glycerin, hydrolyzed collagen, 1,2-hexanediol, methylpropanediol, ethylhexylglycerin, niacinamide, butylene glycol and sodium DNA. In plain terms:
Squalane is a lightweight emollient, an oil that softens skin and adds slip without a greasy feel. It is the only oil in the formula.
Glycerin, butylene glycol, methylpropanediol and diglycerin are humectants: they hold water in the top layers of skin.
Hydrolyzed collagen is collagen broken into small pieces. It conditions the skin surface; it doesn't replace the collagen in your skin.
Niacinamide (vitamin B3) is a common skin-conditioning ingredient. Anua doesn't publish its percentage.
Sodium DNA is the PDRN.
After the PDRN, a run of ingredients builds texture. Carbomer and acrylate polymers make the gel-cream body, two silicones (diphenylsiloxy phenyl trimethicone and PCA dimethicone) give the slip, and behenyl alcohol and C14-22 alcohols are fatty alcohols that help the cream hold together. They aren't the drying kind of alcohol, and there's no ethanol on the label.
Mid-list come plant extracts: neem leaf and flower, ivy gourd, eggplant, aloe flower, holy basil, a red alga and turmeric root. After them sit ten forms of hyaluronic acid, from plain sodium hyaluronate to hydrolyzed and crosspolymer forms. Anua's figure, as given on our listing, is 3% hyaluronic acid, but the brand doesn't say how that splits across the forms. Brands combine several because they differ in molecule size and in how they sit on and in the skin's surface layers. Near the end are adenosine and three centella compounds: madecassoside, asiaticoside and centella asiatica leaf extract.
What isn't there is just as useful. The ingredient list includes no fragrance or parfum, and Sleepy Hello's listing describes the cream as fragrance-free. There are no exfoliating acids, no retinoids and no ceramides. Anua labels it non-comedogenic and free of artificial color, and its own site lists it as cruelty-free. Because the PDRN is salmon-derived, it isn't a vegan cream.
Is Anua PDRN cream good?
Yes, for a specific reader: someone who wants a light, fragrance-free moisturizer that stays comfortable under sunscreen or makeup, at a modest price. Anua describes the texture as lightweight and fast-absorbing with a smooth, non-sticky, silky finish, and says it's designed not to pill under makeup. Sleepy Hello's listing gives it for all skin types.
Our take is that this is a well-built hydrating gel-cream first and a PDRN product second. The formula leans on humectants and hyaluronic acid with one light oil, so it suits dehydrated skin (tight, flat-looking, short on water) more than dry skin (rough, flaky, short on oil). If your cheeks need a thick, cushiony layer by evening, a richer ceramide cream is a better match.
Anua publishes its own measured results, including hydration lasting up to 100 hours and an up to 10.8% improvement in a moisture-plumping measure. Its page doesn't describe the test conditions, so read those as the brand's figures rather than a prediction for your face.
At $15.99 for 60 ml at Sleepy Hello, checked October 2026, the cream works out to about $0.27 per ml. The Anua PDRN Hyaluronic Acid 100 Moisturizing Cream, 60 ml was out of stock when we checked; its product page has a notify-me button for when it returns.
Anua PDRN cream vs capsule serum: which should you buy first?
Buy the cream first. Every routine needs a moisturizer, while a hydrating serum is optional. The Anua PDRN Hyaluronic Acid Capsule 100 Serum, 30 ml is the better first buy only if you already own a moisturizer you like and want more hydration underneath it.
The two share a core. Anua's figures, as given on our listings, put both at 100 ppm PDRN and 3% hyaluronic acid, and both contain niacinamide, hydrolyzed collagen, adenosine and most of the same plant extracts. The serum lists eight hyaluronic acid forms to the cream's ten.
The difference is the base. The serum is a water-based, oil-free gel that starts with water, butylene glycol, propanediol, glycerin and hydrolyzed hyaluronic acid, and it adds glutathione. Anua says its emerald tint comes from the ingredients. It has no squalane and none of the cream's silicones or fatty alcohols, so on its own it doesn't do a moisturizer's job of softening skin and holding the water in.
On price, the serum is $19.99 for 30 ml, about $0.67 per ml, which is more than twice the cream per ml. The pair costs $35.98 together.
Pick the cream if you need a moisturizer, want just one product, or have oily or combination skin that's happy with a light layer.
Pick the serum if your current moisturizer is fine but your skin still feels tight by midday, or you want the dewy finish Anua describes.
Pick both if your skin is dehydrated and you like a two-step routine: serum after toner, cream on top.
Do you need the PDRN toner, pads or mist too?
No. They do different jobs, and the cream doesn't depend on any of them. Choose one only if it replaces a step you already use.
The Anua PDRN 100 Hyaluronic Acid Booster Toner, 250 ml is a watery after-cleansing toner, patted on with fingertips or swept on with a cotton pad. At $16.99 for 250 ml it's the cheapest per ml in the line, about 7 cents. Its listing mentions gentle exfoliating ingredients, but the full list isn't printed on our product page, so check the box if you're avoiding acids. If you already use a hydrating toner such as Anua Heartleaf 77, you don't need a second one.
The Anua PDRN 100 Hyaluronic Acid Glow Pad, 60 pads costs $16.99, about 28 cents a pad. Each pad has a gel side you leave on for five minutes as a mini mask and a fabric side for a gentle wipe, and the formula adds hydroxyethyl urea, Kakadu plum extract and peptides. Anua suggests new users start once a day in the evening. It's a mask-and-wipe step, not a moisturizer.
The Anua PDRN Hyaluronic Acid Hydrating Capsule Mist, 100 ml is $19.99, about $0.20 per ml. It's an oil-in-essence spray with the highest stated PDRN in the line, 2,000 ppm, plus three hyaluronic acid forms. Use it after cleansing as a toner-like step or as a light top-up over makeup; it doesn't replace cream.
Is Anua PDRN cream fungal acne safe?
Probably, on an ingredient screen: we found none of the groups that community fungal-acne checkers usually flag (fatty acids, most fatty esters, polysorbates, most plant oils and fermented ingredients) on this cream's ingredient list. Anua doesn't label it fungal-acne safe, though, and no official standard for that label exists. Squalane, its one oil, is generally listed as acceptable by those checkers.
One entry is borderline. Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, one of the thickening polymers, is flagged by some checkers and rated acceptable by others, so if you paste the list into a checker you may see a flag for it. The capsule serum is a clearer case: its list includes glyceryl oleate and polyglyceryl-6 laurate, esters those checkers often flag.
Two cautions. An ingredient check is a screening habit, not a test, and the cream can still disagree with your skin for other reasons. And "fungal acne" is the common name for small, itchy, uniform bumps linked to yeast that look like breakouts but behave differently. If you suspect it, see a dermatologist, because no moisturizer will settle it.
How do you use Anua PDRN Hyaluronic Acid cream?
Use it as the last skincare step, morning and evening. Anua's directions are:
After toner and serum, dispense an appropriate amount and spread it evenly over your face.
Gently pat the cream in and let it absorb.
During the day, finish with sunscreen.
Anua doesn't specify an amount. A pea- to almond-sized amount is a sensible starting point for the whole face; add a little more on drier areas rather than layering thickly everywhere. Give it a minute to settle before sunscreen or makeup, which helps the polymers set and makes pilling less likely.
A simple routine around it: cleanser, an optional toner, the capsule serum if you want it, the cream, then SPF in the morning. Nothing in the formula is an exfoliating acid or a retinoid, so it sits comfortably after stronger steps such as a retinol serum at night. When you start it, add it on its own rather than alongside several new products, so you can tell what's doing what.
Quick answers
What does the 100 mean in the name?
Anua doesn't explain the number. It lines up with the 100 ppm of PDRN listed for the cream (and the capsule serum), and also with the brand's 100-hour hydration claim.
Is Anua PDRN cream vegan?
No. Anua says the PDRN is derived from salmon DNA, and the brand doesn't publish the source of the hydrolyzed collagen.
Does Anua PDRN cream contain fragrance?
The ingredient list includes no fragrance or parfum. It does contain plant extracts such as neem, holy basil and turmeric root, so read the full list if you avoid specific botanicals.
Is Anua PDRN cream good for oily skin?
It can be. Sleepy Hello's listing gives it for all skin types, Anua describes a lightweight, non-sticky finish, and squalane is the only oil. If even a light cream feels like too much, use a thinner layer through the center of your face.
Is it rich enough for dry skin?
For mildly dry skin, probably. For skin that flakes or feels rough, it has no ceramides or butters, so you may want a richer cream at night.
Torriden Dive-In Soothing Cream is the lighter gel for oily and combination skin; the Dive-In Cream adds oils for drier skin. Formulas, use and prices.
