Anua PDRN Capsule Serum vs Medicube PDRN Pink Peptide Serum: which PDRN serum?
Updated October 22, 2026
Choose Anua's PDRN Hyaluronic Acid Capsule 100 Serum if hydration is the goal: it is an oil-free gel built on 3% hyaluronic acid in eight forms, it states its PDRN amount (100 ppm), and its ingredient list has no fragrance entry. Choose Medicube's PDRN Pink Peptide Serum if your skin runs dry or you are shopping for the firmness story, because it adds emollients, five peptides and a higher-listed PDRN for one dollar more.
Neither label proves a stronger dose of PDRN, and both are hydrating serums that go after toner and before moisturizer. If your skin is oily and you like the Medicube formula, its Ultra Light version is the third option worth a look.
This is a researched comparison of current US brand and retailer information, checked October 2026. We haven't worn or tested either serum; texture descriptions are the brands', and the buying advice comes from comparing formulas, directions, sizes and prices.
What is PDRN in Korean skincare?
PDRN (polydeoxyribonucleotide) is a mix of DNA fragments, and on a cosmetic ingredient list it appears as Sodium DNA. Both serums here use a salmon-derived version. In skincare it is classed as a skin-conditioning ingredient, and brands use it to market a smoother, plumper, bouncier look.
The name became famous in Korea through clinic procedures, where PDRN is injected. A serum is a different thing: it sits on the surface at a small concentration, next to humectants that do most of the immediate hydrating work. Anua publishes its amount, 100 ppm, which is 0.01% of the formula. Medicube doesn't publish its amount.
So read "PDRN" on a serum as one conditioning ingredient among many, not as a promise of clinic-style results. And because both formulas use salmon DNA and hydrolyzed collagen, neither serum is vegan.
What is the difference between Anua PDRN serum and Medicube PDRN serum?
The short version: Anua is a hyaluronic acid serum with PDRN, and Medicube is a peptide-and-emollient serum with PDRN.
Anua PDRN Hyaluronic Acid Capsule 100 Serum, 30 ml starts with water, butylene glycol, propanediol and glycerin (humectants, which draw in and hold water), then hydrolyzed hyaluronic acid, 1,2-hexanediol and niacinamide. Next come glyceryl oleate, lauryl glucoside, myristyl glucoside, polyglyceryl-6 laurate and hydrogenated lecithin, which are emulsifier and carrier ingredients. Further down sit glutathione, hydrolyzed collagen, adenosine, Sodium DNA and the rest of the eight hyaluronic acid forms that Anua says add up to 3%. Anua says the emerald tint comes from the ingredients, and the list includes no fragrance.
Medicube PDRN Pink Peptide Serum, 30 ml starts with water, glycerin, dipropylene glycol, isopropyl myristate (an emollient ester that softens and adds slip), glycereth-26 (a humectant), niacinamide, 1,2-hexanediol and then Sodium DNA in eighth place. Polyisobutene, another emollient, follows soon after. Near the end are five peptides: palmitoyl pentapeptide-4, palmitoyl tripeptide-1, palmitoyl tetrapeptide-7, copper tripeptide-1 and acetyl hexapeptide-8. It also includes adenosine, sodium hyaluronate, hydrolyzed collagen, ubiquinone, milt extract and salmon egg extract. The pink color comes from cyanocobalamin (vitamin B12), and Medicube says it shouldn't stain skin.
Two cautions when reading these lists. Sodium DNA sits much higher in Medicube's list, but ingredients under 1% can be listed in any order, so position alone doesn't prove Medicube contains more; Anua's 100 ppm is far below that line. And both share the same plant cluster (neem leaf and flower, holy basil, turmeric root and coralline algae extracts), so the real separators are Anua's hyaluronic acid load against Medicube's emollients and peptides.
On fragrance, the Sleepy Hello page for the Medicube serum says this salmon-DNA version contains fragrance, although the ingredient list shown there has no separate fragrance entry. If you avoid fragrance, check the carton before opening.
For firmness shoppers, adenosine, which Korean brands often use in wrinkle-care formulas, appears in both. Medicube's peptides are the extra behind its firm-looking claims; peptide percentages aren't published.
Directions are close. Anua says to pat a few drops in after toner, morning and evening, before moisturizer, with SPF 30 or higher in the day and two or three layers at night for extra hydration; it describes a water-based, oil-free gel with a dewy finish. Medicube says to press two to three drops into the face and neck after toning, before moisturizer, adding thin layers for more hydration; the product description calls it moisturizing without being a cream.
What are the capsules in Anua's PDRN serum?
Anua says the serum uses "microcapsule technology" in a capsule-serum delivery system, but it doesn't publish what is inside the capsules or what they are made of. The ingredient list offers a clue: hydrogenated lecithin, glyceryl oleate, polyglyceryl-6 laurate and two glucosides are the kind of ingredients commonly used to build tiny lipid carriers, though Anua doesn't confirm the structure.
The product's published figures are modest. Against the same formula without capsule technology, they report a 3.1% improvement in absorption rate and depth within the skin's outer layer and a 1.7% improvement in absorption ratio after 30 minutes. Those are brand-side results, not independent tests.
Our take: the capsules are a delivery detail. Buy this serum for the hyaluronic acid formula and the oil-free texture.
Which PDRN serum is better for dry skin?
Medicube's original is the better match for dry skin on paper, because it pairs humectants with emollients: isopropyl myristate and polyisobutene add the softness a water-based gel lacks, and the product description positions it for dry, dull or uneven-looking skin. Anua's serum hydrates with 3% hyaluronic acid, but it is oil-free, so on dry skin it depends on the moisturizer you put over it.
Either way, the cream is the step that keeps dry skin comfortable through the day, not the serum. If you choose Anua, the matching Anua PDRN Hyaluronic Acid 100 Moisturizing Cream, 60 ml uses the same 100 ppm PDRN and 3% hyaluronic acid with squalane second in its list, which adds the emollient layer the serum leaves out. It is $15.99 for 60 ml, and it was out of stock at Sleepy Hello when checked in October 2026; the page offers a back-in-stock email.
For oily or combination skin the order flips. Anua's oil-free gel is the lighter of the two originals, and Medicube PDRN Pink Peptide Serum Ultra Light, 30 ml is the brand's own lighter answer: a watery version with ceramide NP and cholesterol that Medicube describes as non-sticky and made without artificial fragrance or colorants.
Can you use a PDRN serum with retinol or vitamin C?
Yes. Neither serum contains retinol, vitamin C or exfoliating acids (the citric acid in Anua's list is a pH adjuster), so each adds hydration rather than a second strong active. Medicube's directions say to introduce the combination gradually when you pair it with vitamin C, retinoids or other strong actives, and that is sensible advice for both.
A simple way to fit them in:
Morning: cleanse, toner, vitamin C serum, then the PDRN serum, moisturizer and sunscreen. Watery vitamin C serums usually go first; if yours is an oil or cream, put the PDRN serum on before it.
Evening: cleanse, toner, retinol as its own directions say, then the PDRN serum or straight to moisturizer.
Start the active alone first, then add the PDRN serum, so you know which product caused any reaction.
One extra note for Medicube: its formula includes copper tripeptide-1. Some people prefer not to layer copper peptides with pure vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid) in the same routine, and the easy workaround is vitamin C in the morning and the Medicube serum at night. Medicube doesn't publish guidance on that pairing. Our Korean retinol guide and Korean vitamin C serum guide cover the actives side.
Which PDRN serum is better value?
Anua is slightly better value: $19.99 for 30 ml at Sleepy Hello, about $0.67 per ml, against $20.99 for 30 ml for Medicube, about $0.70 per ml, both checked October 2026. Medicube's Ultra Light is the cheapest of the three at $18.99 for 30 ml, about $0.63 per ml. The gap is small, so choose on formula.
Anua is the one that publishes its PDRN and hyaluronic acid amounts; Medicube puts peptides and emollients in the same bottle, which may let dry skin get by with a lighter moisturizer.
Pick Anua if:
you want an oil-free, hyaluronic-acid-first hydrating serum
you want published PDRN (100 ppm) and hyaluronic acid (3%) figures
you prefer an ingredient list with no fragrance entry
you might add the matching Anua PDRN cream later
Pick Medicube PDRN Pink Peptide Serum if:
your skin runs dry and you want more cushion from the serum itself
you are shopping for the peptide, firm-looking story
you like a serum that can double as a light first moisturizing layer
Pick Medicube Ultra Light if your skin is oily or combination, your summers are humid, or you want the Medicube formula without artificial fragrance.
The labels can't settle it. Anua publishes 100 ppm (0.01%) PDRN; Medicube doesn't publish an amount, and list position below 1% isn't a measurement.
Can you use the Anua and Medicube PDRN serums together?
You can, but there's little reason to. Both are hydrating serums with PDRN, niacinamide and adenosine, so one serum layered twice on dry nights does the same job for less.
Are PDRN serums vegan?
Not these two. Both use salmon-derived Sodium DNA and hydrolyzed collagen, and the Medicube original also lists milt extract and salmon egg extract.
Will the pink or green serum stain skin?
Medicube says the pink color comes from vitamin B12 and shouldn't stain skin. Anua says its emerald tint comes from its ingredients rather than added color.
Can you use a PDRN serum every day?
Yes. Both brands' directions allow use morning and evening, after toner and before moisturizer, with sunscreen as the last step in the day.
Medicube Pink Peptide is our all-round PDRN serum pick; COSRX 5 PDRN is the best value at $0.17/ml. Six Korean formulas compared by source, texture, price.
Use vitamin C serum in the morning after toner, before moisturizer and SPF. See whether it pairs with niacinamide, retinol and snail mucin, by formula.
How to use azelaic acid: apply after toner on dry skin, start once or twice a week and finish with SPF. Compare Anua, Medicube and Centellian24 10% serums.
Anua PDRN vs Medicube PDRN Serum: Which to Choose | Sleepy Hello
