Table of Contents
numbuzin is a Korean skincare brand from the company Benow (also written Binow), and its products are named by number: No.1, No.2, No.3 and so on. A common first pick is the No.3 Super Glowing Essence Toner. For skin that feels stressed or oily, start with the No.1 Pure-full Calming Herb Toner. For dull or uneven-looking skin, the brand positions the No.5+ Vitamin Concentrated Serum.
The numbering is the first thing people ask about, and the answer is practical: each number groups products that share a theme, so you can build a routine inside one number or mix across them. This guide sorts the products in our shop by number and step. For how toners, essences and serums differ, read Serum vs Essence vs Ampoule and Korean toner types.
At Daebak, a Seoul-based Korean culture and product company, product details come from each numbuzin product page and the brand's descriptions; the company facts come from the sources at the end. Patch test any new product, and stop if your skin reacts.
The company in brief
KoreaTechDesk reported in August 2025 that Benow was founded in 2018 by Lee Il-joo and Kim Dae-young, former Amorepacific colleagues, and that it runs the skincare brand numbuzin and the color cosmetics line fwee. The same report gave Benow's revenue as 6.6 billion won in 2020 and 266.4 billion won in 2024, and said more than 70 percent of sales came from overseas, including the United States, Japan and Southeast Asia. Earlier, the Maeil Business Newspaper's magazine reported in October 2024 that numbuzin was listed on Olive Young in 2021, that Benow's 2023 sales were 114.5 billion won, up 93 percent, and that numbuzin was among Olive Young's top ten brands by sales that year. In October 2026, the Financial News (Korea) reported Benow's 2025 sales at 325 billion won and credited growth in fwee.
The Korea JoongAng Daily reported in November 2024 that CJ Olive Young said brands that had entered the retailer less than five years earlier, such as numbuzin, Biodance and VT, ranked high on foreign shoppers' purchase lists during the August and September sales period.
Which numbuzin product for what
| You want | Start with | The brand describes it as |
|---|---|---|
| A rich essence toner | No.3 Super Glowing Essence Toner | Niacinamide, hyaluronic acid and many fermented ingredients for a smoother-looking, more radiant complexion |
| A lightweight serum from the same line | No.3 Skin Softening Serum | Bifida ferment lysate and galactomyces ferment filtrate |
| A calming, watery toner | No.1 Pure-full Calming Herb Toner | 93% herbal ingredients including centella and heartleaf; fragrance-free, non-comedogenic |
| A soothing cream | No.1 Pantothenic B5 Active Soothing Cream | A daily cream or sleeping mask with pantothenic acid and niacinamide |
| A brightening serum | No.5+ Vitamin Concentrated Serum | Glutathione, niacinamide, vitamin C and tranexamic acid for dull, uneven-looking skin |
| A plumping serum | No.2 Rose PDRN Collagen Plumping Serum | A rose jelly serum with 5% Rose PDRN, 63% collagen water and peptides |
| A cleansing balm | No.3 Pore & Makeup Cleansing Balm | A sherbet-textured balm with green tea and charcoal |
| A sunscreen | No.1 Clear Filter Sun Essence | An SPF50+ PA++++ essence-texture sunscreen with no noticeable white cast |
numbuzin No.3 Super Glowing Essence Toner. See details.
No.3: the fermented line
The Super Glowing Essence Toner is a rich essence toner. The brand's directions are to apply with a cotton pad, sweeping from the center outward, or to pour it into your hands and pat it in. Its ingredient list is dominated by ferments (bifida, rice, chlorella, grape, soybean, ginseng root and many more) alongside niacinamide and sodium hyaluronate, and it also lists geranium oil, geraniol and citronellol, so check the full list if you react to fragrance ingredients. The Skin Softening Serum is applied after cleansing, patted in along the texture of the skin.
No.1: the calming line
The Calming Herb Toner is described as a low-pH, watery toner for skin that feels stressed or oily; the brand says it can be soaked into a cotton pad and placed on irritated areas. The Pantothenic B5 Soothing Cream can be used as a daily moisturizer or as a sleeping mask. For what heartleaf and centella do in a routine, see Heartleaf in Korean Skincare. The Clear Filter Sun Essence belongs to the same number; our Korean sunscreen guide explains how to apply Korean sunscreens.
numbuzin No.1 Pure-full Calming Herb Toner. See details.
No.5+ and No.2: brightening and plumping
The No.5+ Vitamin Concentrated Serum contains glutathione, niacinamide, vitamin C and tranexamic acid. The brand's directions are to apply after cleansing and toning, then follow with moisturizer and sunscreen in the daytime. Because it combines several brightening ingredients, introduce it slowly. Our vitamin C guide explains how Korean vitamin C products fit a routine.
The No.2 Rose PDRN Collagen Plumping Serum is applied as 2 to 3 pumps and patted in, layering on areas that need extra volume, per the brand.
Cleansing
The No.3 Pore & Makeup Cleansing Balm is applied to dry skin, massaged, emulsified with a little water, and rinsed with lukewarm water. For how balms compare with oils, see Cleansing Oil vs Cleansing Balm.
How to choose
- First numbuzin product: the No.3 Super Glowing Essence Toner for a rich toner, or the No.1 Calming Herb Toner for a light one.
- Sensitive or oily skin: read the ingredient list first; the No.1 toner is fragrance-free, while the No.3 toner lists fragrance-type ingredients.
- Building a routine: choose one number for the toner and serum rather than mixing several new actives at once. For the general order, see the Korean skincare routine.
numbuzin products in our shop are brand-shipped. For a seasonal mix chosen for you, the Daebak K-Beauty Box is a separate, curated option. Browse the full range in the numbuzin collection.
FAQ
What do the numbers in numbuzin mean?
They group products by line: No.1 is the calming and soothing line in our shop, No.2 the collagen and PDRN line, No.3 the fermented line, and No.5 the vitamin line. Each line has its own toner, serum or mask.
Which numbuzin product should I try first?
The No.3 Super Glowing Essence Toner is the usual first pick; the No.1 Calming Herb Toner suits skin that feels stressed.
Who owns numbuzin?
Benow (Binow), a Korean company founded in 2018. It also runs the makeup brand fwee.
Is numbuzin sold at Olive Young?
Yes. According to the Maeil Business Newspaper it was listed on Olive Young in 2021 and was a top-ten Olive Young brand by sales in 2023.
Can I use the No.5 serum with the No.3 toner?
They can be layered, but introduce one new product at a time and follow the directions on each pack.
Sources
- K-Beauty Startup BENOW Eyes IPO After Unicorn Valuation (KoreaTechDesk, August 2025)
- Mega brands: sweeping the US and Japan, 100 billion won sales at Olive Young (Maeil Business Newspaper via Daum, October 2024, Korean)
- Little-known brands enter spotlight as K-beauty reaches new global markets (Korea JoongAng Daily, November 2024)
- Beyond Skincare, Color Cosmetics Next... K-beauty Expands Its Global Reach (Financial News, October 2026)
