Criteria for Choosing Tranexamic Acid: How to Properly Understand Brightening Ingredients

Tranexamic acid is frequently seen on cosmetic ingredient lists, but it's an ingredient that's genuinely confusing when it comes to 'what criteria should be used to choose it.' Rather than choosing based on the name alone, it's necessary to develop the habit of checking the registration status, the concentration used, and any supporting ingredients included.

The Role and Mechanism of Tranexamic Acid

Tranexamic acid was originally used for hemostatic purposes, but when applied to the skin, it is known to potentially help care for dullness or uneven tone caused by pigmentation, which is why it is used as a brightening functional ingredient.

However, it's difficult to say that all products containing tranexamic acid produce the same effect. The range of expected benefits differs depending on whether the product has passed the functional cosmetics review by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety and is registered as 'brightening,' or whether it simply lists the ingredient as present.

4 Criteria to Check When Choosing a Product

First, check whether it's registered as a functional cosmetic. Confirming whether the product has been reported to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety as a brightening functional product on the packaging or product page is the clearest criterion.

Second, check whether tranexamic acid is used alone or combined with other brightening ingredients like niacinamide or arbutin. Products with combined formulations often take a broader approach to skin texture and tone care.

Third, check the soothing and moisturizing ingredients included alongside it. Since tranexamic acid is focused on brightening, it's good to check whether supporting ingredients that also care for the barrier and hydration, such as panthenol, ceramides, or allantoin, are included.

Fourth, your skin's condition. If your skin is sensitive or its barrier is weakened, such as right after a procedure, soothing and moisturizing should take priority over whitening ingredients. Applying whitening products on irritated skin can actually destabilize its condition.

The order differs before and after a procedure — soothing and moisturizing come first

Right after a lifting or skin booster procedure, the skin barrier is temporarily weakened, so it is safer to prioritize soothing and moisturizing care rather than immediately using functional whitening products like tranexamic acid.

The first 1 to 3 days after a procedure are a period when redness and warmth remain, and from day 4 onward, as redness subsides, the skin moves into a recovery phase where inner tightness becomes more noticeable. Understanding this flow makes it easier to judge which products to apply and when. Starting whitening care such as tranexamic acid after this recovery flow has stabilized ultimately puts less burden on the skin.

Step-by-step home care routine

In the first 1 to 3 days right after a procedure, the priority is to care for the skin as if covering it with a low-irritation soothing cream. Applying it thickly and letting it absorb without rubbing can help.

During the recovery phase from day 4 onward, redness has subsided but inner tightness and fine flaking are more likely to appear, so it's good to shift to care focused on deep moisturizing.

Once your skin condition has stabilized, if tone care is needed, it is recommended to gradually add functional whitening products such as tranexamic acid and niacinamide in stages.

Home care determines recovery after a procedure

ABJU Cream is a 2-STEP formula tailored to the post-procedure recovery flow. In the first 1 to 3 days right after a procedure, when redness and warmth remain, the Ultra Cera-Rich Cream, formulated with 5 types of ceramides, can help soothe redness and care for the barrier. From day 4 onward, during the recovery phase when redness subsides and inner tightness begins, the Hydro Re-Boosting Cream can help with deep moisturizing and skin texture care. If you're planning whitening care such as tranexamic acid, it is recommended to stabilize this recovery stage first before incorporating it.