Introducing IUNIK Unique Lab: A Higher-Performance Serum Line, Built for Sensitive Skin
There's an assumption baked into most of skincare that the more effective a product is, the more it will cost your barrier. Higher percentages of actives, stronger formulations, more visible results and the trade-off is stinging, redness, purging, the "beauty is pain" cycle that's been sold as evidence the product is working.
That trade-off isn't inevitable. It's a formulation limitation, not a law of nature. And it's the specific problem the new IUNIK Unique Lab line is built to solve.
Three serums, three different concerns, one shared logic: higher performance without asking your barrier to pay the price. Here's what the line is, what makes it different from anything else in the IUNIK range, and which serum is right for which reader.
High Performance, Better Standard, Built for Sensitive Skin
IUNIK Unique Lab is the new higher-active tier within the IUNIK range. Where the main IUNIK line is built around gentle, everyday, barrier-supportive skincare — beta-glucan, Centella, propolis — Unique Lab pushes into more concentrated actives without abandoning the sensitive-skin tolerance that defines the brand.
Three things tie the three new serums together:
- PDRN is the throughline. Polydeoxyribonucleotide — clinically supported for skin regeneration, barrier repair, and cellular renewal — is currently one of the most talked-about ingredients in Korean skincare. Each of the three Unique Lab serums uses a different natural PDRN source (Lactobacillus, Narcissus, Grape), targeting the specific concern the rest of the formula addresses.
- Every formula is derma-tested and EVE Vegan certified. Hyposensitive, no-tears, five-star rated. This isn't optional sensitive-skin positioning — it's built into the development standard for every product in the line.
- Each serum leads with a clinically documented hero active. 12% azelaic acid. 2% tranexamic acid with 10% niacinamide. 5% Volufiline™. These aren't marketing percentages — they're the concentrations at which each active has been shown to work in clinical settings, held together in formulas designed to make them tolerable for skin that hasn't been able to use these percentages in other products.
The line launches with three serums. Each will get a dedicated deep-dive in the coming weeks. What follows is an introduction to the whole line — what each serum does, who it's for, and how to know which one belongs in your routine.
Azelaic Acid Lacto PDRN Serum
For: redness, sensitivity, oily-and-reactive skin, barrier compromise
Azelaic acid at 12% is one of the most well-documented actives for skin that runs red, reactive, and prone to breakouts at the same time, the profile that's traditionally hardest to treat, because most anti-redness products don't clear congestion and most anti-congestion products aggravate reactivity.
The Azelaic Acid Lacto PDRN Serum leads with 12% sunflower-derived azelaic acid, a plant-sourced version of the active that addresses redness, uneven texture, and excess sebum through a single mechanism. Paired with PDRN derived from five Lactobacillus strains, which soothes and reinforces the barrier while the azelaic acid does the corrective work.
The rest of the formula is built to support tolerance:
- Ceramide, beta-glucan, and panthenol deliver the barrier-support layer
- Dual zinc (Zinc PCA + Zinc Hyaluronate) controls sebum while boosting hydration — the two things congested skin usually has to choose between
- Amino NMF Complex maintains the skin's natural moisture balance
- Lightweight, watery texture despite the 12% azelaic — no stickiness, no heaviness, wearable for daily use
Clinical results include improved skin texture, enhanced deep hydration, balanced oil-moisture levels, strengthened barrier resilience, reduced pore count and size, and calming of visible reactivity.
Who this is for: anyone dealing with the redness-and-breakouts combination that traditional treatments make worse. Anyone who's tried azelaic acid before and couldn't tolerate the format. Anyone with reactive, sensitive, or barrier-compromised skin who wants results without irritation.
How to introduce it: 1-2 times per week initially, 1-2 drops. After adjustment, twice daily (morning and evening), maximum 5 drops. Apply after toner.
TXA Niacinamide Narcissus PDRN Serum
For: dark spots, uneven tone, dullness, hyperpigmentation, post-inflammatory marks
If you've been searching for a brightening serum that doesn't sting, oxidise, or interact badly with the rest of your routine, this is the answer. The TXA Niacinamide Narcissus PDRN Serum is built around a three-step toning system that addresses tone unevenness at every layer:
- Tranexamic Acid (TXA) at 2% targets dark spots and blemishes at the source — a next-generation toning ingredient with clinical support for addressing the root cause of hyperpigmentation rather than just the surface appearance
- Niacinamide at 10% helps even overall tone for a clearer, more balanced complexion — well-tolerated at this concentration, with documented efficacy for barrier support alongside the brightening work
- Narcissus-derived PDRN improves overall skin condition for a lit-from-within radiance
The formula includes a 3X Glow Capsule at 20,000ppm — a concentrated brightening complex combining glutathione, kojic acid, and ubiquinone. These three ingredients together handle brightness through multiple pathways at once: glutathione's antioxidant work, kojic acid's melanin inhibition, and ubiquinone's cellular energy support.
Supporting ingredients round out the rest: Tremella fuciformis polysaccharides for deep hydration, phyto water (peat water) with a natural organic acid complex for oil-moisture balance, and a bouncy, skin-hugging texture that melts into the skin without weight.
Clinical results include improved skin tone and brightness, reduced hyperpigmentation appearance, targeting of both surface and deep melasma, reduced melanin concentration, enhanced radiance and translucency, and refined pore count and depth.
Who this is for: anyone with hyperpigmentation, melasma, or uneven tone. Anyone who's tried L-ascorbic acid and given up because of the stinging. Anyone whose brightening routine has been blocked by sensitivity to traditional vitamin C. Anyone dealing with the post-inflammatory marks that summer breakouts leave behind.
How to introduce it: apply after toner, morning and/or evening. The formula is stable and non-acidic, so it layers with the rest of your routine without incompatibility.
Volufiline Grape PDRN Serum
For: firming, elasticity, fine lines, loss of density, sagging
The anti-aging serum that doesn't need to be aggressive to work.
The Volufiline Grape PDRN Serum leads with 5% Volufiline™ — a 100% French-origin Sederma ingredient powered by Sarsaparilla root, clinically shown to plump skin from within and restore elasticity over time. The rest of the formula is built around it:
- Black Sapphire Grape-derived PDRN works to regenerate skin and stimulate collagen for visibly denser, bouncier skin
- Bakuchiol — the babchi-seed-derived retinol alternative that targets fine lines and firmness loss without the irritation, dryness, or sun sensitivity that traditional retinol creates
- Six peptides (Acetyl Hexapeptide-8, Copper Tripeptide-1, Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4, Acetyl Tetrapeptide-5, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1) support collagen formation for smoother, firmer-looking skin
- Soft glow texture — fast-absorbing, deeply hydrating, dewy rather than dry-matte
Clinical results include improved appearance of fine lines around the eyes, enhanced surface and deep skin elasticity, lifting improvement for sagging skin, improved overall density and firmness, refined pore count and depth, enhanced radiance and glow.
Who this is for: anyone at the age or life stage where firming and density matter but who can't tolerate retinol. Anyone who wants anti-aging work that doesn't fight the rest of their routine. Anyone who's been reading about bakuchiol and looking for a well-formulated version. Anyone recovering from over-actives who wants results without further barrier stress.
How to introduce it: apply after toner, morning and/or evening. Layer under moisturiser and SPF as usual.
How to Choose Between the Three
The three serums address three different concerns and can be genuinely alternated within the same routine — but if you're picking one to start, here's the decision:
Choose the Azelaic Acid Lacto PDRN Serum if
our skin runs red, reactive, or prone to congestion. If you've been dealing with the redness-and-breakouts combination that most single-focus products can't handle at once. If your skin is barrier-compromised and needs work that supports rather than pushes.
Choose the TXA Niacinamide Narcissus PDRN Serum if
your primary concern is uneven tone, dark spots, hyperpigmentation, or melasma. If you've struggled with the intolerance of L-ascorbic acid vitamin C. If you're trying to address the post-inflammatory marks a summer of breakouts has left.
Choose the Volufiline Grape PDRN Serum if
your primary concern is firmness, elasticity, or fine lines. If you can't tolerate retinol but want anti-aging work that actually shows results. If you're building a routine focused on long-term skin quality rather than acute problem-solving.
Can you use more than one? Yes — with sensible layering. Two serums at the same step can work if both are calming and non-competitive (the Volufiline serum and the TXA/Niacinamide serum, for example, could layer together on hydrated skin). A safer default is alternating: the treatment-heavy Azelaic serum on one night, the brightening TXA serum on another, the firming Volufiline serum as your consistent daily anchor.
What This Line Represents
IUNIK Unique Lab isn't a departure from the IUNIK philosophy — it's an extension of it. The same commitment to gentle, well-tolerated formulations for sensitive skin. The same integration of clinically supported actives with barrier-supporting ingredients. The same commitment to accessible pricing for premium-tier concentrations.
What's new is the level of active concentration and the deliberate inclusion of PDRN — the regenerative ingredient category that Korean skincare has been developing for years and is now bringing to the daily-routine consumer market at scale.
If you've been looking for a step up from your existing routine — for results that feel more active without asking your barrier to pay the price — this is the line built for exactly that transition.
Azelaic Acid Lacto PDRN Serum
Calm Redness, Strengthen Barrier
Volufiline Grape PDRN Serum
Firm, Lift, Plump Skin
TXA Niacinamide Narcissus PDRN Serum
Fade Spots, Brighten Tone