Most skincare names are a mood. The one on Dr. Althea's best-known jar is a recipe. The 345 Relief Cream is named for a formula built from three blemish-care ingredients, four nourishing ingredients and five soothing ones, which the brand describes as its 345 Relief Complex. It is a Korean skincare brand that was founded in 2014 in Seoul by Evelyn Lee, who has told Sunset that frequent travel and high-stress work left her skin dry, reactive and easily irritated, and that premium products did not help. Fashionista reports the line is rooted in the Greek philosophy of althea, meaning to heal. The brand now says the cream has passed 35 million units sold worldwide, which is the brand's own figure. This first grid is the 345 family: the cream, the serum with Centella PDRN, a cream mist with a cream layer and a water layer, and a daily gel cleanser. I like that all four carry the 345 name, so they behave like a system. Try the cream alone first before stacking the set.

The second grid is a barrier cream and three ways to wash your face. The 147 Barrier Cream is the quiet one, built on ectoin, ceramide and seven sizes of hyaluronic acid. The 345 Relief Milky Cleansing Oil carries the same name into the wash step, and the Pure Grinding Cleansing Balm is the brand's breakout for a practical reason: a grinding mechanism in the pack means you never put your fingers into the product. It is one of the three hero products Fashionista lists. The Amino Acid Gentle Bubble Cleanser uses a nano-sized foam and 17 amino acids, and the brand says it is made for acne-prone and sensitive skin. If you wear sunscreen or makeup, the balm or oil goes first, then the bubble cleanser. One step is fine on lazy nights, and the balm is meant to handle both sunscreen and waterproof makeup on its own.

The last grid is the active end of the line. The Vitamin C Boosting Serum is the one that put the brand on many shelves, and Sunset says its breakout came organically, one authentic review leading to another, with no splashy ads. It is built on sea buckthorn water, a vitamin C rich extract, with niacinamide and centella alongside. The Pure Retinol 0.15% Cream is framed by the brand as beginner-friendly and pairs retinol with bakuchiol and panthenol, which makes it a natural place to look for a retinol cream for beginners. The American Academy of Dermatology suggests using the lowest formulation you can find, starting every other night, and wearing sun protection by day. It also says retinoids should not be used during pregnancy, so anyone pregnant or trying to be should ask a doctor first. PDRN Reju 5000 can be used as an overnight sleeping mask, and the Green Tea Calming Sunscreen is SPF 50. What I would skip is starting retinol and vitamin C on the same night. Give each its own evening.

If I were starting from zero with Dr. Althea, I would buy the cream and the balm, live with them for a couple of weeks, and only then add a serum. The brand's whole pitch is sensitive, barrier-minded skin, so the sensible way to try it is slowly. It also gave the jar a name that explains itself, which I find oddly reassuring. Start small, keep the routine short, and let the recipe do its work. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together Dr. Althea 345 Relief Cream and Other Calming Creams for a Stressed Barrier.