Anua Peach 70% Niacinamide Serum Review: The Niacinamide Is Doing More Than the Peach Is

Anua's Peach line is one of the more recognizable K-beauty launches of the last couple of years, built around a peach-and-cream scent and packaging that leans hard into the fruit branding. Underneath that, the actual formula is a 5% niacinamide serum with alpha-arbutin, stable vitamin C, and polyglutamic acid layered in — closer in spirit to numbuzin No.3 than the "peach extract" name suggests.

Niacinamide is the well-evidenced half

Niacinamide (vitamin B3) is one of the most extensively trial-tested actives in cosmetic dermatology. A 12-week, split-face RCT found that 5% topical niacinamide — the same concentration listed on this serum — reduced hyperpigmented spots, fine lines, redness, and yellowing versus vehicle. A separate RCT specifically tied niacinamide to reduced melanosome transfer to keratinocytes, the mechanism behind the brightening claim, and a 2006 RCT found 2% niacinamide reduced facial sebum production. This is the same citation set we've used for numbuzin's niacinamide serum, and the verdict is the same: firm, RCT-backed claims for tone, texture, and oil control.

"Peach" is the marketing half

The peach in the name is Prunus persica extract, and the actual research trail behind it is much thinner than the niacinamide's. What exists is mostly on peach flower extract, not fruit extract — a different plant part than what's typically listed in a fruit-extract-based cosmetic formula. One older in vivo study found ethanol extract of Prunus persica flowers reduced UVB-induced erythema and DNA damage when applied topically, and a 2018 animal study found topical and oral peach flower extract reduced UV-induced epidermal thickening in hairless mice. Neither is a human facial-skin trial, and neither is on the fruit extract this product actually uses — treat "peach" here as a pleasant-smelling, plausibly antioxidant ingredient rather than a proven active, and credit the niacinamide for anything the serum visibly does.

Texture and how it wears

It's a lightweight, slightly milky serum that absorbs quickly without pilling under sunscreen or makeup — closer to a gel-serum than the thicker, more viscous niacinamide serums on the market. The peach scent is genuinely strong on application and fades within a few minutes; worth flagging up front for anyone sensitive to fragrance, since niacinamide itself is otherwise a low-irritation active.

Who it's genuinely good for

• Uneven tone, post-blemish marks, or general dullness — the concentration and evidence base line up with what niacinamide is actually proven to do
• Oily or combination skin wanting a lightweight layer that also helps with visible sebum, per the Draelos 2006 data above
• Anyone who wants the scent experience alongside a formula that isn't purely fragrance-driven

Who might not need it

• Anyone buying it specifically for the "peach" ingredient story — the evidence for that half is animal-only and on a different plant part than what's in the bottle
• Fragrance-sensitive or reactive skin, given how noticeable the scent is on application
• Anyone already using a strong niacinamide serum elsewhere in their routine — layering two doesn't add benefit past what one well-dosed serum already provides

Where it fits in the routine

Serum is step 6 in the 10-step routine, after essence and before sheet masks or eye cream — same slot as numbuzin No.3, and the two aren't worth running together given the overlapping niacinamide dose.

Bottom line: a genuinely solid, RCT-backed niacinamide serum that happens to be wrapped in peach marketing — the fruit story is the reason it went viral, but the niacinamide is the reason it's worth keeping.

References

Peer-reviewed sources for the claims above, retrieved via literature search. Cite the linked DOI (or PubMed record where no DOI exists) when reusing any of this.

• The effect of niacinamide on reducing cutaneous pigmentation and suppression of melanosome transfer — Br J Dermatol, 2002 — RCT
• Topical niacinamide reduces yellowing, wrinkling, red blotchiness, and hyperpigmented spots in aging facial skin — Int J Cosmet Sci, 2004 — RCT
• The effect of 2% niacinamide on facial sebum production — J Cosmet Laser Ther, 2006 — RCT
• The extract of the flowers of Prunus persica, a new cosmetic ingredient, protects against solar ultraviolet-induced skin damage in vivo — J Cosmet Sci, 2002 — in vivo, topical
• Topical or oral treatment of peach flower extract attenuates UV-induced epidermal thickening, matrix metalloproteinase-13 expression and pro-inflammatory cytokine production in hairless mice skin — Nutr Res Pract, 2018 — animal study