The Typology Numbered Serums

Open a Typology product and the first thing you notice is the number. Not the colour, not the fragrance, not the texture — the number. Niacinamide 12%. Hyaluronic 3%. Retinol 0.3%. Bakuchiol 1%. Every Typology serum leads with a number: the hero active and its exact concentration, printed on the front of the packaging in a font size that makes it impossible to miss. This is radical by beauty industry standards. Most skincare brands treat ingredient concentrations as trade secrets — or worse, as irrelevances. They say "enriched with hyaluronic acid" without telling you whether the product contains 0.1% or 3%. They say "powered by retinol" without specifying whether the retinol concentration is potent enough to trigger cell turnover or so diluted that it functions as a marketing ingredient. The consumer is left guessing, trusting the brand's narrative, and hoping that the product contains enough of the active ingredient to actually work. Typology eliminated the guessing. Founded in Paris in 2019 by Ning Li — a serial entrepreneur who previously co-founded the e-commerce platform Vestiaire Collective — Typology launched with a thesis borrowed from the natural food movement: consumers have a right to know exactly what is in the product and exactly how much. The numbered system is the skincare equivalent of a nutrition label. The number is not decoration. The number is the product. ## The DTC disruption Typology is direct-to-consumer only. No Sephora, no department stores, no third-party e-commerce. The brand sells exclusively through its own website and its own stores in Paris. This is not anti-establishment posturing — it is economic logic. By eliminating retail margins and distributor fees, Typology can sell serums with clinical-grade active concentrations at prices that undercut pharmacy brands by 30 to 50 percent. A 12% niacinamide serum from Typology costs what a 5% niacinamide serum from a pharmacy brand costs. The consumer gets higher concentration for less money. The math sells itself. The DTC model also gives Typology control over the consumer education experience. Every product page includes the complete INCI list, the concentration of every active, the sourcing of every ingredient, the environmental score of the packaging, and a skin-type compatibility matrix. The transparency is exhaustive and deliberate. Typology's brand identity is information. The more the consumer knows, the more she trusts. The more she trusts, the more she buys. In an industry built on mystique, Typology built a brand on disclosure. ## The niacinamide powerhouse [Typology Niacinamide 12% Serum](/products/typology-niacinamide-12-serum) is the bestseller — and the number explains why. Twelve percent niacinamide is a high clinical concentration. Most niacinamide serums on the market contain 5% — enough to make a difference, but not enough to deliver the full spectrum of niacinamide's benefits. At 12%, the serum addresses pores, oil production, uneven texture, redness, and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation simultaneously. The concentration is aggressive without being irritating — niacinamide, unlike retinoids or acids, has an exceptionally high tolerance ceiling, and most skin types can handle 12% without sensitisation. The serum is water-light, absorbs in seconds, and layers seamlessly under moisturiser and sunscreen. For the consumer who wants one serum to address multiple concerns — oily skin, enlarged pores, dark spots, dullness — the Niacinamide 12% is the single-product solution. ## The hydration backbone [Typology Hyaluronic 3% Serum](/products/typology-hyaluronic-3-serum) uses three percent hyaluronic acid — not the 0.1% that most "hyaluronic acid serums" contain. The three percent refers to three molecular weights of hyaluronic acid at a combined concentration that provides surface hydration (high molecular weight), mid-layer plumping (medium molecular weight), and deep dermal hydration (low molecular weight). The result is hydration across the full skin architecture, not just the superficial dewiness that low-concentration hyaluronic products provide. Apply it to damp skin and the serum acts as a hydration magnet, pulling moisture from the environment into the skin's layers. The texture is viscous but not sticky — a gel-serum hybrid that disappears on contact. For dry and dehydrated skin, this is the foundational layer that makes everything else work better. ## The retinol precision [Typology Retinol 0.3% Serum](/products/typology-retinol-0-3-serum) demonstrates why the number matters most in the retinoid category. Retinol at 0.3% is a moderate clinical concentration — high enough to stimulate cell turnover and collagen synthesis, low enough to avoid the flaking, redness, and irritation that 0.5% and 1% concentrations cause in retinoid-naive skin. The number tells the consumer exactly where this product sits on the retinol potency scale: above the cosmetic-grade 0.1% products that do very little, below the dermatological-grade 0.5%+ products that require careful acclimation. The serum is formulated with squalane and bakuchiol as supporting actives — squalane to counteract retinol-induced dryness, bakuchiol to provide complementary retinoid-like activity without additional irritation. The combination is thoughtful: the three actives work synergistically, allowing the 0.3% retinol to deliver results that typically require a higher concentration. ## The gentle night alternative [Typology Bakuchiol 1% Vitamin E Night Serum](/products/typology-bakuchiol-1-vitamin-e-night-serum) serves the consumer who wants retinoid-like results without retinoid-level risk. Bakuchiol — a plant-derived compound from the Psoralea corylifolia seed — has been shown in clinical studies to deliver similar anti-aging benefits to retinol (improved firmness, reduced wrinkles, increased collagen synthesis) without the irritation, photosensitivity, or peeling that retinoids cause. At 1%, Typology uses the same concentration that the published clinical studies used — not a diluted cosmetic dose, but the dose that was clinically validated. Vitamin E (tocopherol) provides antioxidant protection and emollient support, making this a rich, nourishing night serum that treats while the skin repairs. For pregnant women (who must avoid retinol), for sensitive skin (which cannot tolerate retinol), and for retinoid-cautious consumers (who worry about retinol side effects), Bakuchiol 1% is the night treatment that delivers without demanding. ## The vitamin C duo [Typology Radiance Serum 15% Vitamin C](/products/typology-radiance-serum-15-vitamin-c) and [Typology Radiance Serum Vitamin C](/products/typology-radiance-serum-vitamin-c) offer two approaches to brightening. The 15% version uses L-ascorbic acid — the most potent and most unstable form of vitamin C — at a concentration that matches dermatological studies on hyperpigmentation reduction and collagen stimulation. This is the serum for the consumer who wants maximum potency and is willing to use the product quickly before oxidation degrades it. The standard Radiance Serum uses a stabilised vitamin C derivative that sacrifices some peak potency for dramatically improved shelf stability and a gentler skin experience. For the consumer who wants daily vitamin C protection without the tingling, the acidity, and the oxidation anxiety of pure L-ascorbic acid, the stabilised version delivers consistent, gentle brightening over weeks of use. Two serums, two philosophies, both transparent about what they are and what they do. The number — or the absence of a percentage, signalling the derivative form — tells the consumer everything she needs to know before she opens the bottle. ## The numbered revolution Typology didn't invent transparent formulation. The Ordinary did it first, and The Ordinary deserves credit for proving that consumers want ingredient information, not marketing fiction. But Typology refined the model for the French market — adding Parisian design sensibility, sustainable packaging (glass bottles, recycled materials, minimal plastic), and a curated range that resists the temptation to launch a hundred SKUs. The numbered system is cleaner, more intuitive, and more beautiful than The Ordinary's clinical aesthetic. The Parisian consumer — who demands both substance and style — gets both. Six serums. Six numbers. Six promises, delivered transparently, at concentrations printed on the box. The beauty industry spent decades telling women to trust the brand. Typology says: trust the number.