ANUA Heartleaf 77% Clear Pad: one-swipe toning for sensitive and acne-prone skin

What heartleaf is and why ANUA built a brand around it

Heartleaf (Houttuynia cordata) is a Korean medicinal herb with a long history in traditional East Asian medicine as an anti-inflammatory and antibacterial herb. In modern K-beauty, it has been adopted as a core calming ingredient — particularly for acne-prone and sensitive skin — for its documented anti-inflammatory, sebum-regulating and skin-barrier supporting properties. ANUA (the brand name plays on the Korean word for "to hug") has built its entire identity around heartleaf, using it as the primary active across its product range. The concentration claim — 77% heartleaf extract — positions the Clear Pad as a high-concentration delivery of this active in pad format.

How the Clear Pad simplifies the toning and treatment step

ANUA Heartleaf 77% Clear Pad 160ml 70ea provides a single-step alternative to the traditional Korean toner-then-exfoliant-then-essence routine. Each pad is pre-saturated with a solution containing 77% heartleaf extract, niacinamide for brightening, BHA for gentle pore-clearing, and allantoin for soothing. Swiping a single pad across the face after cleansing delivers toning (pH balance restoration), gentle chemical exfoliation (BHA), brightening treatment (niacinamide) and intensive calming (heartleaf + allantoin) in one step. For routines that have become too long or too complex, the Clear Pad is a consolidation tool without compromise on active delivery.

Pairing with the ANUA Heartleaf 77+ Soothing Toner for layered hydration

ANUA Heartleaf 77+ Soothing Toner 250ml used after the Clear Pad creates a two-step ANUA heartleaf system: the pad exfoliates and tones, the toner floods the skin with hydration. The soothing toner's higher liquid volume — applied by pressing multiple layers into the skin using the "7-skin method" of successive thin applications — provides the deep hydration that the pad's treatment concentrate doesn't address. The two products are formulated to layer without conflict: the BHA from the pad opens the skin surface, and the toner's hydration and ceramide-like compounds penetrate more deeply as a result.

The ANUA Ceramide Barrier Cream as the sealing step

After the pad and toner steps, ANUA 3 Ceramide Panthenol Moisture Barrier Cream 100ml seals the routine. Three ceramide types (ceramide NP, EOP, AP) alongside panthenol create an occlusive-plus-active moisture seal that prevents transepidermal water loss and actively rebuilds the skin barrier. For skin that has been dealing with sensitivity-driven barrier damage — a common consequence of over-exfoliation or overloaded routines — this ceramide cream provides the recovery environment that allows the heartleaf and niacinamide actives to work without triggering further reactivity.

Who the ANUA heartleaf system is for

The ANUA heartleaf range targets skin that struggles specifically with reactivity in the context of wanting to maintain some active treatment (BHA, niacinamide) without triggering flare-ups. It is the K-beauty answer to the question "how do I treat without irritating?" — a question that the more aggressive vitamin C, retinol and AHA-forward routines regularly fail to answer adequately for reactive skin types. The ANUA system keeps BHA concentration at a level appropriate for daily use (not a leave-on exfoliant but a swipe-off pad that provides a timed exposure), keeping irritation risk low while delivering ongoing pore-clearing and brightening benefit.