The Korean botanical that deep-cleanses pores from the inside without stripping the surface

Mugwort in Korean traditional medicine and modern K-beauty

Artemisia vulgaris (mugwort) has been used in Korean traditional medicine for over 2,000 years — in dietary, medicinal and topical applications — for its antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and heating properties. In modern K-beauty, mugwort extract is standardised for its two primary skin-active compounds: flavonoids (antioxidant and anti-inflammatory) and essential oil components including cineole and camphor (antimicrobial and sebum-regulating). The convergence of traditional use evidence and modern compound analysis makes mugwort one of the most well-supported botanical actives in the K-beauty pharmacopoeia.

What a mugwort pore pack does that a regular clay mask doesn't

Standard kaolin clay masks absorb surface sebum passively — the clay particles draw oil from the skin surface by adsorption, without actively cleansing the pore interior. A mugwort wash-off pack combines the clay-type occlusion and physical lifting action with mugwort's antimicrobial active compounds that penetrate the pore channel and reduce the C. acnes bacteria that contribute to blackhead and comedone formation. The dual physical-and-antibacterial mechanism means a mugwort pack addresses both the excess sebum (surface) and the bacterial environment inside the pore (deeper) in a single weekly treatment.

Weekly mugwort pack routine for congested and oily skin

Use a mugwort pore pack once or twice per week as a targeted cleansing treatment in the evening routine, after the double cleanse but before toner and serums. Apply a thin layer to the nose, chin and forehead T-zone (the areas most prone to pore congestion), leave for 10 to 15 minutes, then rinse thoroughly with lukewarm water. Follow immediately with a calming toner and lightweight moisturiser — do not follow with another active (AHA, retinol) on the same evening as the pack to avoid over-stimulating pore-cleared skin.

AXIS-Y Mugwort Pore Clarifying Wash Off Pack 100ml — available on BuyBeautyKorea →