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The short verdict (4.5/5): The Anua Heartleaf Cleansing Foam is a weakly-acidic, heartleaf-and-BHA foam that genuinely deep-cleans oily, congested, pore-prone skin without leaving it tight. If your skin runs dry, the BHA pore focus is more than you need — but for combination and oily skin, this is one of the easiest Korean cleansers to recommend.
The Anua Heartleaf Cleansing Foam is the one I kept reaching for on the humid Seoul mornings when my T-zone had given up on me, and it is the cleanser most of you keep asking me about after Anua’s famous toner went viral. Officially it is the Anua Heartleaf Quercetinol Pore Deep Cleansing Foam, a weakly-acidic foam that pairs soothing heartleaf with a pore-clearing BHA, and I picked mine up as the 150ml duo set on my last trip home. I was born in Seoul, I have lived in Sydney for twenty years, and my combination skin is exactly the kind this foam is built for, so I wanted to tell you honestly whether the “pore deep clean” promise holds up.
Why I Bought the Anua Heartleaf Cleansing Foam
I bought this foam because the Anua heartleaf toner had already earned a permanent spot on my shelf, and I was curious whether the cleanser in the same line was a clever add-on or a genuinely good first step. So many K-beauty brands ride one hero product and let the rest of the range coast, and I wanted to know which camp this one fell into before I told you to spend your money. The mint-green tube sits right next to the dermo-cosmetic cleansers at Olive Young, so it is easy to grab on impulse.
The honest pull for me was the “pore” angle. My combination skin tips oily through a humid summer, and by the afternoon my nose looks like it has its own weather system. A cleanser that promised a deeper pore clean without the squeaky, stripped feeling of an old-school foaming wash was exactly what I was after. If you are weighing up the whole cleansing shelf, my round-up of the best Olive Young cleansers puts this one in context with the gentler options.
What sealed it was the format. It comes as a duo set, two 150ml tubes, which sounds like a lot until you realise a foam cleanser is the one product you genuinely get through every single day. Buying the pair on the ground meant I had a backup waiting instead of panicking when the first tube wheezed out its last squeeze.
What You Actually Get: Formula and Size
Each tube is 150ml (5.07 fl.oz), and mine came as a duo gift-set box labelled 150ml x2, so you are effectively buying 300ml of cleanser in one go. The packaging is that now-recognisable Anua mint-to-deeper-green gradient, with “Heartleaf + BHA” and “Pore Deep Cleansing Foam” printed cleanly down the side. The box leans on a bold claim of “pore impurity reduction 99%,” which is a marketing figure rather than a clinical promise, so I read it as “this is positioned for congestion,” not as a guarantee.
The two stars on the ingredient list are heartleaf (houttuynia cordata, the same calming extract behind Anua’s toner) and a BHA to help clear out pores. Heartleaf is the soothing half of the equation, the bit that keeps a pore-focused cleanser from feeling harsh, while the BHA is the part doing the deeper work on oil and buildup. It is formulated to be weakly acidic, which sits closer to your skin’s natural pH than a traditional high-pH foaming cleanser, and that is the detail I care about most in a daily wash.
Texture-wise it is a classic squeeze foam: a pearly cream that whips into a dense, cushiony lather with a little water. There is no scrub, no grit, no harsh fragrance hit — just a clean, slightly green scent that rinses away fast. If you want to understand why pH and ingredient pairing matter so much in a cleanser, the dermatology write-up on face washing basics from the American Academy of Dermatology is the plain-English source I send friends to.
How It Feels to Use
This is the part that matters most, because a cleanser lives or dies on how your skin feels sixty seconds after you rinse. With this one, a pea-sized squeeze and a splash of water gives me a thick, slow-popping foam that spreads easily and does not collapse halfway through the wash. I reach for it at night to take off sunscreen and the day’s grime, and it clears everything without me having to scrub at my nose.
The finish is the bit I genuinely like. My skin feels properly clean — that “nothing left sitting in my pores” clean — but not tight, not squeaky, and not in need of a rush to slap toner on before the dryness sets in. That balance is exactly what the weakly-acidic formula is meant to deliver, and on my combination skin it does. Through a sticky summer it is the cleanser I trust to actually shift the day’s oil.
The flip side is that the BHA and the deeper-clean focus make it a touch more thorough than dry or easily-irritated skin always wants, especially used twice a day. I would not call it stripping, but it is a “treatment” cleanser more than a barely-there gel, so I keep it for my evening wash and use something gentler in the morning. If your skin reacts to actives, slow down and patch-test first — my notes on Olive Young for sensitive skin cover how I introduce anything pore-focused without setting my face off.
Pros and Cons
No cleanser is perfect for everyone, and a review without a single drawback is a review I would not trust. Here is the honest balance sheet after living with the Anua Heartleaf Cleansing Foam as my evening wash. The short version: the things it does well are exactly what oily and combination skin wants, and the one real caveat is entirely about whether your skin needs a BHA in its cleanser at all.
- Pro — deep but not stripping: clears oil, sunscreen, and congestion while leaving skin comfortable rather than tight.
- Pro — soothing heartleaf base: the houttuynia extract keeps a pore-focused formula from feeling harsh.
- Pro — weakly acidic: closer to skin pH than old-school high-pH foams, so it is friendlier for daily use.
- Pro — great value duo: two 150ml tubes means a long-running backup for the product you use most.
- Con — built for oily/combination/pores: the BHA pore focus is more than truly dry skin needs.
- Con — better once a day for reactive skin: twice-daily use can be a little much if you irritate easily.
Anua Heartleaf Cleansing Foam vs Other Cleansers
To place it properly, here is how the Anua Heartleaf Cleansing Foam compares with the two cleanser styles people usually weigh it against: a gentle low-pH gel and a barrier-focused cream foam. Treat the prices as a rough guide from Olive Young, since promotions and the duo-set deal move the per-tube cost around constantly.
| Cleanser | Key Actives | Texture | Best For | Approx Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anua Heartleaf Cleansing Foam | Heartleaf + BHA | Dense cushiony foam | Oily, combination, congested pores | 150ml x2 duo |
| Gentle low-pH gel cleanser | Mild surfactants, no acids | Light slippy gel | Daily morning wash, all skin | ~150ml |
| Barrier cream foam (e.g. Torriden) | Hydrators, no BHA | Soft creamy foam | Dry, sensitive, tight skin | ~150ml |
The takeaway is that these are not really rivals so much as different jobs. If your main issue is oil and clogged pores, the Anua foam is the one with the BHA doing useful work. If your skin is dry or reactive and you just want to wash without disturbing your barrier, a no-acid cream foam is the safer daily pick — which is exactly the case I make in my Round Lab Dodo Cleanser Review (18 September) and in my Torriden Dive In Cleansing Foam review.
Who Should Buy It and Who Should Skip It
Buy the Anua Heartleaf Cleansing Foam if your skin is oily or combination, if you fight a shiny T-zone or clogged pores, and if you want a daily cleanser that does a bit more than just remove the day. It is the kind of wash that earns its place in summer especially, when the BHA’s pore work and the heartleaf’s calming feel pull in the same direction. As a night cleanser for congestion-prone skin, it is genuinely one of the easiest Korean foams I can recommend.
Skip it, or at least use it sparingly, if your skin is properly dry, dehydrated, or quick to flush. The BHA pore focus that makes it brilliant for oily skin is simply more than dry skin is asking for, and you would get more comfort from a plain, hydrating cleanser. The same goes if you already use a strong BHA or retinoid elsewhere in your routine — doubling up the acids at the cleanse step is how a lot of people accidentally over-exfoliate. Not sure which side of that line you sit on? You can tell the quiz your skin type and discover your best-match Olive Young products before you spend a cent.
Here is my honest Korea-versus-Australia note, because it changes the maths. Anua has become much easier to find in Australia lately — you will spot the heartleaf line in some Sephora and online K-beauty stockists — but it sits at full retail here, whereas at Olive Young in Seoul the duo set drops the cost per tube noticeably, especially during their regular sales. For a daily cleanser you will burn through, that gap is real money over a year, so this is one I happily stock up on at home. To learn more about the brand’s heartleaf range, Anua’s own official Anua site lays out the full line, and for a deeper look at the whole category my best Olive Young products guide is the place I would send you next.
FAQ
Is the Anua Heartleaf Cleansing Foam good for oily skin?
Yes, this is really where it shines. The BHA helps clear oil and congestion from pores while the heartleaf keeps the formula soothing, so oily and combination skin gets a deep clean that does not leave the face tight. It is especially good as an evening wash in humid weather, when a shiny T-zone needs more than a basic gel. For oily skin, this is one of the easiest Korean foams to recommend.
Is the Anua Heartleaf Cleansing Foam suitable for dry skin?
It is not my first pick for dry skin. The BHA and the deeper pore focus that make it great for oily skin are more than truly dry or dehydrated skin needs, and using it twice a day can feel like a bit much. If your skin is dry, reach for a hydrating, acid-free cream foam instead and keep this for occasional use, or skip it altogether. Patch-test first if you already use other actives.
What does the “pore impurity reduction 99%” claim mean?
That figure on the box is a marketing claim about the formula’s pore-cleansing positioning rather than a guaranteed clinical result for every user. I read it as a signal that this foam is built for congestion and oil control, not as a promise that it will clear 99% of anything on your face. The honest test is how clean and comfortable your skin feels after rinsing, and on combination skin that part holds up well.
How does it compare to the Anua heartleaf toner?
They are different steps with the same soothing heartleaf DNA. The toner is a leave-on hydrating and calming step, while this is a rinse-off cleanser with added BHA for deeper pore work. You can absolutely use both — cleanse with the foam, then layer the toner — but the cleanser does more pore-focused lifting, so be mindful of overdoing actives if you also use strong exfoliants elsewhere.
Is the Anua Heartleaf Cleansing Foam cheaper in Korea than in Australia?
Generally yes. Anua is easier to find in Australia now, but it sells at full retail here, whereas Olive Young in Korea runs regular sales and the 150ml x2 duo set lowers the cost per tube. For a daily cleanser you use up quickly, that difference adds up over a year. If you are visiting Seoul or shipping through Olive Young Global, this is a sensible one to stock up on.
My Thoughts
After running through a tube of the Anua Heartleaf Cleansing Foam, my verdict is a confident 4.5 out of 5: it does exactly what it sets out to do, and the only mark against it is that it is not for everyone’s skin type. For my combination skin in a hot Seoul summer, it deep-cleaned without stripping, which is the precise tightrope most pore-focused cleansers fall off. The soothing heartleaf base is what keeps it on the right side of harsh.
If your skin is oily, combination, or congestion-prone, this is an easy yes and a genuinely good daily wash, ideally at night. If your skin is dry or reactive, I would steer you toward a gentler, acid-free foam and let this sit out — not because it is a bad product, but because it is the right tool for a different job. That honesty is the whole point of these reviews.
As always, let your own skin be the final reviewer. Mine has talked me out of plenty of pretty green tubes over the years, but this one earned its repeat spot, and that is the highest compliment I give a cleanser.
Building Your Cleansing Routine?
🛍️ Where to buy: I usually restock it from Olive Young Global.
If your skin is oily or combination, the Anua Heartleaf Cleansing Foam is a strong evening wash to build around — pair it with a gentler morning cleanser and the matching heartleaf toner. For the full picture of what is worth your suitcase space, start with my guide to the best Olive Young cleansers, then branch into the wider best Olive Young products list.