ANUA Heartleaf Quercetinol Pore Deep Cleansing Foam - Face wash for Pore Refining Cleanser, Hydrating Daily Facial Cleanser

"The Cleanser That Finally Made Me Stop Thinking About My Pores During Shoots"

For oily skin, cleansing is not a ritual. It is a problem to solve every single morning and every single night. I'm Yua - freelance model, Hapjeong - and my T-zone has been the one constant in an otherwise unpredictable schedule. What I needed from a cleanser was simple: get into the pores, clear the sebum, and leave without making everything worse.

The ANUA Heartleaf Quercetinol Pore Deep Cleansing Foam has a 33.32% heartleaf water base and two forms of BHA working in the lather itself. It is designed for oily and combination skin as an everyday cleanser, morning and evening, in a formula that cleans deep without stripping. For skin that needs real pore management without the tightness that usually comes with it, that combination is harder to find than it sounds.

What is heartleaf extract, and what does it actually do in a cleanser?

It means your skin gets cleaned and calmed at the same time, which matters more than it sounds for skin that tends to react to cleansers with redness or stress. Heartleaf, known botanically as Houttuynia Cordata, is an extract with documented soothing properties - it is used in Korean skincare specifically to calm irritated or congested skin rather than stimulate it further.

In this formula, heartleaf makes up 33.32% of the base as flower, leaf, and stem water, with an additional 3,000ppm of Houttuynia Cordata Powder. The Quercetinol in the product name refers to quercetin extracted specifically from heartleaf, which the brand identifies as the active soothing compound. The practical result of that concentration is a cleanse that addresses congestion and sebum without leaving skin feeling aggravated after rinsing. It is the reason this cleanser is formulated for daily use rather than occasional treatment.

🥹 Yua's Note: Quercetinol - quercetin derived specifically from heartleaf (Houttuynia Cordata). Quercetin is a plant-derived antioxidant compound used in skincare for its soothing and calming properties on stressed or congested skin.

Also Worth Considering:

Can this actually help with blackheads and clogged pores?

Yes, and the mechanism is specific. The formula contains two BHA-type ingredients - betaine salicylate and capryloyl salicylic acid - both of which are oil-soluble, meaning they work within the pore rather than only on the skin's surface. Oil-soluble exfoliants can move through sebum to loosen the oxidised oil and dead skin cell buildup that forms blackheads, which water-based cleansing agents cannot reach in the same way.

The brand's testing result states that pores are cleaned 99.5% after one use. This is a brand-conducted testing figure rather than an independent clinical study, so it reflects controlled conditions. What the ingredient logic supports is consistent with that claim: two BHA-type exfoliants in a daily cleanser, applied regularly, address pore congestion incrementally rather than in a single dramatic session. The nose and cheek areas - the typical blackhead zones for combination skin - are specifically referenced in the product's description as the areas where texture and smoothness improvement is targeted.

🥹 Yua's Note: BHA (Beta Hydroxy Acid) - an oil-soluble exfoliating acid. Oil-solubility is what makes it useful for pore cleansing specifically: it can penetrate through sebum inside the pore, not just work on the skin's surface. Betaine salicylate and capryloyl salicylic acid are both BHA-type ingredients, gentler in profile than standard salicylic acid.

Also Worth Considering:

Does BHA in a rinse-off cleanser actually work, or does it wash away too quickly?

It works differently from a leave-on BHA treatment, but it still works. A leave-on BHA serum or toner has extended contact time with the skin, which means deeper and more sustained exfoliation. A rinse-off BHA cleanser works during the lather and massage period - less time, but enough for the oil-soluble exfoliants to begin dissolving surface and pore congestion before rinsing.

The practical argument for a BHA cleanser is daily accumulation. A leave-on BHA used 2-3 times per week creates periodic intensive exfoliation. A BHA cleanser used morning and evening creates a consistent, lower-intensity daily effect on sebum and congestion - which for oily skin that produces oil continuously, is a different but genuinely useful approach. They are not the same tool. For everyday pore management rather than active treatment, the cleanser format makes sense.

Will using this twice a day dry my skin out?

The formula was designed specifically to avoid that outcome. The surfactant blend uses amino acid-based cleansing agents - Sodium Cocoyl Glycinate and Sodium Lauroyl Glutamate - which are gentler on the skin's moisture barrier than sulphate-based surfactants. Eight forms of hyaluronic acid are included in the formula to help maintain hydration levels during and after cleansing.

The distinction the brand draws is between "clean" and "stripped." Stripped skin feels tight, pulls at the corners of the mouth when you open it, and overproduces oil shortly after because the barrier has been compromised. A non-stripping finish means the skin feels clean without that tightness. For oily skin that is already managing excess sebum, causing the barrier to panic and produce more oil through over-cleansing is counterproductive. The formula is designed to break that cycle rather than contribute to it.

Is this safe for sensitive skin given that it contains BHA?

The honest answer is: it depends on your specific sensitivity. The soothing case for it is real - 33.32% heartleaf water, quercetin, amino acid surfactants, and eight forms of hyaluronic acid are all ingredients with gentle profiles, and the product is positioned as non-irritating for daily use.

The caveat is also real: the source documents that some customers with sensitive skin have experienced burning sensations and breakouts. BHA at any concentration is an active exfoliant, and sensitive skin that reacts to acids may find even the mild concentrations here too much for twice-daily use. Patch testing before committing to regular use is the right approach for sensitive skin. Starting with once daily in the evening rather than morning and evening is a more cautious introduction than the label's AM & PM recommendation - and one that gives the skin time to signal whether the BHA concentration is working with it or against it.

How do I use this correctly as part of a double cleanse?

This is the second step, not the first. The usage instructions specify starting with a cleansing oil to remove makeup residues before using this foam. The cleansing oil handles the surface layer - makeup, SPF, excess sebum sitting on top of the skin - so this cleanser can focus on what the oil didn't reach: the inside of the pore.

Apply an adequate amount to damp hands, work into a rich foam before it touches your face, then massage gently in circular motions and rinse thoroughly. The foam step on clean-but-not-makeup-covered skin is where the BHA and heartleaf complex do their work. Using it without an oil cleanse first is not wrong if you're not wearing makeup - morning cleanse, for instance, is a direct single-cleanse step.

Worth Knowing

If Your T-Zone Is Oily by Midday: The formula contains Anti-Sebum P, a branded sebum-control complex, alongside the dual BHA exfoliants that clear excess oil from within the pore. The goal is not to strip the skin of all oil - which triggers compensatory overproduction - but to remove congestion-causing buildup while leaving the barrier intact. Eight forms of hyaluronic acid in the formula work specifically to keep moisture levels stable during that process.

Two BHAs, Not One: Betaine salicylate and capryloyl salicylic acid serve slightly different roles within the same pore-clearing function. Betaine salicylate is a gentler BHA-type compound suited to daily use; capryloyl salicylic acid is a lipophilic derivative that moves through sebum effectively. Having both in one formula means the exfoliation is addressed from more than one angle without requiring a separate leave-on acid treatment alongside it.

The Eucalyptus Scent Is Worth Knowing About: This formula contains Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Oil, which gives it a distinct eucalyptus scent. That is a real fragrance ingredient rather than an added perfume, and it is worth noting for anyone who uses fragrance-free products exclusively or has a known sensitivity to essential oils. The soothing heartleaf and quercetin ingredients are doing their own work independently of the scent - but if you avoid essential oils in your skincare, this is the relevant detail.

How to Introduce It If Your Skin Is New to BHA: Daily twice-a-day use from the start is the brand's recommendation, and many oily skin types adapt immediately. If your skin has not used BHA regularly before, beginning with once daily in the evening and observing how the skin responds over a week is a reasonable approach. The formula's heartleaf and quercetin soothing base is designed to manage the transition, but any new exfoliant benefits from a careful introduction on skin that has not encountered it before.

What "Non-Stripping" Actually Means Here: A non-stripping cleanser finish means skin that feels clean without tightness after rinsing - not skin that still feels moisturised, which is the job of the next steps in the routine. This cleanser is designed to end the cleansing step with a neutral, comfortable skin state rather than a deficit that the following toner and serum have to correct. That is the standard worth checking on first use: does the skin feel balanced after rinsing, or does it feel like it needs something immediately.

The green tea serum I've used since university, the same tint I've repurchased for two years - and somewhere in between, this cleanser. Not exciting. Just the one that keeps the pores managed without asking anything difficult in return.

Heartleaf, two BHAs, non-stripping. For skin that needs the cleansing step to do its job and then stay out of the way. 🥹