Anua Heartleaf Line: Toners, Cleansers and What Surrounds It

In Korea the plant is called eoseongcho, which roughly translates to fishy-smell herb, because the leaves smell of fish when you crush them. It is a heart-shaped leaf that grows in shade and has a long history in East Asian traditional medicine, including in Korea, where it has been used for conditions such as eczema and acne. In English, we call it heartleaf. The name is a lot nicer, and the smell, thankfully, is mostly filtered out of what ends up in a bottle.

 

Anua built its business on this plant. Anua skincare started in April 2019 in Seoul, founded by Co-CEOs Seonhyeong Lee and Changju Lee under a company called The Founders, and the brand says its mission grew out of one question: can skincare be both gentle and highly effective. Anua is a brand with a very clear point of view. Take one soothing ingredient and put it in a toner, an oil, a foam, a pad, an ampoule and a cream. I went deeper on a related idea in Anua Sunscreen: Three Formulas and the Heartleaf Brand.

 

The trick is to start with the toner. The Heartleaf 77 Soothing Toner is 77% heartleaf extract with hyaluronic acid derivatives, and it is the brand's center of gravity. The Heartleaf 77 Clear Pad is the same idea in a pad, and the LHA Moisture Peeling Gel is the exfoliating one. Then the cleansers: the Pore Control Cleansing Oil, its Mild version and the Quercetinol Pore Deep Cleansing Foam. The 80% Moisture Soothing Ampoule and the 70% Intense Calming Cream are for days when skin feels stressed. The Heartleaf 70 Soothing Collagen Mask, the Heartleaf 70 Daily Lotion and the Heartleaf Low pH Deep Cleansing Water extend the line, and the Azelaic Acid Cica Skin Soothing Moisturizer is the calming extra.

Start with your tone problem before you pick a bottle. Anua's brightening shelf is really three separate ideas, and it helps to know which one you want.

 

The peach group is the gentle one: the Peach 70% Niacinamide Serum, Peach 77 Niacin Essence Toner and Peach 77 Niacin Enriched Cream all pair niacinamide with peach extract. If you want one Anua product for a general glow, I would try that trio in that order. The Peach 77 Niacin Conditioning Milk joins the peach group as the lighter moisturizer, and the Peach 70 Niacin Brightening Collagen Mask is the sheet mask version.

 

The TXA group is stronger. The Niacinamide 10 TXA 4 Serum, the Niacinamide Tranexamic Acid Brightening Booster Toner and the Niacinamide 5 TXA Brightening Pad add tranexamic acid, and they are what I would reach for if dark spots are what you actually see in the mirror.

 

The rice group is the soft one. The Rice 70 Glow Milky Toner and the Rice Enzyme Brightening Cleansing Powder are for a milkier, softer routine. The Rice 70 Glow Collagen Mask and the Rice 70 Intensive Moisturizing Milk keep the same soft rice idea going.

 

A pairing I like: a peach toner and the TXA serum in the same routine, where the toner does the daily work and the serum does the spot work.

 

What I would skip: the TXA products for everyday brightness. Save them for when the marks are what bother you.

A rule for hydration: layer thin things first and thick things last. Every product in this group follows that logic, which makes the routine surprisingly simple.

 

PDRN is short for polydeoxyribonucleotide, and Anua uses it here alongside hyaluronic acid in a toner, serum and cream. The PDRN 100 Hyaluronic Acid Booster Toner goes on first, the PDRN Hyaluronic Acid Capsule 100 Serum second, and the PDRN Hyaluronic Acid 100 Moisturizing Cream seals it in. That is a whole routine in three steps.

 

The PDRN Hyaluronic Acid Hydrating Capsule Mist and the PDRN 100 Hyaluronic Acid Glow Pad are the on-the-go versions, one for a spritz and one for a wipe. The 8 Hyaluronic Acid Moisturizing Gentle Gel Cleanser carries the hydration theme into the wash, and I would try it in the morning when skin does not need a heavy cleanse.

 

The PDRN Lip Serum and the PDRN Collagen Melting Patch for Glass Skin are the extras. I would use the patch under the eyes for a weekend evening, and the lip serum whenever lips feel dry.

 

What I would skip: adding the mist and the pad and the toner on one morning. You do not need all of them at once.

Here is how I would use this group: think of it as the routine's second half. The heartleaf and hydration products do the calming, and these products are the ones that protect and maintain.

 

Two creams do the barrier work. The 3 Ceramide Panthenol Moisture Barrier Cream is the richer one, and the Barrier Reboot Water Gel Cream is the lighter option. The Rice Ceramide 7 Hydrating Barrier Serum goes underneath either one.

 

For redness, the Azelaic Acid 10 Hyaluron Redness Soothing Serum takes a different route from heartleaf, using azelaic acid instead. I would try it if the flush lingers after your calming products.

 

Retinol arrives at two strengths. The Nano Retinol 0.3% + Niacin Renewing Serum is the night serum, and the Retinol 0.1 Caffeine Revitalizing Eye Cream is the gentler one for the eye area. Start with the eye cream if retinol is new to you.

 

The Invisible Glow Finish Sunstick and the Mineral Weightless Finish Sunscreen close the morning. The stick is for reapplying over makeup and the sunscreen is the daily base. The Zero-Cast and Invisible Matte sunscreens give you more finishes to choose from, the Barrier Reboot Intensive Cream and Daily Moisturizer round out the barrier line, and the BHA 2% Gentle Exfoliating Toner is the one acid step. If you want to keep going, BYOMA Milky Toner Explained: The Barrier Line, Creams And Gentle Cleansers is the one I would read next.

 

What I would skip: the retinol serum on the same night as the azelaic acid serum.

I think what stands out about Anua is the speed. Anua skincare only began expanding beyond Korea in 2021, reached the US in 2022 and says overseas revenue is now over 90% of the total. Kendall Jenner was recently named its first global ambassador.

 

That is a fast climb for a brand that started with a plant named for its smell. If I were placing a first order, I would begin with the Heartleaf 77 Soothing Toner, since everything else grew out of it. Heartleaf got its name from a smell, and it became a brand anyway.