Abib
Abib Acne foam cleanser Heartleaf foam 150ml
A breakout wash that does not punish.
Heartleaf fourth of twenty, salicylic acid twelfth, and four surfactants — none of them harsh.
Dense foam, no squeak after.
What this cleanser does
A 150 ml foaming cleanser built on four mild surfactants with Houttuynia cordata extract, Centella and Salicylic Acid, formulated as a daily wash for blemish-prone skin that cannot take a soap.
An acne cleanser that is not a soap
Most cleansers sold for breakouts reach for saponified fatty acids, because soap strips oil fast. This one does not: Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Coco-Betaine, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate and Potassium Cocoyl Glycinate — an isethionate, an amphoteric, a taurate and an amino-acid surfactant. No sulfate, no potassium hydroxide, no raised pH.
That matters more on blemish-prone skin than anywhere else. Skin that has been stripped compensates by producing more oil, which is the loop most acne cleansers quietly keep going.
Two salicylates, one of them from a plant
Salicylic Acid is at position twelve. And at position eight sits Gaultheria Procumbens (Wintergreen) Leaf Extract — wintergreen is the classic natural source of methyl salicylate, and it is on this list for the same reason the acid is.
Around them: Houttuynia Cordata Extract at four, which is the heartleaf of the name and unusually high for a botanical, plus Centella and Panthenol on the calming side.
Key ingredients
Ingredient · What it is, and what it is used for
- Houttuynia Cordata Extract
- Heartleaf extract. Used to calm the look of redness.
- Salicylic Acid
- Beta hydroxy acid, oil-soluble. Works inside the follicle rather than only on the surface.
- Gaultheria Procumbens (Wintergreen) Leaf Extract
- Extract of wintergreen leaf, the traditional source of methyl salicylate.
- Centella Asiatica Extract
- Extract of Centella asiatica, whole plant. Used to calm irritation; used to slow oxidation, in the formula and on skin.
- Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate
- Isethionate surfactant of coconut origin. Does the cleansing — mild, and what gives the creamy foam.
- Coco-Betaine
- Betaine surfactant of coconut origin. Does the cleansing.
- Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate
- Taurate surfactant of coconut origin. Does the cleansing.
- Potassium Cocoyl Glycinate
- Amino-acid surfactant from coconut. Cleans at skin's own pH rather than raising it the way soap does.
- Panthenol
- Provitamin B5. Used to calm irritation, and pulls water into the surface and holds it there.
- Glycerin
- Polyol. A material skin already contains, so it reads as its own; used to pull in water and hold it. Third on this list.
- Polyquaternium-67
- Cationic cellulose polymer. Leaves a light film on the surface — deposits on rinse so skin does not squeak.
- Tromethamine
- Amino alcohol. Sets the pH — sets the pH the salicylic acid works at.
How the formula works together
Twenty ingredients, and the ordering is unusually honest: water, the main surfactant, glycerin, then the heartleaf extract before anything structural. That is a botanical placed where it can actually be a meaningful fraction rather than a name on the box.
Salicylic acid does the pore work, wintergreen supports it, and Panthenol with Centella and Polyquaternium-67 are what keep a daily acid cleanser from ending in tightness. Tromethamine holds the pH low enough for the acid to function.
No fragrance and no essential oil on the list — which is rare in this category and worth crediting on skin that is already inflamed.
Who it is for
Labelled for blemish-prone skin, daily. Contains salicylic acid; wear sunscreen.
How to use it
- Take a small amount on a wet palm and work it into a full foam first.
- Roll the foam over the face as if massaging, rather than scrubbing.
- Rinse thoroughly with lukewarm water.
Details
- Size
- 150 ml
- Made in
- Korea
- Cleansing system
- Sulfate-free, soap-free — four mild surfactants
- Ingredients
- 20, published in full below
Full ingredient list
Water, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Glycerin, Houttuynia Cordata Extract, Coco-Betaine, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, Butylene Glycol, Gaultheria Procumbens (Wintergreen) Leaf Extract, Centella Asiatica Extract, Glyceryl Stearate SE, Potassium Cocoyl Glycinate, Salicylic Acid, Sodium Chloride, Caprylyl Glycol, Polyquaternium-67, Tromethamine, Panthenol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Disodium EDTA
In label order, unedited.
Ships from Korea.
