Anua
Anua Heartleaf 87 Low pH Deep Cleansing Water 500g
Twelve ingredients. Heartleaf is the first, at 87%.
One cleansing agent, no oil, no fragrance, and 500 g of it.
Wipes clean, leaves nothing behind.
What this cleansing water does
A 500 g micellar-style cleansing water built almost entirely from heartleaf extract, with a single mild sugar-derived surfactant, Panthenol and Squalane, formulated to lift makeup on a pad without a rinse.
The 87% is the first ingredient, not a slogan
Most products that put a percentage on the front bury the ingredient halfway down the list. Here Houttuynia Cordata Extract (87%) is position one, and purified water does not appear until position six. The bulk of what is in this bottle is the plant extract itself rather than water with extract added.
Heartleaf — eoseongcho in Korean — is the ingredient the brand is built on, and this is the product where it is least diluted.
One surfactant, and that is the whole cleansing system
Polyglyceryl-4 Caprate at position three is the only cleansing agent on the list. It is a non-ionic, sugar-and-coconut-derived surfactant, and it is the mildest common class. There is no sulfate, no ethanolamine, no PEG, and no oil phase to emulsify.
That is why the label calls it low pH: nothing in here pushes the surface alkaline, so skin does not need to spend the next hour recovering.
Key ingredients
Ingredient · What it is, and what it is used for
- Houttuynia Cordata Extract (87%)
- Extract of heartleaf. The base of the formula rather than an additive.
- Polyglyceryl-4 Caprate
- Sugar-derived non-ionic surfactant. Keeps oil and water from separating; does the cleansing — the only cleansing agent here.
- Propanediol
- Plant-derived diol. Dissolves the rest so the formula stays one liquid; used to pull in water and hold it.
- Dipropylene Glycol
- Diol. Dissolves the rest so the formula stays one liquid.
- Panthenol
- Provitamin B5. Used to calm irritation, and pulls water into the surface and holds it there.
- Squalane
- Saturated hydrocarbon, hydrogenated squalene. A material skin already contains, so it reads as its own; used to soften by filling the gaps between surface cells.
- Tocopherol
- Vitamin E. Used to slow oxidation, in the formula and on skin.
- Citric Acid
- Alpha hydroxy acid. Sets the pH — here it sets the pH rather than exfoliating.
- Sodium Citrate
- Sodium salt of citric acid. Sets the pH; ties up trace metals so the formula keeps.
- 1,2-Hexanediol
- Diol. Dissolves the rest so the formula stays one liquid.
- Ethylhexylglycerin
- Glyceryl ether. Keeps microbes out of the bottle; reduces odour.
- Water
- Solvent. Sixth on this list, which is the unusual part.
How the formula works together
There is very little to this bottle, and that is the design. Heartleaf extract and two glycols make up nearly all of it. One mild surfactant does the lifting. Panthenol and Squalane are the only things left behind — enough that skin does not feel stripped, not enough to need rinsing off.
The citrate pair holds the pH low and stops trace metals from turning the extract brown. Tocopherol guards the squalane.
Twelve ingredients. No essential oil, no fragrance, no alcohol, no silicone.
Who it is for
Labelled for all skin types, including sensitive. A first cleanse for light makeup, or a morning cleanse on its own. Heavy or waterproof makeup still wants an oil.
How to use it
- Soak a cotton pad and wipe along the lines of the skin, without dragging.
- Keep going until the pad comes away clean.
- Rinsing afterwards is optional — the brand suggests lukewarm water for a cleaner finish.
Details
- Size
- 500 g
- Made in
- Korea
- Skin type
- All skin types, including sensitive
- Ingredients
- 12, published in full below
Full ingredient list
Houttuynia Cordata Extract (87%), Propanediol, Polyglyceryl-4 Caprate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Dipropylene Glycol, Water, Panthenol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Squalane, Tocopherol
In label order, unedited. Correction: the list previously shown on this page was not this product's — it was a cleansing oil declaration, and it wrongly stated that this water contains bergamot, lavender and ylang ylang oils. It does not. The list above is confirmed against two independent ingredient databases.
Ships from Korea.
