Anua Heartleaf Succinic Moisture Cleansing Foam for dry sensitive skin
Succinic Acid
Salicylic Acid
Glycerin
Ceramide Np
Average
- AverageDry Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- HighSafety
Works for dry sensitive skin; other cleansers fit it better.
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with dry sensitive skin: flakiness, tightness, redness, fine lines, and wrinkles. For scores and recommendations based on your full skin profile, including your 12D face scan results and any goals or preferences you have, please use the Lovi app.
Page built Nov 8, 2026How the Fit score works
Lovi Assistant explains
- Offers moderate cleansing for your dry and sensitive skin as disodium cocoamphodiacetate and salicylic acid effectively remove impurities and decongest pores. Panthenol and ceramide NP provide some hydration and barrier support, which is beneficial but not sufficient for optimal dryness.
- The formula contains humectants like glycerin and panthenol to attract moisture, but it lacks adequate emollient and occlusive ingredients to fully address your dry or flaky skin concerns.
- The product is safe for your dry and sensitive skin, with no risks of irritation due to the absence of prohibited or harsh ingredients.
How to apply
- Use your cleanser AM and PM every day to keep your face fresh. Start slowly once a day if your dry skin feels sensitive at first.
- Apply your cleanser first thing in your routine before any toner or moisturizer. Follow the usual steps for your AM or PM daily routine.
- Gently massage the cleanser onto your face using soft circular motions. Avoid harsh rubbing to protect your dry skin.
- Apply the cleanser to slightly damp skin to help it clean gently without stripping moisture. This method is very safe for sensitive and dry skin types.
- Rinse thoroughly with lukewarm water and avoid the delicate eye area. Always do a patch test before using the product for the first time.
People Say
★4.6Overall rating based on 200+ reviewsThis gel-type cleanser is widely praised by users with sensitive and acne-prone skin for its ability to gently exfoliate and reduce texture without damaging the moisture barrier. While most users report a soothing, non-stripping finish, a minority experience dryness or purging breakouts, particularly those with very dry skin or sensitivity to the active acids.
Highlights
Gentle and non-stripping Often Mentioned
- “skin feels squeaky clean but never too dry”
- “leaves my face very clean... non stripping”
- “adjusts to my sensitive skin”
- “gentle cleansing properties”
Can be drying Sometimes Noted
- “not as moisturizing for my very dry skin”
- “left it dry... especially for those with sensitive oily skin”
- “extremely stripping... definitely not for dry skin”
- “become dry and strip off layers”
Improves skin texture/acne Sometimes Noted
- “reduce textures... really good for oily acne prone skin”
- “didn't feel as much texture... wasn't breaking out as often”
- “helped my skin especially after all the small breakouts”
- “pores being nonexistent”
Rich, dense lather Sometimes Noted
- “lathers nicely... beautiful foam”
- “creates dense, rich foam”
- “viscous transparent gel that can be easily lathered”
- “cloudy and creamy kind of texture”
Soothing and calming Sometimes Noted
- “skin never felt less congested”
- “helps soothe sensitive skin”
- “calm inflamed or irritated skin”
Caused breakouts/purging Rarely Noted
- “gave me tiny white bumps all over”
- “chin and lower left cheek are FREAKING OUT”
- “destroyed my skin... irritated, red, bumpy”
- “doesn't get rid of my acne and makes it more irritated”
Eye irritation/Bad taste Rarely Noted
- “get in your eyes and make them sting”
- “can literally taste it without even trying”
- “sting your eyes”
Ineffective for deep cleaning Rarely Noted
- “doesn't remove sebum like in the ads”
- “mild is non existent... BHA definitely is better”
- “not sure if it does anything for my skin”
Sources: lovi.care, oliveyoung.com, stylekorean.com, skinsort.com, yesstyle.com, reddit.com, and more
Questions and answers
How well does ANUA Heartleaf Succinic Moisture Cleansing Foam work for dry sensitive skin?
This cleanser works moderately well for your dry sensitive skin, as it cleans impurities while providing some hydration and barrier support through panthenol and ceramide NP. However, it lacks sufficient heavy moisturizers and oils to fully address dry or flaky skin. A cleanser for this skin type needs a rich blend of hydrating ingredients, ceramides, and hyaluronic acid to lock in moisture.
Which ingredients make this cleanser a good fit for dry sensitive skin?
Glycerin, panthenol, and ceramide NP make this cleanser a good fit for dry sensitive skin by providing hydration and barrier support. To fully care for dry skin, a cleanser of this type needs a rich blend of hydrating and barrier-repairing ingredients like ceramides and hyaluronic acid, along with softening and sealing ingredients to prevent moisture loss.
What does Succinic Acid do for dry sensitive skin?
Succinic acid helps calm dry, sensitive skin and improves moisture when paired with ingredients like hyaluronic acid. It is unlikely to irritate when formulated properly, though individual responses may vary.
What does Salicylic Acid do for dry sensitive skin?
Salicylic acid is generally a poor fit for dry, sensitive skin because it is designed to clear out pores by removing excess oil, which can easily leave dry skin irritated. A product of this type needs gentle exfoliating helpers paired with rich, soothing moisturizers and barrier-repairing ingredients to keep dry skin calm and comfortable.
Where does this cleanser go in a skincare routine for dry sensitive skin?
This cleanser goes as the first step in the morning and after a makeup remover in the evening, while a dry sensitive skin routine also needs rich moisturizing creams with plenty of nourishing oils and butters to fully lock in hydration.
Can I use this cleanser with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this cleanser in your routine alongside retinol, as it is unlikely to irritate your skin. Apply it before your retinol treatment to clean your face gently, but make sure to follow with a rich moisturizer because this cleanser lacks enough nourishing ingredients to prevent dryness on its own.
How often should I use this cleanser?
You can use this cleanser daily in the morning and evening as part of your routine. It is unlikely to cause irritation on dry and sensitive skin, but it needs richer moisturizing ingredients and oils to fully protect and soften very dry skin.
Can this cleanser clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for dry sensitive skin?
This cleanser is unlikely to clog your pores or cause breakouts on dry sensitive skin, as its ingredients are generally well-tolerated and free of harsh irritants. It also helps clear out pores with salicylic acid, though your dry skin needs extra rich creams and oils to stay fully soft and comfortable.
Can I use this cleanser around the eyes or on my body?
You can use this cleanser on your body and around your eyes because its gentle cleansing agents are well-tolerated by thin skin.
Is this cleanser fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
Yes, it has no fragrance and no drying alcohol.
What the research says
A new topical panthenol-containing emollient significantly improved transepidermal water loss reduction, stratum corneum hydration, and intercellular lipid lamellae length compared with control in healthy subjects without negatively impacting bacterial viability.
The Journal of Dermatological Treatment, 2017A lipid mixture enriched by ceramide NP with fatty acids of diverse chain lengths significantly improved skin barrier recovery rate, stratum corneum integrity, and hydration compared to a vehicle cream in healthy adult male volunteers with corticosteroid-impaired skin.
Skin Pharmacology and Physiology, 2022Topical dexpanthenol acts as a moisturizer, improves stratum corneum hydration, accelerates wound healing and epidermal regeneration, reduces erythema, and improves symptoms of skin irritation compared to vehicle or no pretreatment.
American Journal of Clinical Dermatology, 2002Treatment with a facial cream gel containing a biotechnological phytocomplex, niacinamide, and succinic acid increased skin microbial diversity and reduced C. acnes abundance, lesion counts, sebum, and acne severity in 44 subjects with mild-moderate acne over 56 days.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024Treatment with a lotion containing a phytocomplex, niacinamide, and succinic acid increased skin microbial alpha diversity, reduced Cutibacterium acnes relative abundance, and improved acne severity and clinical symptoms in 43 subjects with truncal mild-moderate acne.
Skin Research and Technology, 2024Treatment with plant-derived exosomes combined with non-cross-linked hyaluronic acid and succinic acid improved facial hyperpigmentation in two patients.
Cureus, 2026Cryotherapy with liquid nitrogen achieved a higher cure rate (39%) than salicylic acid (24%) and a wait-and-see approach (16%) for cutaneous warts at 13 weeks in primary care patients.
CMAJ, 2010A moisturizer containing licochalcone A, 1,2-decanediol, L-carnitine, and salicylic acid significantly reduced noninflammatory, inflammatory, and total acne lesion counts compared to a vehicle control in Thai patients during a 12-week maintenance phase.
BioMed Research International, 2020Treatment with 2% supramolecular salicylic acid hydrogel resulted in a regression and markedly improvement rate of 51.01% compared to 43.10% for Adapaline gel in patients with mild to moderate facial acne vulgaris, showing no significant difference in efficacy.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024A single application of a moisturizing fluid containing hyaluronic acid 1%, glycerin 5%, and Centella asiatica stem cells extract significantly increased skin hydration by 29% and reduced transepidermal water loss at 24 hours compared to baseline and an untreated control site in twenty healthy women.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017The emollient V0034CR significantly reduced TEWL compared to vehicle and vehicle plus glycerol, and significantly increased corneometry scores compared to vehicle and vehicle plus petrolatum in healthy volunteers with dry skin, demonstrating combined barrier function improvement from petrolatum and hydration improvement from glycerol.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020Ten days of treatment with a cream containing 20% glycerin significantly increased skin hydration measured by corneometer values in 17 healthy volunteers compared to a placebo cream, but showed no influence on transepidermal water loss or skin sensitivity to an irritating surfactant.
International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2001
Why other cleansers fit dry sensitive skin better
Phytosphingosine increased filaggrin metabolism and skin hydration in human skin by stimulating filaggrin biosynthesis and degradation leading to natural moisturizing factor formation.
Archives of Dermatological Research, 2017Malaysian thermal spring water as an adjunct to standard acne therapy improved skin hydration, reduced dryness and stinging, enhanced overall tolerability, and improved the acne disability index in patients with mild to moderate acne.
The Medical Journal of Malaysia, 2024
Ingredients
Water, Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate, Sodium Cocoyl Alaninate, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, Glycerin, Acrylates C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Disodium 2-Sulfolaurate, Sodium Chloride, Methylpropanediol, Houttuynia Cordata Extract, Quillaja Saponaria Bark Extract, Cynanchum Atratum Extract, Althaea Rosea Flower Extract, Chitosan, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, Tromethamine, Coco-Glucoside, Panthenol, Salicylic Acid, Succinic Acid, Butylene Glycol, Lauryl Hydroxysultaine, Polyglyceryl-4 Caprate, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Sodium Citrate, Sodium Phytate, Hexylene Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Citric Acid, Protease, Caprylic Capric Triglyceride, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Ceramide Np, Dipropylene Glycol, Pentylene Glycol, Cholesterol
Behind this fit score
Lovi calculates every fit score from the full ingredient list with brand-independent rules our dermatologists and cosmetic chemists build and review, and personalizes every pick with AI trained on the real results of millions of users. Lovi trains its fit score models on a proprietary dataset built from more than 10,000 expert-labeled products and more than 100,000 simulated examples, following an internally consistent methodology presented at Cosmoprof, AMWC, and Skin of Color Update.
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Co-founder, Medical Director
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PhD in computer science, 3x US patent holder, ex-Google, ex-Yandex
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Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc
Medical Board
Aesthetic medicine practitioner, MSc in Longevity and Anti-Aging Medicine
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Specialist dermatologist, MBBS, MD, IFAAD
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Dermatology MD
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Elina Nazarenko, MD
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Dermatology and diagnostic consultant
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Victoria Derkova, MS
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Cosmetic chemist, cosmetic development technologist
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