Anua Heartleaf Quercetinol Pore Deep Cleansing Foam for dry skin
Houttuynia Cordata Extract
Salicylic Acid
Sodium Hyaluronate
GlycerinAverage
- AverageDry Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- HighSafety
Works for dry skin; other cleansers fit it better.
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with dry skin: flakiness, tightness, dehydration, 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 suitability for your dry skin as Glycerin and multiple forms of Sodium Hyaluronate provide humectant action to attract moisture, but the formula lacks sufficient emollient ingredients for optimal hydration.
- The presence of salicylic acid and capryloyl salicylic acid offers excellent cleansing and pore decongestion benefits, which can help with flakiness.
- The product is safe for your dry skin, with no risks of irritation due to the absence of prohibited or harsh ingredients.
How to apply
- Use this cleanser AM and PM every day to keep your skin clean. Start using it daily right away since your skin is not sensitive.
- Apply this cleanser as the very first step in your morning routine and right after your pre-cleanser in the evening. Follow with your toner and moisturizer afterwards.
- Gently massage a small amount of cleanser onto your face using soft circular motions. Rinse thoroughly with lukewarm water and pat dry with a clean towel.
- Apply this cleanser on slightly damp skin for a comfortable and refreshing wash. This helps maintain your skin's natural moisture while cleansing away dirt.
- Avoid getting the cleanser directly into your eyes to prevent any irritation. Do a simple patch test before your first use to ensure your skin likes it.
People Say
★4.6Overall rating based on 3.5k+ reviewsBased on a very large amount of data, this cleanser is highly recommended by users with oily and acne-prone skin for its exceptional ability to deeply cleanse pores, effectively remove sebaceous filaments, and control oiliness, leaving the skin feeling thoroughly clean. However, a significant number of users with dry or sensitive skin report that it can be overly drying and stripping, potentially causing tightness, irritation, or compromising the skin's natural moisture barrier.
Highlights
Deep pore cleansing Mostly Mentioned
- “cleared the large pores”
- “eliminated blackheads on nose”
- “removes sebaceous filaments”
- “skin feels squeaky clean”
Rich creamy lather Often Mentioned
- “lathers quickly”
- “dense and creamy”
- “soft and rich bubbles”
- “a little goes a long way”
Drying and stripping Often Mentioned
- “leaves my skin tight”
- “too drying for dry skin”
- “stripped my moisture barrier”
- “felt squeaky but dry”
Acne & oil control Sometimes Noted
- “helped clear acne on chin”
- “reduced oil on my face”
- “calming down acne”
- “less congestion”
Gentle exfoliation Sometimes Noted
- “grainy formula exfoliates”
- “heartleaf powder to remove dead skin”
- “skin feels smooth after”
Breakouts or purging Sometimes Noted
- “caused peeling and irritation”
- “broke me out with small pustules”
- “awful purging”
- “whiteheads popped up”
Skin irritation Rarely Noted
- “stung immediately”
- “face was red and warm”
- “irritated my skin like crazy”
- “caused peeling around nose”
Strong scent Rarely Noted
- “smell is too much”
- “strong minty/eucalyptus scent”
- “smelled like cardboard”
Sources: lovi.care, oliveyoung.com, iherb.com, yesstyle.com, stylevana.com, skinsort.com, and more
Questions and answers
How well does Anua Heartleaf Quercetinol Pore Deep Cleansing Foam work for dry skin?
This cleanser works moderately well for dry skin, offering helpful cleansing and pore decongestion while attracting moisture, though it lacks enough softening ingredients for optimal hydration. A cleanser for dry skin needs rich hydrating and barrier-repairing ingredients like essential ceramides and hyaluronic acid to maintain moisture and protect the skin.
Which ingredients make this cleanser a good fit for dry skin?
Glycerin and multiple forms of sodium hyaluronate make this cleanser a fit for dry skin by attracting moisture. Because it is an average fit, a cleanser of this type needs essential ceramides and rich softening ingredients to lock in hydration and protect the skin barrier.
What does Houttuynia Cordata Extract do for dry skin?
Houttuynia cordata extract helps calm dry skin by reducing inflammation and protecting cells from sun and oxidative damage. It also supports skin barrier proteins, which is useful since a product of this type for dry skin needs nourishing oils and humectants to lock in moisture.
What does Salicylic Acid do for dry skin?
Salicylic acid is generally not a good fit for dry skin, as it is meant to clear out pores and remove dead skin rather than hydrate. Because dry skin needs soothing and moisture rather than exfoliation, a product for dry skin needs nourishing ingredients like urea to lock in moisture and keep the skin soft.
Where does this cleanser go in a skincare routine for dry skin?
This cleanser goes in your morning and evening routine as the first cleansing step, or as the second step in the evening if you wear makeup. While it cleans well and adds some moisture with glycerin and sodium hyaluronate, dry skin works best with a cleanser that also includes rich softening and smoothing ingredients to lock in hydration.
The Journal of Dermatological Treatment, 2022Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017
Can I use this cleanser with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this cleanser in your routine, applying it before your retinol treatment in the evening while following up with a rich moisturizer to keep your dry skin comfortable. This cleanser is unlikely to cause irritation, but because it lacks heavy softening ingredients, dry skin of this type needs richer, soothing lotions and skin-softening oils to lock in moisture.
How often should I use this cleanser?
This cleanser works for your dry skin, though other products fit it better because it lacks rich softening ingredients to lock in moisture. You can use it as part of your regular morning and evening routine, while dry skin types generally need plenty of rich oils and butters to stay smooth and comfortable.
The Journal of Dermatological Treatment, 2022Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017
Can this cleanser clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for dry skin?
This cleanser is unlikely to irritate dry skin, though some shoppers report breakouts. It contains salicylic acid to help clear out pores, but a cleanser for dry skin also needs softening and smoothing ingredients that lock in moisture.
Can I use this cleanser around the eyes or on my body?
This cleanser is safe to use on the body, but it is best to avoid the thin skin around the eyes since facial cleansers can easily dry out that delicate area. Dry skin needs cleansers with extra rich, soothing moisturizers and gentle oils to lock in hydration while washing.
Is this cleanser fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
Yes, it has no fragrance and no drying alcohol.
What the research says
A 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, 2017Twice daily application of a multitargeted dermocosmetic cream provided comparable efficacy to benzoyl peroxide 5% gel in reducing inflammatory, non-inflammatory, and total lesions in 150 Caucasian subjects with mild-to-moderate acne over 56 days, while demonstrating superior skin tolerability.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024Daily treatment with a facial serum containing multiple acids reduced post-inflammatory hyperchromia lesion grade and number by 29.4% at 56 days, and decreased skin oiliness by 30.7% at 7 days in Brazilian patients with acne vulgaris.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2021Quercetin phospholipids 1% cream significantly reduced UV-, histamine-, and chemical-induced skin erythema (-10.05%) and mean wheal diameter in 30 healthy human volunteers, showing comparable efficacy to 1% dexchlorpheniramine cream.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2016Quercetin-loaded niosomes formulated with Span60-RH40 at a 9:11 mass ratio improved quercetin solubility, photostability, sustained release, and transdermal penetration, yielding a skin retention 2.95 times higher than quercetin solution.
Molecules, 2019Optimized rutin-loaded glycerosomes formulated into a nanosunscreen gel demonstrated sustained drug release, greater skin permeation, good antioxidant activity, and better epidermal retention compared to the dermis, indicating high safety, stability, and sun protection factor values for topical administration.
Gels, 2023Cryotherapy 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, 2024Topical application of 0.1% hyaluronic acid formulations of different molecular weights led to significant improvements in skin hydration and elasticity, with low-molecular-weight formulations also significantly reducing wrinkle depth in seventy-six female subjects compared to a vehicle control.
Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2011Topical application of hyaluronic acid in conjunction with free gingival graft significantly reduced donor site postoperative pain until day 7 compared to normal saline, with no significant differences in graft dimensions or patient satisfaction.
Clinical Oral Investigations, 2022Treatment with a hyaluronic acid-containing mouth rinse or topical gel led to significant lesion reduction, pain relief, and normalization of lesion color in adult patients with minor recurrent aphthous stomatitis, with the gel formulation showing an earlier healing onset at 3 days.
BMC Oral Health, 2019The 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, 2001Niacinamide/glycerin body moisturizers provided better rapid and prolonged improvement of cosmetic xerosis through functional improvement of stratum corneum barrier function compared to no treatment and conventional moisturizers in female subjects.
Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2012
Why other cleansers fit dry 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, 2017Topical dexpanthenol formulated in lipophilic vehicles improved stratum corneum hydration and reduced transepidermal water loss compared to vehicle control in humans.
Arzneimittel-Forschung, 2000
Ingredients
Houttuynia Cordata Extract, Glycerin, Sodium Cocoyl Glycinate, Water, Sodium Lauroyl Glutamate, Coco-Glucoside, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Sodium Chloride, 1,2-Hexanediol, Salicylic Acid, Butylene Glycol, Lecithin, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Hydroxypropyl Phosphate Starch, Potassium Benzoate, Polyquaternium-67, Houttuynia Cordata Powder, Quercetin, Oenothera Biennis Flower Extract, Ulmus Davidiana Root Extract, Pinus Palustris Leaf Extract, Pueraria Lobata Root Extract, Capryloyl Salicylic Acid, Tocopherol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Potassium Hyaluronate, Dextrin, Gardenia Florida Fruit Extract, Ethylhexylglycerin, Disodium Edta
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
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetologist, aesthetic products developer
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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
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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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Victoria Derkova, MS
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Cosmetic chemist, cosmetic development technologist
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