Beauty of Joseon Green Plum Refreshing Toner for dry skin
Green Plum Extract
Glycolic Acid Aha
Salicylic Acid Bha
Glycerin
Panax Ginseng Root Extract
Low
- LowDry Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- HighSafety
A weak match for dry skin; the toners alongside 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 exfoliation for your dry skin due to glycolic and salicylic acids, which can help smooth texture but may also cause dryness. Glycerin and Prunus Mume Fruit Water provide some hydration, though they are not specialized for intense dryness.
- The formula is generally safe for your dry skin, as it lacks harsh ingredients that would typically cause irritation.
- While the exfoliation is effective, the potential for dryness means it is not an ideal long-term solution for your specific skin concerns.
How to apply
- Use your exfoliating toner as part of your PM routine once a week to start. If your skin is happy, you can slowly use it more often.
- Apply this exfoliating toner right after your cleanser and before your moisturizer. This keeps your skin care steps in the right order.
- Gently press 2-3 drops of the exfoliating toner into your skin with your hands. Let it soak in for a minute before the next step.
- Put the exfoliating toner on clean and dry skin to help it work best. Avoid rubbing so your face stays calm and happy.
- Always do a patch test before your first use and avoid the sensitive eye area.
People Say
★4.8Overall rating based on 200+ reviewsUsers with oily and combination skin highly praise this toner for its gentle exfoliating properties and effective sebum control, leading to smoother texture and a radiant glow. While it absorbs quickly and hydrates without stripping, some users with very dry or sensitive skin have reported occasional irritation or initial breakouts.
Highlights
Lightweight & fast Mostly Mentioned
- “absorbs instantly into skin”
- “no sticky residue left”
- “feels like refreshing water”
Gentle exfoliation Often Mentioned
- “gentle enough for daily use”
- “skin feels softer immediately”
- “great introduction to acids”
Non-stripping hydration Often Mentioned
- “doesn't dry me out”
- “hydrating despite the acids”
- “leaves a nice glow”
Controls oil/sebum Sometimes Noted
- “less oily by midday”
- “pores appear smaller”
- “cleared up my blackheads”
Initial breakouts Sometimes Noted
- “caused small whiteheads initially”
- “purging lasted two weeks”
- “broke me out at first”
Scent dislike Rarely Noted
- “smells a bit weird”
- “has a fermented scent”
- “scent is off-putting”
Sensitivity reactions Rarely Noted
- “stung my sensitive skin”
- “caused redness around nose”
- “irritated my dry patches”
Too gentle for some Rarely Noted
- “didn't see drastic changes”
- “too weak for stubborn acne”
- “prefer stronger glycolic toners”
Sources: lovi.care, stylekorean.com, yesstyle.com, beautyofjoseon.com, hikoco.co.nz, skinsider.co.uk, and more
Questions and answers
Why is Beauty of Joseon Green Plum Toner a weak match for dry skin?
This exfoliating toner is a weak match because its acids can help smooth texture but may also cause dryness. An exfoliating toner for dry skin needs rich hydrating and nourishing ingredients, such as propolis, honey, aloe, or sodium hyaluronate, to provide optimal moisture without irritation.
Which ingredients make this toner a poor fit for dry skin?
Glycolic acid and salicylic acid make this exfoliating toner a weak match for dry skin because they can remove moisture and cause dryness. A product of this type needs hydrating and nourishing ingredients, such as humectants and emollients like aloe, sodium hyaluronate, propolis, and honey extracts, to adequately address dry skin concerns.
What does Green Plum Extract do for dry skin?
Green Plum Extract helps protect dry skin by fighting off damage from daily stress. It also may help even out skin tone by keeping dark spots from forming.
What does Glycolic Acid do for dry skin?
Glycolic acid can make dry skin smooth by helping shed dead surface flakes, but because it tends to dry out the skin further, it needs to be paired with rich hydrating and soothing ingredients.
Acta Dermato-venereologica, 1995Archives of Dermatological Research, 1997
Where does this toner go in a skincare routine for dry skin?
This exfoliating toner fits into an evening routine, starting at once a week, because its acids can smooth texture but may also cause dryness. To properly care for dry skin, this type of product needs extra hydrating ingredients like ceramides, hyaluronic acid, or squalane to lock in moisture and prevent flaking.
Can I use this toner with retinol, and in what order?
You should not use this exfoliating toner in the same routine with retinol, as it may cause excessive dryness and irritation on your dry skin. Instead, apply retinol on separate nights or use them on alternate days, and always follow up with a rich moisturizer containing ingredients like glycerin to keep your skin soft and comfortable.
How often should I use this toner?
Start using this exfoliating toner just once a week to see how your dry skin handles it. A product of this type for dry skin needs extra hydrating ingredients like ceramides or hyaluronic acid to help keep the skin soft and comfortable.
Can this toner clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for dry skin?
This toner is unlikely to clog pores, but reviewers note it may cause moderate initial breakouts and mild sensitivity. Because it uses acids to remove dead skin cells while providing basic hydration from glycerin, dry skin needs extra moisture and barrier-protecting ingredients to stay comfortable.
Is this toner 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, 2017Prunus mume ripened seed extract protects against ultraviolet-induced skin aging in mice and human HaCaT cells by increasing SIRT1 and collagen levels while decreasing MMP-1, MMP-13, and ROS generation compared to untreated ultraviolet-exposed controls.
Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity, 2021The novel compound FA-1 isolated from Prunus mume protects human bronchial epithelial cells and keratinocytes from cigarette smoke extract-induced DNA damage and apoptosis by reducing oxidative stress and augmenting ALDH isozymes and DNA repair proteins.
Scientific Reports, 2018Repeated short-contact 70% glycolic acid peels provided superior results in atrophic acne scars compared to daily low-strength glycolic acid cream or placebo in 58 women over 24 weeks.
International Journal of Dermatology, 2000Serial glycolic acid peels combined with a modified Kligman formula significantly reduced facial PIH severity in Indian patients compared to the modified Kligman formula alone.
Dermatologic Surgery, 2017Cryotherapy 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, 2024The 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, 2012Enzyme-modified ginseng extract cream significantly reduced the global photo-damage score and various roughness measures including total roughness, smoothness depth, and arithmetic roughness average compared to placebo in 23 human subjects.
Rejuvenation Research, 2015A red ginseng hydrogel formulation with 1,2-hexanediol promoted selective growth of Staphylococcus epidermidis and decreased Cutibacterium acnes in 20 female subjects.
Journal of Ginseng Research, 2022A 1% fermented black ginseng cream significantly reduced eye wrinkles and brightened skin color in twenty-three human subjects compared to control cream and baseline.
Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health. Part A, 2020
Why other toners fit dry skin better
Cosmetic formulations containing 5% Centella asiatica extract showed the best efficacy in improving skin moisture and decreasing transepidermal water loss, while also exhibiting antiinflammatory properties in 25 volunteers compared to baseline measurements.
Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2016Gluconolactone treatment significantly increased facial skin hydration in 16 healthy women, with no significant differences between 10% and 30% solutions.
Skin Research and Technology, 2021
Ingredients
Water, Prunus Mume Fruit Water, Dipropylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Tromethamine, Glycolic Acid, Phaseolus Radiatus Seed Extract, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Rice Bran Water, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Salicylic Acid, Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract, Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract, Fructose, Tocopherol, Glucose, Sodium Pca, Triethylhexanoin, Diphenyl Dimethicone, C12-14 Pareth-12, Ethylhexylglycerin, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Polyglyceryl-10 Oleate, Tetrasodium 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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Co-founder, CEO and CTO
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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Medical Board
Specialist dermatologist, MBBS, MD, IFAAD
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Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, SCS, IFSCC member
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Medical Board, Medical Advisor
Dermatology MD
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Elina Nazarenko, MD
Medical Board
Dermatology and diagnostic consultant
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Victoria Derkova, MS
Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetic development technologist
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