What is Anua Heartleaf Plus Vitamin E Pore Control Cleansing Oil good for, according to the experts?

In their reviews, experts say Anua Heartleaf Plus Vitamin E Pore Control Cleansing Oil is good for clogged or visible pores (2 experts) and excess oil and shine (1 expert).

Is Anua Heartleaf Plus Vitamin E Pore Control Cleansing Oil good for clogged or visible pores?

2 experts who reviewed Anua Heartleaf Plus Vitamin E Pore Control Cleansing Oil say it is. Doctorly put it this way: “A good option here is the one from Anua to use a cleansing oil to dissolve some of the sebaceous filaments that have built up into your pores.”

Anua Heartleaf Plus Vitamin E Pore Control Cleansing Oil

Q: What is Anua Heartleaf Plus Vitamin E Pore Control Cleansing Oil?

A lightweight cleansing oil with heartleaf extract and vitamin E, designed to dissolve makeup, sunscreen and excess oil as the first step of a double cleanse, with a focus on pore-area congestion.

Q: Is Anua Heartleaf Plus Vitamin E Pore Control Cleansing Oil worth it?

The gurus are split. 8 of the 14 gurus give it their stamp of approval while 4 would skip it, which lands it in the middle at a Guru Score of 69%.

Q: What is Anua Heartleaf Plus Vitamin E Pore Control Cleansing Oil's Guru Score?

Anua Heartleaf Plus Vitamin E Pore Control Cleansing Oil holds a Guru Score of 69%. That is our read on how warmly the experts talk about it, based on the verdicts of 14 expert reviewers we have collected. At least one expert has named it a Top Pick in its category.

What the gurus are saying.

Every take we've logged from this product's reviews across YouTube. Click any row to watch the moment they said it.

All takes Yay takes Nay takes Mixed takes Hide sponsored

Tina Tanaka Harris

277k subs

~Mixed

"The Anua Heartleaf Pore Control Cleansing Oil and the Round Lab Dokdo Cleansing Oil are very similar in texture. They're super duper lightweight and watery, so if you don't like a heavy feeling, you will really like these. They do have either essential oils or fragrance, though, and retail for about 20 USD for 200 mils of product."

Dimma Umeh

544k subs

~Nay

"My skin was acting up when I gave it a try, and it broke me out. [...] I used it for about two weeks and it left my skin worse than it met it. [...] Instead of removing things from my pores, it put things into mine, and I got a lot of clogged pores and closed comedones in [...] places I typically don't break out. [...] This product has worked for some people, so I don't think everybody's lying, but [...] if you're acne-prone I'd consider micellar water first before jumping on oil cleansers."

Kelly Driscoll

91k subs

~Nay

"The worst Anua product at Ulta has got to be the Heartleaf Pore Control Cleansing Oil. It kind of just misses the mark for me personally on a couple different levels. Number one, it smells weird. It has this very medicinal smell. [...] I think there's some artificial stuff happening in here as well. This is a fragrance product, but for whatever reason, it just doesn't strike me as pleasant. It just strikes me as kind of medicine-y in a non-appealing way."

All 3 takes from Kelly Driscoll

The WORST SKINCARE I Put On My Face 2025!! 😱

"At least for me, one of the worst things I put on my skin this year in 2025. Ingredients wise, it doesn't look too bad. There is a little bit of fragrance in here, a little bit higher up on the list. [...] I'm not seeing any essential oils, any of those fragrant compounds that can be very concentrated and can trigger a sensitivity in folks who don't do well with fragrance. No drying forms of alcohol in here. We have a variety of different oils, which makes sense for a cleansing oil."

K-Beauty at Ulta! The BEST and WORST! | Pt 1

My Skincare BETRAYALS!! | These Did Me Dirty

"I started to use this earlier in the year. Gave me the weirdest pimple. The weirdest pimple right under my eye. What? I don't get pimples under my eye. And I got a pimple under my eye and it lasted for like a month. And then the hyperpigmentation from that lasted for like three or four months. Like it was just the strangest pimple in the weirdest spot. And this product has broken out so many people. Like kind of similar stories like in the weirdest places."

CYoung

96k subs

~Yay

"This is the viral king of cleansing oils and it's the most lightweight one I've tried out of all the ones I'm comparing. Even a newbie won't feel like the oil is too heavy, so if you have oily combo or acne prone skin and have been reluctant to try a cleansing oil because it's oil, try this one. The only downside is [...] it's very [...] watery, so you have to use a little more of it than other cleansing oils or it's hard to roll and emulsify properly. Still, it's worth trying."

Top Pick: cleansing foam

All 12 takes from CYoung

I Spent $4,000 at Olive Young So You Don’t Have To

"Anua's cleansing oil is okay, if you haven't tried it you can, but as I always say this one is really for oily combo skin. If you have dry mature skin, no, it's going to dry your skin out too much."

Korean Viral Cleansers: Watch Before You Buy l Oils, Foams & Milks

"I tried this on my skin and [...] I'm not going to use it on my face forever because it was too dry while making the bubbles. [...] The bubbles were dense and felt pretty good while cleansing, but after my skin dried it felt too tight. I tested it on my hands too and got similar stripping, similar drying. [...] I never recommend this for double cleansing because it's going to be too much, even for oily or super oily skin. I'd only recommend it for easily removing sunscreen or a one time cleanse."

Viral K-Beauty vs What Koreans Actually Use: Which is better? And Why?

"I'm a dry skin girl, so this cleansing foam feels too tight on my skin. If you're double cleansing, meaning you'd be using this every single day, I don't think so, that's going to be too much. There are milder Korean cleansing foam alternatives out there that are great too."

I Analyzed 14 Popular Cleansers. 3 Are Ruining Your Skin Barrier

10 WORST K-Beauty Viral Products I REGRET buying | Don’t Make The Same Mistake!

"The Anua whipped cleanser and foam cleanser are basically the same, a two in one wash off mask and cleanser that claims to be sensitive skin friendly, but I wouldn't even put it on my face, I'd use it on my body instead, don't gamble with your skin. [...] If you use it as a mask you actually need way too much product, which is bad for the environment, and after five minutes I don't see any difference."

I Tried *Viral* Korean Cleansing Oils & Cleansers and Compared Them | Which One Is Best?

"I don't really feel much itching from it and it doesn't really feel like that deep of a cleanse, but at the same time it actually dried me out too much. A lot of people on TikTok use this after the Anua cleansing oil, using both the oil and the foam together, but that's going to make your skin so dry, don't do that, this isn't meant to be a second cleanser, it's too extreme, it's a low alkaline formula."

Which Is Better? J-Beauty or K-Beauty? | Brutally Honest Long Term Review

"It felt so light, almost like it wasn't oil at all, and after going through the emulsification process it removed everything cleanly. Anua wins."

Global No.1 vs Korea No.1 Skincare: Which is Better and Why?

"Anua's cleansing oil has a lot more of a watery formulation, it doesn't feel that oily, so if you're new to cleansing oil I'd recommend starting with [...] this one. But if you ask me which one actually works better for cleansing, it's not this one, it doesn't dissolve blackheads and whiteheads that well. It's fine for light makeup or sunscreen, but not for heavy makeup."

Which is the best Viral TIKTOK Korean Cleansing Oils & Cleansers for you? (NOT sponsored)

"If you have dry skin and you do a double cleanse with this it's going to dry you out, you're destroying your skin. If you have sensitive skin it's too much, you'll become so red. It bubbles well and cleanses well, however I don't agree with the product being named deep cleansing, I don't think heartleaf powder cleanses your pores, you need an oil to do that, it's not possible with a foam. I'd only recommend it for oily skin, if you have dry or combination skin only use it once a week."

Korean Skincare products that are actually POPULAR in Korea

"I think Anua's best product is their cleansing oil."

I tried TikTok most viral Korean skincare products…an honest review (Not sponsored)

"This cleansing foam is actually for oily skin, they have a different product for normal to dry skin. If you double cleanse with this, even the oils your skin needs will dry up and your skin barrier will be ruined, so don't use this as a secondary cleanser, at least not every day. Double cleansing isn't a must for everyone, you can finish cleansing at the oil step if you still feel residue, then use this foam, but I'd only recommend doing that maybe every two or three days."

Global No.1 vs Korea No.1 Skincare: Which Is Better and Why? (2026 Update)

"Anyone with red, reactive, very sensitive skin looking for a cleansing foam, this is great. It's so soft once you whip up the bubbles and put it on your skin. It's a bit thick, so you have to squish it to get it going, but once you make the bubbles it's so soft. The Olive Young reviews show it's the most reviewed, so I'd say it's Korea's number one or favorite."

Dr. Vanita Rattan

1.23M subs

~Yay

"K Beauty is iconic for the double cleanse. Number one cleansing oil in K Beauty is the Anua Heartleaf Plus Vitamin E Pore Control Cleansing Oil. This is the cleansing oil that draws all the sebum out, the white dots. I love it. It helps to also break up makeup and sunscreen. Clean after doing it for about 60 seconds. [...] That's a good amount of time. Wash it off completely, then go in with a water-based cleanser."

All 2 takes from Dr. Vanita Rattan

Dr V REACTS- SUBSCRIBE for Skincare

Anua Korean skincare Best & Worst | Dr Vanita Rattan (non-sponsored)

"Unfortunately for me this is not one I'm happy with and it's not Dr V approved."

Dr. Jenny Liu

324k subs

~Yay

"So you don't have to worry about it contributing to more clogged pores. And then also grape seed oil that is also an antioxidant at the same time. So for those who are oily acne prone looking for an oil based cleanser, a cleansing oil that helps to remove makeup and product buildup without contributing to clogged pores, I highly recommend checking out this product."

Jamie Genevieve

974k subs

~Yay

"I absolutely love it."

Dr Dray

2.69M subs

~Nay

"It has fragrance and that killed it for me. You know, it does what it's supposed to do. No shade to this as far as its efficacy. It works. All right. There's not a whole lot you can do to make a cleansing oil not work. They pretty much all work the same. But you can ruin a cleansing oil by making the experience unpleasant. And for me, this fragrance was unpleasant. One of the reasons I like using cleansing oils so much is for eye makeup removal."

All 5 takes from Dr Dray

New Skincare Finds At Dollar Tree, Marshalls + Bath & Body Works Fall Candles

"I am still working my way through the Anua Heartleaf Plus Vitamin E Pore Control Cleansing Oil. I have, as you can see, probably about two or three more uses left."

My June 2025 Skincare Empties & Favorites

"Any cleansing oil you chose would achieve those outcomes and there isn't anything about this cleansing oil or any cleansing oil that I've tried that actually has something that targets oil production or sebum. So those of you who have oily breakout-prone skin don't assume that this is the cleansing oil for you based on the claims around it. It worked fine but not one I would go after again."

Ulta Is Leaving Target! Let's Go Shopping 🛍️

"I'm almost finished with the Anua cleansing oil. So, I'm going to be needing to move on."

I Finished These Skincare Products—Would I Repurchase?

Shopping For Korean And Japanese Skincare

"I'm not really loving the Anua cleansing oil. It's kind of got an odd aroma to it."

AliceintheRabbitHole

59k subs

~Yay

"This is the sensitive skin Heartleaf version of the Anua cleansing oil. For me, I really liked this, and I liked the original as well. I do feel like I go through the Anua cleansing oils faster than some others because I tend to unintentionally pump out more from lightweight cleansing oils versus heavier ones."

Top Pick: cleansing foam

All 5 takes from AliceintheRabbitHole

Skincare Empties! TONS of sunscreen (predictably)

Skincare Empties to Celebrate the END of Summer!

"I worked with Anua and they sent me this cleansing oil, but I never did a sponsorship with it because I liked it, I don't think I loved it. [...] I used it to remove makeup and sunscreen and it worked fine for that, but when I posted my review so many people in the comments said it caused breakouts for them. I have acne prone skin and I still haven't figured out [...] why. I won't repurchase it, there are a lot of other cleansing oils I'd like to try."

NEW *all K-Beauty* Try-On: Beauty of Joseon, Isntree, VT, & More!

"When I open this one I'm immediately smacked in the face by the smell of rosemary, and in my humblest of opinions rosemary essential oil is a fragrance, it certainly has a smell, and that's not what I would do if I was trying to make a cleansing oil for the people the original didn't work out for, I'd actually leave out essential oils. After rinsing I feel like there's no residue left behind, I like it, but I liked the original."

Is Anua Skincare Worth the Hype? 1-Month Review/Ranking

"I have to admit I do really like this, it's a perfect in between cleansing oil texture, some of them are very light, some are more heavy, this is exactly in the middle. It does have some fragrance so it probably won't be for everyone, but for me that works just fine in the cleansing step. [...] It did work for my dry skin on its own, and using it [...] as a double cleanse it all comes off. I think they did a great job on this cleansing oil."

K-Beauty Speed Reviews: Spicules, Next-Gen Sunscreens, & J-Beauty too!

"This is my personal favorite cleansing foam that I've ever tried, at least from K Beauty brands. There is something about this that makes it feel less harsh, less stripping. It [...] is fragrance free but it has a strange smell to it that I don't know how to describe. As somebody with a dry skin type I can only use this kind of product a handful of times a week, but using a tiny amount of it foamed off my hands makes it easier for me."

Nipun Kapur

413k subs

~Yay

"I have gone through two entire jars of this heartleaf cleansing oil and I absolutely love it. [...] On its own just as a cleansing oil it is fabulous, does not break you out, it is super super amazing. [...] You're going to start with dry dirty face, apply this cleansing oil, wash it off with face wash."

Top Pick: cleansing oil

All 3 takes from Nipun Kapur

Korean Skincare Fails from 2023 | Nipun Kapur

"It is the Anua heart leaf pore control cleansing oil and this went so viral because a lady in the video was rubbing this on her nose like how oil you rub and she said that her sebaceous filaments and I don't know what inside was coming out, I tried that technique also, I used it simply like cleansing oil cleansing mom use it that way also it does the job okay yes it will remove your sunscreen yes it will remove your makeup it will remove whatever but I tried a lot nothing came out"

Translated from the guru's original language.

Best Products from Anua for All Skin Types | Best Korean Skincare for Indian Skin | Nipun Kapur

Korean Skincare That Should Be Viral I Best Korean Skincare of 2024 | Nipun Kapur

"The cleansing oil is really good"

Translated from the guru's original language.

Hyram

4.33M subs

~Mixed

"As far as this cleansing oil goes, once you get past the redness it does feel nice on the face, but I want to see how it rinses off because that's another thing with a lot of cleansing oils is that they are not the most pleasant to rinse off, they can take quite a while and that's just not my favorite. [...] I will say that wasn't too bad, it did rinse off like relatively quickly."

Doctorly

3.59M subs

~Yay

"It's like the perfect blend of fun and functionality. I love the feel and the smell on the skin, and it's one of my favorites."