Anua

A Korean brand best known for heartleaf, a calming plant extract that runs through most of the range. The Heartleaf Pore Control Cleansing Oil and Heartleaf 77% Soothing Toner are the two products that made the brand.

The range is built around calming redness, keeping the barrier comfortable and cleaning pores properly without stripping. It suits sensitive and congested skin, which is an unusual combination to serve well.

Heartleaf, sometimes labelled houttuynia cordata, is used to calm skin down. It is the ingredient people reach for when skin is red, reactive or irritated.

It is not an exfoliant and it will not clear congestion on its own. Think of it as the thing that keeps your skin comfortable while something else does the active work.

The numbers are not strengths of one product. They are different products that happen to contain different amounts.

• Heartleaf 70% Intense Calming Cream and Heartleaf 70% Daily Relief Lotion are the moisturisers
• Heartleaf 77% Soothing Toner and Heartleaf 77% Clear Pad are the toner step
• Heartleaf 80% Soothing Ampoule is the concentrated serum

So a higher number does not mean a stronger version of the same thing. Pick by what the product is, not by the percentage.

The cleansing oil and the toner are the two to try first, and they are the reason most people find the brand.

Heartleaf Pore Control Cleansing Oil takes off sunscreen and makeup and is the first step of an evening routine. Heartleaf Quercetinol Deep Cleansing Foam is the second cleanse after it.

Add Heartleaf 77% Soothing Toner and Heartleaf 70% Intense Calming Cream and you have the full calming routine.

Three, and they differ by finish.

• Zero-Cast Moisturising Finish Sunscreen SPF50 for normal to dry skin, with no white cast
• Mineral Weightless Finish Sunscreen SPF50 for reactive skin that prefers mineral filters
• Invisible Glow Finish Sunscreen Stick for topping up over makeup during the day

A stick is the easiest way to reapply, but it is hard to get a full layer from one, so use a cream for your first application in the morning.

Niacinamide 10% + TXA 4% Dark Spot Correcting Serum is the one aimed squarely at marks and uneven tone. Niacinamide 5 TXA Brightening Pads are the gentler daily version of the same idea.

For redness left behind by blemishes rather than brown marks, Azelaic Acid 10 Hyaluron Redness Soothing Serum and Centella Red Spot Cream are the better fit.

Whichever you choose, daily SPF matters more than the serum does. Sunlight keeps darkening marks faster than any active can fade them.