Table of Contents
Anua is a Korean skincare brand launched in 2019 by The Founders, best known for its Heartleaf 77 Soothing Toner, which took second place for toners at the Olive Young Awards 2025. Its range is organized by hero ingredient: Heartleaf for calming, PDRN for hydration and bounce, Niacinamide and TXA for dark spots, Rice and Birch for moisture, plus a retinol serum and a barrier cream. Start with the Heartleaf 77 toner; add a serum for your main concern.
Anua went from a 2019 launch to one of the best-known Korean skincare brands abroad in about six years, and most people who find it start with one product. This guide maps the whole range so you can see what else is there and which product fits which skin. For the ingredient the brand is built on, read Heartleaf in Korean Skincare first.
At Daebak, a Seoul-based Korean culture and product company, product descriptions come from Anua's product pages, and the company facts from the sources listed at the end. We describe what products are marketed for, not what they will do for you. Anua products in our shop are shipped by the brand.
The brand in brief
The Korea Times, in a July 2026 interview with the company, reports that Anua was launched by The Founders in 2019, entered the United States in 2022, and has grown global sales by more than 200 percent a year to over $500 million in 2025; it is carried in all 1,500 Ulta Beauty stores and named Kendall Jenner its first global ambassador in June 2026. The same interview names Heartleaf, PDRN, Azelaic Acid and TXA as the brand's signature ingredients. In Korea, the Heartleaf 77 toner's second place for toners at the 2025 Olive Young Awards is the clearest measure of its standing; CJ Olive Young says those awards were drawn from 180 million customer purchases between July 2024 and June 2025.
Anua Heartleaf 77 Hyaluron Soothing Toner, the product to start with. See details.
The lines, by hero ingredient
| Line | Marketed for | Key products |
|---|---|---|
| Heartleaf | Calming; oily, blemish-prone and easily irritated skin | Heartleaf 77 Soothing Toner, Heartleaf 77 Clear Pad, Heartleaf 77 B3Zinc Serum, Heartleaf 77 Lotion, Heartleaf Pore Control Cleansing Oil, Heartleaf Succinic Cleansing Foam, Heartleaf Silky Moisture Sunscreen |
| PDRN | Hydration, smoothness, bounce | PDRN Hyaluronic Acid Capsule 100 Serum, PDRN 100 Booster Toner, PDRN Moisturizing Cream, PDRN Capsule Mist |
| Niacinamide and TXA | Dark spots, dullness, uneven tone | Niacinamide 10% + TXA 4% Dark Spot Correcting Serum, Peach 70 Niacinamide Serum, Niacinamide TXA Brightening Booster Toner |
| Rice and Birch | Moisture and glow for dry or dull skin | Rice 70 Glow Milky Toner, Birch 70 Moisture Boosting Toner, Birch 70 Moisture Boosting Cream |
| Barrier and retinol | Dry, sensitive skin; texture and fine lines at night | 3 Ceramide Panthenol Barrier Cream, Nano Retinol 0.3% + Niacin Serum |
Which product first
- Heartleaf 77 Hyaluron Soothing Toner. Named for its 77 percent heartleaf extract, watery, used morning and night after cleansing. It is the product that made the brand, and it suits most skin types as a first layer. Heartleaf is the plant houttuynia cordata; a 2021 review in Frontiers in Pharmacology notes that most research on it is laboratory work, so read "calming" as the brand's positioning rather than a proven effect. If you prefer pads, the Heartleaf 77 Clear Pad is the same idea pre-soaked; how pads work is in Korean Toner Pads.
- A serum for your main concern. Blemishes and oil: Heartleaf 77 B3Zinc Serum (heartleaf water, 5% niacinamide, zinc PCA). Dark spots: Niacinamide 10% + TXA 4% Serum, which the brand pairs with daytime SPF. Dryness and bounce: PDRN Capsule 100 Serum, with PDRN, hyaluronic acid and hydrolyzed collagen; what PDRN is, and is not, is in What Is PDRN?.
- A cream. 3 Ceramide Panthenol Barrier Cream for dry or sensitive skin; the lighter Heartleaf 77 Lotion for oily or combination skin.
Anua Niacinamide 10% + TXA 4% Dark Spot Correcting Serum. See details.
Routines by skin type
- Oily or blemish-prone: Heartleaf Pore Control Cleansing Oil, Heartleaf Succinic Cleansing Foam, Heartleaf 77 Toner or Clear Pad, B3Zinc Serum, Heartleaf 77 Lotion, Heartleaf Silky Moisture Sunscreen (SPF 50+ PA++++) in the morning. See Korean Skincare for Oily Skin.
- Dry or dull: Rice 70 Glow Milky Toner (71 percent rice bran water, per the brand), PDRN Capsule 100 Serum, 3 Ceramide Panthenol Barrier Cream. See Korean Skincare for Dry Skin.
- Sensitive: Birch 70 Moisture Boosting Toner (70 percent birch water, sub-acidic), PDRN 100 Booster Toner as a second hydrating layer, Barrier Cream. See Korean Skincare for Sensitive Skin.
- Dark spots: Niacinamide TXA Brightening Booster Toner, Niacinamide 10% + TXA 4% Serum, sunscreen every morning. How niacinamide works in Korean routines is in Niacinamide in Korean Skincare.
- Texture and fine lines: Nano Retinol 0.3% + Niacin Serum at night, two or three times a week to begin, as the brand directs, with sunscreen the next morning. Retinol basics are in Retinol vs Bakuchiol.
Introduce one product at a time and patch test; the brand's directions on each page say when to use SPF and how often to start with actives.
What Anua is not
It is not a heritage luxury brand, and it does not try to be; in the Korea Times interview the company puts it this way: "K-beauty opens the door, but product performance builds the loyalty." It is also not a derma brand with clinical lines; for that side of Korean skincare see REJURAN Skincare or the derma names in Best K-Beauty Brands. Anua's strength is mainstream: gentle, affordable-feeling formulas built around one ingredient each, which is why one toner was enough to carry it abroad. Its closest neighbours are Round Lab and Beauty of Joseon, each with its own guide.
Brand products in our shop are shipped by the brands. If you would rather try a set of Korean skincare chosen for you each season, the Daebak K-Beauty Box is a separate, curated option; Anua is among the brands it draws from.
FAQ
What is Anua known for?
The Heartleaf 77 Hyaluron Soothing Toner, a calming toner with 77 percent heartleaf extract that placed second for toners at the Olive Young Awards 2025. The brand also has PDRN, niacinamide and TXA, rice, birch and retinol lines.
Which Anua product should I start with?
The Heartleaf 77 toner. Then add one serum for your main concern: B3Zinc for blemishes, Niacinamide 10% + TXA 4% for dark spots, PDRN Capsule 100 for hydration.
Is Anua good for oily skin?
The Heartleaf line is marketed for oily, blemish-prone and easily irritated skin, and it is the part of the range most people with oily skin use.
Is Anua a Korean brand?
Yes. The Korea Times reports it was launched in 2019 by The Founders, a Korean company, and entered the United States in 2022.
Where is Anua sold?
In Korea at Olive Young and online; abroad, the Korea Times reports, in all 1,500 Ulta Beauty stores and on Amazon. Our shop lists the brand's products shipped by the brand.
