Toner Pads: How the Korean Pads Work and Which Ones Suit Your Skin

Toner pads are the format that has shaped Korean skincare the most in recent years: the Medicube Zero Pore Pads, the Anua Heartleaf 77 Toner Pads or the I'm From Rice Toner Pads sit right at the top of the bestseller lists in Korea. This guide explains what sets the pads apart from a toner in a bottle, which types there are and how to use them correctly.

What are toner pads?

Toner pads are round pads made of non-woven fabric, cotton or gel that sit in a container of toner and have soaked it up. Each pad replaces the toner step and adds a light mechanical component: the usually two-sided structure (one woven, one smooth side) picks up dead skin flakes and sebum residue. Depending on the toner liquid, the pads exfoliate, soothe or hydrate.

The three types of toner pads

Exfoliating pads (acid pads)

They contain low-dose acids: BHA (salicylic acid) for pores and blackheads, PHA (gluconolactone, lactobionic acid) for mild surface smoothing, LHA as a gentle BHA variant, rarely AHA. Examples are the Medicube Zero Pore Pads with BHA and PHA or the Celimax Heartleaf BHA Peeling Pads. For combination skin, oily skin and visible pores. Use: two to three times a week in the evening.

Soothing pads

Toner with centella, heartleaf, mugwort or panthenol, without acids. Examples: Anua Heartleaf 77 Toner Pads or SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Quick Calming Pads. For sensitive, red and stressed skin, daily and also as a compress after the sun.

Hydrating pads

Toner with rice water, hyaluronic acid or PDRN, often with a milky texture. Example: I'm From Rice Toner Pads. For dry, dull and normal skin, daily morning and evening.

How do you use toner pads correctly?

1. After cleansing, take a pad from the container; the tweezers, if included, keep the container hygienic.
2. Sweep gently from the centre of the face outwards with the textured side, avoiding the eye area.
3. Go over with the smooth side or pat the liquid in with your fingers.
4. With acid pads no rinsing is necessary; if you are sensitive, leave them on for five minutes and then rinse.
5. Then serum and cream, in the morning sunscreen.

A tip from Korea: pads can be used as a mini mask. Lay two to four pads on the cheeks, forehead or nose for five minutes, then pat the liquid in. This works particularly well with soothing and hydrating pads.

How often should you use toner pads?

• Acid pads: two to three times a week in the evening. Sensitive skin starts with once and uses the mild version (for example Zero Pore Pad Mild). Do not forget sunscreen the next morning.
• Soothing pads: daily, even twice a day.
• Hydrating pads: daily; for dry skin additionally as a compress.

Do not combine acid pads with retinol or another exfoliant on the same evening. On the evenings in between, soothing pads help the skin barrier.

Which toner pads suit your skin?

Why toner pads became so popular in Korea

The success of the pads has practical reasons. They dose precisely, can be used one-handed and combine two steps that used to be separate: the mechanical removal of skin flakes with a cotton pad and chemical exfoliation with an acid toner. Add the compress use, which comes from sheet mask culture. For manufacturers, pads are also a format in which low-dose acids can be kept stable and evenly distributed. In Europe the pads arrived via Medicube's Zero Pore line and Anua's heartleaf pads, both in the bestseller lists since 2024.

Toner pads and the skin barrier

Pads with acids are an exfoliant, even if they feel like a toner. Using them daily quickly overwhelms the skin barrier; signs are tightness, redness and a sudden oily shine alongside dry patches. The rule of thumb: acid pads at most three times a week, soothing pads or a hydrating toner in between, and always a cream with ceramides to finish. The skin barrier guide explains how to rebuild an irritated barrier.

Toner pads or toner from the bottle?

For pure hydration, a toner from the bottle goes further and can be applied in several layers (7-skin method). Pads are more practical, dose evenly, are suitable as a compress and, with acid pads, bring the mechanical exfoliating effect. Many routines use both: acid pads on two evenings, bottled toner on the other days. Recreating a pad with a cotton pad and bottled toner only works for soothing and hydrating pads; acid pads have a calibrated concentration.

What to look for when choosing

• Acid content: low-dose PHA or LHA pads to start; BHA pads for oily skin.
• Alcohol and fragrance: avoid for sensitive skin; the INCI list is on every product page.
• Pad material: woven cotton is gentle, textured non-woven fabric exfoliates more strongly.
• Container: close the lid well so the pads do not dry out; remove with clean fingers or tweezers.

More on acids and exfoliation in the exfoliants category; how the toner step fits into the whole routine is explained in the routine guide.