The front of the tube is all reassurance. A sticker reads 'Calming and Soothing', a smaller line says it is for oily and sensitive skin, and the key ingredients listed are heartleaf, BHA and tea tree leaf extract. Turn to the ingredient list and a different picture appears. Right after water and glycerin come myristic acid, lauric acid and potassium hydroxide, followed by palmitic and stearic acids. Together these form a potassium soap, the base of the traditional Korean foaming cleanser. The OOTD Heartleaf Pore Zero Cleanser is, first and foremost, a soap foam, and that shapes who it suits far more than the heartleaf does.
OOTD, an emerging Korean brand founded around 2021, launched the cleanser in 2024 to join the wave of heartleaf, or houttuynia cordata, products that became popular in Korean skincare. It is sold on Amazon as the HeartLeaf Deep Pore Zero Foam Cleanser, at a price well under ten dollars for 200ml. One note on sourcing: OOTD's own site currently shows an ingredient list that appears to belong to a toner, so this review uses the list published on the Amazon listing, which matches a foam cleanser.
Soap-based foams are effective. When fatty acids are neutralised with potassium hydroxide, they create a dense, creamy, satisfying lather that removes oil, sweat and light sunscreen easily. Cocamidopropyl betaine, a milder amphoteric surfactant, softens the foam, and glyceryl stearate, beeswax, polysorbate 60 and PEG-100 stearate give it body and a pearly texture. The drawback is that soaps are alkaline, typically with a pH well above the skin's natural slightly acidic level, and research has consistently linked soap bases to more barrier lipid loss and post-wash tightness than milder synthetic surfactants. Glycerin, second on the list, softens that effect, but it does not eliminate it.
The pore-care ingredients sit after the emulsifiers. Salicylic acid, the BHA, is oil-soluble and can help loosen sebum in pores, but it works best at a low pH and with longer contact time. In an alkaline soap foam that is rinsed off within a minute, its effect is modest. Gluconolactone, a gentle polyhydroxy acid, adds a little exfoliation, and citric acid appears too, likely to moderate the pH. Heartleaf extract brings soothing and antioxidant properties, and tomato extract, centella and tea tree leaf extract round out the botanicals. Importantly, this is tea tree leaf extract rather than tea tree oil, which is much gentler.
In use, the cleanser is pleasant for oily skin. A pea-sized amount whips into a generous foam, spreads easily and rinses clean, leaving the skin fresh and matte. There is no added fragrance, only a faint clean soap smell. For oily and combination skin, especially in hot, humid weather, the thorough clean is exactly what many people want from a morning or evening wash.
For normal, dry and sensitive skin, the picture is less positive. The soap base can leave a tight feeling within minutes, and repeated twice-daily use can stress the barrier over time. That is at odds with the 'calming and soothing' claim; the botanicals that justify it are rinsed off before they can do much, while the alkaline soap stays in contact long enough to matter. People with rosacea, eczema or a compromised barrier are generally better served by a low-pH syndet cleanser. The fatty acids and beeswax also make it unsuitable for anyone managing fungal acne, and the beeswax means it is not vegan.
The heartleaf trend itself is worth a word. Houttuynia cordata has a long history in Korean herbal medicine, and laboratory studies suggest anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects, which is why it appears in so many toners and serums marketed for troubled skin. In a leave-on product, those properties can plausibly contribute to calmer skin over time. In a rinse-off cleanser, the extract spends less than a minute on the face before going down the drain, so its role here is closer to a theme than a treatment.
Amazon feedback reflects this split. Around thirty-seven ratings averaging 3.9 stars suggest that many users like the lather and clean feel, while others find it drying, which is consistent with a soap-based formula used across different skin types.
Value is its strongest point. At about ten dollars on Amazon for 200ml, it costs very little, and a tube lasts two to three months with twice-daily use. For oily skin on a budget, few cleansers offer this much lather and cleansing power for the price.
Technique helps. Keeping contact time short, around thirty seconds of gentle massage, and rinsing with lukewarm rather than hot water reduces the drying effect. Following immediately with a hydrating toner and moisturiser helps restore comfort. Oily skin can use it twice a day; combination skin may prefer it only in the evening, with a gentler cleanser or a water rinse in the morning.
In a routine, it works best as the second cleanse after an oil cleanser in the evening, or as a morning wash for very oily skin. It pairs well with a niacinamide serum and a light moisturiser, and anyone treating blackheads should add a leave-on BHA or retinoid rather than relying on the cleanser's salicylic acid.
The verdict is straightforward. The OOTD Heartleaf Pore Zero Cleanser is a very affordable, fragrance-free soap foam that cleans oily skin well and happens to include some trend ingredients. It is not the gentle, calming cleanser its label suggests. For oily, resilient skin on a budget, it is a good buy; for dry, sensitive or barrier-damaged skin, a milder syndet wash is the better choice.
