I’m an Esthetician in Seoul. I Tested 9 Korean Toner Pads and Would Only Buy 3

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you. No brand paid me or sent me anything for this post.

Walk into any Olive Young in Seoul and you’ll see a whole wall of toner pads. Mediheal alone makes seven. So which one do you actually buy?

I’m a licensed esthetician in Seoul, and I tested 9 Korean toner pads side by side on my hand. Only 3 made my “I’d actually buy this” list. One famous one didn’t.

What’s selling at Olive Young right now

Before the pads, a quick look at Olive Young’s mask and pad ranking, because it tells you a lot. When I checked this October, the top 3 were all from two brands: Mediheal and Biodance.

• #1 Mediheal sheet masks. The box says 15 years in a row at #1.
• #2 Biodance Bio-Collagen Real Deep Mask. The viral gel mask. Biodance says it has hit #1 in Olive Young’s sales ranking more than 20 times since 2023.
• #3 Mediheal Madecassoside Blemish Pad. A toner pad, sitting right next to the sheet masks.

So yes, both of those brands are in my test below, and both made my top 3. Their pads are basically the pad versions of the masks Koreans already love. That’s why my #1 tip at the end is so simple.

Why use toner pads instead of toner or sheet masks?

Vs. regular toner and a cotton pad: pads are just so much easier. And unless your cotton pads are really good quality, rubbing toner on with cotton can irritate your face. A toner pad comes already soaked in a soft pad, so it’s easier and more hygienic.

Vs. sheet masks: on most mornings I don’t have time to do a full-face sheet mask and then put on makeup. So I stick a couple of pads on my cheeks while I’m drying my hair, then take them off and go. That’s why so many Koreans use pads as a daily thing.

I also use them when I want deep hydration fast. Patting toner in layer after layer with your hands takes a while. A soaked pad does it for me.

How to use toner pads: wipe or mask (the Korean way)

This is the part nobody explains. In Korea we use toner pads in two different ways, and we even have words for them.

• 닦토 (dak-to, “wipe toner”): you swipe the pad over your face. I do this when my skin feels greasy or the surface feels stuffy and congested. Swipe gently, don’t scrub. Depending on the pad, wiping can irritate your skin.
• 팩토 (paek-to, “pack toner”): you lay the pad on one spot and leave it there, like a mini sheet mask. I use this for focused care, usually on my cheeks or forehead.

Some pads are clearly made for one or the other. A thin, lightly soaked pad is a wipe pad. A thick pad dripping with essence is a mask pad. I’ve noted which is which for every pad below.

Korean toner pads at Olive Young: quick comparison

Goodal Heartleaf MY TOP 3

WipeMask

For: Everyone, first pad

The all-rounder

Mediheal MY TOP 3

WipeMask

For: Every day, on a budget

The classic

Biodance Collagen Gel MY TOP 3

Mask

For: Makeup days, sensitive skin

Only gel pad

Torriden DIVE-IN

Mask

For: Dry skin

Most soaked

numbuzin No.1

Mask

For: Breakouts, hot skin

Green cica, 2-sided

medicube

medicube Zero Pore

Wipe

For: Oily skin, quick prep

Light, not too wet

Skinfood Carrot

Mask

For: Calming on a budget

Thick, split in 3

Abib Sedum

Wipe

For: Can’t use heartleaf

Just okay

Wipe = swipe over your face (닦토)   Mask = leave it on (팩토)

1. Goodal Heartleaf Pad: the one to buy if you only buy one

Goodal

Heartleaf Hyaluron Soothing Clear Pad

Check price on Amazon

The first thing you notice when you touch it: it’s really thick. Because it’s so thick, it doesn’t dry out fast, which makes it great as a mask pad.

The two sides are also different. One side is for wiping, the other for masking. So whatever your skin needs that day, this one works. In Korean we’d call it a 육각형 (yuk-gak-hyeong, “hexagon”) product, meaning it scores well on every side of the chart. That’s exactly how I’d describe it.

Best as: Wipe and mask | Best for: Everyone, first-time pad users | My verdict: The all-rounder

2. Biodance Collagen Gel Pad: the one everyone in Korea is talking about

Biodance

Collagen Gel Toner Pads

Check price on Amazon

This is the hottest pad in Korea right now, and here’s why. Biodance already has a very famous mask, the Bio-Collagen Real Deep Mask. It’s expensive per sheet, and it’s more of a night-time thing. This pad is for people who want that kind of care on just one area, and quickly.

Honestly, even the “low-irritation” pads can sting a little for some people. But the moment I pulled this one out, I thought: this will not irritate. It’s a full gel pad, the only one in this lineup. They call it a gelling essence coating, and it feels like a soft jelly. You can see how much serum is packed in.

I’d use the Deep Mask at night and this pad for easy care in the morning. It doesn’t dry out easily, it’s full of ampoule, and it’s great as a mask pad. It’s gentle enough for every day, but honestly it’s on the pricier side for daily use. So here’s what I’d actually do: use a Mediheal pad that matches my skin concern every day, and save Biodance for days when my makeup really has to sit well, like a date.

Best as: Mask | Best for: Sensitive skin, makeup days | My verdict: Date-night pad

3. Mediheal Hyaluronate and Madecassoside Pads: the everyday classic

Mediheal

Hyaluronate Hydration Pad / Madecassoside Blemish Pad

Hyaluronate on AmazonMadecassoside on Amazon

Mediheal is so famous that I think of it as the original Korean toner pad. Mediheal says it has sold over 47 million of these pads. They have seven different ones for different skin concerns, and each one has its own sheet texture:

• Hyaluronate Hydration (blue): hydration and cooling
• Madecassoside Blemish (mint): calming and blemish care
• Teatree Trouble Calming (green): breakouts and oil control
• Collagen Firming (pink): firmness
• Vitamin C Bright Toning (yellow): brightening
• PDRN Pore (purple): pores
• Phyto-Enzyme Clear Peeling (white): exfoliating

I tried the Hyaluronate and Madecassoside ones. What I liked:

• The only square pads I tried (about 82mm wide), so they cover more of your face.
• 100 pads per jar, and sometimes 200 when Olive Young runs a deal. That makes them one of the cheaper options.
• The jar comes with a spatula that makes taking pads out really easy. Maybe that’s why I found myself reaching for these more.

Even K-pop idols use it. Annie of the K-pop group ALLDAY PROJECT, who is also the daughter of Shinsegae’s chairwoman, showed this exact Mediheal Madecassoside pad jar on her YouTube and said it’s one of her daily picks. She just sticks a pad on her face, the 팩토 (paek-to) way.

Summer tip: when your face heats up, keep the jar in the fridge. A cold pad on hot cheeks feels amazing.

If Biodance is for important days, Mediheal is for every day. There’s a reason it kept ranking #1. And if you already like Mediheal sheet masks, just pick the pad that matches your skin concern. You won’t regret it.

Best as: Wipe and mask | Best for: Daily use, value | My verdict: The everyday classic

4. Torriden DIVE-IN Pad: for Torriden serum fans

Torriden

DIVE-IN Multi Pad

Check price on Amazon

This is basically the famous Torriden DIVE-IN serum made into a pad. If you love that serum, you’ll love this.

Compared to the others, it felt like there was more ampoule in a single pad. It’s so soaked that you could split one pad in half and put a piece on each cheek. Very, very hydrating.

It was the gentlest of all the pads I tried, and easy to use daily. The only catch: because it’s so wet, it takes a while to absorb. If you have time, great. If you’re rushing out the door in the morning, it might feel slow. Best as a mask pad.

Best as: Mask | Best for: Dry skin, Torriden serum fans | My verdict: Most hydrating

5. numbuzin No.1 Pad: for calming hot, stressed skin

numbuzin

No.1 Centella Re-leaf Green Toner Pad

Check price on Amazon

This is the No.1 Centella Re-leaf Green Toner Pad, basically the pad version of numbuzin’s No.1 line, so fans of that line should look here. It’s the best one for calming, and it’s the only green pad in the lineup.

It has real cica (centella) in it, so it can smell a little herbal, a bit like Korean medicine. It’s also two-sided. The dark green side is for deep calming, and the lighter side is for clean hydration.

I think it’s great right after cleansing, especially in summer when your skin feels hot and irritated. For breakouts, use it as a mask pad right after you wash your face.

Two downsides: it dries out faster than the others, and the pad material tends to pill a little (small fibers come off). If that bothers you, skip it.

Best as: Mask | Best for: Breakouts, heat-stressed skin | My verdict: The calming one

6. medicube Zero Pore Pad: a light wipe pad for oily skin

Of all the pads in this post, this is the one people search for the most, so I had to include it. My take: it’s better for wiping than for masking. It isn’t as soaked as the other pads, which makes it nice for a quick swipe to tidy up your skin before serum.

On the back of my hand, it felt light rather than super hydrating. If you have oily skin and hate that heavy, wet feeling, this is your pad.

Best as: Wipe | Best for: Oily skin, quick prep | My verdict: Light wipe pad

7. Skinfood Carrot Pad: the old favorite

Skinfood

Carrot Carotene Calming Water Pad

Check price on Amazon

Skinfood makes 11 different pads, each built around a different plant: carrot, peach, potato, acorn, water parsley, rice, pink grapefruit, blue chamomile, asparagus, shine muscat and lemongrass.

Carrot is the most famous one: hydrating, calming, and made for sensitive skin. It has beta-carotene in it, and it does have a slight herbal scent.

Honestly? This was a really great product back in the day, and I used it too. But now there are so many alternatives that I wouldn’t go out of my way to pick it. That said, Skinfood is a long-running brand known for being gentle, so you can trust it.

Each pad is really, really thick. You can split one into about three pieces and put them on your cheeks and forehead, which makes it good value. A solid calming pad.

Best as: Mask | Best for: Calming on a budget | My verdict: The old favorite

8. Abib Sedum Pad: fine, but not the Abib pad to buy

Abib

Sedum Hyaluron Pad

Check price on Amazon

Abib made this hydrating pad for people whose skin doesn’t get along with heartleaf. Compared to the others, the moisture level is just average, so it works better as a wipe pad than a mask.

Abib’s heartleaf pad is so famous that I went in with high expectations. This one didn’t live up to them. It’s not bad, just forgettable.

Best as: Wipe | Best for: People who can’t use heartleaf | My verdict: Just okay

Which Korean toner pad should you buy?

My honest #1 tip: if you already have a Korean sheet mask or serum you love, just get the pad from the same brand. Love Mediheal masks? Get a Mediheal pad. Love the Torriden serum? Get the Torriden pad. You already know your skin likes that brand, so you’re much more likely to be happy with it.

That’s also why Mediheal and Biodance own the top of the Olive Young ranking. People who love the masks buy the pads.

If you’re starting from zero, here’s my cheat sheet:

• You want one pad that does everything: Goodal Heartleaf.
• You have a date or a big day and want makeup to sit well: Biodance Collagen Gel.
• You want something cheap for every day: Mediheal.
• Dry skin, love hydration: Torriden DIVE-IN.
• Breakouts or hot, red skin: numbuzin No.1.
• Oily skin, just a quick wipe: medicube Zero Pore.

All of these are easy to find at Olive Young in Seoul. Look for the testers and press a pad on the back of your hand like I did. You’ll feel the difference in thickness right away.

Want to go further with serums? I tested 7 of those too in my Korean niacinamide serum guide.

Skin feeling tight after pads in winter? Finish with a barrier cream. Here’s the 2-cream Korean barrier routine I use when my face hurts in a Seoul winter.

Frequently asked questions

I’m a licensed esthetician in Seoul, not a doctor. This post is my personal experience and general information, not medical advice. If you have a skin condition, talk to a dermatologist. Product lineups at Olive Young change often.