REVIEW: Mamonde Pore Clean Toner

Launched in May 2015, Mamonde's Pore Clean Toner is designed to effectively remove any dirt, sebum, and dead skin cells that clog our pores. The product's star ingredient is heartleaf houttuynia extract, which Mamonde claims can effectively control oily skin, while cooling and tightening enlarged pores. 

I bought a full bottle containing 320 ml while shopping in Aritaum, a retailer that carries all of Mamonde's skincare products and many other Amore Pacific lines.  Using a generous amount on cotton pads, morning and night, I finished one full bottle in about 5 weeks. If I had used this toner more frugally, it probably could've lasted a lot longer than it did.  

Aesthetically, it's a cute bottle that's made of plastic, so it travels well and won't crack in your suitcase and spill all over your clothes!  However, the bottle is a bit bulky since each one has holds quite a lot in volume.  The bottle also comes shrink wrapped in plastic without any English information or ingredients included.  

Ingredients

 

Water, Houttuynia Cordata Extract (10,01%), Glycerin, Dioscorea Japonica Root Extract, Glycine Max (Soybean) Sprout Extract, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Extract, Artemisia Vulgaris Extract, Xylitol, Dextrin, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Extract, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Octyldodeceth-16, Sodium Phytate, Propanediol, Fragrance

 

- via Agata L.

 

The product contains 99% natural ingredients and the star ingredient is heartleaf houttuynia extract.  I do not have the full ingredient list, but when I get my hands on it I will update this post accordingly. Do note, however, that the toner contains alcohol (Amore Pacific website lists alcohol but it is missing from the translated ingredients above), which can irritate sensitive skin types.  In turn, this toner is best suited for normal to oily skin types.  If you have dry skin, I would stay far away from this one since the alcohol content is likely to cause increased dryness.  

According to the Amore Pacific website,  the alcohol helps the heartleaf houttuynia extract to "ripen", whatever that means, and increase its ability to cool and tighten pores.  

Verdict? 

I haven't noticed smaller or tighter pores, which isn't a surprise! Contrary to popular skincare myths, topical skin care products cannot reduce the size of pores. Once you have them, they're with you for life! However, topical products can reduce the appearance of pores by temporarily tightening them if there's menthol or alcohol in the formulation (those ingredients really just dry out the skin a bit, causing the pores to contract for a short while) or fill them in temporarily with product (e.g. pore balms, primers, etc.). 

The Pore Clean Toner DID, however, control my blackheads and helped to clear out some of my smaller clogged pores. However, the stubborn larger blackheads remained, which is no surprise again either.  Those big suckers on my nose can only be extracted manually. 

Upon application, the toner was also very refreshing and the alcohol content did not affect my combination skin adversely.  Would I repurchase this toner though? Probably not.  There are many toners out there just like this one, and I'm much too busy to stay stuck on one mediocre product. 

	Efficacy	Price	Formulation	Design	Total
Mamonde Pore Clean Toner	3.5/5	4/5	3.5/5	4.5/5	15.5/20

You can purchase this product at the followin, e-stores: 
Gmarket Seller - $16 USD