Beauty Of Joseon Green Plum Refreshing Cleanser Review

Most “gentle” cleansers fail one specific test. You rinse, you pat dry, and thirty seconds later your cheeks feel tight while your T-zone still feels coated.

That squeaky-tight-but-still-greasy contradiction is the exact problem the Beauty of Joseon Green Plum Refreshing Cleanser claims to fix. It is a low-pH gel wash built around 24% plum water and 3% mung bean seed extract.

I bought a 100ml tube with my own money and used it as my second cleanser every night for eight weeks. I also tested it as a standalone morning wash for two of those weeks to see where it breaks.

In a Nutshell

• It is a true second cleanser, not a makeup remover. The gel lifts sweat, sunscreen residue, and sebum after an oil or balm. Used alone on a full face of makeup, it leaves mascara and long-wear foundation behind.
• The surfactant system is genuinely mild. Cocamidopropyl hydroxysultaine and sodium cocoyl isethionate replace sulfates, which is why the post-rinse feel is soft rather than stripped.
• Best suited to normal, combination, and oily skin. Very dry or dehydrated skin types will likely want something creamier for winter mornings.
• Fragrance-free and alcohol-free on paper. The faint sweet-sour plum smell comes from the Prunus mume fruit water itself, not added perfume.
• The 100ml tube is small for the price. At roughly $12 to $13, it runs out faster than a 150ml competitor, and heavy hands will empty it in six weeks.
• Two flaws worth knowing. It stings if it gets in your eyes, and propylene glycol laurate sits low on the list with a comedogenic rating of 3.

Beauty of Joseon Green Plum Refreshing Cleanser

Last update on 2026-08-10 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API Some of the links on this website are affiliate links, which means that at no additional cost to you, I earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. I only recommend products and services that I believe will add value to my readers. Thank you for your support!

The full name on the tube is Green Plum Refreshing Cleanser, sold in a 100ml (3.38 fl oz) squeeze tube. It sits in the brand’s lineup as the daily gel wash below the Ginseng Cleansing Oil.

Beauty of Joseon positions it as a mildly acidic, hypoallergenic gel that removes dead skin cells and sebum without drying the face. That is a modest claim, and modest claims are usually the ones that survive testing.

The hero pairing is plum water at 24% with mung bean seed extract at 3%. Plum water carries a small amount of naturally occurring fruit acid. Mung bean has a long history in Korean formulation as a soft clarifier for oily skin.

Everything else is support: green tea, houttuynia cordata, lotus flower, rice extract, blueberry, pomegranate, butterfly pea flower, and mangosteen peel.

Price sits around $12 to $13 on Amazon, with frequent dips under $10. Note that Amazon now carries more than one listing for this product, so check the size before checkout.

Unboxing and First Impressions

The outer carton is thin cream cardboard with a green plum illustration and dark green type. It feels considered rather than expensive, which matches the brand’s whole approach.

Inside sits a soft white plastic tube with a flip-top cap and a narrow nozzle. There is no seal sticker under the cap, so give the tube a look before first use.

The nozzle is the smart part. It dispenses a thin ribbon rather than a blob, which stops you from wasting product on the first squeeze.

The tube is matte and slightly grippy, so it does not skate off a wet shower ledge the way glossy tubes do. The flip cap clicks shut firmly enough that I trusted it in a gym bag.

My only unboxing complaint is scale. Holding a 100ml tube after using 150ml Korean cleansers feels like a downgrade before you have even opened it.

The batch code and expiry are printed on the crimp seal at the bottom, which is easy to read and easy to check.

Texture, Scent and Lather

The gel is clear with a faint amber cast. It is thicker than a runny gel and thinner than a paste, so it holds its shape on a wet palm for a second before spreading.

The scent is the detail people fixate on, and reasonably so. It smells like green plum candy, sweet with a sour edge, and it disappears completely after rinsing.

This is not added perfume. It comes from the plum water itself, which matters if you avoid fragrance for reactive skin but still want something pleasant.

Lather is the surprise. A dime-sized amount with a little water builds a dense, fluffy foam rather than the thin bubbles most low-pH gels produce.

That foam is why the cleanser feels effective without pressure. You can glide over the face instead of scrubbing, which is better for anyone with active breakouts.

Rinse-off is fast and clean. There is no slick film left behind, and no waxy residue along the jaw where cream cleansers often collect.

Top 3 Alternatives for Beauty of Joseon Green Plum Refreshing Cleanser

If the small tube size or the plum scent is a dealbreaker, these three cover the same ground.

COSRX Low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanser

Last update on 2026-08-10 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API Some of the links on this website are affiliate links, which means that at no additional cost to you, I earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. I only recommend products and services that I believe will add value to my readers. Thank you for your support!

SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Ampoule Foam

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Anua Heartleaf Quercetinol Pore Deep Cleansing Foam

Last update on 2026-06-09 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API Some of the links on this website are affiliate links, which means that at no additional cost to you, I earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. I only recommend products and services that I believe will add value to my readers. Thank you for your support!

The COSRX is the value pick at 150ml with tea tree and betaine salicylate for oily, acne-prone skin. Be warned that its cap is famously leaky.

The SKIN1004 foam is the softest of the three, built on 33% Centella Asiatica extract for sensitive and dry-combination skin that reacts to almost everything.

The Anua foam is the deepest cleaning option, aimed at congested pores and visible sebum. It is the one to pick if the Beauty of Joseon gel feels too light for your oil levels.

Inside the Ingredient List

Water and Prunus mume fruit water lead the list, which confirms the 24% plum water figure is front-loaded rather than a token pinch.

The cleansing work is handled by cocamidopropyl hydroxysultaine and sodium cocoyl isethionate. Both are mild, coconut-derived, and known for foaming well without flattening the skin barrier.

Sodium cocoyl isethionate in particular is the surfactant used in syndet bars marketed for eczema-prone skin. Its presence here is a real signal of intent, not marketing.

Glycerin appears fifth, high enough to matter. It is the reason the skin does not feel taut during the twenty seconds between rinsing and moisturizing.

The botanical block is genuinely useful rather than decorative. Camellia sinensis and houttuynia cordata both bring antioxidant and soothing flavonoids, and houttuynia has research behind its anti-inflammatory activity.

Two ingredients deserve caution. Citric acid here is a pH adjuster rather than an exfoliant, and propylene glycol laurate carries a comedogenic rating of 3, though it sits near the end of the list.

The Low pH Claim in Practice

Healthy skin sits at roughly pH 4.7 to 5.5. Traditional soap sits near 9 or 10, which is why it leaves that tight, creaking feeling.

Beauty of Joseon describes this cleanser as mildly acidic without printing a number. Independent strip testing by users consistently lands it in the 5 to 6 range, which is close enough to skin’s own pH to count.

The practical effect is measurable in how your next step behaves. My toner absorbed without stinging, and my niacinamide serum stopped pilling on my cheeks.

I also stopped getting the small flaky patches around my nose that a higher-pH foam had been causing all winter.

Low pH is not magic. It simply means the cleanser is unlikely to disrupt the acid mantle, which protects against moisture loss and opportunistic bacteria.

If you have been using a high-pH foaming wash and your skin feels reactive, this single swap does more than most serums will.

How It Performed on My Combination Skin

My skin is combination, oily through the T-zone, normal to dry on the cheeks, with occasional hormonal breakouts along the jaw.

As a second cleanser after a balm, this was close to ideal. It cleared the leftover oil film without pulling moisture from my cheeks.

By week three, my blackheads around the nose looked softer and less packed. They did not vanish. They became easier for my BHA to clear.

Oil control through the day was moderately better. My T-zone still needed blotting by mid-afternoon, but the shine arrived later than usual.

As a morning-only cleanser, it was slightly too thorough for me in cold weather. On dry January mornings I preferred water alone, then went back to this in spring.

No breakouts appeared that I could trace to the cleanser. That is worth saying, because gel washes with fruit extracts often trigger congestion on my jawline.

Dry, Sensitive and Acne Prone Skin Notes

For dry skin, this works at night as a second cleanser and struggles as a standalone morning wash. It cleans efficiently, and efficient cleaning is exactly what parched skin does not need twice daily.

For sensitive skin, the formula is a reasonable bet. It is alcohol-free, essential-oil-free, and free of added fragrance, which removes the three most common irritant categories.

One caveat matters. Cocamidopropyl hydroxysultaine belongs to the same chemical family as cocamidopropyl betaine, a recognized contact allergen for a small group of people.

If patch tests have flagged cocamidopropyl betaine for you before, test this on your inner arm for three days first.

For acne-prone skin, the mild surfactants and low pH are helpful, but there are no active acne ingredients here. No salicylic acid, no benzoyl peroxide, no meaningful AHA.

Treat it as a clean base for your actives rather than a treatment product, and your expectations will match reality.

Packaging and Value

The tube design is genuinely well executed. It squeezes evenly, stands on its cap, and the narrow nozzle limits waste in a way that partially offsets the small volume.

It also travels well. I flew with it twice, and the flip cap never opened in transit, which is more than I can say for several competitors.

Value is where the criticism lands. 100ml at $12 to $13 works out to roughly four times the per-millilitre cost of a large drugstore gel wash.

At a dime-sized amount used twice daily, expect eight to ten weeks from one tube. Use a longer ribbon, as most people instinctively do, and you will see six weeks.

Sales are frequent enough that patient buyers can get it under $10, which shifts the equation considerably.

The tube is recyclable in theory, though the mixed cap material makes that inconsistent depending on your local program. A refill option would help here.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Builds a dense, cushioned foam from a small amount, so you never need to scrub the skin.
• Mild sulfate-free surfactants leave the face clean without the tight, creaking after-feel.
• Low pH keeps the acid mantle intact and stops follow-up products from stinging or pilling.
• Natural plum scent is pleasant, fades completely on rinsing, and contains no added fragrance.
• Alcohol-free and essential-oil-free, which removes two frequent irritant sources for reactive skin.
• Excellent nozzle and cap design that survives travel and limits product waste.

Cons

• Only 100ml, noticeably smaller than most competitors at a similar or higher price point.
• Stings on contact with the eyes, so it is a poor choice for removing eye makeup.
• Removes almost no long-wear foundation, sunscreen, or mascara on its own.
• Contains propylene glycol laurate, rated 3 for comedogenicity, which may concern very congestion-prone users.
• The surfactant family carries a small contact allergy risk for people sensitive to cocamidopropyl compounds.
• No active treatment ingredients, so it will not clear existing acne by itself.

Who Should Skip It and My Final Verdict

Skip this if you have very dry, mature, or eczema-prone skin. A cream or oil cleanser will serve you better, and this gel will feel too efficient by February.

Skip it if you want a one-step makeup remover. It is not built for that job and performs poorly at it.

Skip it if you need a treatment cleanser for active, inflamed acne. Look at options with salicylic acid instead.

Skip it if you use large amounts of product and hate repurchasing. The tube size will irritate you more than the formula ever will.

Everyone else should consider it seriously. For normal, combination, and oily skin looking for a mild second cleanser that leaves the barrier alone, this is one of the better options at any price.

Verdict: 4.3 out of 5. It does one job properly, and the only real deductions are the tube size and the sting near the eyes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use this as my only cleanser?

Yes, if you wear no makeup and light or no sunscreen. Once you add water-resistant SPF or foundation, pair it with an oil or balm first.

Does it remove sunscreen?

Partially. It handles lightweight Korean chemical sunscreens reasonably well. Mineral and water-resistant formulas need an oil cleanser first.

What is the actual pH?

The brand states only that it is mildly acidic. Independent strip testing generally places it between 5 and 6, which matches healthy skin closely.

Is it safe during pregnancy?

There are no retinoids, no salicylic acid, and no added fragrance in the formula. Confirm with your own doctor, as individual circumstances vary.

Will it help with blackheads?

It softens surface congestion over several weeks by clearing sebum consistently. It will not extract established blackheads on its own.

Is it fragrance-free?

There is no added perfume on the ingredient list. The sweet plum smell comes from Prunus mume fruit water, which is a genuine botanical component.

How much should I use per wash?

A dime-sized amount is plenty. Emulsify it in wet palms first, then apply the foam rather than the raw gel.

Is it worth the price over the COSRX Low pH cleanser?

The Beauty of Joseon foams better and smells better. The COSRX gives you 50% more product and includes mild acne actives. Both are defensible choices.