Beauty of Joseon Green Plum Refreshing Cleanser review: a gentle gel, no AHA or BHA
Updated October 22, 2026
Beauty of Joseon Green Plum Refreshing Cleanser is a gentle gel face wash, not an exfoliating one: neither the brand's ingredient list nor ours includes glycolic acid, salicylic acid or fragrance. Buy it if you have oily, combination or normal skin and want a light-foam morning wash or the second step of an evening double cleanse; the "too much" risk comes from what you stack around it, not from the gel itself.
At $9.09 for 100 ml at Sleepy Hello, checked October 2026, it is also one of the least expensive ways into the brand's cleansing line. If your skin already feels tight after every foaming wash, a cleansing milk or a plain-water morning rinse may suit you better.
This is a researched review of current US brand and retailer information, checked October 2026. We haven't worn or tested the cleanser; texture descriptions are Beauty of Joseon's, and the buying advice comes from comparing formulas, directions, sizes and prices.
What you're buying: formula, size and price
is a water-based gel cleanser. Beauty of Joseon describes it as a pH-balanced, slightly acidic gel, and our listing describes a light foam that rinses without a squeaky finish. The brand doesn't publish a pH number, so "slightly acidic" is as specific as the claim gets.
Water and Prunus mume fruit water. Prunus mume is the Korean green plum, or maesil. The brand says the plum water adds hydration and natural fruit acids.
Cocamidopropyl hydroxysultaine. The main cleansing agent, a coconut-derived amphoteric surfactant. Amphoteric means it carries both a positive and a negative charge, and this family is a common choice for milder washes.
Phaseolus radiatus seed extract. Mung bean, which the brand says brings natural saponins, plant compounds that foam lightly.
Sodium cocoyl isethionate. A second coconut-derived surfactant, the same type used in many syndet (synthetic detergent) bars and gentle gels. Coconut acid and sodium isethionate appear later in the list.
Glycerin. A humectant, meaning it holds water in the skin's surface.
Sodium chloride. Salt, used here to thicken the gel.
After those come green tea, heartleaf (Houttuynia cordata), lotus flower, rice, plum fruit and blueberry extracts, a guar-based conditioning polymer, and the preservative helpers ethylhexylglycerin, caprylyl glycol and 1,2-hexanediol. The list doesn't include fragrance, essential oils, ethanol, sodium lauryl sulfate or sodium laureth sulfate. Beauty of Joseon doesn't publish percentages for the plum water or mung bean extract in this cleanser.
One version note: the list on Beauty of Joseon's US product page, checked October 2026, opens with the same water, plum water and surfactants, but it adds hydroxyacetophenone, dextrin, neem and gardenia extracts where our listing has pomegranate, butterfly pea flower and mangosteen extracts. Neither version lists fragrance or an exfoliating acid. If you avoid a specific ingredient, read the carton you receive.
The brand sells 100 ml and 200 ml sizes. Sleepy Hello stocks the 100 ml at $9.09, about 9 cents per ml, checked October 2026.
Is Beauty of Joseon Green Plum Cleanser gentle?
Yes, by formula it sits at the gentle end of foaming cleansers: a sultaine and isethionate surfactant pair, glycerin high in the list, no fragrance and no exfoliating acid. Beauty of Joseon says it suits all skin types, and our listing positions it for sensitive skin too, framing it as a wash that cleans without the tight, papery feel a harsher foam can leave.
"Gentle" still has limits worth knowing before you buy:
It still foams. Any surfactant cleanser removes some of the skin's own oils. If your cheeks feel tight a few minutes after rinsing, use less, keep the massage short and rinse with lukewarm rather than hot water.
It isn't a makeup remover. Our listing says it works best as a water-rinse cleanse. Waterproof mascara, long-wear foundation and water-resistant sunscreen need an oil or balm first.
The botanical list is long. Green tea, heartleaf, lotus, rice and fruit extracts are common in Korean cleansers, but if plant extracts tend to bother your skin, a formula with fewer of them is easier to judge.
Our take: for oily and combination skin it is gentle enough for every day. For dry skin it is mild as foaming washes go, but a Korean cleansing milk may be the better fit.
Does the Green Plum cleanser contain AHA or BHA?
No. Neither the brand's ingredient list nor ours includes glycolic, lactic or mandelic acid (AHAs) or salicylic acid (a BHA), and Beauty of Joseon doesn't market the cleanser as an acid product.
Citric acid is the ingredient that causes confusion. It is technically an alpha hydroxy acid, but it sits well down our list, with sodium citrate, its salt, appearing later still. Using an acid with its salt is a standard way to set and hold a formula's pH, which is likely how the brand gets to "slightly acidic". It doesn't read as an exfoliating amount.
The plum water is the other source of the question. Beauty of Joseon says it contains natural fruit acids that help soften dead skin cells, but the brand doesn't name or quantify them. On a rinse-off gel that stays on your face for under a minute, we'd read that as a softness claim, not a reason to count the cleanser as an exfoliant.
The name does the rest. The Green Plum toner is the brand's AHA + BHA product, with the acids printed on the label. The cleanser shares the plum water, not the acids.
Should you pair the Green Plum cleanser with the Green Plum toner?
You can, and the pairing doesn't double up acids, because the cleanser has none listed. The acids live in the Green Plum Refreshing Toner: AHA + BHA, 150 ml, $13.99 at Sleepy Hello, checked October 2026.
The toner's list puts glycolic acid sixth, after water, plum water, dipropylene glycol, 1,2-hexanediol and tromethamine (a pH buffer), with salicylic acid further down. Our listing states 25% green plum water and 2% mung bean extract; the brand doesn't publish the glycolic or salicylic acid percentages. The directions say to use it after cleansing, morning and night, pressing a few drops in with your hands or sweeping it on with a cotton pad. Sensitive skin should start with a small amount and build up, the acids may cause slight stinging, a patch test is advised for first-time acid users, and daytime use calls for sunscreen.
This is where "too much" comes in. The cleanser plus the toner is a reasonable routine. The cleanser plus the toner twice a day, plus a peeling gel, plus a retinoid or another acid serum, is a lot of exfoliation for one face. Our take:
Start the toner once a day, in the evening, for the first couple of weeks, and add a morning application only if your skin stays comfortable.
If you also use the brand's Apricot Blossom Peeling Gel, 100 ml ($9.09), a cellulose gel that gathers into soft rolls as you massage it, give it its own evening and skip the acid toner that night.
Cut back if you notice stinging that lingers, tightness that lasts past your moisturizer, or flaking.
If you'd rather skip acids entirely, the cleanser doesn't need the toner. It is a complete wash on its own.
Where it fits: after the Radiance Cleansing Balm or Ginseng Cleansing Oil
Beauty of Joseon suggests using the Green Plum cleanser after its Ginseng Cleansing Oil or Radiance Cleansing Balm for a deeper clean. That is a standard double cleanse: an oil-based first step loosens sunscreen and makeup, and the gel rinses off what is left.
The cleanser's own directions are short:
Dispense a small amount into wet palms and add water to make a light foam.
Massage over damp skin in gentle circles, avoiding the eye area.
Rinse thoroughly with lukewarm water and pat dry, then continue with toner and the rest of your routine.
For the first step, the two Beauty of Joseon options differ mainly in format:
Radiance Cleansing Balm, 100 ml, $12.99. A solid balm that melts into oil on dry skin. The list begins with cetyl ethylhexanoate (a light emollient ester), three polyglyceryl emulsifiers that let it rinse milky, synthetic wax and caprylic/capric triglyceride, with rice bran oil and soybean ferment further in. Our listing describes it as fragrance-free, and it comes with a spatula. Scoop it onto dry hands and a dry face, massage, add water until it turns milky, then rinse.
Ginseng Cleansing Oil, 210 ml, $15.99. A pump oil whose list starts with soybean oil, cetyl ethylhexanoate, sorbeth-30 tetraoleate, olive fruit oil, sorbitan sesquioleate and sunflower seed oil, with ginseng seed oil later in the list. The two sorb- ingredients are the emulsifiers that let it turn milky and rinse off. Use one or two pumps on dry hands and a dry face.
Per ml, the oil costs less: about 8 cents against the balm's 13 cents, checked October 2026. Choose the balm if you want a jar that travels without leaking; choose the oil if you prefer a pump and a bigger bottle. On a bare-skin morning, you can skip the first step and use the gel alone.
Quick answers
Is Beauty of Joseon Green Plum Cleanser good for oily skin?
Yes, for oily and combination skin that wants a clean rinse without stripping; our listing frames it for a T-zone that looks shiny soon after washing. It won't add salicylic acid to your routine, though. If you want a BHA in the wash itself, COSRX Salicylic Acid Daily Gentle Cleanser, 150 ml lists salicylic acid (0.5%, per our listing) and willow bark water in a fatty-acid foam, and its list also includes tea tree leaf oil ($8.99 at Sleepy Hello, checked October 2026). Pick one acid source rather than pairing it with the Green Plum toner twice a day.
Can you use the Green Plum cleanser twice a day?
Yes. The directions on our listing cover morning and evening use, and the brand calls it a gentle daily cleanser. If your skin feels tight, keep the gel for the evening and rinse with water in the morning.
Does the Green Plum cleanser remove makeup?
Not waterproof makeup or water-resistant sunscreen on its own. Our listing says to remove those first with a cleansing oil or balm; the gel is designed as the water-based wash that follows.
Does it contain fragrance?
No, neither ingredient list includes fragrance, parfum or essential oils.
Is it good for sensitive skin?
Our listing positions it for sensitive skin; if plant extracts tend to bother you, check the botanical list described above first.
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