Round Lab Dokdo Toner vs Anua Heartleaf 77: Round Lab for texture, Anua for calm hydration
Updated October 22, 2026
Buy Round Lab 1025 Dokdo Toner if your skin is oily or combination and you want an everyday toner that also does light surface exfoliation when you sweep it on with a cotton pad. Buy Anua Heartleaf 77% Soothing Toner if you want calm, plain hydration with no exfoliating job, especially when your skin is easily irritated or you already use an acid or retinoid elsewhere in your routine.
Both are watery, fragrance-free toners that cost almost exactly the same per ml, so the choice comes down to what you want the step to do, not the price.
This is a researched comparison of current US brand and retailer information, checked October 2026. We haven't worn or tested either toner; texture descriptions are the brands', and the buying advice comes from comparing formulas, directions, sizes and prices.
What is the difference between Round Lab Dokdo Toner and Anua Heartleaf 77?
Round Lab built its toner around sea water and a mild exfoliating claim, while Anua built its toner around heartleaf extract and hydration.
Round Lab 1025 Dokdo Toner, 200 ml starts with water, butylene glycol, glycerin, pentylene glycol and propanediol. Those are humectants and solvents: ingredients that draw water into the top layer of skin and keep the formula fluid. Next come chondrus crispus extract (Irish moss, a red seaweed), sugarcane extract and sea water, then 1,2-hexanediol, protease, betaine, panthenol, ethylhexylglycerin, allantoin, xanthan gum and disodium EDTA. That's 16 ingredients in total. Round Lab says the sea water is drawn from 5,000 feet below the East Sea.
Anua Heartleaf 77% Soothing Toner, 250 ml puts houttuynia cordata (heartleaf) extract first, at a stated 77%. Then come water, 1,2-hexanediol, glycerin and betaine, followed by a run of plant and mushroom extracts: centella asiatica, chaste tree, burdock root, mud mushroom, purslane, grape, apple and sugarcane. Panthenol and chamomile flower extract follow, then seven forms of hyaluronic acid, from sodium hyaluronate to potassium hyaluronate. That's 28 ingredients, against Round Lab's 16.
What they share: glycerin, betaine, panthenol and sugarcane extract appear on both lists, so both toners are built for light moisture first. What separates them: Round Lab adds protease, an enzyme, and makes exfoliation part of its pitch. Anua adds heartleaf, centella and hyaluronic acid and pitches comfort and hydration.
Texture, as each brand describes it, is close to a tie. Round Lab describes a "water-type texture" that absorbs instantly with no sticky finish. Our Anua product page describes a watery, low-weight finish that leaves little residue before serum.
The directions differ more than the textures do. Round Lab's main direction is to soak a cotton pad and swipe it over the face after cleansing; it also suggests leaving soaked pads on for 5 to 10 minutes as a moisture step. Anua says to pour a small amount into clean palms or onto a soft cotton pad, press or sweep it over the face while avoiding the eye area, morning and evening, and to keep friction low when skin feels sensitive.
Does Round Lab Dokdo Toner exfoliate?
Yes, mildly, according to Round Lab. The brand's official product page says the toner "exfoliates dead skin cells" and credits a patented technology it calls Hatching EX-07, which it also says controls excess sebum. Round Lab doesn't publish what Hatching EX-07 is made of, an acid percentage or a pH.
Reading the label, the two ingredients most likely behind the claim are protease, an enzyme that loosens the proteins holding dead surface cells together, and sugarcane extract, which is often marketed as a natural source of glycolic acid. No glycolic, lactic or salicylic acid is named on the list. Round Lab's product imagery cites a figure of 31.79% fewer dead skin cells from its own testing, without study details, so read that as a brand number rather than an independent result.
In practice, this is a gentle swipe-on toner, not an acid toner, and the cotton pad does part of the work. If you want a stronger, named exfoliant, a dedicated AHA or BHA product is the better tool. If you want no exfoliation at all, that's the case for Anua.
Which toner is better for sensitive skin?
For most easily irritated skin, Anua Heartleaf 77 is the gentler first pick, because it has no exfoliating job, and Anua's directions allow pressing it in by hand and say to keep friction low when skin feels sensitive. That makes it easier to pair with a retinoid or an acid serum without adding a second resurfacing step.
The exception is skin that reacts to plant extracts. Anua's list includes nine botanical and mushroom extracts after the heartleaf, and our Anua product page suggests introducing it gradually if botanical products or hyaluronic acid have bothered you before. Round Lab's list is shorter, with two botanical extracts plus sea water, and Round Lab lists it for sensitive and all skin types. If short ingredient lists suit you best, Round Lab can be the better start; press it in with your hands instead of swiping with a pad to keep friction down.
Whichever you choose, try it on a small area for a few days before using it all over, and stop if you notice persistent stinging, swelling or a rash. Our Korean skincare for sensitive skin guide covers what labels can and can't tell you.
Which toner is better for oily skin and pores?
Round Lab has the edge if you're oily and your concern is rough-looking texture or a dull surface, because exfoliation is part of its pitch and Round Lab says its Hatching EX-07 technology controls excess sebum. Anua fits better if you're oily but dehydrated, shiny through the T-zone and tight on the cheeks, and you want light, water-based moisture under a gel cream.
Anua publishes an oil figure of its own: a 49.6% reduction in measured sebum after two weeks, from the brand's testing. Our product page also lists it as non-comedogenic tested, while being clear that it isn't an acne product. Neither brand claims its toner shrinks pores.
If blackheads are the main complaint, note that neither toner contains salicylic acid (BHA), the oil-soluble exfoliant most often chosen for clogged pores. Our best Korean toner pads guide is the place to compare pad formats.
Which is better value per ml?
They're effectively tied. At Sleepy Hello, checked October 2026, Round Lab 1025 Dokdo Toner is $12.99 for 200 ml, about 6.5 cents per ml, and Anua Heartleaf 77% Soothing Toner is $15.99 for 250 ml, about 6.4 cents per ml. Anua works out a tenth of a cent cheaper per ml; Round Lab costs $3 less at checkout. Round Lab also makes 50, 100 and 500 ml sizes, and we stock the 200 ml.
How long a bottle lasts depends more on method than brand. Swiping with a soaked cotton pad, Round Lab's main direction, uses more toner per application than pressing a small amount in by hand, and the leave-on pad method uses the most.
The pad versions are where the prices split:
Round Lab 1025 Dokdo Pad, 70 pads is $20.99 for 70 pads (120 g), about 30 cents a pad. It's a double-sided pure-cotton pad: one side wipes away surface impurities and dead skin, the other is for moisture, and Round Lab suggests leaving a pad on one area for 3 to 5 minutes as a targeted option. Our product page names only key ingredients (panthenol, allantoin and betaine), so check the box if you need the full list.
Anua Heartleaf 77% Clear Pad, 70 pads is $10.99 for 70 pads (160 ml), about 16 cents a pad. Its third ingredient is gluconolactone, a PHA (polyhydroxy acid, a larger-molecule acid exfoliant). Anua calls the pads suitable for daily use, with an embossed side for wiping and a smooth side for a short hydrating mask.
In toner form, Round Lab is the exfoliating one. In pad form, Anua's Clear Pad is the one with a named acid on its published list; our Round Lab pad page doesn't print a full list to compare.
Pick Round Lab if, or pick Anua if
Pick Round Lab 1025 Dokdo Toner if:
your skin is oily or combination and looks rough or dull by midweek
you like swiping toner on with a cotton pad after cleansing
you prefer a short ingredient list with few plant extracts
you aren't already using a strong acid or retinoid most nights
Pick Anua Heartleaf 77% Soothing Toner if:
your skin is easily irritated, or feels tight even when it's shiny
you want hydration only, with no exfoliating step
you already use an exfoliant, retinoid or acid serum elsewhere
you like pressing toner in by hand or layering several thin coats
Yes. Nothing in either formula clashes, and a sensible split is Round Lab at night on a cotton pad, when you want the light exfoliating sweep, and Anua in the morning pressed in by hand. You can also layer them in one routine, Round Lab first and Anua second, but one toner is enough.
Are these toners alcohol-free and fragrance-free?
Neither ingredient list includes fragrance or ethanol. Our product pages describe Round Lab's toner as unscented and Anua's as fragrance-free. Names ending in "glycol" or "diol", such as butylene glycol and 1,2-hexanediol, are humectants and solvents, not the drying kind of alcohol.
Can you use Round Lab Dokdo Toner every day?
Round Lab says it can be used any time, after cleansing. If your skin feels tight or stings after swiping, press it in by hand instead or drop to once a day.
Which one is better for dry skin?
Anua has a slight edge, with glycerin and seven forms of hyaluronic acid, though neither is a rich toner. Round Lab's leave-on cotton pad method is its moisture option. For very dry skin, follow either with a cream, or see our Korean toners for dry skin guide.
Medicube Zero Pore Pad 2.0 is the stronger two-acid pick for oily skin, COSRX costs less per pad, and Mild suits sensitive skin. Compare acids and prices.
