The short answer

The Jeju Yuja Balancing Pad is a daily toner pad that does two jobs: you can wipe it over the face after cleansing, or lay it on your cheeks or forehead for 3-5 minutes as a quick toner pack. It combines Jeju yuja extract at 1,000 ppm, zinc PCA, a low level of PHA, and MOISTURE TM B at 0.5% (5,000 ppm), aiming at balance and a smooth, moisturized skin texture. One pad in the morning and one in the evening makes a 120-pad jar last about 60 days.

Wipe it or leave it on? Both work

This is the first thing people ask, and the answer is simple. As a daily toner step, you sweep one pad along the skin after cleansing, avoiding the eye area. On days when your skin needs calming, or before makeup, you can place a pad on the cheeks or forehead instead and leave it for 3-5 minutes, then take it off and pat in the essence that remains.

Light-green Balancing Pad jar open with one wet pad lifted out of the lid
Lift one pad from the jar. It is soaked in essence, so there is no need to add toner.

Mode 1: the daily wipe

  1. Cleanse and leave the skin slightly damp.
  2. Take one pad from the jar and wipe along the skin's texture, from the centre of the face outward. Avoid the eye area.
  3. Do not rinse. Go straight on to your serum, then cream.

Mode 2: the 3-5 minute quick pack

  1. After cleansing, place one pad on the cheeks or forehead (or both, with a second pad).
  2. Leave it for 3-5 minutes. That is long enough for a quick pack before makeup, and there is no need to leave it longer.
  3. Remove it and pat the leftover essence into the skin.
Woman with a Balancing Pad resting on her cheek as a quick toner pack
As a quick pack: one pad on the cheek, about 3-5 minutes, eyes kept clear.

For a longer treatment of both methods, the journal piece The pad, two ways has more detail.

What is in the Balancing Pad, and why

The pad sits in the Green Line (Jeju Yuja), the VVBETTER line for purifying and balance, and it is labelled for all skin types and specially for sensitive skin. Its brand tags are balance, exfoliation and texture care. The jar highlights four names: zinc PCA, Jeju yuja, PHA and MOISTURE TM B. Here they are in plain language, with amounts wherever VVBETTER publishes one.

Ingredient Amount What it is and why it is here
Jeju yuja extract (Citrus junos fruit extract) 1,000 ppm A citrus extract from Jeju Island. It is the line's signature ingredient.
Gluconolactone (PHA) Listed, amount not published; a low level made for daily use A polyhydroxy acid. Its molecule is larger than AHA or BHA, so it works at the surface and is absorbed more slowly. That is why it was chosen for a pad meant for sensitive skin.
MOISTURE TM B (patented ingredient from the raw-material supplier, Korean patent No. 10-2512471) 0.5% (5,000 ppm) A high-molecular-weight complex from yam, okra, lotus root and aloe vera leaf. It forms a thin moisture film on the skin.
Zinc PCA Listed, amount not published A zinc salt used to help keep the look of oil in balance on skin that looks oily.
Madecassoside, asiaticoside, madecassic acid, asiatic acid (four compounds from centella) Listed, amounts not published For skin that feels reactive.
Houttuynia, thyme, rosemary, oregano and lavender extracts Listed, amounts not published Plant extracts, also for skin that feels reactive.
Hyaluronic acid (eight types), beta-glucan, panthenol Eight types of hyaluronic acid; other amounts not published Hydration and comfort without a tight finish.

The ingredient list contains no added fragrance entry. The centella appears as the four separate compounds listed above. If the line's signature ingredient interests you, the journal piece on yuja explains what it is and what it is not.

The pad and the jar

The pads are made of Tencel, a fibre from eucalyptus wood, and the holes in the weave hold a lot of essence. The jar contains 120 pads and 180 ml. At one pad in the morning and one in the evening, that is about 60 days, or about $0.23 per pad at the listed $28.00.

The one rule to follow with the jar: use it within 6 months of opening, and close the lid tightly after each use so the pads do not dry out. Unopened, it keeps for 36 months from the manufacture date.

Patch test, acids and sun

PHA is a mild acid, so do a patch test first. Apply a pad to a small area, such as the jawline, for two days before using it on the whole face. Be more careful if acids are new to you, or if you also use a leave-on AHA, BHA or retinoid; in that case, start the pad every other day. Keep it away from the eye area, and stop using it and consult a specialist if redness, swelling or itching appears. Sun sensitivity can increase with exfoliating acids, so wear sunscreen in the morning.

The PHA is included at a low level made for daily use, and it can be used every day. Because skin varies, check the full ingredient list first if you are sensitive to particular ingredients.

Where it fits in a routine

The pad is the toner step: cleanser, then pad, then serum, then cream, then sunscreen in the morning. It is a small daily step, in the spirit of the brand's line: every day, very very better. In the Green Line, that means the Balancing Bubble Cleanser, then the pad, then the Jeju Yuja Succinic Balancing Serum, then the Cera Balancing Cream. If you use the Succinic serum, put it on right after the pad.

There is also a layering tip for dry days. Put 1-2 drops of the Teca Lifting Moisture Serum on the pad before you lay it on the skin, and leave it for 3-5 minutes. That adds a little extra hydration.

How it differs from its neighbours

Balancing Pad Pad Mini Set Succinic Balancing Serum
Step Toner Toner Serum
Format 120 pads in a 180 ml jar 5 pouches x 2 pads = 10 pads 30 ml dropper bottle
Use it for Daily use at home A trial or travel; same formula as the pad The step after the pad for oil and skin texture

The pad and the mini set are the same formula, so the mini set is the sensible way to test the pad first; its own guide is here. Compared with the AHA Boosting Toner (AHA 0.52%: lactic acid 4,500 ppm plus glycolic acid 700 ppm, with BHA 0.1%), the pad takes a different route: PHA at a low level alongside the hydrating ingredients, rather than an AHA and BHA pair. They are separate tools, so choose by what your routine is missing.

Quick answers

Wipe or leave on?

Both. Sweep it over the face as a daily toner step, or lay a pad on the cheeks or forehead for 3-5 minutes when skin needs calming.

Can I use it every day?

Yes. The PHA is at a low level made for daily use. If you also use a leave-on acid or retinoid, begin every other day.

Can I use it with the Succinic serum or other acids?

Yes. Pad first, then the Jeju Yuja Succinic Balancing Serum. Use sunscreen in the morning.

What is MOISTURE TM B?

A patented ingredient from the raw-material maker (Korean patent No. 10-2512471): a complex from yam, okra, lotus root and aloe vera leaf, included at 0.5% (5,000 ppm), that forms a thin moisture film on the skin.

Where to go next