We don't recommend Anua for a cruelty-free routine. Its Heartleaf cleansing oil carries a cruelty-free claim, but the product page leaves out the supplier and outside-testing commitments behind that promise. If avoiding animal ingredients matters too, there is a firmer answer: Anua is not an entirely vegan brand. Its PDRN moisturizing cream contains an ingredient made from salmon DNA.

You can choose another brand without proving that Anua has carried out an animal test. The reason to pass is that its assurance is too thin for a purchase built around avoiding animal testing.

Does Anua test on animals?

The Heartleaf Pore Control Cleansing Oil page labels the product cruelty-free. That is a promise worth taking seriously, but it needs an explanation. Does it cover ingredients bought from suppliers? What about testing commissioned elsewhere, or a request from a regulator?

Those are parts of making and selling cosmetics, not obscure technicalities. A brand can avoid tests in its own laboratory while allowing them elsewhere. For our recommendation, the commitment needs to reach beyond the finished bottle.

Anua's PETA record supplies no independent approval either. Certification is one way to support a claim; a detailed, accountable policy is another. The lack of a logo alone is not our objection. The unanswered testing questions are.

The salmon ingredient makes the vegan answer simple

Anua's PDRN Hyaluronic Acid 100 Moisturizing Cream uses salmon-derived PDRN. Anua says so on the product page. If you avoid animal ingredients, skip this cream.

PDRN is an ingredient name, not a promise about its source. A shopper seeing hyaluronic acid and a cruelty-free label could easily miss the salmon connection. The formula's own description settles it more directly than a discussion of certification ever could.

That does not make every Anua formula nonvegan. It does rule out calling the whole brand vegan. Heartleaf, rice and peach names are not enough to decide which other products qualify; the complete formula needs its own vegan assurance.

A better place to start for a cleansing oil

For someone replacing the Heartleaf oil, we'd start with Klairs Gentle Black Fresh Cleansing Oil. It keeps the same useful format: an oil you massage onto dry skin, emulsify with water and rinse away. Klairs has a confirmed cruelty-free record and describes its products as vegan.

There is also a concrete formula difference. Anua's listed formula includes fragrance. Klairs Fresh is fragrance-free and has six listed ingredients, including sunflower, grape, jojoba and black currant seed oils. That makes it the more straightforward choice if added scent is something you want to avoid.

Klairs describes Fresh as a lightweight oil for all skin types, with a particular emphasis on combination and oily skin. If a heavy cleansing oil is what you dislike about your current routine, that is a useful detail to compare. The product name alone would not tell you the texture. Start with one bottle before committing to a set.

The bottle sizes differ: Anua's compared oil is 200 ml; Klairs Fresh is 150 ml. Compare the delivered prices with that difference in mind. We are recommending Klairs on its testing record and formula, not claiming the two cleansers feel identical in use.

Choose the Fresh version deliberately. A similar name elsewhere in a brand's range can lead you to a different formula. There is no reason to replace your toner and moisturizer as well just because you are changing your cleanser.

What about Anua's toner or cream?

Replace the step you use in your skincare routine. A cleansing oil removes makeup and other residue before rinsing; a toner stays on the skin, and a cream is a moisturizer. A recommendation for one does not require buying an entire new routine.

For a liquid leave-on product, our Korean skincare guide compares Klairs' unscented toner. For a moisturizer without salmon-derived ingredients, it includes PURITO Oat In Calming Gel Cream. PURITO's published policy explicitly addresses ingredient suppliers as well as its vegan formulas.

Anua belongs to The Founders Inc.. Our decision here is about Anua's own claims. A fuller testing commitment could change that decision. Until then, we'd spend the money on a brand that answers the question properly.

Sources

Anua. Heartleaf Pore Control Cleansing Oil. https://anua.com/products/heartleaf-pore-control-cleansing-oil-200ml. Accessed on October 28, 2026.

PETA. Brand record. https://crueltyfree.peta.org/company/anua/. Accessed on October 28, 2026.

Anua. PDRN Hyaluronic Acid 100 Moisturizing Cream. https://anua.com/products/pdrn-hyaluronic-acid-100-moisturizing-cream. Accessed on October 28, 2026.

Anua. Company information. https://anua.kr/shopinfo/company.html. Accessed on October 28, 2026.

Dear, Klairs. Gentle Black Fresh Cleansing Oil. https://www.klairscosmetics.com/product/gentle-black-fresh-cleansing-oil/. Accessed on October 29, 2026.

PURITO. Frequently asked questions. https://purito.com/help/faq/. Accessed on October 29, 2026.