When I checked in September 2026, America’s best-selling toner pad was an acid pad. Korea’s favorite has no exfoliating acid at all — and I think Korea has this one right.
Short answer:
- The Skinfood carrot pad is a calming, hydrating pad. It does not peel. Most of the work is done by water-holding ingredients, not by the carrot.
- Leave it on for 5 to 10 minutes, then swipe and pat. Daily use is fine for most skin.
- It will not clear blackheads or fade dark spots. It lists five scented plant oils, so test it first if your skin reacts easily.
Skin tight, dry and a little pink after washing?
This is the pad I would reach for on those days.
60 pads soaked in a watery lotion. No salicylic, glycolic or lactic acid on the label.
Why is it Korea’s favorite pad?
The award badges on its Olive Young Korea product page show the Olive Young Awards pad category five years running (through 2025), a 2025 Winner badge, and eight Glowpick awards. The brand says more than 10 million have sold.
These are retail and beauty-app awards, not clinical tests. They tell you people keep buying it. They do not tell you what it does to skin.
What is actually in the carrot pad?
Skinfood’s Korean site prints the carrot amounts, which is rare:
- Carrot root extract: 735 ppm — about 0.07%.
- Carrot seed oil: 10,000 ppb — about 0.001%.
So the carrot is mostly the name. The ingredients doing the work sit higher on the list:
- Glycerin and butylene glycol — they pull water into the top layer of skin. Glycerin also helps the skin barrier repair itself [1].
- Sodium hyaluronate, beta-glucan and allantoin — more water-holding and soothing ingredients.
- Citric acid with sodium citrate — my reading is that this pair sets the pH. It is not an exfoliating dose.
- Patchouli, sage, lavandin, mugwort and orange peel oils — near the end. “Fragrance” is not listed, but these oils have a scent.
No alcohol is listed.
How should you use it?
The brand’s directions: place the pad where skin needs calming for 5 to 10 minutes, then swipe gently, avoiding the eyes, and pat until absorbed.
Two tips of my own:
- Take it off before it dries. A dry pad stops giving water.
- Close the lid tightly and lift pads out with clean, dry fingers or tweezers.
Who is it for — and who should skip it?
- Good fit: dry, tight or easily flushed skin, and skin that is recovering from too much exfoliating.
- Good fit: oily skin that is also dehydrated. It adds water without oil-heavy ingredients.
- Test first: skin that reacts to scented plant oils.
- Wrong tool: blackheads and rough bumps. That is acid-pad work — see my medicube Zero Pore Pad review.
What I tell my patients
Calming matters more than peeling. I think we are in a new era of skin care.
In the US, the top pad takes skin off. In Korea, the top pad calms it. Think of the outer skin as a brick wall: an acid takes bricks off the top, and calm skin keeps rebuilding them. Most faces I see need fewer bricks removed, not more.
That is my clinical view, not a proven fact. For the other pad families and how often to use them, see my toner pad guide.
FAQ
Is the Skinfood carrot pad an exfoliating pad?
No. There is no salicylic, glycolic, lactic or PHA-type acid on the label. The one acid, citric acid, sits low on the list next to sodium citrate — in my reading, it is there to set the pH.
Can I use the Skinfood carrot pad every day?
For most skin, yes. It is a calming, hydrating pad. If your skin reacts to scented plant oils, try it on a small area for a few days first.
Is the Skinfood carrot pad good for acne-prone skin?
It can calm and hydrate, but it will not unclog pores. If breakouts are your main problem, it is a support product, not a treatment.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This article contains affiliate links: if you buy through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. It does not change what I recommend.
References
- Fluhr JW, Darlenski R, Surber C. Glycerol and the skin: holistic approach to its origin and functions. Br J Dermatol 2008;159(1):23-34. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2133.2008.08643.x
Disclaimer: I write about cosmetics and shops based on clinical experience. Product mentions reflect my clinical opinion; availability and formulas change, so check the current label. Skin responds differently from person to person, so patch test anything new, and see a doctor about a skin condition.
14 years in practice · replies to messages herselfPhysician in non-surgical aesthetic medicine, practising in Ansan, South Korea. Every article here is written from clinical practice and the published literature.
About the author · Contact