Is this a mask or a cleanser?

A cleanser. It uses the same clay ingredients, Kaolin and Bentonite, that a leave-on clay mask does, but built into a rinse-off foam for daily use rather than a periodic treatment.

Will the acids in this be too strong for daily use?

The Glycolic, Lactic and Malic Acid sit at cleanser-level concentration and short contact time, which is milder than a leave-on acid treatment, though drier skin may still prefer alternating days.

Does this help with visible pores?

The clay ingredients target the oil that often makes pores look larger, so skin that is oily or shine-prone is where this formula is most suited. This is general guidance rather than a fixed rule, so adjust it based on how your own skin or the product itself responds.

Is this the same formula sold in Korea, or a version made for the US market?

This is TIRTIR's Korean-market formula, sourced and shipped with its original Korean-market packaging and batch coding rather than a separate US-reformulated version. Korean Pharmacy stocks the exact SKU sold through Korean retail rather than a substitute built for US shelves, which is the point of buying from a specialist rather than a general beauty retailer.

How should I store this to keep it in good condition?

Keep the cap or compact closed between uses and store it away from direct sunlight and heat, the same way you would any cosmetic. A cool, dry spot such as a drawer or cabinet keeps the texture and finish consistent for longer than leaving it exposed on a warm windowsill or in a hot car.

TIRTIR

Porexel Sebum Control Mud Foam 150ml

Name: TIRTIR Porexel Sebum Control Mud Foam 150ml
Brand: TIRTIR
SKU: 13494858460
Price: 45.0 USD
Availability: InStock

Porexel Sebum Control Mud Foam, TIRTIR's clay cleanser with Kaolin, Bentonite and mild AHAs for oily, pore-prone skin.

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$45.00

150 ml

$30.00 per 100 ml

Korean-market formula
Ships from California or direct from Korea
Korean barcode and batch code intact

Suited to: Normal to oily skin needing a thorough but gentle cleanseSkin prone to clogged pores or visible textureSensitive skin that reacts to stronger sulfate-based cleansers

Helps with: Oily or combination skin managing sebum and shineVisible pores tied to excess oil rather than drynessA daily cleanser with mild acid exfoliation built in

One-time purchase

$45.00

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$40.50

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How it works

Kaolin, Bentonite and Diatomaceous Earth form the mud base, absorbing surface oil the way clay masks do but built into a rinse-off foam instead. Glycolic Acid, Lactic Acid and Malic Acid sit in at cleanser-level concentration for mild surface exfoliation, while Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid and Beta-Glucan offset the clay and acids so the sebum-focused formula does not over-strip the skin during the short contact time of a cleanse. It is meant to be rinsed thoroughly with lukewarm water rather than hot, since hot water alone can undercut what a gentler surfactant base is built to avoid. This particular listing is the 150ml size TIRTIR sells for the line, packaged and formulated for the Korean market rather than a separate US release.

Key benefits

Kaolin, Bentonite and Diatomaceous Earth for oil absorption
Glycolic, Lactic and Malic Acid at cleanser-level concentration
Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid and Beta-Glucan to offset stripping
Rinse-off foam format rather than a leave-on clay mask
Brought in as the exact Korean-market SKU TIRTIR sells at home, not a separate US-market formulation

How to use

Work a small amount into a lather with wet hands, massage over oil-prone areas like the T-zone specifically, and rinse thoroughly. Daily use suits oily or combination skin; drier or combination-dry skin may prefer alternating with a gentler cleanser.

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51 of 56 explained

Water/Aqua/Eau solvent: Water is the base almost every serum, toner and cream is built on. It dissolves the water-loving ingredients and sets how light the finished texture feels. On an INCI list it is usually first, which only means it is the largest single ingredient by weight.
Glycerin humectant: Glycerin is the most used humectant in skincare. It draws water into the outer layer of skin and holds it there, and it is one of the very few ingredients whose hydrating effect is settled science rather than marketing. Higher amounts feel tacky, which is why it is usually blended.
Palmitic Acid fatty acid: Palmitic Acid is a saturated fatty acid present in skin's own lipids. It thickens a formula, stabilises the emulsion and softens skin.
Stearic Acid fatty acid: Stearic Acid is a saturated fatty acid from plant fats, and one of the three lipid classes skin's own barrier is built from. In a formula it thickens, stabilises the emulsion and can be turned into a soap-style cleanser by adding a base.
Kaolin absorbent: Kaolin is white clay, the mildest of the cosmetic clays. It absorbs oil and lifts loose debris from the surface without stripping, which is why it is the clay used on drier skin.
Lauric Acid fatty acid: Lauric Acid is the coconut fatty acid that gives soap-style cleansers their dense foam. It is not well suited to blemish-prone skin at high levels.
Myristic Acid fatty acid: Myristic Acid is a saturated fatty acid used to thicken and, with a base added, to build the foam in a soap-style cleanser.
Bentonite absorbent: Bentonite is a volcanic clay that swells in water. It absorbs oil, thickens a mask, and holds pigments and powders evenly suspended.
Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate surfactant: Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate is a mild coconut-derived surfactant known for a rich, creamy lather that rinses without tightness.
Potassium Hydroxide pH adjuster: Potassium Hydroxide is a strong base used in traces to raise a formula to its target pH. In a soap-style cleanser it also converts fatty acids into the surfactant that does the cleansing.
Glyceryl Stearate emulsifier: Glyceryl Stearate is glycerin joined to stearic acid, and one of the most used emulsifiers in skincare. It holds oil and water together and thickens the result, and it softens skin at the same time.
Sorbitan Olivate emulsifier: Sorbitan Olivate is an olive-derived emulsifier, the oil-loving half of the pair sold as Olivem. It holds oil into water and leaves a light, non-waxy feel.

39 more explained

Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate thickener: Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate is a modified starch used to thicken and to take the sticky edge off a formula, leaving a powdery finish.
Lauryl Betaine surfactant: Lauryl Betaine is a secondary surfactant that boosts foam and thickens a cleanser while reducing how stripping the main surfactant feels.
Butylene Glycol humectant: Butylene Glycol is a small glycol that does two jobs at once: it holds water in the top layer of skin and it dissolves plant extracts and actives that plain water cannot. It also thins a formula, which is why watery Korean essences lean on it.
Dipropylene Glycol humectant: Dipropylene Glycol is a glycol used as a solvent and a light humectant. Its main job is keeping the rest of the formula dissolved and the texture fluid rather than adding hydration of its own.
Diatomaceous Earth absorbent: Diatomaceous Earth is fossilised algae shells, which are almost pure silica. It absorbs oil and works as a very fine polishing grain.
Sodium Chloride thickener: Sodium Chloride is salt. In a cleanser it thickens the liquid; in a mask or essence it balances the mineral content of the water phase. It has no active role.
Hydroxyacetophenone preservative booster: Hydroxyacetophenone is an antioxidant that also strengthens a preservative system, so a formula needs less traditional preservative. Korean formulas pair it with 1,2-hexanediol constantly.
Iron Oxides (CI 77491) colorant: Iron Oxides are mineral pigments in red, yellow and black, and the three are blended to make every skin-tone shade in a tinted product. They are inert and sit on the surface.
Caprylyl Glycol preservative booster: Caprylyl Glycol is a glycol that conditions skin and, more importantly, strengthens a preservative system so less of the traditional preservative is needed. It appears in most modern formulas built without parabens.
Hectorite thickener: Hectorite is a clay mineral used to thicken both water and oil phases. It keeps pigments suspended so a formula does not separate in the bottle.
Sodium Phytate chelator: Sodium Phytate is a rice-derived chelator used in place of EDTA. It ties up trace metals so the formula stays stable and its colour and scent hold.
Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide active: Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide, usually written NAD, is a coenzyme every living cell carries, built from vitamin B3. In a formula it is used as a conditioning active at very low levels.
Nicotinamide Mononucleotide active: Nicotinamide Mononucleotide is a nucleotide built from vitamin B3 and a sugar phosphate. Korean formulas use it as a conditioning active, usually alongside niacinamide itself.
1,2-Hexanediol humectant: 1,2-Hexanediol is a glycol used for two reasons: it holds water like glycerin, and it makes a formula harder for microbes to live in, so less traditional preservative is needed. Korean formulas use it heavily for that second reason.
Salix Alba (Willow) Bark Extract plant extract: Willow Bark Extract carries salicin, the plant compound salicylic acid is related to. The two are not interchangeable: willow bark is a mild clarifying extract, not a BHA exfoliant at the levels used in cosmetics.
Citric Acid pH adjuster: Citric Acid is used in tiny amounts to bring a formula to the pH its actives need, not as an exfoliant at that level. It is an AHA, so at much higher concentrations it can also exfoliate.
Hibiscus Sabdariffa Flower Extract plant extract: Roselle hibiscus extract, deep red from anthocyanins and naturally acidic. It carries plant acids and is used as an antioxidant extract.
Solanum Melongena (Eggplant) Fruit Extract plant extract: Eggplant Fruit Extract carries nasunin, the antioxidant pigment in aubergine skin. It is used as an antioxidant plant extract.
Tartaric Acid exfoliant: Tartaric Acid is the fruit acid of grapes and tamarind. It is an AHA, but it is used more often to adjust pH and bind metal ions than as the main exfoliant.
Jasminum Officinale (Jasmine) Extract plant extract: Jasmine extract, from the flower. It is used as a conditioning plant extract and contributes its own scent.
Glycolic Acid exfoliant: Glycolic Acid is the smallest AHA, which is why it is also the most penetrating and the most likely to sting. It loosens the bonds between dead surface cells and is used for the look of dullness and rough texture.
Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate active: Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate is a water-soluble salt derived from licorice root. It is the licorice fraction Korean formulas use for the look of redness, and it is far more stable in water than the whole extract.
Lactic Acid exfoliant: Lactic Acid is a larger AHA than glycolic, so it works nearer the surface and is easier on skin, and it is a humectant as well as an exfoliant. It is the AHA of choice for dry skin.
Sodium Hyaluronate humectant: Sodium Hyaluronate is the salt of hyaluronic acid, and it is what most products labelled hyaluronic actually contain. The salt dissolves more readily and the molecule is smaller, so it sits in the outer layer of skin rather than only on top of it.
Ethylhexylglycerin preservative booster: Ethylhexylglycerin softens skin and boosts a preservative system, which is why it is nearly always sitting beside phenoxyethanol or 1,2-hexanediol. It also cuts down the odour bacteria produce, so it turns up in deodorising products.
Beta-Glucan polysaccharide: Beta-Glucan is a polysaccharide from oats or yeast. It holds a large amount of water, forms a soothing film, and is one of the ingredients formulators reach for in products aimed at reactive skin.
Resveratrol antioxidant: Resveratrol is an antioxidant from grape skin and Japanese knotweed. It is used for the look of dullness and is often paired with ferulic acid, which keeps it stable.
Chaenomeles Sinensis Fruit Extract plant extract: Chinese quince fruit extract, the mogwa of Korean tea. It carries fruit acids, tannins and vitamin C and is used as a conditioning extract.
Potassium Hyaluronate humectant: Potassium Hyaluronate is another salt of hyaluronic acid, used for the same reason as the sodium form: it dissolves easily and holds a large amount of water in the outer layer of skin.
Punica Granatum Fruit Extract plant extract: Pomegranate fruit extract, carrying ellagic acid and punicalagins. It is used as a plant antioxidant.
Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate humectant: Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate carries a positive charge, and skin carries a slight negative one, so it is attracted to the surface and stays through rinsing. It is the hyaluronic used where a formula gets washed off.
Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate humectant: Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid is hyaluronic acid cut into much shorter fragments. The smaller the fragment, the further into the outer layer it can settle, which is why serums stack several sizes together instead of using one.
Cornus Officinalis Fruit Extract plant extract: Japanese cornel dogwood fruit, the sansuyu of Korean herbal medicine. Its extract carries fruit acids and iridoids and is used as a conditioning extract.
Hyaluronic Acid humectant: Hyaluronic Acid is a sugar chain the body already makes, and one gram of it can hold several litres of water. In a formula it is a humectant that pulls water to the surface of skin and holds it in a film, which is what makes skin look plumper while it is there.
Pyrus Malus (Apple) Fruit Extract plant extract: Apple fruit extract, carrying malic acid, sugars and polyphenols. It is used as a conditioning extract with a mild acid character.
Prunus Mume Fruit Extract plant extract: Korean plum extract, from the fruit used to make maesil syrup. It is acidic and carries organic acids and polyphenols.
Pentylene Glycol humectant: Pentylene Glycol hydrates and, like the other longer-chain glycols, makes a formula less hospitable to microbes so the preservative system can be lighter. It also improves how evenly a product spreads.
Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer humectant: Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer is hyaluronic acid linked into a mesh. It holds water in a soft gel on the surface rather than sinking in, and it releases that water slowly through the day.
Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate humectant: Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate is hyaluronic acid modified to be part oil-loving, so it clings to skin instead of rinsing away. Formulators call it the one that stays put.

Inside the formula

Ingredients declared

No fragrance

on the list

Worth knowing

Avoid combining a clay or acid cleanser with a strong exfoliating treatment on the same day.
Rinse thoroughly with lukewarm rather than hot water, which helps avoid stripping the skin further.

Complete the routine

This itemTIRTIR Porexel Sebum Control Mud Foam 150ml$45.00
Cleanse first, so the next step meets bare skinTIRTIR Milk Creamy Foam Cleanser 90g$42.50
The treatment step of this routineTIRTIR ICE-COOLING WATER DROP SERUM 30ml$57.50

Total for 3 items$145.00

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TIRTIR Porexel Sebum Control Mud Foam 150ml

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TIRTIR, Korean-market original

A clay mask's oil control, in a daily cleanser.

Verify your unit when it arrives

Korean-market stock with the original barcode and batch code intact, exactly as it left Korea.

On the unit itself

The Korean-market barcode, unaltered from the retail package.
The manufacturer’s batch code, exactly as the maker printed it.

정품Genuine article, Korean-market stock

What professionals say

What skin-care professionals say about skin care, quoted from the medical sources linked beside each.

Your skin barrier is basically your outer layer of the skin.
Melissa Piliang, MDDermatologist, Cleveland Clinic
Pretty much every step of a Korean skin care routine is going to have some component of hydration.
Alok Vij, MDDermatologist, Cleveland Clinic