If you’ve ever wondered why your skin looks flat by 2pm no matter how much product you layered on that morning, the fix might not be a new serum. Numbuzin’s two most-talked-about toner pads, No.1 and No.3, are built to solve that exact kind of problem — just at opposite ends of the day.
The Toner Pad Habit Korean Routines Won’t Give Up
Toner pads are one of those steps that seem almost too simple to matter, but they’ve become a fixture in Korean skincare routines for a reason: one swipe does the job of toning, calming, or prepping skin without adding another bottle to the counter. Numbuzin’s No.1 and No.3 pads are two of the ones that keep coming up in Korean beauty blog posts, and they’re built to solve two completely different problems — one for damage control at night, one for smoothing things out before makeup.
What’s Actually in the No.1 Pad
The No.1 pad is a two-sided design. One side is a green cotton face soaked with actual crushed centella (cica) leaf, meant to calm redness and irritation. The other side is a plain white bamboo-fiber face, which is softer and meant to deliver a plain hydration hit. Instead of using purified water as the base, the formula is built on a blend of soothing plant extracts — centella asiatica, houttuynia cordata (a staple “fish mint” ingredient in Korean skincare), and licorice root.
Bloggers describe the texture as noticeably thick and plush rather than thin or flimsy, which is part of why it’s positioned as comfortable enough for sensitive or reactive skin. One post also mentioned the pad has been tested for suitability on acne-prone skin.
Why Skin Needs a “Wind-Down” Step at Night
The recommended use case for the No.1 pad is nighttime, after a day of sun exposure, heat, or hours under a mask — anything that leaves skin feeling warm, tight, or reactive. The routine one blogger shared: take two pads, tear each one in half so you end up with four smaller pieces, and press them onto your cheeks, forehead, and chin like a quick mini-mask. Leave them on for three to five minutes. The idea is to let the pad sit rather than just wipe it across your face, so the calming side actually has time to work before you rinse or move to the next step.
What’s Actually in the No.3 Pad
The No.3 pad flips the concept for daytime use. It’s also two-sided, but the textures serve a different purpose: one side has a slightly embossed texture designed to gently lift away buildup and rough patches, and the other side is smooth and plain, meant to pat in hydration afterward. The formula includes a fermented ingredient, which is credited with helping skin feel smoother and firmer after use.
Making Makeup Sit Better
The No.3 pad is framed as a pre-makeup step — used in the morning to clear away dullness and texture so a base layer has a cleaner surface to grip onto. That’s the “화잘먹” idea Korean beauty content talks about a lot: makeup that goes on and actually stays put, instead of separating or sliding around by midday.
A few practical ways bloggers said they use it:
• Swipe the embossed side over cheeks and forehead before applying sunscreen or base makeup, to smooth texture first
• Carry a couple of pads in a small travel case for touch-ups later in the day
• When makeup starts looking cakey or shifted, use the embossed side to gently lift off the buildup, then the plain side to pat in a bit of moisture before reapplying cushion or powder
• Some also mentioned using leftover pads on rougher patches like elbows or knees, not just the face
Two Pads, Two Different Jobs
The simplest way to think about these: No.1 is the “something happened to my skin today, let’s fix it” pad, and No.3 is the “let’s set skin up right before makeup” pad. Neither one is trying to replace an entire routine — they’re both meant to slot into whatever steps you’re already doing, just at different points in the day.
Worth Adding to Your Routine?
Neither pad is a miracle step, and nothing here is meant to replace a proper moisturizer or sunscreen. But if your skin tends to run either irritated by evening or textured by midday, having a pad built specifically for one of those two moments is a low-effort way to address it without overhauling your whole shelf.
Product Snapshot — No.1 Pad
• Product Name: Numbuzin No.1 pad (green cica side / white bamboo side)
• Category: Toner pad
• Texture: Thick, plush, two-sided (not thin)
• Best For: Redness, irritation, post-sun or post-mask skin
• When to Use: Evening
• How to Use: Tear pads in half for a mini-mask on cheeks, forehead, chin; leave on 3-5 minutes
• Key Source-Verified Highlights: Formulated with centella asiatica, houttuynia cordata, and licorice extract in place of purified water; noted as suitable for acne-prone skin in source blog
Product Snapshot — No.3 Pad
• Product Name: Numbuzin No.3 pad (embossed side / plain side)
• Category: Toner pad
• Texture: Two-sided — embossed exfoliating face and smooth hydrating face
• Best For: Rough texture, prepping skin before makeup, midday touch-ups
• When to Use: Morning, and as needed during the day
• How to Use: Embossed side to smooth texture or lift buildup, plain side to pat in hydration before reapplying makeup
• Key Source-Verified Highlights: Contains a fermented ingredient; also used by bloggers on elbows/knees for rough patches