[NEWS] Every shelf has a toner pad. Few have one made for makeup day.

Product at a glance: Product Code DK20129 · 290 mL · 80 pads · 10 vitamins + glutathione + niacinamide

In this brief

1. Korea turned the toner pad into a mass category
2. U.S. shoppers already buy K-beauty pads by the tub
3. A pad people want to film
4. The pads shoppers will compare it with
5. A different job, not a cheaper copy
6. Korea, Japan and the U.S. are already talking about it
7. Part of a vitamin routine shoppers already know
8. Sell the moment, not the pad
9. What buyers usually ask before the first order

01 · Why now: the Korean signal

Korea turned the toner pad into a mass category

The size of the format is no longer in question. Yonhap reported in March 2026 that M brand toner pad lineup passed 20 million units in cumulative sales by December 2025, only nine months after it reached 10 million, and that about 70% of those sales came from outside Korea.[1]

The home market is crowded as well. A search for "toner pad" on Olive Young in August 2026 returned 149 products.[2] 

The format solves a real routine problem. A pre-soaked pad replaces a bottle, a cotton round and a pour step. It is fast, portable and easy to understand in a three-second video, and it is used daily and bought again when the tub runs out. That makes it a replenishment product, the kind a store wants on a predictable reorder cycle.

02 · Global trend match

U.S. shoppers already buy K-beauty pads by the tub

The same pattern shows up in U.S. marketplaces. The Yonhap report says M brand held the top spot in Amazon's Facial Toners & Astringents category from February 2025 through the first week of March 2026.[1] USA Today reported in June 2026 that more than 30,000 people bought J brand toning pads on Amazon in the previous month.[4]

Editors treat the pad as its own category now. Vogue's toner pad guide sorts its picks by skin need, with A brand for overall use, T brand for dry skin, M brand for acne-prone skin, B brand for mature skin and M brand for large pores.[5] Allure runs a separate guide to Korean toner pads.[6] Cosmetics Business listed toner pads among its five K-beauty trends for 2025.[7]

• Category scale: One Korean brand passed 20 million pad units, about 70% sold abroad (Yonhap, March 2026).
• Marketplace demand: More than 30,000 units of one K-beauty pad sold on Amazon in a month (USA Today, June 2026).
• Shelf crowding: 149 toner pads on Olive Young Korea, with a threefold spread in price per pad (August 2026).

Notice what those best-seller lists have in common. They sell calming, hydration, acne care or pore care. None of the picks above is sold for the step before makeup. That is the gap this pad is aimed at, and it is the angle creators use when they film it, with captions about makeup prep and a base that wears well.

03 · What sets it apart

A pad people want to film

• Tear-apart sections: Each pad splits into four pieces for the nose, chin or a small mask, a detail creators show on camera.
• Easy-Pick applicator: A velcro-tipped stick stored in the lid lifts one pad at a time, so fingers stay out of the tub.[8]
• Formula: Vitamin C, niacinamide, glutathione, ceramide NP and adenosine.[9]
• Label: Fragrance-free and vegan, with primary and sensitive-skin irritation testing.[9]

In the brand's clinical testing, makeup adherence rose 508%, inner hydration 403% and radiance 142% against the skin before use.[9] Those numbers belong on a product page next to their source, and they give staff a concrete way to describe what "prep" means.

The two format details matter commercially. The tear-apart pad gives shoppers a reason to film the product, which feeds discovery. The applicator answers a common complaint about pad tubs, fingers going into a shared container. Both can be shown at the counter in under ten seconds. WishTrade's brand guide calls it the "genius pad", the name creators also use in their captions.[10]

The formula story is simple to repeat. It is a vitamin pad, not an acid pad, so it does not compete head-on with the exfoliating pads many stores already carry. It pairs vitamin C and niacinamide for glow with glutathione for the look of uneven tone, then adds ceramide NP for comfort.

04 · MARKET POISITIONING

The pads shoppers will compare it with

A shopper standing in front of K-beauty pads in the U.S. will usually see two kinds: exfoliating pads for pores and texture, and calming pads for redness and breakouts. The closest direct rival is a vitamin pad from the category leader.

Pore-clearing and acid pads dominate unit volume, but they carry a structural limitation: shoppers treat them as corrective tools. If skin feels stripped or sensitized, consumers pause use.

Klairs repositions the pad from a corrective treatment to a pre-makeup prep step. Instead of stripping the skin with heavy acids, it floods the surface with non-irritating vitamins and barrier-supporting liposomes. This unlocks daily morning usage right before foundation or cushion application.

05 · Why stock it next to other toner pads

A different job, not a cheaper copy

The honest case starts with the rival. M brand has the scale, the Amazon ranking and a vitamin pad of its own, and a store that already carries other toner pads does not need the same poistioing toner pads. The reason to add Klairs is that it does a job the leader does not sell: prep before makeup, in a format that is easy to demonstrate.

• Against Pore Pads: No overlap in use. One exfoliates with acids; the other is a daily vitamin and hydration step before foundation.
• Against Soothing, Calming Pads: Costs a few cents more per pad, and answers a different question: glow and base wear, not calming or clarifying.
• Where it is weaker: Brand awareness and proof in numbers. With 18 reviews on its U.S. store, the page needs creator video and in-store trial to carry it.

There is also a limit to what the pad claims. It is not an exfoliating product, so shoppers who want a visible resurfacing effect should stay with an acid pad. Staff should describe it as a prep step that helps makeup sit better, and let the result on the shopper's skin do the rest.

Next to other calming pads, it is one more tub. Next to primers and base makeup, it is the only pad on that shelf.

06 · Where the opportunity is

Korea, Japan and the U.S. are already talking about it

• Korea. Korean creators call it a "hwajalmeok" pad, a pad that makes makeup go on well. It appears in a 360,961-view video in which Cheongdam salon makeup artists compare the skincare basics they use before makeup, a video its title marks as not an ad.[15] A student makeup routine with 93,330 views, shows it as the prep step.[16]
• Japan. The pad is sold as ビタグル10マスク in an 80-sheet tub. A Japanese beauty creator showed it in a Qoo10 Mega Wari vitamin-care set video with 24,480 views.[17]
• United States. The line is sold on TikTok Shop. One creator's caption tells viewers to find the new vitamin line there,[18] and the most-watched video in this brief, at 2.2 million views, carries the #TikTokShopRestock tag.[20] A U.S.-based J- and K-beauty creator included it in her best skincare of 2025, in a video she says is not sponsored.[19]

Across all three, the pad works as an entry product. It is easier to explain than a serum, it is visible on camera and it leads into the rest of the vitamin line. That makes it a sensible first Dear, Klairs SKU for a retailer testing the brand, especially one with a strong color-cosmetics shopper.

07 · Videos

Thirteen creators in three languages, one pad on camera

13 creator videos · 7 TikTok, 6 YouTube

Every video here shows the Freshly Juiced Vitamin Skin Prep Pads tub on screen and passed our reach check: more than 10,000 views, 300+ likes and comments. Paid and sponsored ties are labeled where the video or caption discloses them. 

08 · The line behind the pad

Part of a vitamin routine shoppers already know

The pad belongs to the Freshly Juiced Vitamin line, alongside Freshly Juiced Vitamin Drop, one of the brand's long-running sellers, and Freshly Juiced Vitamin E Mask. The brand pairs the pad with a vitamin C serum routine for glow.[9] WishTrade also lists a two-pad trial pack, useful for sampling.[21]

This matters for basket size. A shopper who starts with the pad already has a reason to try the serum for a stronger glow step, or the Vitamin E Mask for an overnight step. The line shares one visual identity, so a small endcap reads as a routine rather than a collection of unrelated SKUs.

It also balances the shelf. The brand's Supple Preparation Unscented Toner covers the classic toner step, while the pad covers the quick, on-the-go version. Stocking both lets staff match the product to how the shopper actually lives, without switching brands.

09 · How to merchandise it

Sell the moment, not the pad

• Shelf. Place it with makeup primers and base products, not only with toners. The shopper you want is standing in front of foundation.
• Product page. Lead with "prep before makeup" and show the tear-apart pad in the first image or clip. Put the clinical figures next to their source.
• Staff line. "Swipe before makeup, tear a quarter for the nose or chin, and your base sits smoother."
• Sampling. Use the two-pad trial pack for gift-with-purchase or subscription boxes, then point shoppers to the 80-pad tub.
• Comparison card. If other toner pads are on the same wall, label the two by job: pores and texture on one side, makeup prep on the other.

A suggested four-week retail test. Adjust to your channel; no sell-through outcome is implied.

10 · Buyer questions

What buyers usually ask before the first order

• Does it overlap with pads we already stock? Only if those pads are also vitamin or makeup-prep pads. Most shelves are led by exfoliating or calming pads, so this one adds a different use.
• Is it for sensitive skin? The formula is fragrance-free and vegan and has been through primary and sensitive-skin irritation testing. Shoppers with a skin condition should patch test first.
• How should we test it? Start with a small facing next to base makeup, one product-page video and the trial pack. Watch repeat purchases and shopper questions in the first cycle.
• What about price, stock and lead time? Those are shared after account approval through WishTrade.

Experience-to-order plan

Test the story before you scale the order

WishTrade can turn buyer review into a controlled retail learning cycle. The aim is not to promise demand; it is to collect enough evidence to make the next buying decision.

Decision record: shopper questions, sample feedback, staff confidence, PDP engagement, conversion, sell-through and reorder intent.

Add a pad with a different job

For the brand case, read 7 Reasons Your K-Beauty Shop Must Stock Klairs. View the product on WishTrade, or start with the two-pad trial pack for sampling. Wholesale pricing, stock and ordering terms are shared after account approval. 

Request a wholesale account