While K-beauty brands are constantly causing a stir online, few have had the success of Medicube. Over the course of 2025, the brand has delivered one viral product after the next, making its mark on the beauty set. First, we marveled over the collagen wrapping and salmon sperm masks that delivered glass skin. Then we dove into the toner pad trend, using oversized pads as sheet masks. It featured the Zero Pore Pad ($31), which is made with salicylic acid to smooth skin and tighten pores. However, a new trend is surfacing in the UK with Medicube’s Red Succinic Acid pads ($21). According to data collected by Spate, the trend has already seen a 20.6 percent year-over-year growth across the pond.
With the success of Medicube’s toner pads in the US, the trend is continuing to gain popularity. At this point, you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who hasn’t tried Medicube’s famous Zero Pore pads in the blue container. Not only do they promise plumped and tighter skin, but they leave you looking dewy and hydrated. The Red Succinic Acid pads have a different effect, which is why they’re becoming popular in their own right. Formulated with a blend of succinic acid, salicylic acid and glycolic acid, they treat acne like nobody’s business. This is why they’ve quickly become a buzzy topic on TikTok. Designed to combat breakouts while gently exfoliating the skin.
Each of Medicube’s toner pads is designed to work like a serum, delivering concentrated ingredients to problem areas. The specificity of the products is one of the reasons why they’ve become a skin-care staple. From pink collagen pads to exosome calming options and vitamin C soaked pads, there’s an option for every issue. However, the blue Zero Pore pads, formulated with AHAs and BHAs, continued to be the hero of the bunch. The only problem was that for some, the high concentrations of lactic acid (4.5 percent ) and salicylic acid (0.45 percent) caused breakouts. Switching to the red toner pads with succinic acid proved to be the solution as they are formulated to gently treat acne.
The two pads couldn’t be more different, and cross TikTok, users couldn’t agree more. Discovering Medicube’s red toner pads has created a trend and a solution, whether you have hormonal acne or consistent breakouts. Consumers in the UK are driving the trend even further, making it one to watch as Medicube’s products continue to thrive in the US.