Plodica Reishi Whip Cleanser: Is It Worth the Hype?

Cult Verdict

This K-beauty jelly cleanser went viral for its pore-clearing reishi mushrooms — but does it actually outperform a basic foaming wash?

Expert Analysis · Honest Reviews · Real Results

**From:** Jules
**To:** You

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1.🍄Mushrooms in my face

I bought this because TikTok told me reishi mushrooms could do for my pores what my esthetician couldn’t — and I have zero impulse control.

The real flex? It turns into this cloud foam that doesn’t strip your face into a desert. That’s rarer than a good under-eye concealer.

2.🧼The Jelly Situation

It’s a gel-to-foam cleanser, $28 for 150ml. The claim that got me: “pore-clearing without irritation.” My skin laughs at most cleansers — they either do nothing or burn.

Whip texture

Comes out like a clear jelly, then foams up if you add water. Not aggressive foam — think whipped egg whites.

Low pH formula

pH 5.5. Means your skin barrier doesn’t freak out after washing. My redness went down in 4 days.

One-step or double cleanse

Works as a standalone or first step. I use it alone on lazy nights — makeup dissolves okay, not great for waterproof mascara.

Skincare products with green leaves on a beige surface.

Photo: ibnu ihza / Unsplash

3.💧What’s actually inside

They lean hard on the reishi mushroom extract — and it’s not just marketing fluff. It’s anti-inflammatory and actually calms breakouts. But here’s the thing nobody talks about: it also has tremella mushroom, which is basically nature’s hyaluronic acid. Your face stays plump post-wash.

Reishi mushroom extract: reduces redness and fights acne bacteria
Tremella mushroom: holds 500x its weight in water — better than HA
Salicylic acid (0.5%): gently exfoliates without peeling your skin off
Panthenol: soothes irritation, because life is stressful enough

Photo: Fleur Kaan / Unsplash

4.🔬The first wash shock

Squeezed it out — clear, bouncy, almost like aloe gel. Smells like nothing. Massaged it in and it turns into this silky foam that feels like sinking into a soft pillow. Rinsed clean in 15 seconds flat. No tightness. No film. I actually checked if I missed a spot.

Two weeks in: my pores look smaller — not gone, but less like craters. The weird part? My forehead texture smoothed out. I wasn’t expecting that from a cleanser. It’s not a miracle worker, but it’s doing something.

💡

One Thing: Use it on damp skin — not wet. Dry hands, damp face. The foam gets denser and you use less product. I stretched one bottle to 3 months this way.

Photo: Eurico Craveiro / Unsplash

5.💰The honest breakdown

My breakouts calmed down — fewer angry red bumps. Blackheads? Still there, but less noticeable. Oil production balanced out after 10 days. Didn’t fix my dry patches, but didn’t make them worse either.

✅

Buy if

You have combo or oily skin that’s also sensitive — the rare unicorn that handles both

⏭️

Skip if

You wear a full face of waterproof makeup daily — this won’t cut it alone

💰

Worth it?

$28 for a cleanser hurts. But one pump does the job, so it lasts. About $0.31 per wash.

woman with pink and gold eyeshadow makeup

Photo: yunona uritsky / Unsplash

6.✅Final call

It’s a solid daily driver — not life-changing, but genuinely good at what it promises. If you’re tired of cleansers that either burn or do nothing, this is your middle ground.

7.8/10

Calming cleanser that actually cleans

🛍️

Where to Buy: StyleKorean or Olive Young — get the travel size first ($12) to test if your skin vibes with mushrooms