COSRX: Mini review, but lots of love

I am a pretty punctual person in real life (well, most of the time), but when it comes to trends, I have been, and always will be, late to the party.

Okay, I was actually ahead of the curve for the glory and greatness that is/was Gangnam Style, but that was mostly a fluke | Source

Whether it's fashion, TV shows (looking at you, Game of Thrones), or skincare, I only jump on the train as it is leaving the station. Even as I write this now, there are already so many posts and proclamations of love for COSRX that everyone else is already hopping on to the next wave of Asian Beauty pretties (Tosowoong, Goodal, Whamisa, Cremor Lab, anyone?). As I have been slow to come aboard this hype train, and am still contentedly yet belatedly sitting in it as it is leaving the station, I figured I might as well shout my love for COSRX into the dwindling void, because seriously my skin has never taken such a liking to products so quickly.  I'll post mini-reviews on the three COSRX products I have been using, mostly since many others have reviewed them already, and there's only so much new insight I can contribute!

In this post, I'll be providing mini-reviews on my experience using the following three products:

1. COSRX AHA 7 Whitehead Power Liquid
2. COSRX BHA Blackhead Power Liquid
3. COSRX Galactomyces 95 White Power Essence now mercifully changed to COSRX Galactomyces 95 Whitening Power Essence because the COSRX team is truly bae 

I felt like I was taking pictures of a boyband when photographing these.

Additionally, I will also comment how these products, plus their fantastic customer service and relations, will most likely be taking my money for the foreseeable future.

I ordered the three aforementioned items off of Jolse, an online shop(/company?) who adorably won the hearts of many on the Asian Beauty subreddit for responding so well to a post someone made about Jolse being their "bae". They are also notorious for being exceptionally generous with their samples. I admit that I decided to order from them after how wonderfully they received that post, and I haven't been disappointed! I placed my order on Saturday, 23 May, received an email about my order shipping on Thursday, 28 May (approx. four business days), and finally received by package by Wednesday, 10 June. In total, from placing my order to receiving the package in Thailand, it took 18 days (including weekends) or 13 business days.

COSRX AHA 7 Whitehead Power Liquid

The product is liquid-y, and comes out easily from the pump bottle. I generally use two pumps for my entire face, and rub it in. I apply this right after my cleansing step on freshly washed skin. With a pH of 4, this exfoliant is in a good effectiveness range!

Ingredients

Pyrus Malus (Apple) Fruit Water, Butylene Glycol, Glycolic Acid, Water, Niacinamide, Sodium Hydroxide, 1,2-Hexanediol, Panthenol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Xanthan Gum, Ethyl Hexanediol

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The ingredients for this product is very simple, and quite safe. COSDNA indicates that the ingredients are quite safe, with only butylene glycol scoring 1 on the "acne" trigger scale.

Application: 4.5/5
Docking half a point because this alternates between smelling like apples to smelling like you got hit in the face with a burnt tire. Luckily, the smell doesn't linger for very long.

Performance: 15/15
Mah face, it's so glowy I don't even know how to handle. I saw effects from the AHA only after a few days of use, which is truly amazing because I hardly saw any effects when I was using Paula's Choice 8% AHA Gel for a year.

Value: 10/10
I bought this from Jolse for $16.98 USD. Considering the fact that my previous AHA, Paula's Choice 8% AHA Gel, is $28 USD for the same amount of product (100mL) while being much less effective, I feel that the COSRX AHA is truly a great value item. I'll update once it takes me to finish the bottle.

OVERALL: 9.83/10
Where do I begin with this amaze liquid. I never knew that skincare actives could be so effective until I used this product. I am exceptionally pleased with how well it plays with my skin. It helps my flakiness immensely, moreso than the BHA did. The week or so of purging that occurred has most definitely been worth it. Praise the COSRX AHA!

COSRX BHA Blackhead Power Liquid

Like the AHA, this product is also iquid-y, and comes out easily from the pump bottle. I generally use two pumps for my entire face, and rub it in. I apply this right after my cleansing step on freshly washed skin. With a pH of 4, this exfoliant is in a good effectiveness range!

Ingredients

Salix Alba (Willow) Bark Water, Butylene Glycol, Betaine Salicylate, Niacinamide, 1,2-Hexanediol, Arginine, Panthenol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Xanthan Gum, Ethyl Hexanediol

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Like the AHA, and all other COSRX products, the ingredients list is very simple, but effective. COSDNA indicates only butylene glycol as a potential problem, scoring 1 on the "acne" trigger scale.

Application: 4.5/5
Like the AHA, this also tends to smell like a burnt tire. Luckily, the smell doesn't linger for very long.

Performance: 13/15
I think this is definitely helping with preventing small pimples, and with making my pores look a bit smaller. It oddly hasn't been terribly effective with my sebaceous filaments, which is a bit disappointing. 

Value: 10/10
I bought this from Jolse for $18.98 USD. Considering the fact that my previous BHA, Paula's Choice 2% BHA Liquid, is $28 USD for the same amount of product (100mL) while being much less effective, I feel that the COSRX BHA is truly a good value item. I'll give an update when I finish the bottle!

OVERALL: 9.17/10
Strangely, I feel that my skin doesn't take to this as well as it takes to the AHA. I am not sure why, because with my skin profile, the BHA should truly be my jam. Not to say that this isn't effective, I just don't think it is as effective as the AHA on my skin. Nonetheless, I am quite content with this product, and will probably continue using this regardless (but mostly in conjunction with the COSRX AHA).

COSRX Galactomyces 95 White Whitening Power Essence

I use this product after I finish cleansing/using an active, whichever comes later. I treat this as a toner, mostly because I am currently out of toner right now. With a pH of 6, this product could very well be used as a pH-adjusting toner to help bring your skin back to its normal pH range.

Ingredients

Galactomyces Ferment Filtrate, Niacinamide,Sodium Hyaluronate, Betaine, Panthenol, Glycerin, 1,2-Hexanediol, Allantoin, Butylene Glycol, Xanthan Gum, Ethyl Hexanediol, Adenosine

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Again, simple and effective. And again, only butylene glycol poses as a possible acne trigger with a score of 1.

Application: 4/5
When you first apply it, it's a bit sticky, but that feeling dissipates after ~30 seconds as the product sinks in and leaves your face matte and hydrated.

Performance: 14/15
This actually brightens my skin, gives me that glowy look, and helps keep my redness in check! I noticed my PIH fading a lot faster once I incorporated this into my routine with the AHA.

Value: 10/10
At $18.98USD, this is a great value product. This comes out to $0.19USD per mL, unlike Missha FTE that retails at full price for $49USD per 150 mL or $0.33USD per mL. I found COSRX to be significantly more effective in calming redness and brightening my complexion than Missha, so this product is a win-win for me!

OVERALL: 9.33/10
My face loves this stuff. It absolutely drinks it in. It doesn't reduce my redness all the time, but it is evident that it helps calm it down. Sometimes the glow it leaves me is perceptible, sometimes not. Either way, I have been blown away by how quickly and noticeably my face reacts to this essence, and I have nothing but heart eye emojis for it.

Final thoughts

I am extremely pleased with all three of these products. All three, but especially the AHA and Whitening Power Essence, have truly helped me up my skincare game. I feel that my complexion is generally brighter, glowier, and less red. My post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH) is fading much faster than before. These items don't completely prevent all breakouts for me (stress and hormones will always beat even the best of skincare regimens, sadly), but they do help minimize and keep it under control, moreso than before. I would hands down rebuy the AHA and Whitening Power Essence again in a heartbeat. I hesitate to use the term "holy grail", but these two just might deserve the title. I would consider trying out other BHAs, but am still quite happy with the COSRX BHA, and will most likely rebuy when I'm close to running out.

Not only are these products well-formulated, well-valued, and effective, but the COSRX team's willingness to listen to their customers and go above and beyond is truly what cements my adoration for this brand. Their original name for the essence was a bit cringeworthy, simply due to the racist overtones. After some customers emailed them regarding the rather offensive name, their customer service reached out to say that they took their comments into consideration, and will rename it Whitening Power Essence instead! Seriously, they are that overachieving student in class, and it is fantastic. I am more willing to try other products from them, knowing that I will not only get effective products, but also that I am supporting an all-around wonderful company.

You can buy all three of the aforementioned products (and other COSRX products) at Wishtrend or Jolse. Jolse frequently runs ~10% discounts, so it is generally cheaper than Wishtrend. However, Wishtrend is holding a 20% brand sale for COSRX right now, so prices seem comparable! Both are good, reputable sellers, so I feel confident recommending them as trusted sellers.

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Have you tried any of these products before? If not, would you be interested in trying them out? And how about you, are you frequently late to the hype train party too?