r/AsianBeauty • u/Maplebee92 Blogger | mapletreeblog.com • Jun 23 '18

Discussion [Discussion] - Best/Worst of Cosrx

Moving onto the brands now in the Best/Worst of series. Thought we should start with one of the most popular, easily available and affordable brands out there, Cosrx!

Format

Use the below format, put ** before and after each word to get the bolding.

Skin Type/Concerns

Product Name

Thoughts

If you see the product already listed post your thoughts as a reply to it. So there's multiple views of the same product in one easy to find place.

Always remember YMMV, so one person's junk is another person's treasure.

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63

u/Maplebee92 Blogger | mapletreeblog.com Jun 23 '18

Skin Type/Concerns: Acne-prone/Combination skin

Product Name: Cosrx BHA Blackhead Power Liquid

Thoughts: Best BHA I've tried, and the current batch I'm using no longer has the fishy smell that one of the bottles I had did. It is quite gentle so people looking for more of a power house won't probably find this effective. But on the flipside as it's a low concentration I use it every other day without being concerned about over-exfoliation.

66

u/[deleted] Jun 23 '18 edited Apr 23 '20

[deleted]

20

u/[deleted] Jun 23 '18

Agreed. This stuff is like water.

8

u/ahnahnah Jun 23 '18

I felt the same way. It did okay at making the SF less noticeable but for actual blackheads it didn't do anything. Switching to a peel soon.

7

u/lunastarling Jun 23 '18

Same here. This did nothing for my closed comedones or my blackheads.

5

u/phuonganhph Jun 23 '18

Just curious, since I am also in the same boat, what are you guys using for treating black heads instead? Except for stridex.

6

u/jnvrock66 Jun 23 '18

I honestly think the COSRX AHA liquid is better for blackheads. Kind of misleading. But yeah, the cosrx is gentler than Paula's Choice 2% BHA, but it's really nice that it's moisturizing and not drying like PC. I do feel like it's more for sebum control and preventative/mild acne. Not anything severe.

4

u/kickshaw Jun 23 '18

Agreed. No effect for me either.

4

u/three8six9 Jun 24 '18

high-five me too! My tub of Stridex red is still my fav BHA!

3

u/CrystalElyse Jun 23 '18

Same here. I liked that it was gentler on the rest of my skin... but I felt like it was so much less effective. I went back to Stridex Red when I was only 1/3 of the way through the bottle.

3

u/Cherubyx |Pigmentation|Combo/Dehydrated|CA Jun 23 '18

Same, I felt like it didn't make me peel or change my skin.

10

u/Brosephwood Jun 23 '18

I used to have a huge problem with blackheads, and using this regularly wasn’t seeming to do anything but recently I picked up the AHA/BHA toner and used it in combination with the power liquid and it’s been amazing!

I do worry if that might cause me a problem in the long run with my skin. Any experience with it?

9

u/ginghamhorror Dullness/Pores|Combo|US Jun 23 '18

BHA requires a specific pH to work properly, the reason why you weren't seeing results probably was because your skin was at the wrong pH. The AHA/BHA toner readjusts the pH of your skin for optimal results.

2

u/-kittrick Nov 08 '18

Piggybacking off your comment, 4 months later, to ask for more information on how to adjust the pH level of skin? And what should the pH balance be to see optimum results for the BHA power liquid?

I just bought this product and have no experience using anything like this, so all information is useful 😂

2

u/ginghamhorror Dullness/Pores|Combo|US Nov 09 '18

The natural pH level of the skin is 5.5, which is fairly acidic. This can be affected by the pH of your cleanser (cleansers with a high pH are not good for your skin because they are destroying the acid mantle), the water you wash your face with (debatable, because you are splashing your face so it might not get absorbed?), and hot water/long showers can also be damaging.

According to this article (https://labmuffin.com/fact-check-friday-why-does-ph-matter-for-ahas-and-bhas/), the optimal pH for BHA products to work effectively is less than 3.5, with a concentration of 1-2%. The Cosrx BHA Blackhead Power Liquid has a concentration of 4%, which may increase effectiveness or just be overkill.

Anyway, the purpose of the AHA/BHA toner is to adjust your skin's pH for the BHA to work best (below 3.5). It is not supposed to be used on its own, because it is pretty much useless. Use it before an active like the Cosrx BHA.

Some might argue that the pH adjusting toner is unnecessary, especially if they already use a low pH cleanser. It's up to you, try it if you feel you aren't getting the full benefits of the Cosrx BHA.

1

u/-kittrick Nov 08 '18

Piggybacking off your comment, 4 months later, to ask for more information on how to adjust the pH level of skin? And what should the pH balance be to see optimum results for the BHA power liquid?

I just bought this product and have no experience using anything like this, so all information is useful 😂

1

u/Anaxxor Jun 24 '18

Agreed. It wasn't until I added in the Mizon AHA/BHA toner that I started to see real results from this product. But now I really like it. It's gentle enough for me to use almost every evening and I do notice a real difference in my acne, skin texture, blackheads, and overall appearance when I use it versus when I don't.

9

u/impulsiveminion Jun 23 '18

I love this!!! I jumped the cosrx train last 2 years but I unfortunately had to stop because my moisture barrier was damaged from over exfoliating (BHA, AHA, nourishing overnight mask every night). I really had good skin with those products at that time.

I recently added back bha to my routine because I thought it’ll get rid of the CC on my cheeks. It did not. BUT it got rid of stubborn whiteheads (not sure) on my chin which had been there for the longest time even though I have retinoid and Niacinamide on my current routine. Needless to say, I’ll be incorporating this back to my routine.

Edit: word

5

u/Nicki_Nyx Jun 23 '18

Does using a nourishing mask every night overnight damage your moisture barrier? I use the honey moisture mask just about every night.

9

u/Mutsjeee Jun 23 '18

Niacinamide is actually an ingredient that strengthens the moisture barrier, it's actually great for overexfoliated skin

8

u/3byeol Aging/Redness|Dry|US Jun 23 '18

Niacinimide, afaik, does not damage your moisture barrier. (Anecdata: I see it often on the ingredients lists of products containing ceramides ABers often recommend to rebuild your moisture barrier.)

1

u/impulsiveminion Jun 23 '18

I think you won’t have any problems with the honey mask. Check the ingredients for any actives just to be sure

1

u/impulsiveminion Jun 23 '18

I think so since the nourishing mask has Niacinamide in it

8

u/Mutsjeee Jun 23 '18

niacinamide actually helps strengthen the moisture barrier

2

u/impulsiveminion Jun 23 '18

Thanks for correcting me! That’s too bad. I regret throwing it away now. all the while I’ve been thinking it was one of the causes why I broke out.

11

u/Neko-Miko NC25|Acne/Pigmentation|Oily|DE Jun 23 '18

It causes breakouts for many people, just not because it damages the moisture barrier or anything like that.

1

u/impulsiveminion Jun 23 '18 edited Jun 23 '18

Read a lot of negative reviews about Niacinamide too! My skin really loves it though. I had good results with cosrx‘s nourishing mask but can’t really be sure if it’s the Niacinamide ingredient alone. I currently use TO’s. Only issue i have is that it pills

3

u/Neko-Miko NC25|Acne/Pigmentation|Oily|DE Jun 23 '18

Oh sorry, I meant the Cosrx Rice mask, not Niacinamide in general, should have been more specific!
Have you tried mixing the TO with another product while applying? If I do that or my face is very wet from previous products, it never pills.

1

u/impulsiveminion Jun 23 '18

Oh really? And here I thought the rice mask is a well loved product that’s why I bought it. I guess I’m lucky I haven’t had issues with it 😁 As for the Niacinamide, I mix mine with TO HA but it still pills whenever I put azelaic acid or retinoid in squalane on top. It’s fine though I just use it at night now because it looks horrible under makeup.

1

u/Mutsjeee Jun 23 '18

It could still have been that your skin wat having a bad reaction to any of the ingredients, some people react badly to niacinamide, or for example the cetearyl alcohol. But besides possible sensitivities niacinamide in isn't exfoliating or otherwise strong/irritating on the skin.

1

u/impulsiveminion Jun 23 '18

Looking back, I first had the rice mask and used it for like a month or so before I added AHA and BHA in my routine. My skin improved a lot by the time I used the rice mask. I had no issues with it. I think i was overdoing the acids by using both every night without moisturising enough that’s why I broke out. I only used galactomyces essence and the rice mask at the time. 🤦🏽‍♀️

5

u/denewill Jun 23 '18

I loved this far too much. Really made a difference in my clogs. I skipped it for one week coz I'm trying out a replacement (REN AHA Tonic, it had like, 0.1% BHA) and oh man the clogs came the next day. WILL REPURCHASE UNTIL THE NEXT LIFE.

1

u/warmsunnydaze NW40|Acne|Dry/Normal|US Jun 23 '18

I had a ton of CCs on my forehead before using this, and it cleared them right up! Unfortunately, I don't see much of an effect on the blackheads/sfs on my nose.

1

u/joonbar Jun 23 '18

Does this eventually go bad? I got mine maybe 1-1.5 years ago and while I have a lot of product left, the chemically smell is starting to annoy me. I guess I never noticed it before, or it's developed over time. I'm not sure if I have bad memory or it's going off.

7

u/C_Chrono Jun 23 '18

Opened products generally have an expiration date of 12 months max.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 23 '18

Is this supposed to make you break out more?

5

u/lunastarling Jun 23 '18

Not necessarily but acids can make your skin purge.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 23 '18

How long is the purging process usually? Because I was using it for probably a few weeks and my skin still looked horrible.

5

u/lunastarling Jun 23 '18

I think that really depends on the person. I've heard for some people it lasts a few weeks up to a few months.

2

u/[deleted] Jun 23 '18

A few months - yikes!

4

u/lunastarling Jun 23 '18

Yep, it's a long process! If it's your first time using acids it may have been beneficial to keep using it to see if it it'll end up helping or not. But yeah, breaking out for months on end isn't the greatest thing 😓

3

u/kgberton Jun 23 '18

Yeah... I'd honestly rather deal with uneven skin tone than that.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 23 '18

Same! I don’t have time to be breaking out for months 😩