Cosrx Low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanser
If you’ve got drier skin, you may find this works but you probably don’t want to just slather it on your skin every day!
It’s a really good cleanser when used appropriately. If you don’t have dry skin, you can probably use it with less caution. Saying that, I’m fine with using it most days, as long as I’m also using quite moisturising products after.
Texture
This foams up really well, it’s more bubbly but less velvety than the Skin1004 Madagascar Centella Ampoule Foam.
I read somewhere that you don’t need much at all to get it to bubble up nicely and it’s true, even if in hard water (which is notorious for affecting how much a product foams up).
Ingredients
To be honest, there’s not a lot of to say here – it has gentle cleansing agents and some nice extracts.
There are small amounts of exfoliating ingredients and tea tree oil, which are good for acne. Whilst these elements are in low amounts, if you have sensitive skin you will want to take care – more on this below.
Experience
With dry skin, I did find using too much product or using it daily (especially with the toner discussed below) was a bit drying, so it’s one to skin cycle with for drier skin. That’s right, you can skin cycle your cleansers too!
You can read more about skin cycling here.
I’ve found that the Cosrx cleanser is really helpful for anywhere that is acne-prone, even if it’s a sensitive area like my neck.
I write about my sensitive acne-prone neck a lot and, as much as I wish I had normal skin, it’s sort of useful because it means I get to really test how products perform for different skin conditions.
One thing I’ve found, which I did not expect, is that the Cosrx cleanser has a good effect on my neck acne.
I was beginning to wonder if using moisturising cleansers every day might not doing my acne any favours and, even diluted, I’ve found that having a non-moisturising cleanser like this makes a positive difference a few times a week.
And of course that’s the benefit of skin cycling: you can alternate products that wouldn’t be right for daily usage to give your skin the best of both worlds.
Another big bonus is that this is the perfect cleanser for butt cheek acne!
OK, I know it’s not the prettiest thing to talk about but acne can happen anywhere and wouldn’t it be great to fix it?? So the cleanser, in combination with some other products I’ll talk about below, is a saviour.
Like with my face cleanser, I discovered my very moisturising body wash was actually making my butt acne worse so I’m really pleased that I gave this cleanser a try.
Cosrx AHA / BHA Clarifying Toner
This is a great daily maintenance toner to help with slightly blocked pores. You may want to consider something with stronger ingredients if you have more significant acne or quite oily skin, however, like this or this. Read the guides here and here.
Texture
It’s a super lightweight watery toner in a handy spray bottle.
When I’m using it on my face, I follow the directions and spray it onto my hands or a cotton pad, to avoid getting it in your eyes. For my arms, using it as a spray is really convenient.
Ingredients
This toner has mainly plant extracts and a small amount of acids to ensure it is gentle and can be used daily.
What is also important to note is that it really is a clarifying toner – there aren’t hydrating ingredients here and I can definitely tell that when I use it.
Experience
I find this is best as first step after cleansing, it’s very light so it makes sense to use it first as an excellent skin prep step.
As a gentle exfoliating product, it’s all about keeping clear pores without overdoing it.
You can use it daily, which I do for areas more prone to acne and blocked pores. For more sensitive areas that have drier skin, I use it very few days or so.
It does have an acidic pH so you might want to be careful with it. Cosrx says that it’s set to 4, but it could be one step either way which means it’ll be somewhere between 3 and 5.
Most hydrating toners are around 5.5 so you might find a product that is pH 4 or below a little stingy. Make sure you apply it to dry skin to reduce the risk of stinging.
It doesn’t sting my skin, even my neck – although I only apply an extremely thin layer to be on the safe side.
I also make sure to follow up with something soothing and hydrating. My current go-to is the Isntree Onion Newpair B5 Ampoule, which I’ll be reviewing soon.
Of course, if you have oily skin that isn’t dehydrated, this might be fine as your sole hydrating product, even though I don’t find it hydrating. Listen to your skin!
I do need to state that, as a product designed to be daily toner, the results aren’t dramatic. With this and the cleanser, it’s good for maintenance. However, if you’re looking for more significant results, see the links above.
What I find especially useful about the products I’ve reviewed here is that they do help my acne without drying out my skin and that they reduce how shiny my skin is.
Because my skin is dry, I need moisturising products and I tend to swing between dewy and shiny.
Adding these two products means that my skin generally sits at the dewy end of the scale.
For me, adding two products that help reduce acne and stop my skin from being too shiny is way better than overhauling my routine or giving up my favourite sunscreens or having to use a lot of powder.
As summer increases the dewiness of my skin, this is such an easy fix! I am of course using cleanser and toner anyway so it’s super beneficial to simply switch out the more moisturising products for these.
And it’s also good for butt acne: I now feel like I’ve got a solid butt acne routine, as mad as that sounds! I pair the Cosrx products with the Benton Deep Green Tea Lotion for maximum efficacy, read more about it here.
It’s a good thing that the Benton and Cosrx products are so well-priced because I’m using them over more and more of my body!
Final Word
Cosrx comes through again with really useful products. Not everyone needs the strongest product available, sometimes daily maintenance is what you need.