Lost hope for your skin? Here are five things to try from cult brand COSRX
As a huge fan of all things Korean, I’m thrilled that K-beauty is a lot more accessible now! Our stores are up to date with the latest products, have a lot of new brands coming in, and shopping is so much easier thanks to online stores with curated selections.
In spite of all that though, some women can’t quite get on the K-beauty train. While Koreans have to deal with a temperate climate and put their efforts into getting super-moisturized and dewy-looking chok chok skin, our beauty survey shows that many Pinays have oily skin. Afraid of looking even shinier, they’ve stayed away from Korean products or forego using moisturizer altogether.
Thankfully, K-beauty actually offers a lot of great solutions for gals with oily skin, and a new brand that recently made its way to the PH is fast becoming famous worldwide for dealing with this problem.
COSRX has been getting a lot of hype because it specifically targets those who have oily and acne-prone skin. They don’t actually do a lot of advertising as part of their efforts to keep costs down, and also avoid formulas with too many ingredients as they believe that this dilutes a product’s effectiveness. They've been raved about by Sokoglam and Teen Vogue! We’ve been wanting (dying) to try their products and, luckily, online store Philosophie carries the brand’s best-sellers!
Low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanser (P570, order here)
Maintaining the correct pH level of your skin is important if you want to keep pimple-causing bacteria off your face. A low pH cleanser allows your skin’s naturally protective acid mantle to keep common acne triggers from irritating your face and causing a breakout. This cleanser’s pH level is at the ideal level of 5.0 to 6.0, and also contains BHAs and tea tree oil for gentle exfoliation and oil control.
Galactomyces 95 White Power Essence (P895, order here)
It really sounds like something from a sci-fi novel, and the effect of galactomyces really is out of this world! The essence provides moisture, anti-aging, and whitening benefits, plus your skin does look and feel better thanks to the hyaluronic acid. At 95% GFF, it’s rumored to be a dupe for the famous galactomyces formula from skincare brand SK-II, and at just a fraction of the price. It absorbs pretty quickly to skin but leaves a bit of a tacky sensation right after. Not to worry—just slap on your moisturizer and it’ll be all good.
Acne Pimple Master Patch (P170 for 24 patches, order here)
It would look weird to leave the house with a dollop of pimple gel on your face but sometimes it can be necessary if you need to get the swelling and irritation to go down immediately. Use a pimple patch instead: just place it right on your pimple to protect it from further possible irritations! The strips are translucent so they’re not too obvious when applied.
Best but disgusting thing about it? It sucks up the pus from your pimple, which you can see inside the patch when you take it off. Gross, but it works! We'll post our full review soon.
One Step Pimple Clear Pads (P850 for 70 pads, order here)
These pre-soaked pimple pads are shaking up the internet for a good reason. Each pad is composed of two sides: the textured pad to provide extra exfoliation, and the other side is for a thorough but gentle cleanse. The pads are moistened in Beta Salicylate (a type of BHA), which removes clogs in your pores. It also has a pH level of about 4.0 to 5.0. Thrifty tip: You can the pad in two and just use half!
Natural BHA Skin Returning A-Sol (P750, order here)
Aside from BHA, this also contains 60% bee propolis, which is known to have great antimicrobial properties. It can help reduce bumps, pimples and other skin imperfections, and also helps prevent them from occurring in the first place. Use it as a toner all over you skin after cleansing, or as a spot treatment if you just want to target certain blemishes. It can be a bit drying for some people, so if that happens to you, just use it as a twice a week exfoliant instead.
Are you an oil-skinned gal who’s been avoiding K-beauty? Do you think you’ll give CosRx a try?
Shop for CosRX at Philosophie
