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Product Comparison

Here's our complete breakdown comparing the ingredients, attributes, and more of COSRX Galactomyces 95 Tone Balancing Essence versus COSRX Galactomyces Alcohol-Free Toner .

Last updated on January 04, 2024. Published on October 26, 2022

Overview

What they are

These products are both cruelty-free and reef safe . They have a total of 8 ingredients in common

Cool Features

They both contain hyaluronic acid

Suited For

They're both likely to be good for dry skin, sensitive skin and scar healing

Free From

They both do not contain any harsh alcohols, common allergens, fragrances, oils, parabens, silicones or sulfates

We independently verify ingredients, and our claims are backed by peer-reviewed research. Spot a product that need an update? Let us know.

Essence South Korean Brand South Korea
Toner South Korean Brand South Korea

Essence

Essences are used to prep skin for further treatment and may provide extra skin benefits. They are usually used before serum and moisturizers. Essences are thought to have originated in either Japan or Korea and is an essential step in K-Beauty.

Toner

Toners are used as a “last-step” cleanser, a pH balancer, add moisture to the skin, or may help in reducing impurities on the skin. They have a liquid consistency and are usually used after cleansers but before treatments.

Price

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Buy Galactomyces 95 Tone Balancing Essence

Starts at $12.29
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Buy Galactomyces Alcohol-Free Toner

Ingredient Info

Click any item below to learn more and view relevant ingredients.
alcohol-free
silicon-free
fragrance-free
sulfate-free
paraben-free
oil-free
fungal-acne safe
reef-safe
eu-allergen-free
vegan
cruelty-free
alcohol-free
silicon-free
fragrance-free
sulfate-free
paraben-free
oil-free
fungal-acne safe
reef-safe
eu-allergen-free
vegan
cruelty-free

At a glance

Click on any of the items below to learn more

Notable Ingredients

Niacinamide
Hyaluronic Acid

Benefits

Hydrating (3)
Good For Oily Skin
Redness Reducing (3)
Reduces Irritation (3)
Reduces Large Pores
Dark Spots
Scar Healing
Acne Fighting
Brightening (2)

Benefits

Hydrating (2)
Redness Reducing (2)
Reduces Irritation (3)
Scar Healing
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Ingredients Side-by-side

Ingredients that are highlighted in purple are present in both products.

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Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.

1
What it does: Humectant
Community Rating: Liked

Galactomyces Ferment Filtrate (GFF) is a yeast traditionally used to make the Japanese alcoholic beverage, sake. GFF has moisturizing and antioxidant properties.

Studies show GFF applied to the skin improves our skin's natural moisturizing factors (NMF). Our NMF consists of many components that naturally moisturize our skin. Having healthy NMF keeps our skin plump, protected, and hydrated.

GFF tells our skin to create more filaggrin, an important component for NMF. Filaggrin gathers all the structural proteins in our outer layer of skin and creates a tight barrier, helping to protect our skin against allergens and bacteria. This also helps prevent moisture loss.

Thanks to its antioxidant properties, GFF also protects our skin against oxidative stress and UV induced inflammation. One study found GFF helped regulate sebum and keratin in participants.

GFF may not be fungal-acne safe. We recommend speaking with a professional if you have concerns.

Many components of sake, such as GFF, are studied for their anti-aging benefits today. This is because sake brewers are known to have youthful hands.

Learn more about Galactomyces Ferment Filtrate

COSRX Galactomyces 95 Tone Balancing Essence contains this as ingredient number 1.

COSRX Galactomyces Alcohol-Free Toner contains this as ingredient number 2.

2
What it does: Humectant, Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Loved

Sodium Hyaluronate is hyaluronic acid's salt form. It is commonly derived from the sodium salt of hyaluronic acid.

Like hyaluronic acid, it is great at holding water and acts as a humectant. This makes it a great skin hydrating ingredient.

Sodium Hyaluronate is naturally occurring in our bodies and is mostly found in eye fluid and joints.

These are some other common types of Hyaluronic Acid:

Learn more about Sodium Hyaluronate

COSRX Galactomyces 95 Tone Balancing Essence contains this as ingredient number 3.

COSRX Galactomyces Alcohol-Free Toner contains this as ingredient number 8.

3
What it does: Humectant, Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Loved

Betaine is a common humectant (a substance that promotes retention of moisture). It's known to be gentle on the skin and can help balance hydration.

Betaine is best for improving hydration and soothing irritated skin. Studies show betaine may help with uneven skin tones.

Betaine is naturally created in the skin and body. The form found within cosmetic products can be either plant-dervied or synthetic.

Learn more about Betaine

COSRX Galactomyces 95 Tone Balancing Essence contains this as ingredient number 4.

COSRX Galactomyces Alcohol-Free Toner contains this as ingredient number 5.

4
What it does: Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Loved

Panthenol (also referred to as pro-vitamin B5) is a common ingredient that helps hydrate and soothe the skin.

lt is a humectant, meaning that it helps the skin attract and retain moisture.

Another benefit is the anti-inflammatory abilities. This means that it's great for sensitive, irritation-prone skin.

Once oxidized, panthenol converts to pantothenic acid. Panthothenic acid is found in all living cells.

Learn more about Panthenol

COSRX Galactomyces 95 Tone Balancing Essence contains this as ingredient number 5.

COSRX Galactomyces Alcohol-Free Toner contains this as ingredient number 6.

5
What it does: Skin Conditioning, Solvent
Community Rating: Mixed

1,2-Hexanediol is a multi-tasker ingredient. It acts as a preservative to increase shelf-life and can aid other preservatives in preventing microbe growth. 1,2-Hexanediol also helps the skin retain moisture as a humectant.

In products that are water-based, this ingredient can help stabilize perfumes and fragrances. It can also help make the texture of products softer and more smooth.

COSRX Galactomyces 95 Tone Balancing Essence contains this as ingredient number 7.

COSRX Galactomyces Alcohol-Free Toner contains this as ingredient number 4.

6
What it does: Skin Conditioning, Skin Protecting, Soothing
Community Rating: Loved

Allantoin plays a role in soothing and moisturizing the skin. Because of this, it is often added to products with strong active ingredients.

Some studies have shown this ingredient can promote wound healing with higher concentrations.

Allantoin is derived from the comfrey plant but produced synthetically for cosmetic products to ensure purity.

Learn more about Allantoin

COSRX Galactomyces 95 Tone Balancing Essence contains this as ingredient number 8.

COSRX Galactomyces Alcohol-Free Toner contains this as ingredient number 7.

7
What it does: Humectant, Masking, Skin Conditioning, Solvent
Community Rating: Mixed

Butylene Glycol (or BG) is used within cosmetic products for a few different reasons:

  • It is a solvent, meaning that it helps to dissolve other ingredients. This also enhances the absorption of the product into one's skin.
  • It is a humectant, which means that it helps attract moisture into the skin.
  • It helps improve product application.

Overall, Butylene Glycol is a safe and well-rounded ingredient. It is unlikely to irritate skin, and works well with pretty much all other ingredients.

COSRX Galactomyces 95 Tone Balancing Essence contains this as ingredient number 9.

COSRX Galactomyces Alcohol-Free Toner contains this as ingredient number 3.

8
What it does: Solvent
Community Rating: Mixed

Ethyl Hexanediol is an aliphatic alcohol. It is a solvent.

Solvents are used to keep ingredients together in a product. They can help dissolve ingredients to stable bases or help evenly distribute ingredients throughout the product.

COSRX Galactomyces 95 Tone Balancing Essence contains this as ingredient number 11.

COSRX Galactomyces Alcohol-Free Toner contains this as ingredient number 10.

Here's what our community thinks of the ingredients in these two products.

67% are loved or liked
25% have mixed ratings
8% are disliked or very disliked
0% have no rating yet
60% are loved or liked
30% have mixed ratings
0% are disliked or very disliked
10% have no rating yet

Usage

Here's some more info on how this product is used by our community.

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Reviews

Here's what our community thinks

COSRX Galactomyces 95 Tone Balancing Essence 12 ingredients

4.5 /5
from 4 ratings
screamadelica's avatar

screamadelica

7 months ago · Normal Skin
Review

love this!
i love how hydrating and soothing this product is. if your skin can handle fermented ingredients, then this essence is a great...

love this!
i love how hydrating and soothing this product is. if your skin can handle fermented ingredients, then this essence is a great alternative to their snail essence (unfortunately, there are a ridiculous number of fakes of the snail essence on the internet, but i don’t see as many counterfeits of this one).
this product actually contains more galactomyces (ahem sorry i meant PITERA™) than the significantly more costly SK-II essence. interesting, huh?

COSRX Galactomyces Alcohol-Free Toner 10 ingredients

Galactomyces Alcohol-Free Toner hasn't been rated yet.
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Alternatives

Our Dupe Finder has found 50 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to COSRX Galactomyces 95 Tone Balancing Essence.

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Our Dupe Finder has found 50 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to COSRX Galactomyces Alcohol-Free Toner.

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